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One of the headliners at this week’s Juneau Jazz and Classics festival says it all started when he was only two years old, begging his mom to play Van Cliburn records, over and over. On Tuesday’s Juneau Afternoon, pianist Matt Herskowitz explains how he mixes his classical training with his passion for jazz – a…

Part 1: Matt Herskowitz: Taking the best of both piano worlds.

Guests: Matt Herskowitz, pianist.
  Like father, like son. So it seems with Matt Herskowitz and his two-year-old son, Raphaël. When Matt was a toddler, he embraced the piano. And likewise, Raphaël seems to have already chosen his instrument — the violin. In this conversation with Rhonda McBride, Herskowitz talks about fatherhood, the two musical languages of jazz and…

Part 2: Con Brio Chamber Series: A cornucopia of local composers.

Guests: Sally Schlichting, Juneau flutist and founder of Con Brio. Jim Noel, composer.
Juneau may have more musicians per capita than many communities. And the same might be said for composers. This weekend, the Con Brio Chamber Series will showcase the new work of seven local composers during two performances of its Small Wonders Concert.    

Part 3: David Keith, CEO of Bartlett Regional Hospital settles into his new job.

Guests: David Keith, CEO of Bartlett Regional Hospital.
David Keith may be new to Juneau, but not to Alaska. The new CEO of Bartlett Regional Hospital has worked at two Anchorage Hospitals — Providence Alaska Medical Center and the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium. In this conversation with Rhonda McBride, Keith talks about how his Alaska experience will help him in his new…

From indie rock to hip hop, Ben Love makes music just about everywhere he goes. On the prairies of North Dakota. Across Canada. On The beaches of Southeast Alaska. Even inside a glacier. On this Wednesday’s Juneau Afternoon, Love will talk about his band, LoveStroke, which is releasing a new recording this week called Encephal…

Part 1: Ben Love: Using music to tell stories.

Guests: Ben Love, musical artist.
Ben Love talks about how composing and performing music is an important outlet for him, that he uses to fight depression. He says his music is also a way to tell stories, which he does in his new EP, Enchephal Wealth.

Part 2: Juneau Police: Changing seasons means changing road conditions.

Guests: Lt. Krag Cambell, Juneau Police Department.
As the days grow darker, colder and wetter, so does the danger on Juneau Roads.  And while it’s hard to switch to the winter driving mode,  Lt. Krag Campbell with the Juneau Police Department says there are some ways to prepare.  

Part 3: Juneau League of Women Voters hosts candidates forum.

Guests: Kirsa Hughes-Skandijs, President, Juneau League of Women Voters.
Even though the October 4th Municipal Election is just a few weeks away,  for many voters, it’s not on their radar screens just yet. But on Wednesday night,  the Juneau League of Women Voters is hosting a forum, so voters can get to know the candidates for assembly and school board, as well as learn…

Part 4: Juneau fall community clean-up.

Guests: Debbie Hart Southeast Alaska Fish Habitat Partnership. Raechel Juzeler, Ratchet Construction and Makerspace. Ryan Lange, Alaskan Brewing Company.
As the saying goes, many hands make light work. That’s the spirit behind this Saturday’s community clean-up campaign.  Several organizations in Juneau have teamed-up to draw as much support as possible.  

Steve Haycox never gets tired of writing about Alaska history. It’s a state with many a political page-turner. And Mary Peltola’s swearing-in ceremony in Washington D.C.  on Tuesday afternoon was just another example. Peltola won the race in August to fill the remainder of the late Congressman Don Young’s term. On Juneau Afternoon, Haycox reflects…

Part 1: Steve Haycox: The curious history of Alaska’s U.S. House seat.

Guests: Steve Haycox, author, historian and professor at the University of Alaska Anchorage.
Alaska’s lone U.S. House Seat has a history has, well, quite a history. The first time the late Congressman Don Young ran for office in 1972, he was actually beaten by Nick Begich, a Democrat, who died in a plane crash just before the election — so Young got the job by default, one that…

Part 2: Joni Mitchell retrospective concert, a longtime dream of Teri Tibbett.

Guests: Teri Tibbett, Juneau singer-songwriter.
  For years, Teri Tibbett wanted to get a group of singers together to do a concert featuring Joni Mitchell songs. At the Crystal Saloon in Juneau this week, that dream will finally come true. Tibbett says, as an aspiring singer and performer in the 1960’s, Mitchell was a role model for her, because there…

Part 3: Crystal Saloon holds Juneau’s first Babefest concert series.

Guests: Taylor Vidic, Crystal Saloon stage and marketing manager. June Bunch, singer-songwriter.
Juneau’s first Babefest, which features four nights of feminine focused entertainment, includes a Joni Mitchell retrospective, a “Babes and their Ballads” concert, a performance of “The Vagina Monologues”  and an open mic and market night, with local artisans selling their wares.      

Part 4: Why Trail Mix and the Juneau Park Foundation support Propositions 2 and 3.

