A Visit From Old Friends

10 p.m. to Midnight Host: Steve Winters

“Profiles in Folk” welcomed back to WSHU’s Studio A seven-time all-Ireland button accordionist John Whelan and fine finger style guitarist Robert Messore.

John and Robert, both longtime personal friends of mine, have joined together for an appearance at Robert’s 11th Annual Folk Traditions Night at the St. John’s Coffeehouse in New Haven. Our show was engineered by WSHU Chief Engineer Paul Litwinovich and offered listeners a taste of this new musical collaboration. We chatted about a wide range of topics, including their music, recent careers, folk heritage, and the teaching of music students. We also discussed John’s headlining last month at the Anchorage Folk Festival at the University of Alaska at Anchorage.

We closed the show with two tracks from a spanking new album by Connecticut’s own Walkingwood Mandolin Quartet and two tracks from an album by Terri McCoy, a young Irish singer John was introduced to in Alaska.

Listen to the live portion of the show

John Whelan and Robert Messore Live in WSHU’s Studio A

Robert solo: “Banish Misfortune/The Leaves Beneath The Snow”
John & Robert: “Planxty Irwin/Planxty Fannie Power”
John solo: “Lament For Oliver Goldsmith”
Robert solo: “Citi Na GCumman”

  • Artist, "Title", Album, Label

  • Terri McCoy, “When Barney Flew Over The Hills”, Before The Snow Flies, Independent

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    LIVE:

    John & Robert: “Be Thou My Vision”
    John & Robert: “Medley Of Reels”

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  • Walkingwood Mandolin Quartet, “O’Carolan’s Draught”, “Spaghetti Western Medley”, Walkingwood

  • Mandolin Quartet, Independent, ,

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  • Terri McCoy, “The Frim Fram Sauce”, “Siuil a Run”, Before The Snow Flies, Independent