Sedge Thomson's West Coast Live, San Francisco's Radio Show to the World!

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Happy Hlidays! Enjoy a musical special from December 23, 1995 at the Cowell Theater. Sedge selcomed:

SONOS HANDBELL ENSEMBLE, world class handbell musucians.

CHRISTMAS JUG BAND The kings of folksy holiday highjinks!

SALVATION ARMY BAND, in existence since 1879.

JOSH KORNBLUTH as our cross cultural Santa

And more!

 

 

 

 

Sonoma County! Join us live at the Healdsburg SHED, a market, cafe and community gathering space designed to bring us closer to the way we grow, prepare, and share our food. Sedge welcomes:

MICHAEL THIELE, founder of Gaia Bees, creating Honeybee sanctuaries as a means of protection and education, and researching beekeeping in a sociocultural, agricultural and spiritual context. 

NICK PAPADOPOULOS, founder of CropMobster, helping reduce waste and build community by bringing surplus food to those in need.

KARL & CARLthe globe-trotting comedians stop by with their latest (most ridiculous) edition of Tips on Travel for the holiday season.

MADS TOLLING, two-time Grammy award winning voilinist and composer, and former member of the renowned Turtle Island Quartet.

THE EASY LEAVES, Sonoma County's Country Music Ambassador's stop in before their Western Winter Formal at the Great American Music Hall.

MIKE GREENSILL, composer and house pianist.  And More!

Sonoma County! Join us live at the Healdsburg SHED, a market, cafe and community gathering space designed to bring us closer to the way we grow, prepare, and share our food. Sedge welcomes:

JEAN HEGLAND, author of the acclaimed novel Into the Forest and now Still Time, a moving story about memory, Shakespeare, and the power of reconciliation.

DANA GUNDERSScientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council with wisdom from her new Waste Free Kitchen Handbook.

EVAN WIIG, Director of The Farmers Guildrepresenting the newest wave of California farmers, ranchers, and sustainable food system advocates.

ROY ZIMMERMAN, folk musician, comedian, and political satirist will bring his perspective on the current State of the Union.

JASON BEARD & SAMANTHA VIGIL, the Poor Man's Whiskey guitarist and friends stop by before their big show at the Mystic Theater.

MIKE GREENSILL, the Bay Area's premier jazz and cabaret composer and our house pianist.

From December 15, 2012 at 142 Throckmorton Theatre in Mill Valley, when SEDGE welcomed:

Author

ANNE LAMOTT

the beloved author of such bestsellers as Bird by Bird and Operating Instructions brings us her latest, Help Thanks Wow: The Three Essential Prayers.

Journalist

PAOLA GIANTURCO

whose new book Grandmother Power profiles 120 activist grandmothers throughout the world who are working to create a better world for their grandchildren.

Comedians

KARL & CARL

comedians Geoff Bolt & Michael O'Brien bring us their hilarious Tips On Travel for the Holiday Season.

Musicians

CONSPIRACY OF VENUS

San Francisco's premier Women's a'cappella choir that sings original arrangements of contemporary music, from Joni Mitchell to Leonard Cohen to Bjork.

Musicians

NELL ROBINSON & JIM NUNALLY

the world-class musicians bring us a taste of their fantastic, folky Down Home Christmas show.

House Pianist

MIKE GREENSILL

the Bay Area's premier jazz and cabaret piano player.

Thanksgiving weekend special ~ Sedge welcomes:

HOT BUTTERED RUM, they Bay Area string band warms us up with a serving from their new 3-EP project.

OAKLAND INTERFAITH GOSPEL CHOIR inspires joy and unity among all people through black gospel and spiritual music traditions.

CHRIS YING, editor-in-chief of the brilliant quarterly food journal Lucky Peach, and co-author of The Mission Chinese Food Cookbook.

JUNE TAYLOR brings us a taste of the handcrafted marmalades, jams and winter preserves that she makes at The Still Room in Berkeley.

CARISSA POTTER, one of the artists behind People I've Loved, an Oakland printmaking workshop specializing in hand-printed cards.

And More!

From the Port Commission Hearing Room, Sedge welcomes:

SALVADOR ALVARENGA, the Salvadorian fisherman who survived alone adrift at sea for fourteen months, longer than anyone in recorded history, and JONATHAN FRANKLIN, Chilean-based journalist who brought his story to life in 438 Days, which Outside Magazine calls "the best survival book in a decade".

DANIEL ALARCON, the Peruvian-American novelist and producer of Radio Ambulante brings us his graphic novel, City of Clowns

STEEP RAVINE bring us soulful folky songs and fiery bluegrass instrumentals that make a uniquely Californian sound.

URBAN REMEDY founder Neka Pasquale brings us a taste of her raw and organic snacks, meals, juices and tinctures.

ROB REICH, accordion player and pianist known for his groups Tin Hat and Gaucho, in as house pianist today.

Live from Studio 55 at 1455 East Francisco Blvd. in San Rafael, Sedge welcomes:

MAIRA KALMAN, the illustrator and writer's new book, Beloved Dog, is all about the dogs in her art and life that have inspired her.

T.J. STILES, winner of both a National Book Award and a Pulitzer Prize, here with Custer's Trials: A Life on the Frontier of a New America.

ELI HOROWITZ with The Pickle Index, a darkly fantastical novel about the oppressive dictatorship of a pickle-obsessed nation and a carnival troupe determined to stand up to it.

WAKE THE DEAD bring us Celtic renditions of Grateful Dead songs and other groovy tunes from the Summer of Love era.

