In the 1950s, a new style of country music, influenced by rock-n-roll, emerged from Bakersfield’s honky-tonk bars. Pioneered by music legends like Buck Owens and Merle Haggard, the Bakersfield Sound became one of country music’s most influential sub-genres. And now it is being celebrated with an exhibit that runs through …
Read More »Pioneers Who Created The Bakersfield Sound Are Now On A 10-CD Collection
Buck and Bonnie Owens, Merle Haggard, Bill Woods – their names are forever associated with the Bakersfield Sound. But what about the lesser known artists who also belted out their stories of hardship defying Nashville’s more polished grooves? Music historian and writer Scott B. Bomar has just released a 10-CD …
Read More »Climbers, Hikers Sound Alarm On Safety On Mount Whitney
Mount Whitney is the tallest peak in the lower 48 states. But at over 14,000 feet, hiking the mountain is anything but routine, especially in early summer. In a new piece on the website Outdoor Online, journalist Megan Michelson writes about her own close call on the mountain thanks to …
Read More »Reinventing Mariachi: Omar Nare On His Vision For A New Sound
Critics across the globe are starting to pay attention to the music of one young valley artist – Omar Nare. The Sanger native was recently profiled on Public Radio International and the New York Times for his fresh take on mariachi traditions. He’s taking traditional songs and re-inventing them with …
Read More »Puget Sound whales get a break from boaters at no loss to whale-watching
Restrictions on vessel traffic have helped keep more boaters farther from critically endangered southern-resident killer whales, while not harming the whale-watch industry, a new study has found. Federal restrictions enacted … Click to Continue »
Read More »Orca quandary: Other protected species are eating their food in Puget Sound
Booming populations of seals, sea lions and other marine mammals are eating so much chinook salmon, they may pose a bigger challenge to the survival of hungry local orca whales … Click to Continue »
Read More »Patrick Contreras’ New Sound Mixes Violin With Mariachi, Soul, Hip-Hop
Fresno rock violinist Patrick Contreras is known for his creative use of the violin and mixing it with other genres. His latest project mixes the sound of violin with mariachi, rock, soul and hip-hop. It’s called El Violin. Contreras calls this sound Chicano violin music. He’s opened for artists like …
Read More »Saxophonist Donny McCaslin Brings Bowie-Inspired Sound To Bakersfield Jazz Festival
For years, saxophonist Donny McCaslin has been the quintessential jazz musician. A virtuoso improviser, he’s been a vital part of the New York jazz scene for two decades, equally at home in his own small groups or as a sideman with the Maria Schneider Orchestra. McCaslin, who grew up in …
Read More »28 years ago, a melting glacier in Prince William Sound played a role in Exxon’s biggest disaster
In the wee hours of March 24, 1989, the channel connecting the Alaskan port of Valdez with Prince William Sound was riddled with icebergs shed from the deteriorating Columbia Glacier, … Click to Continue »
Read More »5th Puget Sound killer whale dies this year
The death this week of another Puget Sound killer whale makes 2016 one of the worst in recent history for the endangered marine mammals. The carcass of an 18-year-old male, … Click to Continue »
Read More »High school music students march and fill Merced with sound
Dozens of high school music students banded together Saturday at Golden Valley High School all day Saturday, giving audiences, judges and their peers one cohesive sound. “We want to all … Click to Continue »
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