Guests: Ryan O’Shaughnessy, Executive Director Trail Mix, Inc. John Pugh, Juneau Park Foundation board member.
On October 4th, Juneau voters will asked to approve $6.6 million in spending to upgrade Juneau’s parks and trail systems, as well as extend a temporary one percent sales tax. which would also include money for trail improvements. Why Trail Mix and the Juneau Parks Foundation supports both ballot measures. Editors note: Organizations with other…

If you’ve been infected with COVID-19, how long should you wait to get a vaccine booster shot?  What versions of the virus does the new vaccine protect against?  Where can you get the updated booster shot? On this Wednesday’s Juneau Afternoon, the answers to those questions and an update on the prevalence of the virus…

Part 1: New COVID booster shot availability in Juneau.

Guests: Robert Barr, Deputy City Manager, City and Borough of Juneau.
Although the urgency is not the same as it was in the beginning of the pandemic, the City and Borough of Juneau still maintains that the need for protection from COVID-19 still exists.

Part 2: Juneau Arts and Humanities Council: Recognizes artists, businesses and supporters of the arts.

Guests: Reggie Schapp, Operations Manager. Kathleen Harper, Centennial Hall Manager.
In honor Kathy Kulkhorst Ruddy, a lover and supporter of the arts, the Juneau Arts and Humanities Council recognizes artists, local businesses and patrons of the arts each year.  This year the following people will be recognized Bing Carrillo, Patron of the Arts  Melissa Leeanne Bakes, Inspiration and Innovation in the Arts.  Michael Bucy, Arts…

Part 3: Gigi Monroe: Champagne Brunch drag shows.

Guests: Gigi Monroe, Drag show producer and performer.
Gigi Monroe, one of Juneau’s favorite drag queens, talks about her upcoming monthly series of drag shows that include a champagne brunch,

Hollis Kitchin captures land, sky and ocean in vivid watercolors, with brushstrokes that create dreamy, almost surreal landscapes. On this Tuesday’s Juneau Afternoon today, a look at Kitchin’s latest exhibition, set to open this Friday at the Juneau Arts and Culture Center. Also today: Chandre Szafran talks with Jerrick Hope-Lang about the Point House restoration…

Part 1: Selling bras and painting watercolors: Hollis Kitchin does both.

Guests: Hollis Kitchin, Artist and Owner of Busting Out
Hollis Kitchin calls her latest collection of watercolors, “Dreamscapes,” inspired by the surreal dreams she had while she was pregnant. In this interview with KTOO’s Rhonda McBride, Kitchin also talks about juggling art, the recent birth of her son and being owner of “Busting Out Boutique,” a store in downtown Juneau that sells lingerie and…

Part 2: Return to Point House land in Sitka key to revitalizing Lingít clan culture.

Guests: Jerrick Hope-Lang, working to restore Point House’s place in Lingít culture
  It’s called Point House, a small plot of land in Sheet’ka Kwaan, known today as Sitka. It’s where the Kiks.ádi clan house once stood, facing out towards the water. Somehow over the years, the Kiks.ádi lost legal rights to their land, which is now finally being returned to the people of the Point House.…

Almost every product at the Juneau Food Festival and Farmer’s Market has a story. Take Rik Pruett’s smoked octopus. He’s worked for decades to perfect his recipe. On  Friday’s Juneau Afternoon today, Pruett will talk about his “tasty tentacles,” and other homemade products like his toy airplanes. Also, on this show: The Juneau Symphony’s Sunday…

Part 1: Alaskan Kraken: A legend that leads to a family of food products.

Guests: Rik Pruett, Owner of Alaska Kraken.
  One question Rik Pruett gets asked a lot: Why did he name his company Alaskan Kraken? First of all, it rhymes and is catchy in slogans like “Get Krakin!” But it also has quite a story behind it. Kraken has Norwegian roots — a word used to describe a  legendary sea monster, thought to…

Part 2: Sundays with the Juneau Symphony returns to the airwaves.

Guests: From the Juneau Symphony: Charlotte Truitt, Executive Director. Christopher Koch, Music Director
When live concerts were suspended during the pandemic, the Juneau Symphony began broadcasting the audio track from its archive of concert recordings on KTOO FM at 1:00 p.m. on Sundays. Now that concerts are back on stage in person, the Symphony is reinventing its radio program, Sundays with the Juneau Symphony, to promote the local…

Part 3: Role of CBJ Park Rangers continue to grow.

Guests: Dale Gosnell, Lead Park Ranger for the City and Borough of Juneau.
  Compared to other communities, the City of Borough of Juneau has a lot of park land, extensive trail systems and areas off the road system, which makes CBJ’s parks challenging to maintain. Dale Gosnell talks about some ongoing projects , as well as collaboration with organizations like Trail Mix. He also talks about efforts…

Part 4: Juneau Audubon Society: Rock Pigeons and European Starlings are not Native to Juneau

Guests: Brenda Wright, Programs Manager, Juneau Audubon Society.
  This week the Juneau Audubon Society spotlights two birds that are common to Juneau, the Rock Pigeon and the European Starling. Given that the birds are seen almost everywhere in Juneau, many are surprised to learn that they are not native to the region.