Show Schedule

The thrill of Low Voices  

Sedge Thomson presents wisdom for these times from three thoughtful and funny musical groups.  We hear their stories and hear them sing in exquisite harmonies. 

THE KING’S SINGERS —  Which King is a mystery, yet their madrigalian virtuosity prepares them for the Beach Boys and the Beatles as well as Monteverdi. Renowned world-wide, the group gives us an intimate show. 

GYUTO TANTRIC MONKS — In exile from Tibet, touring the world, fresh from Disneyland, they give us a consecration chant.  The maroon berobed men give us a brief insight to their daily life, as well as a review of the Splash Mountain ride.  

CONSPIRACY OF BEARDS —  Men with passion, feeling, empathy and beards in fact or of the heart, sing songs of Leonard Cohen. They believe the world is a better place for their song arrangements. We agree. 

Sedge’s flâneur files. 

Today SEDGE presents Advent to Compassion, with two provocative thinkers on religion, politics, and compassion.  On this week when astronomers have calculated all the star light in the heavens, we start the season of carrying the light with two blazing thinkers.

ELAINE PAGELS, whose landmark book, The Gnostic Gospels, set forth the philosophical underpinings of the tradtional four Gospels, and allowed women to participate fully in sacred rites.

KAREN ARMSTRONG, whose A History of God, and other books explicate Christianity, Judaism, Islam and Buddhism, illuminate the  history and develop of religions.  Her time in a convent and now as a scholar, convince her the core value of all religions is compassion, whether it is regularly practiced or not.

Insight abounds, along with a forgivable pun.

Today, Sedge marks the 1300th broadcast of West Coast Live with a holiday feast of seasonal sounds and chortles for the spirit. Hygge, anyone?

DANIEL HANDLER & LISA BROWN - Author as Lemony Snickett and illustrator of The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming: A Christmas Story, the holiday and Hannukah classique in the tradition of A Christmas Carol and cooking tips by Lizzie Borden

The OAKLAND INTERFAITH GOSPEL CHOIR, with a Joy To The World that is utterly joyful.

KARL & CARL, the globe-trotting comedians stop by with their latest (most ridiculous) edition of Tips on Travel for the holiday season. We free them from a stalled escalator

The HOT CLUB OF SAN FRANCISCO, with Django Bells and other too cool yule of Le Jazz Hot for this winter week

And we open a wee gift from UKEBOX

MIKE GREENSILL, piano sleigh

#1301 and #1302 for Dec 15 and 22, Great Holiday moments,  #1303 for Dec 29 - Great moments, a bit of auld lang syne for those who've left this vale in 2018, and a jolly send-off into the unknown new year, a year of re-invention and adventure.

First, thank you for listening as you through the years. 25 years as Sedge Thomson's West Coast Live, San Francisco's Radio Show to the World,  since Jan 8 1994, and 9 years before that as West Coast Weekend.  And before that, Sunday morning live Breakfast Jam. A lotta shows! A lotta great guests! About 35 years. Crikey!

In 2019, you can find WCL interviews on-line.  Since July 2016, when our live 2-hour show in San Francisco closed, we've created a space for what we call, in Henry David Thoreau's words, for "reading the Eternities."  Wisdom and happiness from across the years. The LIVE show, is what kept us going, sustained us, the purpose true.

Meanwhile, I've begun a project involving Schubert and radio and the movies that will take shape in the next few months.  Stay signed up for details. It'll have its own website.

Lives takes many turns and it's a remarkable turn to have played the radio field doing a LIVE show in a theatre with the great thinkers and musicians of our times.

So, we will find a second life, on-line, for the magic is still in those recordings.  That magic is why we all gathered on those Saturday mornings.

If you had a hand in a graceful touch of our show, we thank you.  You made them happen.

Our shows of Dec. 15 and 22 will feature some of the great holiday moments.  Our last show, of Dec. 29, will feature some great people who left our vale in 2018.

in 2019, there'll be new voices in place of ours adding to the clamor and hurly- burly of our times. We enjoyed our share!

Thank you!  A reminder:  Independent of our broadcast time, you can listen all week to the program on any device or computer via the LISTEN button on the front page of our web site.

Best wishes, and many thanks for your support through the years!  Safe journey,

Sedge

PS  You can text SEDGE to 22828 to sign-up to our occasional newsletter.