Secret Music News, January, 2012

Hi -

My name is Scott Raymond, and for those of you who don't know me, I'm a
New Age/Ambient/Electronic music DJ with WVKR-FM. WVKR is a 3700 watt non -
commercial station broadcasting from Vassar College to the greater Hudson
Valley region. My show, "Secret Music", has been on for over 24 years and
has a large and devoted audience. The show airs every Sunday from 9AM to
12 noon EST. For more information or to listen in online, check out our
website at www.wvkr.org. I'm always on the lookout for new and interesting
music to play on my show. If you have something you think I'd be
interested in, feel free to send it to the address below or email me for
more info. If you're a local musician or just passing through the
beautiful Hudson Valley region and you'd like to stop by for a live
interview and/or performace, drop me a line and we'll work something out.
Also, if you'd like to send me downloads of your releases in lieu of
actual CD's, that's fine with me, too. Just send me an email and let me
know. Thanks.

Well, 2011 is over. It was a good year for music, and for my show as
well. Got to see a lot of great shows. The standouts were Darren Bergstein's Equinoxygen festival, The Musical Box performing Genesis' The Lamb Lies Down On
Broadway, Julianna Barwick, Candyrat Guitar Night Live, Erdem Helvacioglu,
and Blackmore's Night.

I also got to host some great live performances on Secret Music this
year, most notably Air Sculpture, Symmetry, Northern Valentine, Alpha Wave Movement, and Ed Gerhard. And some really nice people came in to do interviews, including
Meg Bowles, Shane King, Rick Cutler, Robin Storey of Rapoon, Darren
Bergstein, Vic Rek, and Jimmy Goodman of A Viberatto. One of the busiest
years in recent memory. I love hosting interviews and performances as it
gives me a chance to meet the people who make the music.

The past year held tragedy as well. Barry Craig of A Produce passed
away, along with Christopher Cameron of Thought Guild. And on New Year's Eve, I received the sad news that Richard Lainhart had also passed away. I didn't really
know Barry apart from his music and the occasional email, but Christopher
and Richard were local musicians and were not only incredibly talented,
but great people as well. I considered both of them to be my friends and
their passing hit me hard.

My 25th anniversary of Secret Music is coming up in 2012, and the one
thing that keeps coming back to me after all this time is that it's less about the music and more about the people you meet along the way. Will Ackerman told me
once years ago that what he remembers most about Michael Hedges isn't what
a fantastic guitar player he was, but what a great human being he was. I
understand what Will was talking about now. When I think about people like
Christopher and Richard, I remember what it was like to know them as
people more than anything else. I consider myself blessed that I've come
to know so many people over the years.

There's a new service out called DAR.fm. which allows you to record
radio shows (like mine). The website has more info. but it's basically a free service much like a Tivo, which allows you to select and record radio shows for future listening. Finally something for those of you who aren't around to listen
in on a Sunday morning.

For more info or weekly playlists, check out my website below. I'm also
on Facebook, so look for me there too. Here's my top 20 playlist for December 2011, along with my top 26 albums of 2011. Enjoy!

www.secretmusicwvkr.blogspot.com




Scott Raymond
WVKR-FM
16 Penn St.
Fishkill, NY 12524

newage@secretmusic.net


WVKR "Secret Music" Top 20 Playlist
December, 2011

1. Steve Roach - Journey of One - Projekt
2. Robert Rich - Medicine Box - Soundscape Productions
3. Justin Vanderberg - Synthetic Memories - Spotted Peccary Music
4. Darshan Ambient - Dream In Blue - Lotuspike
5. Lyonel Bauchet - The Secret Society - DiN
6. Polaris and Krzysztof Horn - Collision - Ricochet Dream
7. Marconi Union - Beautifully Falling Apart - Just Music
8. Broken Harbour - Gramophone Transmissions - Self Released
9. Moo - Introversion - Self Released
10. Sensitive Chaos - Remembering Chestnuts, Icy Cold, and Bells - Subsequent Records
11. Richard Skelton - Marking Time - Preservation
12. Nicholas Mohanna - Reflections - Preservation
13. Aaron Martin & Steven Wright - Light Poured Out Of Our Bones - Preservation
14. Sam Rosenthal - The Passage - Projekt
15. Kathy Raimey - Still Moving - Spiral Soundcase
16. Louis Landon - Peaceful Christmas - Landon Creative, Inc
17. Kyle Pederson - 12.25 - Self Released
18. Robert Schroeder - Cygnus-A - Spheric Music
19. Paul Avgerinos - Bliss - Round Sky Music
20. Jeff Talman - Nature Of The Night Sky - New Domain

WVKR-FM "Secret Music" Top 25 Albums of 2011

1. A Winged Victory For The Sullen - A Winged Victory For The Sullen - Kranky
2. Dustin O'Halloran - Lumiere - Fatcat
3. A Produce & Loren Nerell - Intangible - Hypnos
4. Various Artists - Home Patterning - Periphery
5. Penguin Cafe Orchestra - A Matter of Life - Edition Penguin Cafe
6. Balmorhea - Live At Sint-Elisabethkirk - Western Vinyl
7. Meg Bowles - A Quiet Light - Kumatone
8. Julianna Barwick - The Magic Place - Asthmatic Kitty
9. Craig D'Andrea - ...and the B.L.T.'s - CandyRat Records
10. Ken Elkinson - Music For Commuting - August Son Productions
11. Various Artists - For Nihon - Unseen Records
12. Rick Cutler - First Melancholy, Then The Night Stretch - New Dude Records
13. Will Ackerman - New England Roads - Lifescapes
14. Alexander Turnquist - Hallway Of Mirrors - VHF
15. Steve Roach - Journey of One - Projekt
16. Blackmore's Night - Autumn Sky - Minstral Hall Music
17. Robert Rich - Medicine Box - Soundscape Productions
18. Jim Kirkwood - A Season Of Mists - Dark Age Music
19. Steve Roach and Brian Parnham - The Desert Inbetween - Projekt
20. Bob Holroyd - Afterglow - Self Released
21. Redshift - Colder - Distant Sun
22. Loreena McKennitt - The Wind That Shakes the Barley - Quinlan Road Limited
23. Patrick O'Hearn - Transitions - Patrick O'Hearn Music
24. Jim Kirkwood - The Cello Tree - Dark Age Music
25. Kevin Keller - Not In My Name - Kevin Keller Productions