And More!

Live from Studio 55 at 1455 East Francisco Blvd. in San Rafael. Sedge welcomes:

TOM KILLION, the woodblock printer collaborates with Gary Snyder once again in the beautiful new book California’s Wild Edge: The Coast in Prints, Poetry, and History.

AUGUST KLEINZAHLER, the poet is here to talk about the posthumous short story collection by longtime Bay Area writer Lucia BerlinA Manual for Cleaning Women.

SEAN HAYES, the folky troubadour and his band will move you with their soulful songs... It's powerful stuff.

T SISTERS, the sassy sister folk group whose unique yet classic style draws upon blues, bluegrass, gospel, jazz and more.

KARL & CARL, the globe-trotting comedians stop by with this autumn's edition of Tips on Travel.

From October 22, 2011 at the Venetian Room in the Fairmont Hotel, when Sedge welcomed:

Actor

PETER GALLAGHER

who achieved fame in Steven Soderbergh's Sex, Lies, and Videotape, and later starred as Sandy Cohen in the television drama series The O.C.

Author

MARK BOWDEN

critically acclaimed author of Black Hawk Down, with his latest novel Worm: The First Digital World War.

Author

ISMET PRCIC

with his debut novel Shardsabout a young Bosnian who has fled his war-torn homeland and is now struggling to reconcile his past with his present life in California.

Musicians

ENSEMBLE CAPRICE

the lively Canadian Baroque group.

Musicians

WALT KEALE &    LT SMOOTH

with Chris Lau and Bill Griffin bring us music from the shores of Hawaii.

The Prolific

MIKE GREENSILL

Bay Area's favorite piano man.

We step into the WCL Time Machine, back to December 1, 2012 at Yoshi's Oakland, when Sedge welcomed:

Author

SIMON WINCHESTER

OBE and author of such bestselling titles as Krakatoa and The Professor and the Madman brings us his latest, SKULLS: An Exploration of Alan Dudley's Curious Collection.

Author

ROBIN SLOAN

the media inventor who divides his time between San Francisco and the internet with his groundbreaking debut novel Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore.

Publisher

CHRIS YING

former chef and now SF editor-in-chief of the quarterly food journal Lucky Peach, offering innovative perspectives on food from some of the industry’s biggest players, via essays, recipes, and art.

Musicians

BILL PAYNE & GABE FORD

founding keyboardis and bandmate/drummer from the legendary band Little Feat, known of their eclectic blend of rock and roll, blues, country, funk & more!

Musician

MATTHEW STEWART

San Francisco's internationally touring guitarist and singer-songwriter will mesmerize you with his elegant melodies and stunning guitar work.

House Pianist

MIKE GREENSILL

the Bay Area's favorite accompanist. And more! Sign up for our weekly Newsletter or find us on Facebook.

From April 14, 2012 at Yoshi's Oakland, when SEDGE THOMSON welcomed:

Authors

ANNE LAMOTT & SAM LAMOTT

the beloved author brings her latest, Some Assembly Required: The Journal of My Son's First Son, the follow-up to her best-selling memoir Operating Instructions. Her son Sam contributed to the book and will also join the interview.

Doctor

MARCEY SHAPIRO

the integrative medicine physician will share wisdom from her new book Transforming the Nature of Health.

Musicians

THE BAD PLUS

the trio who have broken down the walls of jazz convention and stepped into the forefront of a new instrumental music movement. Rolling Stonesays they're "about as badass as highbrow gets.”

Tea Man

GUISEPI SPADAFORA

of the Free Tea Party, a mobile free tea house whose mission is to cultivate community by connecting strangers and encouraging dialogue about peace, health and the environment.

Musicians

SHOOK TWINS

identical twins Laurie and Katelyn Shook, bring us their unique style of joyous northwest Folk. (June 2012)

Pianist

MIKE GREENSILL

San Francisco's premier Jazz and Cabaret piano player.

Live from the Hearing Room at the San Francisco Ferry Building, Sedge welcomes:

HARRY SHEARER does it all: actor in Christopher Guest films, voice actor in The Simpsons, comic musician in Spinal Tap, radio host of Le Show, and so much more!

ADAM JOHNSON, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Orphan Master's Son with his new book of stories, Fortune Smiles.

MEGAN SLANKARD, the San Francisco-based indie singer-songwriter on tour with her fifth album, Running on Machinery.

THE CHAPIN SISTERS, Lily and Abagail Chapin are singing, guitar-playing sisters known for pristine harmonies and haunting melodies.

ALLSTAR ORGANICS Janet Brown from the small Marin County farm that grows a diverse array of winter quash, pumpkins and other vegetables.

S.E. WILLIS, blues and boogie piano man and our house pianist today.

Live from the Hearing Room at the San Francisco Ferry Building, Sedge welcomes:

MANDOLIN ORANGE, the North Carolina folk and bluegrass duo stop by to give us a taste of their new album Such Jubilee.

PACKWAY HANDLE BAND, the Athens, Georgia bluegrass quintet have wowed audiences for over a decade with near perfect 4-part harmonies and boundless on-stage energy.

STEVE SILBERMAN brings us his groundbreaking look at an important piece of medicine and history in NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity

SUSAN PEASE GADOUA & VICKI LARSON therapist and journalist look at the modern state of marriage in The New I Do: Reshaping Marriage for Skeptics, Realists and Rebels.

JEN MUSTY from Batter Bakery brings us treats and wisdom from her scrumptious and sustainable sweets shop.

MIKE GREENSILL our favorite jazz pianist.  And More!

