Homegrown Music is WVIA-FM's exclusive series which each week showcases the talents of regional contemporary music artists in recordings produced in the WVIA-FM studios by series host George Graham and is broadcast Tuesdays at 9:00 PM and Saturdays at 6 PM on WVIA-HD2. Homegrown Music was preempted on November 6 for live election coverage. A special feature during November is the return of the monthly live concert series on the 19th, with a performance by the duo of Tom Flannery & Bret Alexander, and blues guitarist and vocalist Johnny DeFrancesco and his band. Further information on Homegrown Music may be obtained via the World Wide Web at http://homegrownmusic.info and http://www.wvia.org/radio/local/homegrown-music/

Nov. 13 The Secret Admirers featuring Andy Goessling. On October 12, multi-instrumentalist and composer Andy Goessling succumbed to cancer at age 59. Andy is well-remembered on the regional music scene in PA and NJ for his work with Blue Sparks from Hell, Kings in Disguise, and for the past 16 years, with the national bluegrass-influenced jam band Railroad Earth. Andy could play almost any instrument. He was known for playing two saxes at the same time with Blue Sparks, and performed on mandolin and banjo with Railroad Earth. In 2000, he and his brother Dave, along with Lisa Knause, recorded this session as The Secret Admirers, one of his most personal musical projects, with creative mostly original acoustic music.

Andy Goessling

Nov. 19 A Live Homegrown Music Concert with the duo TOM FLANNERY & BRET ALEXANDER and the JOHNNY DeFRANCESCO GROUP. WVIA’s monthly series of two-hour live Homegrown Music concerts resumes with the a duo of singer-songwriters and a blues-rock band.

Tom Flannery and Bret Alexander are both familiar to Homegrown Music listeners from their numerous appearances, Tom as an acoustic singer-songwriter, and Bret as a long-time member of the Badlees. They recently collaborated on a duo album called Tales from PA 6. They again join forces to perform their lyrically astute original music in an acoustic duo setting, exchanging songs by the two.

Tom Flannery at WVIA in 2006 Bret Alexander

Johnny DeFrancesco comes from an illustrious Philadelphia musical family, with his brother Joey one of the best known contemporary jazz organists, and their father John, also a well-known jazz organist. Johnny is a first-rate blues guitarist and vocalist who has performed with his brother and father and also establish a solo career, releasing five albums on his own. He returns to Homegrown Music after an 18-year hiatus with a full band.

Johnny DeFrancesco

As usual WVIA members and listeners are invited to attend the live concert broadcast from WVIA’s Sordoni Theater. Free seating reservations may be obtained on the WVIA website at: http://www.wvia.org/about/sordoni-theater-reservations/

Nov. 20 Melodic Intersect. An Indian-jazz-rock fusion trio, Melodic Intersect features a traditional Indian sitar and tabla along with electronic keyboards to perform creative, upbeat music with a groove. Last December, the group played a sold out show at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York. This segment is an encore of their 2017 second Homegrown Music session.

Melodic Intersect with George Graham at WVIA

Nov. 27 Sarah Holgate. Wilkes-Barre pianist-singer-songwriter Sarah Holgate was one of the featured high school Artists of the Week on WVIA-TV a number of years ago. In 2010, she released her second album Somewhere Past Distraction to very favorable reviews. She has been performing in New York City as well as in her native Wilkes-Barre area. This is an encore of her 2010 Homegrown Music debut with some new material plus re-interpretations of songs from her CD, joined by a quartet including her brother Eric on bass.

Sarah Holgate and her band at WVIA in 2010

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