Mark Dvorak used his time wisely during the pandemic. He put together a new album and a new book entitled 31 Winters. It chronicles his experience of teaching at the Old Town School of Music over the past 31 years. On the show, Mark recalls discovering his love of music and songwriting at the school when he was just 19. At that time, he uncovered the work of musicians like Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, Sonny Houston and Huddie Ledbetter (Lead Belly.)
“I started learning about guys who lived it (their music) and it just changed me. I started taking classes at the Old Town School and I discovered a place where a person could come and adopt these roots—these men who lived the songs so deeply.”
Mark unveils his own deep love of songs and songwriting on the radio show, airing Monday, April 5th at 9 p.m. on 88.1 WVPE.
The subject of his work varies and during the show we hear songs about growing older, his love and history of his Martin guitar (My D-18,) his aversion to the politics of hate (I Don’t Want To Be That Man,) and The Blue Bells of Kentucky, a song inspired by a Wendell Berry poem.
Aside from Mark, the radio show features the passionate poetry of “Baby Beat” and North Carolina poet, Thomas Rain Crowe, recited by show announcer, Jacob Moreno. The Perfect Work, reflects on the poet’s love affair with gardening and Idiot’s Wind laments human neglect of the natural world, repeating the mantra, “We can do better than this!”
The program is rounded out by a masterful homage to the late bluegrass guitarist, Tony Rice, rendered by, Wild Rose Moon Producer, Matthew Carter Scutchfield. Here two notable folk tunes, Shady Grove and Darcy Farrow, are woven together in intricate fashion that proves a flat picker’s delight. The show’s wrap includes Mark, music producer John Bahler, and host George Schricker joining in on the Wild Rose Moon Radio Hour theme song, The River Goes Round.