Taped at The Good Life Experience in HarwardenWALES, September 18-20. A weekend of books, music, food and the great outdoors, attended by some 4,000 people. Co-hosted by London radio host and interviewer, Blanche Girouard. Sedge welcomes:

Coffee company CROCKER & WOODSTHE BICYCLE ACADEMYsinger, songwriter and author of Hook, Line and Singer CERYS MATTHEWSTHE WOMEN'S INSTITUTE"The Natural Navigator" TRISTAN GOOLEY; a ukulele lesson with THE IDLER ACADEMY (pictured); director of the Gladstone Library PETER FRANCISTHE HARWARDEN ESTATE FARM SHOP; author of Carbecure: The Complete Guide to Cooking on a Car Engine ALFRED CARYDJ78bluesman WIZZ JONESco-author of The Family Guide to the Great Outdoors CHARLIE GLADSTONEPUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTINGbicyclists who ride only on pre-1987 bikes EROICA BRITANNIA; musicians THE CLAMEENS; Welsh language teacher LLINOS GRIFFINMaster chef and founder of the Wahaca restaurants in London THOMASINA MIERS.

 

From February 22, 1997 at the Cowell Theater in San Francisco. A tribute to the voices we've lost. Sedge welcomed:

DR. OLIVER SACKS(July 1933 – August 2015) the late neurologist and author of Island of the Colorblind and The Man who Mistook his Wife for a Hat.

ODETTA (December 1930 – December 2008), Folk singer and human rights activist, often referred to as "The Voice of the Civil Rights Movement".

RONNIE GILBERT (September 1926 – June 2015) folk singer and political activist; one of the original members of the Weavers, along with Pete Seeger.

JOHN RENBOURN (August 1944 – March 2015) English guitarist and songwriter known for his folk group Pentangle; joined by Scottish folk singer ARCHIE FISHER.

DEAN KOONTZ, bestselling author of suspense thrillers, such as Sole Survivor and Intensity.

MIKE GREENSILL, our longtime piano man.

Live from Studio 55 at 1455 East Francisco Blvd. in San Rafael, Sedge welcomes:

JOHN MARKOFF the Pulitzer-Prize-winning New York Times reporter who holds one of the most informed views of our technological future, with Machines of Loving Grace: The Quest for Common Ground Between Humans and Robots.

JANE McGONIGAL is on forefront of marrying technology with real-life problem solving in SuperBetterA Revolutionary Approach to Getting Stronger, Happier, Braver and More Resilient -- Powered by the Science of Games.

ARTHUR BENJAMIN the "mathemagician" who does mental math faster than a calculator makes math approachable, interesting and beautiful in his new book The Magic of Math: Solving x and Figuring out Why

SARA MOHR-PIETSCH, British music broadcaster for BBC Radio 3, presenting such shows as Hear and Now, the Discovering Music series, and The Choir.

CHRIS ROWAN, middle brother of the legendary Rowan Brothers, brings us a taste of his forthcoming solo album Swim in Your Heart.

S. E. WILLIS, the blues and boogie piano man and our house pianist today.

Live from Studio 55 Marin at 1455 East Francisco Blvd. in San Rafael. Sedge welcomes:

AMY STEWART, bestselling author of The Drunken Botanist here with her debut novel, Girl Waits with Gun, based on the forgotten true story of one of the nation's first female deputy sheriffs. 

SUMMER BRENNAN, whose debut book The Oyster War: The True Story of a Small Farm, Big Politics, and the Future of Wilderness in America chronicles the history of the Point Reyes National Seashore.

WILL DURST political comedian who "puts the mock back in democracy" is sure to have some insights on the 2016 Presidential campaign.

DIRTY CELLO takes you on a wild tour of uptempto music, featuring down home blues, Eastern-European Dance Music, a bit of bluegrass, and some classic rock.

MIKE GREENSILL, piano man and birthday boy!  And More!

Live from Studio 55 at 1455 East Francisco Blvd. in San Rafael, Sedge welcomes:

DAVID SHIELDS, the fascinating thinker and writer's new works include That Thing You Do With Your Mouth and I Think You're Totally Wrong

VANESSA DIFFENBAUGH bestselling author of The Language of Flowers brings us her much-anticipated new novel We Never Asked for Wings.

BOX SET, the outstanding Americana band serves up their extraordinary guitar playing and rich vocal harmonies.

THE AMIGOS, deliver foot-stomping, accordion-infused Indie-Americana music blending folk-rock, zydeco/cajun, and hot jazz.

CLAIRE PEASLEE, the Point Reyes naturalist speaks of the living-world phenomena at present in the California Current.

Recorded August 19th at the Northwest Maritime Center in Port Townsend, WA, sponsored by KPTZ 91.9 FM, Sedge welcomes:

 

JONATHAN EVISON, the Northwest writer known for works of emotional resonance and offbeat humor brings us This is Your Life, Harriett Chance!, about a seventy-eight-year-old woman setting sail on an ill-conceived Alaskan Cruise that her late husband had planned.

DANIEL EVANSRaceBoss for Race to Alaska, a 750-mile self-supported race from Port Townsend to Ketchikan that any boat without an engine can enter. He is also the Harbor Master for the Wooden Boat Festival.

ABAKIS creates collborative music that bridges new and old worlds: a delicate blend of classic soul led by powerhoure vocals and Kottke-style fingerpicking guitar.

CROW QUILL NIGHT OWLS bring us their fine jug band, jazz, and string band music inspired by the 1920's and 30's.

And More!

