The Cricket and Seagull Fireside Chat

His range and repertoire make the Josh Groban comparisons unavoidable, but Daniel Beck's debut CD "Love Like That" definitely shows a polished and passionate performer who can stand on his own on any stage or in any recording studio. Dan talks about singing, recording, and finding songs about love that fit right in-between the personal and the religious. The CD is available for download or purchase, plus, he has an upcoming premier concert/benefit performance in Salt Lake City. That's this week on The Cricket and Seagull...

For her seventh CD, singer/songwriter Hilary Weeks decided not to stress, not to stay awake worrying (and crying) about whether the songs would come, but simply to trust they would and keep moving. It's a nice metaphor for all sorts of experiences which take us to the edge of our worries and weaknesses and ask us to step off—into what? That's what these songs are all about. Plus, a story about 24 yellow roses you won't want to miss. That's this week on The Cricket and Seagull...

The best thing about radio is that it's free. The best thing about the internet is how it can connect you to people and places and knowledge around the world. This coming Monday morning you'll experience the best of radio and the internet combined when "yourLDSradio.com" starts connecting you, wherever you live, to LDS music and information 24/7 and it's all free! Program Director Sam Payne talks about the concept, the special on-demand features, and the easy-as-pie nuts-and-bolts of how anyone can access yourLDSradio.com online. That's this week on The Cricket and Seagull...

Obviously not every accomplished LDS musician lives in Salt Lake or Utah counties, but it can be a little harder for those musical luminaries out shining their lights on distant (depending where you are) hills to catch the eye, or ear in this case, of the Saints. This week we called Kansas City, KS, to explore "Hymns Anew," a modern acoustic treatment of LDS hymns by singer/arranger/producer Clayton Pixton and several of his talented siblings who are scattered all over the US. That's this week on The Cricket and Seagull...

One is from Southern California, another from South Utah County, but that's about as Southern as most of the members of Mountain Blue get.  Still, when you hear their new CD "Mountain Blue," you'll know they all made a Southern connection with these hymns and songs. Familiar favorites like "Amazing Grace" get the Mountain Blue treatment as well as less familiar pieces like "Roll Back the Stone," "Gospel Train," and my personal favorite, the gospel standard "Wondrous Love." It's good gospel fun this week on The Cricket and Seagull...

While some have looked at the map of the entire Western hemisphere and discerned "the land Northward""and "the land Southward" and even the "narrow neck of land" spoken of in The Book of Mormon as self-evident, others have gleaned clues from the text itself which point to a much, much smaller geographical area. Dr. Stephen L. Carr previews a presentation he's giving at an upcoming Book of Mormon Archeological Foundation conference happening in SLC next weekend (www.bmaf.org for info on attending), in which he summarizes 5 of the most recent and best-supported theories of a Meso-American placement for the events of The Book of Mormon, and why thy matter. That's this week on The Cricket and Seagull...

Some stayed, some evacuated, but all these Latter-day Saints have been affected by Hurricane Ike.  Sheriee Staub is busy cooking for the 60 or so Elders sleeping at a nearby stake center by night and cleaning up the community by day.  Greg and Sarah Evans headed for San Antonio with their toddler, and the owner of Nauvoo Books in Spring, TX, JoAnn Rapp feels blessed even though it may be quite some time before her bookstore can re-open. Hear their stories in their own words, plus Houston South Stake President Gifford Nielsen (of BYU football and NFL renown) talk about the ability of the church organization to deal with disaster, the need for preparation, and the great support received from the brethren in SLC while many are still without water or power in the Houston area. That's this week on The Cricket and Seagull...

For 25 years Michael McLean has inspired listeners with his tender songs and candid messages.  To commemorate this anniversary, Michael has released a new collection of six albums, sold separately or as a commemorative boxed set, featuring many of the songs you know and love plus several brand-new recordings; the essential McLean anthology. Michael talks about songwriting, the song he (and all writers) keep re-creating over and over, and why anyone would buy an album from a guy who can't sing! That's this week on The Cricket and Seagull...

