Over the years, WBHM's Tapestry has made possible conversations with hundreds of musicians, artists, poets, novelists, actors and more. These days we're taking advantage of the (almost unlimited) time and space here on our website to take Tapestry in new directions, and to continue our discussions with some of the most interesting people from the broad spectrum of arts and culture.

Amber Ritchie uncovers hidden gems in the local music scene, Michael Krall covers classical music with an occasional side trip into indy rock, and Greg Bass explores the world of literature. WBHM's news team of Tanya Ott, Andrew Yeager, and Dan Carsen are also regular contributors.

Click here to listen to the remembrance

Putting into words what Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert meant to me is impossible. They are the reason I love film. They are the reason I love writing.

I grew up in Pisgah, Alabama. A pretty small town by any standards. The closest movie theatre was thirty minutes away, and the closest art house theatre was a couple of hours away, minimum. I had an advanced movie watching mind from a young age. I was the seven-year-old kid watching Ordinary People and Withnail and I and loving every second of them. I lived at my local video store and took home stacks of movies, every genre imaginable.

I watched Siskel & Ebert every single week, without fail. They were television friends who introduced me to new films, engaged in lively discussions about films I wanted to see and always stood out because of their immense love and appreciation and respect for the cinematic medium. They took film personally because, in so many ways, it is a very personal thing. Critics today seem to lack that.

When Gene Siskel died, a part of me died. I was wrecked. I loved them both so close to equally, but I think I most identified with Siskel. I don’t know what to even say now that Roger Ebert has joined his friend in the balcony in the sky. Film criticism has died along with him. There are no giants left in that industry. Ebert was the last…the original. I honestly don’t know that I care to read another review again. What’s the point? They won’t be nearly as eloquent, honest or insightful.

I am sad that Roger Ebert spent the last years of his life unable to speak, but so thankful that this disability allowed him to do some of his most insightful and prolific writing. I think it made him a better writer, if that was even possible. I am sad that his attempt to re-kindle an honest and intelligent televised criticism program was met not with enthusiasm but with bewilderment – there’s just no room for intelligent and honest criticism anymore. I am sad that he had so much in the works and will not get to see it into fruition. I'm hopeful that his amazing wife will see it through. But most of all I am sad that I won’t have a reason to visit RogerEbert.com on Wednesday evenings at 11 p.m. to check his newest reviews for the week. I have done this, without fail, since his reviews started publishing online all those years ago.

Director Steve James (Hoop Dreams) has been working on a documentary about Roger Ebert with Martin Scorsese. I was so excited to hear Ebert’s review on the documentary about his life. Unfortunately for Mr. James and Mr. Scorsese, their footnote on the film will now be a sad one. Rest in peace, Roger – for me, forever, the balcony is most definitely closed.

~ Billy Ray Brewton, April 5, 2013.

Billy Ray Brewton is founder and former artistic director of Birmingham's Theatre Downtown, a non-profit performing arts company dedicated to exposing Birmingham audiences to cutting-edge contemporary works, established classics with a twist and original works from aspiring playwrights. In 2013 he also launched Glass Half Pictures, a company specializing in works for stage and screen.

Image Credit: Scott Stantis is an editorial cartoonist with the Chicago Tribune and USA Today. For nearly 12 years he was an editorial cartoonist with the Birmingham News.

The Democratic Republic of Congo has been wracked by war for decades, but most Americans know very little about the struggle. Two Birmingham-area theatre companies hope to change that. They're staging an award-winning play that calls attention to the dark times in the Congo. A warning. The following story deals with mature subject matter that some may find disturbing. WBHM's Greg Bass has the story.

Ruined is a production of City Equity Theatre and Aldridge Repertory Theatre. It runs February 28 - March 17 at the Virginia Samford Theatre.

February 28, 2013

This weekend, the Alabama Symphony Orchestra’s Masterworks series features two works by Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. And while he’s certainly known in today’s orchestral world, in his home country of Finland, Sibelius remains beloved. Music Director Laureate Justin Brown talked with WBHM’s Michael Krall about the concert, as well as his new role with the ASO. Brown says that right from the start, Sibelius made a mark on the Finnish nation….

February 22, 2013

Meet the Instant Adoring Boyfriend, Blue Berry the Creepy Clown, and crowd favorite, the Sleazy Hypnotist. They didn't start out to be funny, but they are. These characters and others star in the Found Footage Festival that stops in Birmingham this weekend. WBHM's Greg Bass has the details.

January 18, 2013

A small Black Belt town is the scene of a civil rights era killing and years later the defendant is brought to trial in a Birmingham federal court. Sounds like Alabama history, but it’s actually the plot Eden Rise, the first novel from award-winning historian Jeff Norrell. WBHM's Greg Bass has the story.

January 11, 2013

The Athens, AL, band Alabama Shakes is up for three Grammy Awards. A year ago band members were still working day jobs and playing bars. But 2012 has been good to the Shakes. They've been hailed by NPR Music (link includes studio sessions and concert video) and the New York Times as a band to watch. Their music has been featured in movies and on television. And they opened for Neil Young.