A pre-recorded special, all about the sport, the art, the lifestyle of SURFING. Featuring interviews from throughout the ages, with:

WILLIAM FINNEGAN, author of Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life, perhaps the best surf memoir ever written (fresh interview from 2015; never before heard).

DANIEL DUANE, surfer and author of Caught Inside: A Surfer's Year on the California Coast. (1996) 

PETER HELLER, author of Kook, what Surfing Taught me About Love, Life, and Catching the Perfect Wave. (2010)

FRED VAN DYKE, surfing legend; one of the first surfers, in the mid-'50's, to move permanently from California to the North Shore of Hawaii. (1995)

BOB WISE, designer of Wise Surf Boards teaches Sedge to catch a wave! (1994)

DICK DALE & THE DELTONES, known as the King of the Surf Guitar, he pioneered surf music in the 1950s, drawing on Eastern musical scales and experimenting with reverberation. (1994)

WHYS, the all-women's high-energy Japanese surf band. (2006)

WALT KEALE & LT SMOOTH with Chris Lau and Bill Griffin bring us soothing music from the shores of Hawaii (2011)

In celebration of our new affiliate KPTZ in Port Townsend, WA, and in memory of Ivan Doig, we present this special show from September 29, 2012 at the Port Townsend Film Festival. Sedge welcomed:

Author

IVAN DOIG

the bestselling author hailed as the dean of Western literature brings us his latest novel, A Bartender's Tale.

Actor

FRANK BUXTON

the television actor and founding member of Seattle's Improv Toupe The Edge who has also written two volumes on the history of radio.

Journalist

SIDNEY RITTENBERG

the American journalist, scholar, and Chinese linguist who lived in China from 1944 to 1979, working closely with People's Republic of China -- now the subject of a documentary called The Revolutionary.

Musician

SIMON LYNGE

the Inuit–Scandinavian troubadour who was raised in the steppes of Greenland brings us songs from his latest album The Future, which Rolling Stone calls "one of the most memorable and melodic debut albums in years"

Musicians

SOLVENTS

the indie rock group from the Olympic Peninsula bring us their strange and intriguing sonic landscape.

House Pianist

BARNEY McCLURE

the master pianist and former Mayor of Port Townsend holds down the keys...

Live from the San Francisco Ferry Building! Sedge welcomes:

THE WOOD BROTHERS, one of the finest Americana and blues bands touring today, featuring brothers Chris and Oliver Wood, and milti-instrumentalist Jano Rix

JOHN SANTOS QUARTET Latin-Jazz icon and 5-time Grammy nominee takes us on a global musical journey.

RINKER BUCK with his epic account of traveling the length of The Oregon Trail the old fashioned way -- in a covered wagon with a team of mules; an audacious journey that hasn't been attempted in a century!

KARL & CARL, the globe-trotting comedians stop by to give us their own take on exploration in this summer's edition of Tips on Travel.

STEMPLE CREEK RANCH; learn how fourth-generation Marin Country cattle and lamb rancher Loren Poncia has been successfully navigating the drought.

MIKE GREENSILL the Bay Area's premier jazz and cabaret piano player and our house pianist.  And More!

Live from the SF Ferry Building! Sedge welcomes:

ANNA DEAVERE SMITH, playwright, actor and educator in town with her one-woman show Notes from the Field: Doing Time in Education, The California Chapter.

ANNIE BARROWS, brings us her wise, witty and eccentric novel The Truth According to Us, set in Macedonia, West Virginia in 1938.

JOSHUA MOHR, the writer who the New York Times calls "Beat-poet cool" looks at life's digital realities in his acclaimed new novel All This Life.

MAURICE TANI & friends -- a fixture in the local alt-country scene for more than a decade with his band 77 El Deora.

GLASSYBABY, our ferry building feature this week -- a shop specializing in colorful, hand-blown votives, with a mission of healing.

MIKE GREENSILL the Bay Area's premier jazz and cabaret piano player.

From April 7, 2012 at Yoshi's Oakland. Back live next weekend from the SF Ferry Building! SEDGE THOMSON welcomed:

Musician

MCCOY TYNER

the extraordinary Jazz pianist known for his work with the John Coltrane Quartet and a long solo career.

Musician

HIROMI

Pianist and composer Hiromi Uehara, whose passionate and incendiary keyboard work has been a shining light on the jazz landscape since her 2003 debut.

Author

CAROLINA DE ROBERTIS

international bestselling author of Perla, the coming of age story about an Argentine woman who makes a devastating discovery about her origins with the help of a mysterious houseguest.

Inventors

DAVID & CHRIS STEINRUECK

of Wood Thumb, a startup based in San Francisco that manufactures wooden neckties from reclaimed wood.

Naturalist

CLAIRE PEASLEE

our favorite comedian-naturalist, with her latest field report for the new season.

The Melodious

MIKE GREENSILL

our own piano star!

This week's special show features some Sedge's interviews with other public radio show hosts over the years. Featuring:

TERRY GROSS, host of Fresh Air, from 1988!

GARRISON KEILLOR, host of A Prairie Home Companion, from September 22, 2001.

KITCHEN SISTERS, hosts of the Hidden Kitchens series, from 2006.

AMY GOODMAN, host of Democracy Now, from 2009.

GLYNN WASHINGTON, host of Snap Judgement, from 2014.

From July 3, 2010 at the SF Ferry Building. Sedge welcomes:

The DECLARATION of INDEPENDENCE our annual reading, with the voices of members of the Ferry Building audience. Prepare to be stirred.

