In this month’s episode, we learn about Camp Woodland, a summer camp that existed in Phoenicia, NY from 1939-1962. Among many of the summer camp settings Pete visited during the 1940s and ‘50s, Woodland was a space Pete visited with regular frequency, and spent much time making music with campers over the course of several decades. As we go in depth with today, Pete’s time spent at Woodland would be uniquely impactful for many people, ranging from the Folk Festivals of the Catskills and song collecting to Pete learning Guantanamera from a Cuban counselor in 1962. To learn more about all this, we spoke with two former attendees of the camp, Bill Horne and Pat Lamanna.

In this episode I discuss my reactions to and thoughts about the recent film, A COMPLETE UNKNOWN. I focus on several elements, ranging from how effectively the characters were written, to the extent to which we get to see how Dylan is influenced by other people and other musicians, such as Suze Rotolo and Joan Baez. I also deconstruct what Dylan and Seeger really thought of each other, and what Pete’s reactions really might have been to Dylan’s electric set at Newport ‘65.

In our first episode of Season 2, we discuss Pete Seeger's participation in the civil rights movement between 1962 and 1965. We discuss his early involvements singing in Georgia, his affiliation with the Student NonViolent Coordinating Committee, and his We Shall Overcome concert at Carnegie Hall. We also evaluate Seeger's participation in Mississippi's Freedom Summer in 1964, and his attendance in the Selma march in 1965 along with his encountering of the folk process of the singing of Freedom Songs. We conclude with the internal racial shift that happens within the movement, and how that influences Seeger’s gradual separation from singing from SNCC and singing for civil rights.