Lovely Lucinda

Lucinda Williams

A sweet friend took me to the Lucinda Williams concert at George's Majestic Lounge on September 19th. She has always been one of those artists that I've meant to listen to, but I've never gotten around to it. Well, let me tell you... a live acoustic set was not a bad way to get exposed to Lucinda! She has an amazing ability to write lyrics, and I will admit that I was moved to tears a time or two. As we watched the moon rise through the retractable roof at George's, I said to myself, "I'm gonna feature this lady on my show tomorrow night!". So here you go... the September 20th show (click here for podcast) with lots of music from Lucinda - covering albums from Essence to Little Honey.

Later in the show, we talked a little bit about the genetically modified "frankenfish" that's been proposed for sale at local supermarkets. Other stories in the news were:

• Women with the baby blues process emotion differently
• Wal-mart is getting greener with thin-film solar technology
• Pirates were scientists, too!

Other musical artists featured included:  Fiona Apple, Deerhoof, Miles Davis, Aphex Twin, The Books, Louis Jordan, and the Decemeberists.

The poetry of the earth is ceasing never

Autumn on the Buffalo River Trail, Arkansas

The catalog of nature poetry in any library is extensive! Nowadays, you can just go online to find some amazing works. For the September 13th show (click here for podcast), I read some beautiful poems by the likes of John Keats, Mary Oliver, Emily Dickinson, John Ruskin, and E.E. Cummings. Oh it was a good time! Here's one of my favorites by Keats...

THE POETRY of earth is never dead:
When all the birds are faint with the hot sun,
And hide in cooling trees, a voice will run
From hedge to hedge about the new-mown mead;
That is the Grasshopper’s—he takes the lead
In summer luxury,—he has never done
With his delights; for when tired out with fun
He rests at ease beneath some pleasant weed.
The poetry of earth is ceasing never:
On a lone winter evening, when the frost
Has wrought a silence, from the stove there shrills
The Cricket’s song, in warmth increasing ever,
And seems to one in drowsiness half lost,
The Grasshopper’s among some grassy hills.

And in the news...

• UA author ruminates on the evolution of mammal teeth
• Getting a better grip on lab mice
• These dance moves are irresistible



Tui


For our weekly dose of sounds from nature - we listened to a promo for NZ Nature Sounds. Some critters we heard included the Tui and the Saddleback - two interesting birds from the land of the long white cloud. These birds are some of my favs :D

Artists we heard from included Bjork, Bowie, Fischerspooner, Horse Feathers, Joanna Newsom, Mother Mother, Goldfrapp, Brush!, and more...

Natural Folk

Doc Watson

Folk music and nature have always been buddies... with natural imagery and settings playing an integral role in the story-telling for which folk music is so well known. For the September 1st show (click here for podcast), I played songs from folk artists, ranging from traditional folk to  contemporary indie-freak-folk. Give it a listen to hear some old friends of folk, and maybe you'll discover some new ones! Do you have some artists that you would like to hear on the show? Please email me at naturewithmojo@gmail.com with recommendations.

As for the news...

• Tazmanian devil euthanized after tumor found
• Pot-growers mistake wildlife officials for suppliers



Blue Jay

• Altruistic bacteria?

We also listened to a track from Peterson Field Guides Birding by Ear in order to learn about the calls and songs of some common bird species such as the Blue Jay, Canada Goose, and House Sparrow.

Artists featured included: Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Joan Baez, Doc Watson, Devendra Banhart, Andrew Bird, Alela Diane, Joanna Newsom, Apostle of Hustle

Connect with nature through the OCC!

Kenny Williams, graduate assistant at OCC

Whether you're a seasoned veteran of the outdoors or a newbie still breaking in your first pair of boots, the Outdoor Connection Center at the University of Arkansas is a great resource to help you connect with nature. On the August 25th show (click here for podcast), Kenny Williams from the OCC stopped by to chat with us about the services they provide to the UA community.

The OCC is a place to try your hands (and feet) at climbing and bouldering on their indoor walls. You can also rent just about any piece of equipment for your kayaking, canoeing, backpacking, and cycling adventures. Speaking of bikes, they have a full service bike shop where you can have the staff check out your bike or put it on a stand and fix it yourself. And if you're not one who likes to travel solo, check out the event calendar to find out what sort of trips and clinics are on the horizon.

Check out the OCC website for more information!

In the news...

• Colored lice are for the birds
• New microbes discovered eating Gulf oil spill
• Four-legged biosensors sniff out bird flu

Some of my colleagues are currently in Brazil at a conference so in honor (and jealousy) of their trip, I featured some Brazilian mammals in the sound quiz. Some players included the Brazilian Bare-faced Tamarin (pictured right), the Southern Amazonian Red Squirrel, and the White-lipped Peccary.

Musical artists included: Animal Collective, Wire, DJ Shasow, Suni Paz, Mos Def, Joy Division, and more!

The B-team of mythical creatures

So we all know about elves, gnomes, unicorns, fairies, centaurs, etc... but if one was to delve a little deeper into the lore of different countries, she might discover some very interesting characters that remain relatively unknown. This was an adventure we undertook for the August 18th show (click here for the podcast). Some of the creatures we found included the Alp-luachra, an evil Irish fairy that transforms into a newt, crawls down a sleeping person's throat and feeds off the food in their stomachs. Or how about the Basilisco Chilote (pictured left) - a Chilean half chicken, half serpent that lives under houses and feeds off the phlegm and saliva of its inhabitants! Listen to the podcast to hear more about some wacky creatures of myth!

In the news...

• Ancient birds jabbed at prey with axe-like beaks
• A sperm bank for corals
• Invasive species let other species disrupt the environment

Music featured included: Akron/Family, Flook, Dervish, Frankie Gavin, Hum, Boards of Canada, Gustavo Santoalla, Ryan Adams, Fruit Bats, The Shins, Frente!, Department of Eagles, Like a Fox, and more