THOMAS STEINBECK , author of In the Shadow of the Cypress, among other works.

MEGAN PRELINGER , author of Another Science Fiction: Advertising the Space Race 1957 - 1962 that surveys our American sense of self in a significant half-decade.

The CALIFORNIA HONEYDROPS tour the American land with blues, gospel, R&B.

The BETH CUSTER ENSEMBLE , the imaginative and ever-astonishing troupe whose work accompanies films and life.

MIKE GREENSILL, our farmers' market mystery shopper and house pianist.

From January 24 of this year, when Sedge welcomed:

ARMISTEAD MAUPIN author of the beloved Tales of The City series that has delighted readers for four decades and brought gay life into the mainstream. His ninth and final volume The Days of Anna Madrigal now out in paperback.

JOYCE CAROL OATES the American literary icon brings us her new novel, The Sacrifice, which looks unflinchingly at police brutality and racism thru the eyes of 14-year-old Sybilla Frye.

TORY TOROSIAN from Tory Farms (aka “The Magic Ranch”), the 80 Acre family fruit farm in Dinuba, CA, where he grows pomegranates, peaches, pluotspomelos and much more!

PORTLAND CELLO PROJECT, a collective of cello players who are bringing their instrument to fascinating new places, crossing genres from classical to pop to hip hop.

And to mark the Supreme Court decision requiring the legal recognition of gay marriage in all 50 states, we present a very special segment from July 5, 2008, featuring members of the SF GAY MEN'S CHORUS on hand to celebrate the on-air wedding of ASA DE MATTEO and TOM BRADY, affianced for over 30 years, officiated by the Rev. SAM BARRY.

From April 10, 2010 at Skywalker Ranch Sound Scoring Stage in Marin County. Featuring:

MAXINE HONG KINGSTON, author of Woman Warrior, and in the indie film I Know a Woman Like That.

DANIEL HANDLER, film maker, Lemony Snickettaccordian virtuoso.

PAMELA ROSE, jazz singer, whose new recording features the history of women jazz composers.

RANDY THOM, Academy Award winning sound designer

TIPS ON TRAVEL, with Karl and Carl, two experts who know their Condé from their Nast. Michael O'Brien and Geoff Bolt.

MIKE GREENSILL The Gloucestershire Lad himself.

Live from Studio 55 Marin at 1455 East Francisco Blvd. in San Rafael! Sedge welcomes:

CRAIG CHAQUICO, guitarist, songwriter, founding member of Jefferson Starship and friends take us out of this world! 

LAURA DAVE, bestselling author of Eight Hundred Grapes, a funny and heartbreaking novel about love, family and wine, set in Sonoma County.

KATIE GILMARTIN with her illustrated murder mystery Blackmail, My Love, deeply steeped in San Francisco's Queer History.

SOUND OF SIRENS, like mythical sea maidens of old, they'll mesmerize you with scintillating vocal harmonies and intricate instrumental arrangements.

MIKE GREENSILL, jazz and cabaret piano player and author of Playing for Singers.

Live from the second floor of the San Francisco Ferry Building! Sedge welcomes: 

ROBERT ROPER brings us the riveting adventure Nabakov in America: On the Road to Lolita, to be published on the 75th anniversary of the iconic writer's arrival in America. 

JANICE NIMURA, with Daughters of the Samurai, the true story of five Japanese girls who were sent to the US in 1871 as one of the first experiments in multicultural education.

REAL VOCAL STRING QUARTETstring band, vocal quartet, jaw-dropping improvising world-music collective….pick a box and they'll think outside it, with style! 

QUILES AND CLOUDthe modern troubadours soothe us with their rich tapestry of song and storytelling.

JOHN CARLON of Sierra Cascade Blueberry Farm, an organic farm near Chico doing fascinating stuff involving bees, gophers, and other wildlife.

MIKE GREENSILL on house piano, and more!

Step into the WCL time machine and travel with us back to 2000. Sedge welcomes:

KAZUO ISHIGURO, author of When We Were Orphans and The Remains Of The Day.

MICHAEL CHABON, Pulitzer Prize winning author of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay and Wonder Boys.

RITA MORENO, the only person who has won an Oscar, an Emmy, a Tony and a Grammy.

THE LIMELIGHTERS, classic and comedic folk quartet who believe "great songs deserve to be passed along"

WILL BERNARD AND MOTHERBUG, Jazz and old-school R&B, with elements of lounge, surf, and more. 

MIKE GREENSILL piano man.  

Step into the WCL time machine and travel with us back to 1995 at the <span data-scayt_word="Cowell" data-scaytid="2" style="padding-bottom: 0px !important; background-image:

KRONOS QUARTET, renowned American string quartet based in San Francisco.

DR. OLIVER SACKS, physician, best-selling author, and professor of neurology.

SHARON SHANNON, Celtic folk music artist joins us straight from Ireland.

GYUTO TANTRIC MONKS, priestly chanters representing a rich Buddhist tradition founded in 15th-century Tibet.

TRUE FICTION MAGAZINE radio improvisation!

Enjoy a special encore presentation...and support your local public radio station!! From Spring of 1998, when Sedge welcomed:

DAVID SEDARIS, humorist, author of Naked and The Santa Land Diaries.

ROY BLOUNT JR., author of Be SweetCamels Are Easy, and Comedy's Hard.

JOE QUIRK, author of The Ultimate Rush about a rollerblading messenger in San Francisco.

JOE ELY and his Band, with songs from their album Twistin' in the Wind.

HENRI DIKONGUE & MANUEL WADJI guitar maestro and percussion master.

