Around Noon: July 2009

Steve Earle
Friday, July 31
Dee Perry shares music from Steve Earle's latest CD - Townes - featuring the songs of his late mentor Townes Van Zandt, prior to Earle's performance tonight at the Kent Stage. Also listen for Jim Goldurs archive interview with Earle featuring music from his acclaimed 2007 release Washington Square Serenade.

Pippin, Charles Dickens and Lewis Black
Thursday, July 30
Dee Perry welcomes the stars of the new Cain Park production of the classic musical - Pippin - into the Key Bank studio for a live performance. Plus, local reporter and scholar Mark Dawidziak shares his great expectations for the 103rd International Dickens Fellowship Conference happening in Cleveland this week. And we share the political rants of acclamed comic Lewis Black, who's onstage tonight at Pickwick and Frolic's Hilarities 4th Street Theater.

Around Noon Open Air
Wednesday, July 29
Dee Perry invites YOU the listener to join her at Idea Center today for the next installment of Around Noon Open Air live from the Smith Studio. Your entertainment today includes Kent singer/songwriter Ashley Brooke Toussant, lap-steel musician Al Moss of Hillbilly Idol, acclaimed local actor Nick Koesters, and Harvey Webster from the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.

Etienne Charles, Bil Lepp and Merce Cunningham
Tuesday, July 28
Dee Perry welcomes Trinidad trumpet sensation Etienne Charles as he gets ready for his gig at Nighttown. Plus, five-time national champion liar Bil Lepp gives Dee a ribbing prior to his performance (seriously) at the Cleveland Museum of Art. And we remember the late modern dance legend Merce Cunningham who passed away over the weekend.

Cleveland International Piano Competition
Monday, July 27
Dee Perry broadcasts live from Case Western Reserve University where young pianists from around the world await the first round of the 2009 Cleveland International Piano Competition happening this year at the Cleveland Play House. We introduce you to a few of the talented contestants and get the musical take of Plain Dealer critic Don Rosenberg and Daniel Hathaway from ClevelandClassical.com. Bill O'Connell from WCLV also shares behind-the-scenes stories of WCLV's biennial broadcast.

Squirrel Nut Zippers
Friday, July 24
Dee Perry swings to the retro sounds of North Carolina's off-kilter musical sensation The Squirrel Nut Zippers with lead singer Katharine Whalen as SNZ gets ready to take the stage at Cain Park this weekend.

MidSummer Book Call-In
Thursday, July 23
Join Dee Perry for a MidSummer Book Call-In program as she welcomes Sari Feldman from the Cuyahoga County Public Library, Suzanne DeGaetano of Mac's Backs Paperbacks on Coventry and Karen Long the book editor for the Plain Dealer.

Will Allen, Akron/Family & Joe Crea
Wednesday, July 22
Dee Perry digs into the story of award-winning urban gardener Will Allen, who's in town working with teens from the Cleveland Botanical Garden. Plus, we spotlight the music of Akron/Family which takes the stage tonight for the Rock Hall and Cleveland.Com Summer Sessions concert series. And Plain Dealer food editor Joe Crea sits down at Dee's table for a culinary conversation.

New Barleycorn, Doug Trattner and Adrian Belew
Tuesday, July 21
Dee Perry gets us in a green mood with the music of New Barleycorn, who headline the annual Cleveland Irish Cultural Festival this weekend. Plus, local foodie Doug Trattner takes us on a tour of his Cleveland with the release of his new City Guide, which he signs tonight at Joseph-Beth Booksellers. And, ideastream's Jim Goldurs shares his interview with guitar hero Adrian Belew who takes the stage of the Grog Shop tonight. Dan Polletta also previews the latest installment of Live from the Library featuring Ernie Krivda which airs tonight on WCPN.

Ziggy Marley, Erin O’Brien and Doris Day
Monday, July 20
Dee Perry welcomes reggae man Ziggy Marley to spotlight music from his new children's CD - Family Time - and his new family remix of his father's music - B is for Bob. Plus, local writer Erin O'Brien shares the story behind her brother John O'Brien's new posthumous book Better. And Dee introduces us to Cleveland-born writer David Kaufman, who tells the untold story of the girl next door -- Doris Day -- in his new biography.

Eclectica
Friday, July 17
Dee spotlights the funky sounds of Eclectica as she welcomes this unique musical trio of violinist Tracy Silverman, bassist Steve Forrest and drummer Roy "Futureman" Wooten. They spotlight music from their latest CD Streaming Video Soul live in the Key Bank studio, as they get ready for their gig at Cain Park tonight.