Even with 6,000 children a day (yes, a day!) being orphaned by AIDS world-wide, Kathy Headlee Miner is not discouraged.  She talks about the founding of "Mothers Without Borders," not shutting out problems just because they seem overwhelming, and why the term "success" is irrelevant.   Always articulate and passionate about what she does, Kathy shares a new painting from Liz Lemon Swindle depicting Christ in Africa and an upcoming concert by Jericho Road  which are two ways you can make a difference in the world right now, plus the 2008 fundraiser boutique in Layton, UT—a way to make your Christmas budget reach farther around the world than you'd ever imagined. That's this week on The Cricket and Seagull...

It must be fun to be Michael Dowdle—to have the musical chops to play anything on the guitar.  So when it came time to do an album of anything he wanted, why did he choose a genre that showcases peace over virtuosity, and relaxation over flashiness? Michael talks about being both a soloist and a session player; playing both what you love and what's put in front of you, and turning it all into "A Brighter Day." That's this week on The Cricket and Seagull...

Besides being a bit hard to spell, the name Dallyn Vail Bayles has long been associated with dramatic vocal, stage, and screen performances. Now this Green River, UT, native returns from his new home in the New York City area with a CD and a live concert simply called "Prayer." Whether it's "Bring Him Home" from Les Miserables (he had a starring role in the national broadway touring company) or the album-ending "I Have Seen Him," by LDS composer Ross Boothe, Bayles has chosen each song to reflect some aspect of that most personal communication with God; prayer.  Dallyn talks about music, growing up in Green River, raising a family in the Broadway environment, and his upcoming concert at the Covey Center for the Arts in Provo, UT, on September 5th. That's this week on The Cricket and Seagull...

Ramona Zabriskie has a great imagination, but when she began editing down Nephi's words in First and Second Nephi fifteen years ago, she didn't imagine the resulting musical "With Mine Own Hand" would be premiering to LDS audiences from around the world at BYU Education Week.  Along with Utah composer Becky Alexander, Zabriskie has created a large-cast, full-scale stage musical which has had limited productions in the Portland, OR, area and will soon be the first out-of-state production to appear at Education Week. This week she and her husband Dale, who plays the older Nephi, talk about adapting scriptural accounts, the miracles that brought the production together, and the themes of Nephi's life. That's this week on The Cricket and Seagull...

Imagine taking "Pride and Prejudice," the best-known, best-loved, and most-filmed of Jane Austen's novels, and turning it into a musical. Where would you begin? What would you cut for the stage while still leaving in the favorite characters and witty dialogue? That's exactly the challenge faced by two LDS composers, Deborah Morris and Ann Kapp Andersen; the premiere run of their new musical theater version of Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" is currently running at the SCERA theater in Orem and will be appearing later this month at BYU Education Week. We'll include musical excerpts and hear the authors tell about converting this world-renowned literary masterpiece into a 2-hour stage musical. That's this week on The Cricket and Seagull...

Now "Soft Sunday Sounds" is streaming inspirational music via the internet 24/7 from FM100 in Salt Lake City, UT. That means anytime, anyplace, day or night, whatever time zone, whether you live in London or Lindon, Provo or Prague, you can hear inspirational favorites to help set the mood for your day. And it's free! That's this week on The Cricket and Seagull...

What would you ask Brother Brigham if you could sit down and talk about the trek West, his relationship with Joseph Smith, Johnson's army, or a hundred other topics? Thanks to the expertise and research of actor James Arrington, Salt Lake City broadcaster Joan Peterson and I got to do just that. Hear about the first Pioneer Day celebrations in the canyons and the memorable July 24th when Porter Rockwell rode into the festivities to announce Johnson's army was on its way! That's this week on the Cricket and Seagull...