Last night, they were nominated for Grammys for Best New Artist and Best Rock Performance for their hit "Hold On", which Rolling Stone declared the #1 song of 2012.

They also received a nomination for Best Recording Package for art direction for their 2012 album "Boys & Girls". (photo credit: WeeklyDig/Flickr)

~ December 6, 2102

As a public radio listener you're used to hearing people share their very personal stories (think Story Corps). One of our reporters, Will Dahlberg, takes special notice of these autobiographical segments. Dahlberg is fascinated with history, both the country's and his own family's. Today, Will brings us the story of his adoptive father's unique quest to learn more about a family member he never knew.

~ September 28, 2012

Opera Birmingham has announced its 2012-2013 season. The season opener Catch a Rising Star (10/26) features tenor Bray Wilkins, the winner of the “Opera Idol 2012” Audience Favorite Award. Opera Birmingham celebrates the holidays with Home for the Holidays Dec. 21 and 23. Later in the season, Madame Butterfly (1/25, 1/27) and The Magic Flute (3/15, 3/17) are sung in Italian and German respectively, but will be presented with projected English translations for ease of understanding. It has been more than a decade since Opera Birmingham produced Mozart’s The Magic Flute, the story of true lovers who must survive magical ordeals and the evil forces of the Queen of the Night before they can be together. For complete season details, including cast lists and more, visit Opera Birmingham.

Want to get involved? Opera Bmingham will hold auditions for supporting roles and chorus positions for the 2012-2013 season on Sunday, October 14 from 1pm – 3 pm at the Opera office, 3601 Sixth Avenue South. One selection in a foreign language is preferred, but a selection in English is acceptable. An accompanist will be provided or you may bring your own. All positions receive a monetary stipend. Call 205-322-6737 to reserve an audition time or email Ellen Mitchell at ellen@operabirmingham.org.

~ September 24, 2012

Madame Butterfly Photo Credit: Martha Mickles/Courtesy PORTopera

Magic Flute Photo Credit: Deutsche Oper Berlin

The beaches that run from Mobile Bay to Panama City are some of the most beautiful in the world. Prior to World War Two they were sparsely populated and undeveloped. But that began to change after the war when the beach became a tourist destination. In a 1978 article for The New York Times, Alabama native Howell Raines dubbed that stretch of coastline the redneck Riviera. Raines may have given the area its name, but the author of a new book on the region picks up the story from there – as Greg Bass reports for WBHM’s Tapestry.

Never visited the FloraBama? You can, virtually, here.

September 13, 2012

Birmingham band Through the Sparks describes their sound as "basement-baroque, mid-fi psychedelia", but they're quick to note that "basement" doesn't mean "apartment laptop homemade." Through the Sparks has been recording music and releasing EPs and LPs since 2003. Their latest, Alimalibu, is now out and WBHM music producer Amber Ritchie invited the guys into the studio to give us a sample.

Through the Sparks plays The Bottletree Cafe tonight at 9 p.m.

July 27, 2012

The Queen of Country Music has died. Kitty Wells died at her home in Nashville yesterday of complications from a stroke. She was 92. Wells was the first female to score a Number One hit on the country charts and paved the way for other women at a time when the men who ran the industry didn't think a woman could be a headliner. NPR's Neda Ulaby has a remembrance.

Photo Credit: Frank Driggs Collection/Getty Images

July 17, 2012

One of the hottest young talents in the world of acoustic music makes her way to Birmingham tonight. The Austin Chronicle has called Sarah Jarosz "a songwriter of uncommon wisdom". A New York Times reviewer noted she's a "mandolin and banjo prodigy with the taste and poise to strike that rare balance of commercial and critical success." Jarosz garnered a lot of attention at Bonnaroo this year. WBHM's Greg Bass has a profile.

July 16, 2012

Think about everything you eat and where it comes from. For most of us, our food probably comes from a grocery store or restaurant. But before that? Many of us don't really know, specifically. That's one of the things the Birmingham Botanical Gardens hopes to change as it launches a summer food documentary film series this Sunday. WBHM intern Aditi Jani spoke with the garden's executive director Fred Spicer.

June 22, 2012

Birmingham rock duo Nightmare Waterfall, blends their music in waves of noise. Kyle Farmer and Blake Wimberly offer catchy droning guitar riffs, crashing drums and howling vocals. As Farmer explains, they put their music together in such a way that you actually experience what the name implies. This is from their first self titled EP.

June 15, 2012

If there’s one thing singer-songwriter Josh Brown knows about music, it’s how to write a simple song with deep meaning. Brown’s originally from Georgia, but he moved to Birmingham and brought his music and his experience with him. In his EP titled “Long, Long Way From You”, Brown tackles some tough issues. He sat down in the Tapestry studios to talk about it with WBHM’s music producer Kevin Lehner.

June 8, 2012

Folk musician Doc Watson has died at the age of 89. Watson was considered one of America's greatest musicians -- as good a singer as he was a guitarist. Blind from the age of one, Watson taught himself to play primarily by listening to the records in his father's collection and to the other musicians in his North Carolina mountain community. NPR's Neda Ulaby has an appreciation.

