FEATURE ARTICLE
Wanda Fischer: Feeding folk for 15 years
by Seth Rogovoy(LENOX, Mass., Oct. 2, 1997) -- If it weren't for folk music, it's fair to say, Wanda Fischer wouldn't be where she is today.
As a college student in Boston in the mid-'60s, Fischer was a regular on that city's thriving folk coffeehouse scene, both as a listener and an aspiring performer. It was on that scene that Fischer met her future husband at a coffeehouse at Boston College. "He was the talent manager and I was the talent, and that's how we first met in 1966," said Fischer in a recent phone interview from her Capital District-area home.
Three decades later, Fischer is celebrating the 15th anniversary of her much-beloved folk-music program, "The Hudson River Sampler," which airs on WAMC-FM's Northeast Network on Saturdays from 8 to 10:30.
To commemorate the show's auspicious anniversary, the "Hudson River Sampler" is going live this Saturday night, when Fischer, along with special guests Happy and Artie Traum, Cheryl Wheeler, Samite, Priscilla Herdman and Les Sampou, will send the program out from the stage at the National Music Foundation's Berkshire Performing Arts Theatre at 8.
Tickets to the show, which will be aired live on WAMC, are $10. For more information call 637-1800.
By her telling, Fischer's career in broadcasting was an indirect result of that meeting with her future husband. After they got married, she said, "He was in medical school at UMass, and I didn't have anything to do with my time and didn't realize how tied up he was going to be, so I got involved with this little community radio station in Worcester."
It was there, at WCUW-FM, that Fischer created "Folk Spot," which she hosted for four years before moving with her husband to New York's Capital District in 1979.
On Sept. 18, 1982, Fischer premiered "Hudson River Sampler" on WAMC. It was no doubt Fischer's good fortune that the show then as now directly followed Garrison Keillor's immensely popular program, "A Prairie Home Companion," the public radio equivalent of following "The Cosby Show" on TV.
As styled by Fischer, "Hudson River Sampler" gives airtime to music rarely if ever heard on commercial radio. The show features a blend of contemporary and traditional folk music, blues, Celtic and bluegrass.
It is also a clearinghouse for news about folk concerts happening in the WAMC listening area, and it occasionally features live guests performing on the air. Over the years these have included Brooks Williams, Happy and Artie Traum, Priscilla Herdman, Steve Gillette and Cindy Mangsen, Christopher Shaw and Bridget Ball, Betty and the Baby Boomers and the Clearwater Sloop Singers.
"Wanda Fischer is a lady who has done a great deal to keep folk music alive on the airwaves," says Alan Chartock, executive director of WAMC and the man who originally signed her up for the show? "Over the past 15 years, Wanda has done nearly 800 shows. This concert is our way of syaing thanks to her for all she has done for this station and our listeners.
"We know what Wanda does is unique and we salute her through this concert. What is amazing about her is how well she has kept up with the younger artists, nurturing them, bringing them along and giving them air time. Whenever we have a fund drive and we ask people what they like, an awful lot of people mention Wanda."
The "Hudson River Sampler" is an anomaly in radio programming, more the exception rather than the rule. Acoustic and folk-based music rarely if ever gets heard on commercial radio, and what few shows do exist are constantly in danger of being dropped.
"There's been a lot of press recently indicating how many of these shows have been cut," said Fischer. "WAMC, however, has made a real commitment to the show."
Chartock echoes Fischer's statment. "WAMC is committed to folk music, as evidenced by the last fifteen years of the `Hudson River Sampler," said Chartock. "We eagerly anticipate the next 15 years."
Musicians themselves are grateful to Fischer for her efforts to swim against the tide against folk on radio. "The `Hudson River Sampler' is a great way to bring many voices to one area in one night," said Boston-based, contemporary singer-songwriter Les Sampou, who will be among those performing 15-minute sets at Saturday night's live broadcast. "It's a great way to sample new voices, and it's a great service to the arts community as well."
Fischer, who works in public relations during the day, thinks it is somewhat ironic that folk-music programs are under the gun at a time when the commercial marketplace indicates there may in fact be a demand for this sort of music.
"There are so many talented singer-songwriters out there," she said. "You get somebody like Jewel. My kids just went to see her last weekend, and what they are describing to me of that concert and what the reviewer said, it's kind of like a lot of the people in contemporary folk music, but they've never made it big like she has. But that kind of simple, acoustic sound is popular. You don't need to have heavy metal, or eight-hundred percussion pieces and a forty-piece string section, to make a good song."
Fischer herself was introduced to folk music by her father, Giles Adams, who grew up in Appalachia and was heavily influenced by the music that surrounded him. "I've been real interested in this music ever since, even when it wasn't popular," she said.
As for her criteria for what to play on her show, Fischer said she likes "to play songs that have some kind of meaning."
"I like to play things that go together thematically or musically, whether they remind me of each other or whether the artists just sound good together," said Fischer, who may surprise the audience Saturday night with a song of her own.
"I remember when I was starting in radio in 1975, they told me you shouldn't have two women singing back to back, and you shouldn't have a bluegrass song following a Celtic song.
"I just said why not if it sounds good together? If it sounds good together, it goes together."
The performers:
The following musicians are scheduled to appear at Saturday night's "Hudson River Sampler" 15th anniversary concert at the National Music Foundation in Lenox. They were chosen, said host Wanda Fischer, to represent the wide range of music featured each week on her program, which is heard from 8 to 10:30 on WAMC-FM's Northeast Network. Each artist is expected to perform for approximately 15-20 minutes.CHERYL WHEELER: Cheryl Wheeler is one of the top singer-songwriters in the contemporary-folk genre. Her songs range from comic novelties to poignant ballads, many of which have been covered by other artists. Country artists in particular have done well with Wheeler's songs -- the likes of Dan Seals, Suzy Boguss, Kathy Mattea and Melanie have all made hit records from Wheeler compositions. Wheeler's live performances are equal parts stand-up comedy and music.
HAPPY and ARTIE TRAUM: These veterans of the Woodstock folk scene have crossed musical paths with the likes of Bob Dylan, the Band, Pure Prairie League, David Bromberg and others. They themselves hosted a live music show on WAMC, "Bring It On Home," which was immortalized in a two-CD compilation on the Legacy label.
PRISCILLA HERDMAN: Herdman is one of the most highly respected interpreters of contemporary and traditional folk music, known both for her solo work as well as her recordings and performances with a trio including Anne Hills and Cindy Mangsen. Wanda Fischer says she is best known for her recording of "Ashokan Farewell." She will be accompanied by cellist Abby Newton, who will perform a few of her own selections.
SAMITE: Born and raised in Uganda and now a resident of upstate New York, Samite combines the traditional sounds of his native land with contemporary influences, to make for a sprightly, acoustic world-beat fusion.
LES SAMPOU: From a base in the blues, Les Sampou writes contemporary folk songs filled with a strong sense of place, full of smoky tension and sensuality. Her performances frequently draw comparisons to Bonnie Raitt and Rory Block.
CODY KILBY: Kilby is a 16-year-old award-winning virtuoso on guitar, banjo and mandolin. He is the recipient of a scholarship from the National Music Foundation's Shared Heritage Scholarship program.
[This article originally appeared in the Berkshire Eagle on Oct. 2, 1997. Copyright Seth Rogovoy 1997. All rights reserved.]
Seth Rogovoy
rogovoy@berkshire.net
music news, interviews, reviews, et al.
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