The NYC based singer, songwriter and musician Anna Dagmar travels up to the Mid Hudson Valley from to play the WVKR studio. I met Anna at Cafe Vivaldi in the West Village playing with Martha Colby (monstrous jazz and classical cellist/singer/songwriter - performed on Radio Active Lunch with Steve Raliegh , The Radio Active Lunch F'Orchestra and Trio Tritticali ) and she (and Martha) had me totally absorbed, engaged and entranced with brilliant musical compositions, intelligent pertinent lyrics, and vocal and piano chops that blew my mind.

I spoke with Gordon Stewart, Chief Speech Writer for President Carter, about the newly launched community based news and information website Philipstown.info .

John J. Pippin, M.D., F.A.C.C., senior medical and research adviser for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), joined me to discuss his role at PCRM, the key model for refinement, reduction, and replacement of animals in research, the abolition of the use of animals in medical, government, and commercial research experiments, and the "Conference on Animals, Research and Alternatives: Measureing Progress 50 Years Later " taking place this week in Washington DC. co-sponsored by:

• Institute for In Vitro Sciences
• Johns Hopkins University Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing
• Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
• The George Washington University Medical Center
• The Kennedy Institute of Ethics at Georgetown University

 Those interviews can be found at >>

The newly formed Jazz Electonica band Red Slider (virtuosos Neil Alexander - Synth and laptop, Ray Levier - Drums and laptop) came down to the WVKR studio for their debut performance live on Radio Active Lunch. This rich, dense, polyrhythmic, cross cultural all improvised mix is one of the most thrilling musical manifestations I've sunk my ears into in some time. Yuu get the old school jazz, you get the funk, you get the fusion, you get the ethnic blend, you get the techno, you get the full on freestyle therapeutic cranial massage with Red Slider gauranteed to liberate you from whatever it is holding you back in this life - or your money back. Listener discretion is advised:

Listen to Part 1 >>

Listen to Part 2 >>

I spoke with Susan Levin, M.S., R.D., director of nutrition education at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting preventive medicine, especially better nutrition, and higher standards in research. We spoke about the health benefits of a plant based diet, diet and nutrition as preventative medicine, the 21 Day Vegan Kickstart, an in situ study with Geico employees centered around a vegan diet, and much more...

Jenny Brown - co-founder and director of Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary - called in to tell us about the great work WFAS does and to discuss  the benefit concert this weekend featuring Sean Lennon and Charlotte Kemp Muhl .

Those interviews can be found here >>

Singer/Songwriter Jaik Miller and Percussionist Max Tucker  (on cajon and vox) joined me in the  WVKR Studio for a 2 hour mix of live music and tunes from a number of Jaik's and Max's other projects inluding the Jaik Miller Band and Dennis Black, Instant Classic as well as some of Jaik's earlier work with Xanax25.

Jaik Miller has long been on the leading edge of the New York City rock scene. An accomplished songwriter/singer/guitarist/producer, Jaik first gained international attention as the lead singer of XANAX 25.

He has written and recorded with a wide range of artists, from Brazilian Girls' Sabina Sciubba and Suzanne Vega to hip hop legends Jungle Brothers; from 21st Century wunderkind composer Alexander Berne to West Coast NuMetalers Deadsy;  from freestyle dance pop superstar SK8 to members of the Allman Brothers, Funkadelic and King Crimson. In 2005, Miller appeared on and was a featured musical artist on the USA Network's hit television show, MONK. Read More >>

Max Tucker is a drummer and percussionist from New York City.  He has lived in New York for ten years, moving after High School from California to attend the New School University Jazz Program.  Max played in many bands after graduating college, most notably the afro-pop group, Asiko and Jaik Miller Band, with whom he toured the north-east extensively.  Max also played with the brass gospel band, McCullough Son’s of Thunder with whom he played at Carnegie Hall (opening for Antony and the Johnsons) and Monterey Jazz Festival (opening for Bonnie Raitt). Read More >> 

Also Check Out:

Today is the birthday of the legendary bassist, composer and band leader  Capt X.  I played a number of his compositions from the Tribute CD during the program. You can download  complete tracks from the Tribute CD for as long as you are alive here >>

Additionally, the Radio Active Lunch F'Orchestra came together as RaW WaR to tear down any conceptions - pre, mis, or otherwise - about what music should sound like. The line up is/are: Liana Gabel on Voice, Evan Stormo on Percussion, Michael Lutomski on Percussion, Peter Elliot Newman on Bass and Banjo and Adam Roufberg on guitar.

 I spoke with  John Feeney about his latest publication "AGRICULTURE: Ending the World as We Know It " and on his latest works regarding the unsustainable nature of civilization and post civiliation topics.

More details and the uninterrupted interview can be found here >> 

My musical guest this week was the very talented songwriter, composer, poet, guitarist, drummer, bassist, keyboardist Paul Damon Thomas. What I really dig about Paul's music is that it is raw, gutsy, real, and human. His songs are composed around a concept such that the music, stylistically, fits the mood and mode of the songs intent. The results are a great diversity of style and feel ranging from  space-pop to orchestral death metal. Paul performed solo on acoustic guitar and played some tracks from the volume of  CD's of his original music he brought down to the studio - all composed and played by him on all instruments. His music is lyrically profound and technically complex and complete. 

Listen to Part 1 >>

Listen to Part 2 >>

Part 1 contains interviews witht the following persons (These interviews can be heard individually (without the music) here >> ) :

• Lauren Yanks - Part II of our series on the Sex/Slave trade of Nepalese girls. Part 1 was aired last week and can be found at >>
• Part IV of an interview with Michael Annis - this segment relating to his latest works, not yet published: "THE HUNGER - 26 WINDOWS IN TRANSPOSITION BETWEEN HEAVEN & HELL" (The entire interview can be heard here >> ).
• Interview with Kathleen Conlee , Director of Program Management , Animal Research Issues with the Humane Society of the United States, regarding the transfer of 202 government-owned chimpanzees to a biomedical research laboratory is already underway -- and we need your help to halt this move.The government's plan is not only inhumane for the chimpanzees, many of whom have spent decades in laboratories, but also fiscally irresponsible. Please help save these chimpanzees.

During part two I aired the last portion of an interview with best selling author John Robbins on his latest book "The New Good Life: Living Better Than Ever In An Age of Less." The complete interview can be heard at >>