01-22-26 Gaea Star Crystal Radio Hour #653 is an hour of improvised visionary acoustic music played by The Gaea Star Band with Mariam Massaro on vocals, Native flute, dulcimer, harmonica, ukulele, Celtic harp, shruti box, acoustic guitar and mandolin, Bob Sherwood on piano and Craig Harris on congas and Native drum. Recorded live at Singing Brook Studio in Worthington, Massachusetts in early January of 2026, today’s show begins with the compelling drive of “Drams Made Manifest”, an earthy rocker steered by Mariam’s powerful lyric and chiming dulcimer before yielding to the gentle, melancholic “Swirling Eddies”, a pretty acoustic guitar ballad that gathers intensity with Craig’s driving congas and Bob’s focused, composed piano. “Medicine Of The Forest” is a somber, prayerful raga underpinned by Mariam’s droning shruti box to which the ensemble adds more composed, thematic piano in Bob’s Prokofiev mode and the deep thrum on Craig’s Native drum as well as a soaring, inspiring vocal from Mariam. Mariam picks up her airy ukulele for the skipping, prayerful “Windy, Windy”, a shifting, darkening piece with tight playing from the group and “Peace Begins With Me” is a mystical, evocative song built on Mariam’s chiming mandolin and Craig’s deep heartbeat with a granitic, intense piano figure from Bob. Mariam wields her Native flute with long, arching phrases for the sparse, minimalist “Great Awakening”, an intense, cathedral-like song that unwinds mysteriously until yielding to the tight, swinging blues “Memories” a fine workout with Mariam carrying on a compelling harmonica and vocal performance, winding around Bob’s Ray Charles-inspired 12-bar. Today’s last song is the memorable “The Force Within”, a fine, burnished requiem with a soaring, mysterious lyric from Mariam and a strange, beautiful, repeating piano motif from Bob.
Learn more about Mariam here: http://www.mariammassaro.com
