Inside HPPR

It's that season again- the season of Christmas decorations, Menorahs and year end Best-of lists. Fan that I am of lists, I can't help but offer my choices for the best of 2014.  Here they are, in no particular order:

As you reflect on the services you’ve counted on most in 2014, consider the hours you've spent listening to HPPR and make a tax-deductible gift of support to reaffirm the value of having public radio in your community.  Just click the red "SUPPORT" button above.  Or, if you prefer, call us now at 800-678-7444 to make your year-end contribution over the phone. 

Thanks to the generous support of Keith Jones from Amarillo, every pledge made during the 8am hour will be matched dollar for dollar, up to $1,000!

Make your pledge of support now!

We want to be able to take full advantage of this generous offer, but it's only possible through the support of listeners like you!

If you've been contemplating becoming a member of, renewing your gift, or even making an additional contribution, now is the time to make a big impact for HPPR. 

You might call it family counseling or therapy; you might call it brave and brutally honest, at times; you also might call it a brilliant idea.

Teddy Thompson managed to gather both of his parents Richard and Linda Thompson, his younger sister Kami, her husband James Walbourne, Teddy and Kami’s nephew Zak Hobbs and Jack Thompson, Richard’s son from his second marriage.

The result is ‘Family’, featuring songs from each member , and we will listen to it this week on High Plains Morning.

Starting Monday, November 17th, NPR will be making adjustments to the “clocks” for Morning Edition, All Things Considered and its weekend news programs.  These clocks are the detailed, second-by-second schedules for exactly what airs when during each hour of the programs, for example, when a newscast starts or a block of feature stories begins. 

Join Debra and Lynn on Silver Rails as we celebrate Geography Awareness Week (GAW).  This year's theme is FOOD: The geography of food through traditions, regional specialties, history, farming, film, food systems and movements.  We'll have songs that weave food and geography together along with a geo-food quiz for prizes: National Geographic maps and more...

   HPPR’s Songwriter in the Round series continues on Friday, November 21!  This event will be at the Fibonacci, located at 3306 SW 6th Ave, at the home of Chamber Music Amarillo.  We’ll open the doors at 7:00, and the show will start at 7:30.  We’ll have the usual great coffee from the folks at Evocation Coffee Roasters and cookies from Kristy Fuller.  To make a reservation for this show, call us at 806-367-9088 or send an e-mail to music@hppr.org.

The Performers:

 Mike Borger

‘Plainspoken’ is John Mellencamp’s 1st release since 2010, and according to reviews, a very personal and moving record that stands along his best.  Arranged using mostly acoustic instruments, the songs continue the themes explored on his previous releases  ‘No Better Than This’ and ‘Life, Death, Love & Freedom’.  We will listen to ‘Plainspoken’ this week on High Plains Morning.

Stephanie Bettman & Luke Halpin are embarking on a tour of the high plains, including stops in Western Kansas and Texas.

The tour starts in Liberal on November 5 at the Baker Arts Center, then on to Garden City for an HPPR Living Room Concert on the 6th. They go back to Liberal for a gig at Seward Community College on the 7th, and finally Amarillo on the 8th, for a show at the Fibonacci.

Tonight beginning at 7pm CT, HPPR brings you special election coverage. Join us for national analysis from NPR News plus updates on regional and statewide elections from HPPR.

Listen for coverage of regional and statewide races in Kansas, Texas, Colorado, and Oklahoma from HPPR's Deb Oyler, Dale Bolton, Cindee Talley, and Adam Vos.

Midterm election coverage from NPR and HPPR begins tonight at 7pm CT, on High Plains Public Radio.

When Yusuf returned to the world of pop music after 27 years, expectations were ridiculously high. Critics and fans agree that his new music continues to meet those expectations.

Yusuf’s new release ‘Tell ‘Em I’m Gone’ is his third release since his return in 2006. This record differs from his previous releases in that it focuses on his R & B and Blues roots, while still being instantly recognizable.

We will listen to ‘Tell ‘Em I’m Gone’ track by track this week on High Plains Morning.

Thanks to the generous support of HPPR's many listener-members, we were able to raise over $77,000 to ensure that public radio keeps going strong across the High Plains. 

During our Fall Membership Campaign we heard from over 100 new members, 236 renewing members, and 189 members who contributed with an additional gift of support. 

HPPR relies on individuals and private support for over 80% of its budget, and simply could not provide public radio service without the generosity of its members from all corners of the High Plains. 

From now until the end of High Plains Morning (10 a.m. CDT), we'll be entering names into a drawing for a chance to add an autographed copy of Tony Bennett's album, With Love, to your personal collection. 

Pledge / Enter the drawing here. 

There's no pledge necessary to enter the drawing, however, pledging your support now is a great way to ensure that your favorite HPPR programs can keep going strong. 

 You enjoy listening to classical music and the Amarillo Symphony on HPPR. Now's your opportunity to hear the Amarillo Symphony live and enjoy a night in Amarillo, courtesy of the Sleep Inn and Suites in Amarillo!