Backstage with Mary Poppins
Thursday, July 16
Today we preview the acclaimed touring production of Mary Poppins which lands at PlayhouseSquare this weekend. Joining host Scott Simon are the film's original songwriter Richard Sherman, and the writing team for the new Broadway musical George Stiles and Anthony Drewe. We also hear from the original stars of the show who take the State Theater Stage this month Ashley Brown and Gavin Lee. Photo by Joan Marcus

Around Noon Open Air
Wednesday, July 15
Dee Perry broadcasts live from Idea Center's ®Smith Studio for the first of a new lunchtime concert event series – Around Noon Open Air. Listeners are invited to bring their lunch and be part of the live studio audience as they enjoy performances by area artists. Joining Dee today are award-winning performance poet Ray McNiece, acclaimed local blues man Austin Walkin' Cane Charanghat and national stand-up comic Dan Grueter.

Satchel Page, Edward Parks, Globe in a Glass and Live from the Library
Tuesday, July 14
Dee Perry talks with Satchel Paige biographer Larry Tye about his new bestselling book - Satchel, prior to his booksigning at Joseph Beth Booksellers. We also meet acclaimed young baritone Edward Parks who returns to his alma mater, the Oberlin Conservatory of Music for a free recital prior to Oberlin's High School Vocal Academy. Plus, we preview the annual WVIZ Globe in a Glass winetasting. And ideastream's Dan Polletta shares music from tonight's Live from the Library on WCPN.

CSU Summer Stages, A Day in the Park and Tania James
Monday, July 13
Dee Perry welcomes cast members from Cleveland State University's Summer Stages theater program, as they perform music from Return to the Forbidden Planet live in the Key Bank studio. Plus we spend a Day in the Park with Cuyahoga Valley National Park and PBS. And author Tania James opens the cover of her new novel Atlas of Unknowns.

Tim Miller
Friday, July 10
Dee Perry welcomes back outspoken performance artist Tim Miller who headlines this year's Ingenuity Fest at the Hanna Theater. He spotlights his latest production Lay of the Land a saucy, sharp-knifed look at the State of the Queer Union during a time of trial.

Ingenuity Fest 09
Thursday, July 9
Dee Perry shines the spotlight on many of the artists taking part in Cleveland's annual festival of art and technology -- Ingenuity Fest 2009. Founding artistic director James Levin joins Dee along with local dancer, Sarah Morrison; photographer Gina Washington; Mark Gunderson of The Evolution Control Committee ; and Peter Smith of the The Screaming Tiki! Cleveland Supercon.

Alternative Press Music Show
Wednesday, July 8
Dee Perry welcomes staff writers from Alternative Press magazine, as they preview the annual Vans Warped Tour coming to Cleveland later this week. Plus we spin songs from some of the bands AP is backing (like Passion Pit, Polar Bear Club and Settle) and hear what they think is the best record of 2009 so far.

Josh Ritter, Patrick Somerville and East Cleveland Public Library Jazz Series
Tuesday, July 7
Dee Perry spotlights acclaimed singer-songwriter and Oberlin College alum, Josh Ritter, as he gets ready for his gig at the Beachland Ballroom. Plus, she introduces us to acclaimed author Patrick Somerville prior to his appearance for the Cuyahoga County Public Library. And ideastream's Dan Polletta raises the curtain on a new jazz radio series from the East Cleveland Public Library.

Summer Shakespeare
Monday, July 6
Dee Perry spotlights Shakespeare in the summer with cast and crew from the Ohio Shakespeare Festival's productions of As You Like It and Romeo & Juliet, and, the Cleveland Shakespeare Festival's stagings of Antony & Cleopatra and The Winter's Tale.

Our Lady of the Freedoms and Some of Her Friends
Friday, July 3
Around Noon will not be heard today as ideastream shares the Fourth of July special: Our Lady of the Freedoms and Some of Her Friends Narrated by Charles Kuralt, this program celebrates America’s Independence Day with reflections on our uniqueness as a melting pot, the significance of why we have scattered certain place names across the country, and the phenomenon of the Statue Of Liberty.

Star-Spangled Spectacular
Thursday, July 2
Today we preview the Cleveland Orchestra's annual Star-Spangled Spectacular concert happening tonight on Public Square. Dee Perry shares her interview with this year's conductor, Loras John Schissel along with a profile of the star soprano onstage - Angela Brown. And we get a preview of the pre-concert festivities with local jazz man Bill Ransom.

Slam U, John Ewing and Oberlin Summer Theater
Wednesday, July 1
Dee Perry introduces us to a pair of the talented students from Cleveland’s National Youth Poetry Slam Team who perform at Idea Center next week before traveling later this month to Brave New Voices, the International Youth Poetry Slam Festival in Chicago. Plus regular irregular guest John Ewing shares what's onscreen at both the Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque and for CMA's Film Series. And, Dee raises the curtain on the inaugural Oberlin Summer Theater Festival.