JOSH KORNBLUTH, Bay Area comedian portrays Ben Franklin.

Recorded this week throughout the Bay and beyond, Sedge welcomes:

T. GERONIMO JOHNSON with Welcome to Braggsville, a literary coming-of-age novel about the misadventures of a group of Berkeley students exploring race and cultural issues.

JANE SMILEY, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of A Thousand Acres and Some Luck with the second in The Last Hundred Years trilogy, Early Warning.

JAN ELLISON brings us her debut novel A Small Indiscretion, an emotional thriller about one woman's reckoning with a youthful mistake.

REV BILLY and Dragonfly, a member of his Stop Shopping Choir, on their international tour aimed at defending community, life and imagination.

MUSICAL ART QUINTET, performing original chamber music, Combining Tango, jazz, Afro-Cuban and African rhythms with improvisation. 

This week we bring you a special compilation on the theme of Travel and Travel Writing, with plenty of humor aboard! SEDGE welcomes:

GEOFF DYER, author of "Yoga for People Who Can't Be Bothered to Do It", a collection of 11 personal essays covering his travels around the globe, beginning in New Orleans in his late 20's and concluding in the Nevada desert some 20 years later. (Feb 2003)

PAUL THEROUX the travel writer and novelist known for such works as The Great Railway Bazaar and The Mosquito Coast brings us The Tao of Travel (May 2011)

MARY ROACH, the science writer whose engaging books include the monosyllabic explorations StiffSpook and Bonk, now here with Packing for Mars about the curious science of life in the void. Mary fills us in. (July 2010).

JOHN SANTOS SEXTET Latin-Jazz icon and 5-time Grammy nominee takes us on a musical journey to warmer climes (March 2012)

This week, for our 1111th show, we present a special fresh from London! SEDGE welcomes:

REBECCA HUNT with her thrilling new novel Everland, the story of two Antarctic journeys a century apart: the first, in 1913, in the three-masted Kismet, and the second in 2012. 

BEN AARONOVITCH whose novel The Rivers of London (Midnight Riot in the US) follows Peter Grant, a young officer who is recruited into a small branch of the Metropolitan Police that deals with magic and the supernatural.

CAMILLA GODDARD, urban beekeeper who started Capital Bee, an ethical business set up in response to the current critical shortage of honey bee colonies in Britain.

BLANCHE GIROUARD & TIMOTHY PALMER; in this special segment, oral historian Blanche Girouard talks to the High Sheriff Timothy Palmer about his enthusiasm for dung beetles!

Tune in as we present some freshly recorded interviews from this week. SEDGE welcomes:

SCOTT SIMON, the beloved NPR host joins us with his spirited and inspiring new memoir in the wake of his mother's death Unforgettable: A Son, A Mother, and Lessons of a Lifetime

COURTNEY MAUM, whose debut novel I Am Having So Much Fun Here Without You is a reverse love story, following a failed monogamist attempting to woo his wife back and answer the question: Is it really possible to fall back in love with your spouse?

THOR HANSON, biologist and author of the fascinating new account The Triumph of Seeds: How Grains, Nuts, Kernels, Pulses and Pips Conquered the Plant Kingdom and Shaped Human History

THE SATURDAY GIANT, a one-man "Art-Rock" band from Columbus, Ohio.

From May 7, 2005 at the Empire Plush Room in San Francisco. Sedge welcomed:

SCOTT SIMON, the NPR host sleeps in Saturday morning and comes visit with us. He has a new novel called Pretty Birds set in Sarajevo.

MARC IAN BARASCH, field notes on the compassionate life

SARK, the ecstatic, colorful celebrant of creative pleasure and wisdom

CONSPIRACY OF BEARDS , the all-male acapella chorus sings the songs of Leonard Cohen

OPIE BELLAS, a jazz singer from the old school has a sexy voice, impeccable taste and rare musical instinct.

MIKE GREENSILL, the entertaining piano raconteur!

From the second floor of the Ferry Building, guest-host CASE CONOVER welcomes:

ERIC GREITENS, NavySEAL, humanitarian and author here with his new book Resilience: Hard-Won Wisdom for Living a Better Life.

DAVID HELVARG, journalist who chronicles our complex relationship with the oceans, with his new memoir Saved by the Sea.

WINDY HILL, high energy pickin' and signin' -- these fellas bring us a taste of Northern California bluegrass at its best!

AMERICAN NOMAD, acoustic Americana group fronted by Hassan El-Tayyab, whose forthcoming memoir is about overcoming writer's block...at Burning Man!

KENNY BAKER represents a new generation of vegetable farmers out at Lonely Mountain Farm in Corralitos.

MIKE GREENSILL on house piano, and more!

Join us live from the Hearing Room Theater on the second floor of the SF Ferry Building! Producer CASE CONOVER and HENRY THOMSON step in for SEDGE who is in London on his film project and joins briefly to welcome:

DANIEL HANDLER, the Lemony Snicket author brings us his dark and comedic adult novel We Are Pirates, a modern tale set in the San Francisco Bay. Interviewed by HENRY THOMSON.

IRVIN YALOM, the renowned psychiatrist shares wisdom from over five decades of practice in Creatures of a Day: And Other Tales of Psychotherapy.

RAMBLIN' JACK ELLIOTT, legendary troubadour and cowboy poet with over 40 albums under his belt, he is a direct link to the foundations of American folk music.

NELL ROBINSON with Jim Nunally and Pete Grant bring us a taste of the new album Rose of No Man's Land, singing of her family journey through 250 years of war & service.