Click here to pledge / enter the drawing. 

       From now until 1 p.m. (CDT), we'll be entering names into a drawing to win two tickets to an Amarillo Symphony performance of your choice, an overnight stay at the Sleep in Suites in Amarillo, as well as a gift certificate for dinner at Leal's Mexican Restaurant. 

HPPR welcomes Jon Brooks back to Amarillo for a Living Room Concert on Saturday, October 25!

Tuesday evening at 8pm, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott and State Senator Wendy Davis will face off in the second debate in this year's governor's race, and you can hear the debate live on HPPR's Texas stations.

This one-hour debate be hosted by KERA-TV in Dallas and will be broadcast on radio and television across Texas, including these Texas HPPR stations: 105.7 KJJP Amarillo, 91.5 KTXP Bushland, 89.5 KTOT Spearman/Perryton, 89.3 KTDH Dalhart, and online at hppr.org.

Canadian singer/songwriter/poet Leonard Cohen celebrated his 80th birthday last week by releasing his 13th studio record.

It’s called ‘Popular Problems’ and it features 9 new songs from one of the most revered songwriters of our generation. It was produced by Leonard and Patrick Leonard, whose credits include Madonna, Fleetwood Mac, Pink Floyd, Carly Simon and Cohen’s 2012 release ‘Old Ideas’.

We will listen to ‘Popular Problems’ all this week on High Plains Morning. 

HPPR welcomes Tia McGraff and Tommy Parham to Garden City for a Living Room Concert on Thursday, September 25.

This show will take place at The Education Center at Lee Richardson Zoo. The doors will open at 7:00, and the show will start at 7:30. There is a suggested donation at the door.

Tia and Tommy have played Living Room Concerts for us in the past, in both our Garden City and Amarillo studios and they have also been featured at the Tumbleweed Festival.

Anyone who has seen them previously knows what a show this will be. Don’t miss it! 

Listen to HPPR tonight at 8pm CT as President Obama addresses the nation from the White House. He will outline his administration's strategy for fighting the militant group, ISIS.

HPPR welcomes Amarillo's own Dana Hubbard to the Fibonacci for a Living Room Concert on Saturday, September 20!  The Fibonacci, which is the home base of Chamber Music Amarillo, is located at 3306 SW 6th Ave.   The doors will open at 7pm, and the show will start at 7:30.  To make a reservation, call us at 806-367-9088 or send an e-mail to music@hppr.org. Those of you who have seen Dana previously, either in our Songwriter in the Round series or his performance at HPPR last year, know that this is a show not be missed!

  Singer-songwriter Mark Erelli has a brand new CD called 'Milltowns' due to be released on September 9.  It is a tribute to his mentor, the late Bill Morrissey.  All of the track except one were written by Bill.  Erelli compares the process of creating 'Milltowns' to painting- "...you put something on the canvas, step back for perspective, then add another layer..."  We will listen to each track this week on High Plains Morning.

Norah Jones, Sasha Dobson and Catherine Popper have been playing together since 2008, under several different band names before finally settling on Puss n’ Boots. Their first record together ‘No Fools No Fun’ is a collection of original songs and covers, some recorded live in a Brooklyn club.  We will listen to ‘No Fools No Fun’ all this week on High Plains Morning.

Marshal Allen Bailey was inducted into the Wild West Walk of Fame in Dodge City.  The event took place on August 3, 2014 during Dodge City Days. 

Exactly one year after JJ Cale passed away, Eric Clapton has released a tribute to his friend-16 tracks all written by Cale and recorded by Clapton and friends including Tom Petty, John Mayer, Derek Trucks, Mark Knopfler and more.  Eric has recorded several of Cale’s tunes over the years including Cocaine and After Midnight, and has cited him as a huge influence on his own style.  We will listen to The Breeze-An Appreciation Of JJ Cale all this week on High Plains Morning.

"Open Range" this week features two great Ry Cooder-produced cuts: Buena Vista Social Club's "Chan Chan" and "I'll Be Rested" from the great Mavis Staples. Also, new music from Johnnie Lang and London Grammar. As an added bonus, local poet Ms. G. Dunbar will be reading from her work.

This week on High Plains Morning, instead of our usual CD of the week, we will feature the music of Cat Stevens and Yusuf, as he is now known.  From his early recordings in the mid 60's to his massive hits in the 70's, and music from the current phase of his career after his return from retirement in 2004. Cat Stevens and Yusuf-all this week on High Plains Morning. 

HPPR and Process Art House welcome Amarillo native Rodney Branigan to The Fibonacci for a Living Room Concert on Saturday, August 2!

This is Rodney's first appearance at an HPPR event!

The Fibonacci is located at 3306 SW 6th Ave. We'll open the doors at 7:00, and the show will start at 7:30. We'll have the usual great coffee from the good folks at Evocation Coffee Roasters and cookies from Kristy Fuller, who has taken over baking duties from Molly.