NPT Music Monthly February 2010
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In This Issue:
P-Star Rising
In Performance at the White House
February Music Listings Greetings! Nashville's Music Row is at once a street of dreams, and a boulevard of broken ones. Every day people arrive in town full of dreams of music business success. Most leave, or remain, with those dreams unfulfilled. For some, the closest thing to achieving those dreams is to live vicariously through a successful friend or family member (or reality-show contestant).
 Take then, the story of Priscilla, a precocious nine-year-old little girl who tells her single-father, Jesse, "I am going to become a rapper and fulfill your dreams of succeeding in the music business." Moved by his daughter's passion and impressed with her talent, he begins to teach her all he knows about rapping. Emboldened with a new moniker - P-Star - father and daughter go from a one-bedroom shelter in Harlem to a four-bedroom apartment, from food stamps to shopping sprees, from rapping on street corners to sold-out night clubs. But in the efforts to make her dad proud, Priscilla struggles to remain a child and finds herself trapped in a world of people twice her size and four times her age and doesn't know whom to trust. The ride has just begun, and P-Star has already secured a recurring role on the reconstituted Electric Company.Independent Lens presents P-Star Rising on Tuesday, February 9 at 9:00 p.m.
In honor of Black History Month. President and Mrs. Obama host a concert in the White House East Room celebrating the the Music of the Civil Rights Era. In Performance at the White House, on Monday, February 22 at 9:00 p.m., includes performances by Natalie Cole, Bob Dylan, Jennifer Hudson, John Legend, John Mellencamp, Smokey Robinson, Seal, the Blind Boys of Alabama, Yolanda Adams, Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon and the Howard University Choir perform. Morgan Freeman and Queen Latifah host.
Emmylou Harris, Patty Griffin, Shawn Colvin and Buddy Miller - Three Girls and Their Buddy - are on Soundstage; Them Crooked Vultures - Josh Homme, Dave Grohl and John Paul Jones - are on Austin City Limits. It's another great month of music programming on NPT.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Thursday, February 4, 2010 8:00-11:00 - Great Performances at the Met
Set in ancient Egypt, Giuseppe Verdi's Aida is both a heartbreaking love story and an epic drama full of spectacular crowd scenes. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Friday, February 5, 2010 
11:00-12:00 midnight - Soundstage: 3 Girls and Their Buddy.
"Three Girls and Their Buddy" - Emmylou Harris, Patty Griffin, Shawn Colvin and Buddy Miller - present a versatile in-the-round set. All legends in their own right, collectively they deliver an unbeatable and spellbinding night on songs including "Trouble," "Gasoline and Matches," "Strong Hand (for June)" and "Mary."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Saturday, February 6, 2010 
11:00-12:00 - Austin City Limits: Esperanza Spalding/Madeleine Peyroux.
Singer/composer/bass prodigy Esperanza Spalding debuts on ACL with a mix of jazz, soul and Brazilian pop. Contemporary torch singer Madeleine Peyroux follows in support of her album Bare Bones .
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Tuesday, February 9, 2010 9:00-10:30 - Independent Lens: P-Star Rising.
The story of nine-year-old Priscilla, who dreams of rap stardom to satisfy the dream her single-father never achieved. Friday, February 12, 2010 11:00-12:00 midnight - Soundstage:Seal.
Together with legendary music producer David Foster, Seal adds his signature touch to some of the best soul songs ever created. Joined by Foster, as well as a choir and string section, Seal takes on Ann Peebles' "I Can't Stand the Rain," Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come" and Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes' "If You Don't Know Me By Now." Saturday, February 13, 2010 11:00-12:00 midnight - Austin City Limits: Them Crooked Vultures.
Josh Homme from Queens of the Stone Age, Dave Grohl from the Foo Fighters and John Paul Jones from Led Zeppelin combine for high volume rock 'n' roll.
Monday, February 15, 2010
8:00-10:00 - Ed Sullivan's Rock and Roll Classics - The 60s
Spanning the years 1963-1968, this retrospective features classic song performances from The Ed Sullivan Show. Friday, February 19, 2010 11:00-12:00 midnight - Soundstage: Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Lynyrd Skynyrd deliver sensational renditions of their iconic classics "Sweet Home Alabama," "Gimme Three Steps," "That Smell" and "Simple Man." This episode is littered with hits, rousing guitar solos and songs from the new album, God & Guns. An epic "Freebird" finale does justice to the 35-year legacy of this all-star rock 'n' roll group.
Saturday, February 20, 2010 11:00-12:00 - Austin City Limits: Steve Earle/Kris Kristofferson
Steve Earle pays tribute to his mentor, legendary Texas troubadour Townes Van Zandt. Kris Kristofferson follows with tunes from his latest album.
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Monday, February 22, 2010
9:00-10:00 - In Performance at the White House: Music of the Civil Rights Era. President and Mrs. Obama host a concert in the White House East Room in honor of Black History Month. Natalie Cole, Bob Dylan, Jennifer Hudson, John Legend, John Mellencamp, Smokey Robinson, Seal, the Blind Boys of Alabama, Yolanda Adams, Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon and the Howard University Choir perform. Morgan Freeman and Queen Latifah host.
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Friday, February 26, 2010
11:00-12:00 - Soundstage: Willie Nelson.
The legendary troubadour mixes elements of folk, blues, classic country, western swing and a little gospel during his versatile SOUNDSTAGE set. Nelson and his eight-piece band (featuring a banjo, mandolin, fiddle, steel guitar and more) gather round the stage to highlight songs from Nelson's first-ever bluegrass album, produced in collaboration with T-Bone Burnett. Tipping his hat to the genre, Nelson puts his stamp on standards like Bob Wills' "Trouble in Mind," Al Dexter's "Pistol Packin' Mamma" and the Joe "Red" Hayes and Jack Rhodes classic "Satisfied Mind." Other selections include "Whiskey River," "Drinking Champagne" and "Dark as a Dungeon."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Saturday, February 27, 2010 11:00-12:00 - Austin City Limits: Kenny Chesney.
As one of Country music's premier singer/songwriters, Chesney has reigned as a chart-topper and award-winning favorite for music lovers and critics alike. The Four-consecutive, Academy of Country Music Entertainer of the Year graces the Austin City Limits stage with his classic hits from Greatest Hits: Vol 2.
Until Next Month,
Joe Pagetta |