MOLLY BEST, owner of Thistle Meats, a one-year-old whole-animal butcher and charcuterie shop in Petaluma.

MIKE GREENSILL and more!

Join us live from the second floor of the SF Ferry Building! Sedge welcomes:

Musician

BRUCE COCKBURN

the legendary singer-songwriter delivers his long‐awaited memoir Rumours of Glory, a chronicle of faith, fear, activism and music through the past five decades.

Author

LAURIE R. KING

author of The Beekeeper's Apprentice and other acclaimed works of detective fiction, here with her latest, Dreaming Spies.

Author

CHRISTIAN KIEFER

poet, novelist, musician from the Sierra Foothills brings us his new book, The Animals.

Musicians

RAINBOW GIRLS

the electric, all-lady, West Coast stomp-folk band bring their gypsy spirit to our stage.

Farmer

DAN LEHRER

Sebastopol-based farmer from Flatland Flower Farm and Little Apple Granola joins us fresh from the Farmer's Market.

The Immaculate

MIKE GREENSILL

on house piano. Along with your audience true stories, and more!

 

Join us live from the second floor of the Ferry Building!! Sedge welcomes:

Author

SANDIP ROY

reporter and storyteller of life in new India from NPR's Dispatches from Kolkata with his debut novel Don’t Let Him Know, a multi-generational story of an Indian immigrant family.

Author

SASHA MARTIN

the popular food blogger who set out to eat a meal from every country in the world brings us Life From Scratch: A Memoir of Food, Family and Forgiveness.

Musicians

T SISTERS

a genuine sister singing group whose unique yet classic sound draws upon blues, folk, bluegrass, Americana, gospel, country, jazz and more.

Vintner

NION McEVOY

CEO of Chronicle Books and owner of McEvoy Ranch in Petaluma stops by to shed light on the wonderful world of wine.

Bocce Player

BENJI TOSI

the professional bocce ball player will tell us about his beloved sport and the new San Francisco's new Ferry Bocce League.

The Delightful

MIKE GREENSILL

on house piano, and more!

From August 18, 2012 from the Freight & Salvage. Back live next week from the SF Ferry Building. SEDGE welcomes:

Poet

ROBERT HASS

the former Poet Laureate of the United States and winner of both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize with his new book, What Light Can Do: Essays on Art, Imagination and the Natural World..

Author

SETH ROSENFELD

with Subversives, which brings us back to UC Berkeley in the 60s, tracing the FBI’s secret involvement with three iconic figures: the ambitious neophyte politician Ronald Reagan, the fierce but fragile radical Mario Savio, and the liberal university president Clark Kerr.

Author

RUBEN MARTINEZ

Emmy award winning journalist on tour with his latest book, Desert America: Boom and Bust in the New Old West -- chronicling the iconic West, with its "outrageous wealth and devastating poverty, sublime beauty and ecological ruin."

Musicians

DAROL ANGER & THE FURIES

the fiddle guru who has spent the past three decades reinventing American string music, on tour with all-star mandolin player Sharon Gilchrist, harpist Maeve Gilchrist and vocalist Emy Phelps.

Musician

RAMANA VIEIRA

will bring us Fado, a form of traditional Portuguese folk music that she bridges into the 21st century with her haunting melodies and sultry tonality.

The Poetic

MIKE GREENSILL

one of San Francisco's premier Jazz and Cabaret piano players, and our house pianist.

A weird and wonderful show from February 21, 1998 at The Great American Music Hall, when Sedge welcomed:

Musician

LOUDON WAINWRIGHT III

Grammy Award-winning folk singer, humorist, and actor with music from his recording Little Ship.

Author

IAN McEWAN

English novelist and screenwriter, author of Enduring Love, The Innocent, and Black Dogs.

Author

DEAN KOONTZ

One of America's most popular suspense novelists, author of Fear Nothing and Intensity.

Jugglers

THE FLYING KARAMAZOV BROTHERS

Brothers Dmitri and Ivan from the physical comedy troupe bring us some juggling on the radio!

Comedians

TRUE FICTION MAGAZINE

San Francisco's improvisational theater company plays on the radio.

Naturalist

CLAIRE PEASLEE

with wit and wisdom from the natural world.

From February 9, 2002 the Raven Performing Ars Theater in Healdsburg, California.

CARL DJERASSI, (Oct 29, 1923 - Jan 30, 2015) novelist, playwright, National Medal of Science Winner, and inventor of the birth control pill, whose book This Man's Pill reflects on the 50 years since its invention.

ZYDECO FLAMES, the West Coast's premier zydeco band, bring us some of that Mardi Gras spirit.

ALEXANDRA FULLER, author of Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood.

SHANA MORRISON, who got her start singing with father Van's band, combines Irish folk, r&b, country, and jazz.

ARMANDO GARCIA_DAVILA, California poet, author of At the Edge of the River - Al Lado del Rio.

MIKE GREENSILL, renowned piano-man, and more!

Due to a technical issue, this show did not air last week, so we present it to you this week. It's a good one! Sedge welcomes:

Illustrator

MO WILLEMS

six-time Emmy Award winning writer and animator for Sesame Street brings us his 22nd installment in the Elephant & Piggie series, Waiting is Not Easy.

Humorists

MAC BARNETT & JORY JOHN

team up to bring us a double helping of fun and mischief in their new book about rivaling pranksters, The Terrible Two.

Songwriter

ROY ZIMMERMAN

asks what one person can do about climate change, Congressional ineptitude, ignorance, war and greed. His answer: Write funny songs!

