Write On! A singer-songwriter is a musician who writes, composes, and performs their own musical material, including lyrics and melodies. In the United States, the category is built on the folk-acoustic tradition, although this role has transmuted through different eras of popular music. Get a Great Gift with Your Donation! Your contribution helps WPKN, a 501(c)(3) organization. Al Bell celebrates the Blues and R&B, playing songs in accordance with his own unique desire to hear one creative piece in juxtaposition with the next. Learn More What inspires me about ‘PKN is that amidst all the differences, there is a ...

Sometimes Classical with Richard Epstein. Since 1977, Richard has explored a wide range of music and sound on his show “Sometimes Classical”, which is often decidedly not classical at all. A dentist by day, he is a classically-trained professional musician, a bassoonist and saxophone player, and founded a jazz club in his hometown of Westport, CT. Mixing the sounds of Mingus, Mahler, Mink Deville, Miles, Mozart and Moby might be followed by Pygmy field recordings or cartoon music. Interviews, live performances, and whatnot pepper the tossed salad. It’s like a game of aural solitaire that somehow retires the deck. Since 1977, Richard has explored a wide range ...

Join WPKN for a special fundraising event American v. British Folk from 7 am to 10 pm on Friday, March 26, 2021. It’s now half-a-century since British folk rock became A Thing, with the early practitioners breaking new ground and inspiring an entire scene that peaked in the late Sixties/early Seventies. Earnest young post-Dylan singer/songwriters moved away from the intimacy of the folk clubs in favour of the nascent college/university circuit. Countercultural iconoclasts The Incredible String Band became a seismic influence on a whole raft of bands now categorised as acid-folk, Pentangle’s use of acoustic instrumentation within a nominally rock framework attracted many emulators (though arguably no real equals), ...

Jazz Love Songs: An all-day music and fundraising special only at WPKN 89.5 FM and streaming at WPKN.org. No genre does it better, and nothing says, “I love you” like jazz. If your theme for February is romance, the volunteers at WPKN want you to know how they feel: We LOVE our listening audience! Over the course of the day, we’ll be reading Valentine’s Day Tributes from our listening audience to their loved ones. Donations from this fundraiser will be used for the station operations, allowing our continued success. Cliff brings music little heard on the radio or the mainstream. Learn More What inspires me ...