~ NPR May 30, 2012

Photo Credit: John Cohen/Hulton Archive/Getty Images via NPR.org

Normally, static is a bad thing on the radio. But not when you’re talking about the Birmingham band called Let’s Manufacture Static. The group (two brothers and two college friends) has offered up their soulful sounds to audiences at Marty’s bar and Speakeasy. And now they have a newly-released self-titled EP. WBHM music producer Kevin Lehner sat down with percussionist Jesse Lejeune to talk about it.

May 25, 2012

Starting a band is a time-honored tradition in college towns. And there’s a new band from Auburn that’s starting to get some attention. The Southern Public Media Group’s Kelly Walker spent some time with Adventure the Great and has this profile.

May 18, 2012

In the last decade, the members of alternative rock band Wilco have experienced the highs and lows of a performing life. And they keep coming back for more. Since 1994, the band has released 9 albums. Their latest is “The Whole Love”. Wilco brings the show to Birmingham’s Sloss Furnaces tonight. WBHM music producer Kevin Lehner caught up with Wilco front man Jeff Tweedy recently to talk about the new album and what making music means to Tweedy.

May 11, 2012

In recent years, Banditos have branded themselves as a gritty, Southern, "Don’t give me that #$%" kind of attitude band. They've just released their first full-length album, titled “The Filthy Sessions”. Just in time for their show tonight at The Bottletree Cafe, we have a sample of their new music. /p>

April 23, 2012

One hundred years ago, a young missionary couple named Albert and Sylvia Caldwell were coming home after 3 years in Siam (now known as Thailand). The tropical climate had taken a toll on Sylvia's health, and, with their 10-month-old son, they began the long journey home traveling by ship from Southeast Asia to Naples, Italy. There they saw an ad for a new luxury liner that was about to make its maiden voyage from England to America. So they booked passage on the Titanic.

In her new book, A Rare Titanic Family, the Caldwells' Story of Survival, Alabama author and Samford University professor Julie Hedgepeth Williams relates the story her great uncle Albert told her as a child. She spoke with Greg Bass about the night the Titanic went down.

April 16, 2012

Act of Congress is a Birmingham acoustic band who's unique sound is a combination of acoustic-folk-Americana. But on their new album Worth Fighting For, even band members Adam Wright and Chris Griffin admit the songwriting took them in a very different direction. WBHM's Michael Krall produced this audio postcard...

April 13, 2012

Every picture tells a story or so the cliche goes. If that's true, then a photographic exhibit opening tonight at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute offers a look into the lives of 40 families with a Birmingham connection. 40 lesbian families. "Living in Limbo: Lesbian Families in the Deep South" is the creation of award-winning photographer Carolyn Sherer, who herself has been in a committed relationship with another woman for more than 30 years. Sherer tells Greg Bass she was inspired to create the exhibit by the death of a friend and it's unpleasant aftermath.

Click here to listen to the interview...

March 30, 2012

The Blues run through the blood of Birmingham musician Sam Frazier Jr. He grew up in Edgewater, the son a coal miner who brought home stories that would eventually inspire Frazier's songwriting. His family would host local barbeques and shows at his mom’s house. Performing next to big name artists such as Howl’n Wolf and Jimmy Reed was a typical thing in Frazier's life. Frazier’s latest album is "The Long Lonesome Blues”.

The Los Angeles times called Birmingham author Gin Phillips's first book The Well and The Mine an "astonishing new novel." It's been compared to To Kill a Mockingbird and earned Phillips the Barnes and Noble Discover Award. So when Phillips started shopping her next novel, Come In and Cover Me, she admits there was a bit of pressure. Come In and Cover Me follows the story of Ren Taylor -- an archeologist who's on a mission to understand an ancient community, but ends up discovering some things about herself.

Birmingham--Gospel music has long been a fixture in African American churches around Birmingham. A new documentary film looks at the revolution of a style of gospel music called the Jefferson County Sound. Greg Bass takes a closer look for WBHM’s Tapestry.

Click here to listen to the story

Watch a trailer for the film.

~ Greg Bass, February 6, 2012.

After going through some tough times with the death of his father, Light Skits founding member Sam Goodwin needed to express himself creatively. He says the resulting album, “Nooks & Crannies," lets listeners inside his mind. With diverse song structures, complex math-pop riffs and screamo vocals, Light Skits lets you rock loud and hard.

Over his 50+ year career, singer/songwriter Gordon Lightfoot has produced a string of hits. His songs have been recorded by Peter, Paul and Mary, Bob Dylan, even Elvis. He's mostly remembered in this country for his hits from the 1970s and the occasional public TV fundraiser. But Gordon Lightfoot is nothing short of a national treasure in his native Canada. At the tender age of 73 he still spends a lot of time on the road and this Sunday evening his tour bus stops at the Alabama Theatre. Greg Bass talked to Gordon Lightfoot.