Musicians

TUMBLEWEED WANDERERS

bring listeners from dark chaotic banjo-rock, through intimate acoustic harmonies, to energetic explosions of soul.

Dancer

TERENCE CLARKE

author, book publisher, and a tango aficionado!

The Savvy

MIKE GREENSILL

witty piano man. And More!

Recorded at the SF Ferry Building (due to technical issues at NPR, last week's show was re-broadcast). This show will air Feb 14.

MO WILLEMS, six-time Emmy Award winning writer and animator for Sesame Street brings us his 22nd installment in the Elephant & Piggie series, Waiting is Not Easy

MAC BARNETT & JORY JOHN team up to bring us a double helping of fun and mischief in their new book about rivaling pranksters, The Terrible Two.

ROY ZIMMERMAN asks what one person can do about climate change, Congressional ineptitude, ignorance, war and greed. His answer: Write funny songs!

TUMBLEWEED WANDERERS bring listeners from dark chaotic banjo-rock, through intimate acoustic harmonies, to energetic explosions of soul.

TERENCE CLARKE author, book publisher, and a tango aficionado!

MIKE GREENSILL, witty piano man. And More!

We present this gem of a show from June 11, 2005 at SF MOMA, never before re-broadcast:

DAVID SEDARIS memoirist, humorist, storyteller, comedian, author, radio contributor and smoker.

MELISSA BANK author of Girl's Guide to Hunting and Fishing and the new The Wonder Spot.

CLAIRE PEASLEE our resident naturalist.

HOWARD JUNKER, editor and founder of the literary magazine ZYZZYVA.

DMITRI MATHENY ORCHESTRA whose sound has been called "so cool it'll run a shiver through your martini," celebrating the release of his new CD Nocturne.

Live from the second floor of the SF Ferry Building! Sedge welcomes:

JOYCE CAROL OATES the American literary icon brings us her new novel, The Sacrifice, which looks unflinchingly at police brutality and racism thru the eyes of 14-year-old Sybilla Frye.

ARMISTEAD MAUPIN author of the beloved Tales of The City series that has delighted readers for four decades and brought gay life into the mainstream. His ninth and final volume The Days of Anna Madrigal now out in paperback.

TORY TOROSIAN from Tory Farms (aka “The Magic Ranch”), the 80 Acre family fruit farm in Dinuba, CA, where he grows pomegranates, peaches, pluots, pomelos and much more!

PORTLAND CELLO PROJECT, a collective of cello players who are bringing their instrument to fascinating new places, crossing genres from classical to pop to hip hop.

And More!

This week, Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgesen made climbing history for completing their free climb of El Capitan's Dawn Wall at Yosemite -- deemed the toughest climb in the world. Today we revisit highlights of two summer trips we made to Camp Curry in Yosemite Valley, 1999 and 2000. Back live next week from the SF Ferry Building. Sedge welcomes:

JESSE COLIN YOUNG, songwriter and lead singer of the popular group The Youngbloods in the 1960s.

CHRIS SMITHER, folk/blues singer and guitarist whose music draws deeply from blues, folk, modern poets and philosophers.

ROSS HANNA, the late grandson of John Muir who helped sustain the legacy of his grandfather (October 1922 - June 2014).

PHIL FRANK, the late great cartoonist who created Farley (March 1943 – September 2007).

GERRY BLOCH, oldest person to climb El Capitan, at age 81, and his guide MIKE CORBETT.

YVONNE GRANGER, Park Service Ranger.

TOM BOPP, Yosemite music historian and performer. 

MIKE GREENSILL, who hiked in a piano!

SEDGE welcomes:

Author

JAMES FALLOWS

national correspondent for The Atlantic, former speechwriter for President Carter and editor of U.S. News & World Report, and author of ten books including his latest, China Airborne.

Author

JUNOT DIAZ

Pulitzer Prize winning author with his new collection This Is How You Lose Her, which explores the culture of toughness and masculinity that inhibits actual intimacy and love in Latin American cultures.

Author

DOUGLAS FOSTER

author of After Mandela: The Struggle for Freedom in Post Apartheid South Africa, the most important portrait to date of a teetering nation whose destiny will determine the fate of a continent.

Musician

JOHN SCOFIELD

the influential jazz-rock guitarist and composer known for his stylistic diversity and masterful improvisation.

Musician

BEN TAYLOR

Son of James Taylor and Carly Simon and an accomplished musician in his own right stops by to play a few tunes from his new album Listening.

CUESA's

DAVE STOCKDALE

Executive director of Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture will look back at 20 years of Ferry Building Farmers Markets.

Today we listen back to some of our favorite segments from 2014, featuring:

SIERRA LEONE'S REFUGEE ALLSTARS who have risen out of the ashes of war and inspired fans across the globe with their uplifting songs of hope, faith and joy.

ANNE LAMOTT with her new collection of wise and irreverent essays on hope, joy, and faith, Small Victories: Spotting Improbable Moments of Grace.

WES JACKSON, farmer, philosopher and author of several landmark books on sustainable agriculture, Wes is founder and current president of The Land Institute and a member of the World Future Council. With young farmer/activist Severine von Tscharner Fleming, organizer and director of The Greenhorns, a documentary film and grassroots organization working to recruit, promote and support the growing tribe of new agrarians.

DANA FALCONBERRY the acclaimed Austin-based singer and her band, known for songwriting that focuses on themes of nature and wildlife.

MIKE GREENSILL at the piano. Happy New Year from all of us at West Coast Live!