A collection of photos and poems interacting with each other in ways both mysterious and obvious.
Author: davestankowicz
Dave Stankowicz is a retired educator who lives on an island off the coast of Portland, Maine with his wife Debbie Jordan and their dog Cody. Liberated from the responsibilities of teaching he has found the space and time to pursue so much that interests him. Dave is the former host of the WMPG radio show Palm Wine Radio, and currently hosts Next To Silence - an hour long show that explores different themes, genres, artists and record labels. Next to Silence can be streamed live on Peaks Island Radio at https://peaksislandradio.com on Mondays and Fridays @ 7:00 PM EDT, and Tuesdays @noon. You can also stream archived shows at his site (category: next to silence)
He continues his lifelong efforts to master space and time.
This week’s NEXT TO SILENCE is all about transformation—when a Bob Dylan song takes on new life in someone else’s voice. From rock to folk, soul to Cajun, gospel to garage—these covers prove Dylan’s songwriting has no borders. Whether it’s Hendrix electrifying the apocalypse or Judy Collins spinning poetry into silk, we’re traveling across genres, generations, and states of mind. Let’s hear how other legends interpret the man who’s been called a poet, a prophet, and a mystery.
Playlist for the week of August 11, 2025:
00:00:00 Bruce Springsteen – “The Times They Are A-Changin’”
00:06:56 The Byrds – “Mr. Tambourine Man”
00:09:12 Jimi Hendrix – “All Along the Watchtower”
00:13:11 George Harrison – “If Not For You” (Remastered)
00:16:4 Leon Russell – “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall”
00:21:47 Manfred Mann – “The Mighty Quinn”
00:24:38 Richie Havens – “Just Like a Woman”
00:29:23 Wanda Jackson – “Thunder on the Mountain”
00:34:37 Jimmy Buffett & Emmylou Harris – “Mozambique”
00:40:41 Judy Collins – “Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues”
00:45:46 The Band – “This Wheel’s On Fire” (Remastered)
00:48:53 Elvis Presley – “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right”
00:51:36 The Rolling Stones – “Like A Rolling Stone”
00:57:15 Etta James – “Gotta Serve Somebody”
01:03:51 Kuku – “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (A Sight to Rejoice)”
I like to think of them finishing up their shift, punching out of whatever clock the sun keeps in the sky, maybe gossiping a little about the new patch of clover down by the fence post.
Then, without ceremony, they curl themselves into the purple like a guest slipping under a heavy quilt in an unfamiliar house, the air full of quiet and whatever dream bees dream.
Meanwhile, I’m here at the window, pretending to work, watching the day close shop—
This week’s show features Contemporary Indian Virtuoso Violinists. We’ll trace the resonant strings of the Indian violin through East-West fusions, rhythmic dialogues, and meditative fire. These are virtuosos who don’t just play — they translate tradition into new language.
Playlist for the week of August 4, 2025:
00:00:00 L. Shankar – “Song For Everyone”
00:09:05 L. Subramaniam – “Blue Lotus”
00:20:24 Shakti – “Joy”
00:41:36 Ganesh & Kumaresh – “Gambhira”
00:45:15 L. Shankar; Jan Garbarek; Palle Mikkelborg – “All For You”
It was a peaceful neighborhood until the signs started speaking— first they warned us, then they laughed.
Now a child runs forever— a small joke from the underworld.
But even the joke feels holy when the light hits right— when the mind forgets itself and floats like clouds through the blue dome of a sticker someone placed with quiet mischief.
The sign says SLOW. The sign says CHILDREN.
But it’s the skull that knows. Knows the world slows down only after. Knows how warning is a privilege disguised as concern.
Is it still running— that figure on the sign, some version of us, once wind-stung, barefoot, unafraid?
We wave, as if it matters.
I saw him once— third-grade me, maybe, invisible cape, skinned knees, halfway to Mars and all the way lost in joy.
He’s still out there, dodging traffic and dreaming about outer space, or cotton candy, or something better.
The sign still holds the shape of a child leaning into the forever no one meant to promise.
We keep walking. We obey. We forget.
But the child, skull full of clouds, keeps running into the deep, unspoken now.
This week’s show is a celebration of sonic invention, genre-defiance, and creative collaboration. We’re diving deep into the world of Bang on a Can, a musical collective that’s been reshaping the sound of contemporary classical and experimental music since the late 1980s. Bang on a Can was founded in 1987 by composers Julia Wolfe, David Lang, and Michael Gordon. Frustrated by the boundaries of academic classical music and inspired by punk, minimalism, noise, world music, and jazz, they envisioned a space where new music could thrive—wild, visceral, and unbound by category. What started as a marathon concert in a SoHo art gallery became a movement: a group, a label, a festival, a touring ensemble—the Bang on a Can All-Stars—and an ecosystem supporting boundary-pushing music around the world. Today’s playlist features founding composers, All-Star performers, guest artists, and offshoot collaborations.
Playlist for the week of July 14, 2025:
00:00:00 Michael Gordon; Bang On A Can All-Stars – “Gene Takes a Drink”
00:09:55 Conlon Nancarrow (arr. Ziporyn) – “Studies for Player Piano No. 3c: Boogie-Woogie Suite” 00:13:16 Julia Wolfe; Choir of Trinity Wall Street – Anthracite Fields: IV. Flowers 00:19:53 van Ziporyn – Music from Shadowbang: No. 1 Angkat
00:22:53 Jeffrey Brooks – After the Treewatcher
00:30:43 Meredith Monk – The Games: Spaceship
00:35:02 Julia Wolfe – “Reeling”
00:43:02 Don Byron – “Fyodorovich”
00:45:25 Michael Gordon; Icebreaker – “Yo Shakespeare”
00:56:09 Terry Riley – “See Them Out There”
00:59:00 David Lang – “Cheating, Lying, Stealing”
01:09:30 Lao Luo & 龔琳娜 – “Tan Te”
01:12:54 Brian Eno; Robert Wyatt; Rhett Davies – “1/2”
This week Next to Silence presents some the best recordings of 1970’s Ghanaian guitar Highlife.
The early 1970s marked a golden chapter in Ghanaian highlife music—a moment when village wisdom, city innovation, and post-independence energy converged in song. This was music built for both the dance floor and the spirit, composed of storytelling lyrics, percussive drive, and glowing melodic lines that seemed to float above it all. What you’ll hear in this playlist is a living memory of Ghana’s musical heartbeat—highlife in its guitar-band prime.
These are songs to move to, but also to sit with. They come from the people, and they bring the people together. These songs are meditations in groove, built to move both body and spirit. Let’s step into the pulse of early 70s Ghanaian highlife.
This show is dedicated to my brothers and sisters of Peace Corps Ghana 1970, along with the former students and teachers at Kadjebi Secondary School.
Playlist week of July 7, 2025:
00:00:00 African Brothers International Band – Ɛna Ɛye A Mane Me
00:08:01 Francis Kenya; The Riches Big Band – Ensuah Nzema Kotoko – The Nezema Kotoko Family
00:14:16 Oyihwam Internationals – Anoma Franoas
00:22:08 Ashanti Afrika-Jah Int Band of Ghana – Ede Mabo
00:29:41 African Brothers International Band – Abusua Nnyɛ Asafo
Boho Dreams of Space and Time 