Moondog Matinee is quintessential public radio programming.
Only on a listener-supported station would the idea of two hour-long shows produced by a gifted musician, one by a nationally celebrated poet, two by local theatre groups and several others from passionate music fans sharing songs they love not only be considered - but enthusiastically embraced - and scheduled every Saturday evening from 6 PM until 8 PM.
If you’d like to know more, each of the producers has written about their show below.
First Saturdays
6 PM: Supersonic Soul Show / Doug Cook. Every month, Doug Cook brings plenty good soul - from Memphis to Muscle Shoals, Motown to Philly, Mayfield’s Chicago to Brother Ray’s classics at NYC’s fabled red-and-black Atlantic. We highlight lost gems along with a few big hits - and more recent and current R&B stars like Sharon Jones, Leon Bridges, D’Angelo the Black Pumas and Brittany Howard. On occasion, a quick story - heard the one about Mel Brown’s tantalizing soul jazz confection, “18-pounds of Unclean Chitlins’”? Mmmm, soul good!
7 PM: The Rock Show / Nessa Parrish. From themed music shows, artist interviews, pop culture reviews, and more - The Rock Show provides an hour of things that rock, whether it's rock or not! You can catch Elvis Presley, N.W.A., and Harry Styles, all within the same hour.
Second Saturdays
6 PM: American Songcatcher / Nicholas Edward Williams. Tracing the roots of American music from its emigrated past to artists playing the songs forward. In each show, folk singer-songwriter Nicholas Edward Williams uncovers unique stories and lesser-known facts behind five songs, spanning from centuries ago to those carrying tradition today. Then, as folk artists have always done, Williams recreates them. From European immigrants, to songs of the South: gospel, ragtime, blues, country, and the folk music derived from it all. Hear stories of legends and the underrepresented. Here’s to the songs of old, may they live on forever.
7 PM: The Songbirds Radio Hour / Reed Caldwell. This music-and-interview show is recorded in front of a live audience at the Songbirds Guitar & Pop Culture Museum in downtown Chattanooga. Each episode will cover a different theme — and how it intertwines with music, from racism and civil rights to the legacy of southern rock, women in punk, regional music history, gender identity and much more. This show features regional and national celebrities — from authors and journalists to musicians, producers and others involved in the music industry — in a Q&A-style format, along with music from a regional or national band.
Third Saturdays
6 PM: Dante's Old South / Clifford Brooks. Dante's Old South upends negative stereotypes and highlights the diversity that makes us a people. From the same company behind The Blue Mountain Review, a journal of culture, this radio program proves laughter, art and healthy conversation food for the soul.
7 PM: Open Book / Richard Winham. Richard Winham speaks with local, regional, national, and international writers on "Open Book."
Fourth Saturdays
6 PM: The Cuppa Tea / Mal O'Connell. Each month, Mal O'Connell introduces you to artists of all genres that have climbed their way up the charts outside of the U.S., telling the stories and giving factual tidbits about the musicians along the way. Enjoy a wide variety of music that you may have never heard of - it may be as addictive as a cup of tea!
7 PM: The Line / Butch Ross. A show about connections. Musical connections. Topical connections. Connections between the present and the past. In short, connections between anything that Butch Ross decides to connect. Mostly acoustic, completely eclectic. Butch is known around town as "the dulcimer guy.” He is a singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, live looper, and producer.