Episode 45 “Joyful Music” of Cool Tunes for a Hot Planet addresses our need (as activists and as humans) to care for ourselves and each other. We spotlight songs that celebrate the restorative, healing joy we find in music, humor, nature and dance– and in community, because –even, or especially in dark times – when we share positive energy, it can multiply exponentially, strengthening our courage and resistance, and clarifying our vision of a future worth fighting for.
Episode 44 is a profile of “Canopy Meg” — forest ecologist Meg Lowman, whose work revealed the “eighth continent” of life in treetop talks with Warren Senders about her long career exploring forests all on tree themes.
Episode 43 celebrates the 250th anniversary of our country, with songs of tribute to what America is really all about – the strength of immigrants, and the richness of the diverse cultures they bring to the party; the nobility of the working man and woman, upon whose shoulders we all stand; the gifts of freedom and democracy, as we extend our hands to those less fortunate who need a lift up – and how that act lifts all of us.
This episode profiles musical storyteller and political satirist Charlie King, who was hailed by Pete Seeger as “one of the finest singers and songwriters of our time.”
Charlie has been singing and writing songs at the heart of American folk music for over half a century, and his songs have been performed by artists including Holly Near, Ronnie Gilbert, John McCutcheon, Arlo Guthrie, Peggy Seeger, Chad Mitchell and Judy Small.
“Worker’s Voices” Cool Tunes for a Hot Planet speaks to the plight of working class folks suffering under the thumb of corporate exploitation, the rise of fascist cruelty, and the betrayal of America’s social compact by leaders who seem determined to undermine our ethics and betray our trust. But just naming these evils for what they are is the first step to creating a community of resistance and righteousness.
Chris Hutchings and Choirs For Climate
Episode 40 is a dive into the extraordinary world of Climate Choirs, as Warren interviews Chris Hutchings of the UK-based clearinghouse Choirs For Climate (choirsforclimate.com). Hear and watch choral singing on environmental themes, including many selections of Hutchings’ own music as well as performance excerpts from the 1000-singer mega-concert presented in Finland in 2024 by Choirs For Ecocide Law (stopecocide.earth/choirs)
Episode 39 of Cool Tunes for a Hot Planet is about honoring the rebirth of springtime, the workers who bring life to the community, and the elders who have held strong to the harmony of the planet despite centuries of opposition and pollution. Building on the mandate of April’s Earth Day, now is the time to put those good ideas into action, and move forward together to bring peace and justice to an ailing world.
Episode 38 does a deep dive into the back-story of American environmentalism, tracing the roots of the movement back two centuries to the emergence of industrialization in the early 1800s. Warren Senders interviews historian Chad Montrie (University of Massachusetts, Lowell) about his work linking labor and environmental causes, with a huge list of song selections dating back to 1837.
Episode 37 of Cool Tunes for a Hot Planet is about working together, in communities both small and large, to overcome the multiple assaults on humanity we all experience now – the rise of fascism, the chaos of pointless wars, the degradation of the climate, propelled by corporate greed and political denial. It’s a formidable array of foes we face, but if we keep our eyes on the prize and work as a unified resistance, we shall overcome.
Episode 36 introduces two skilled and passionate composers, Kris Davis and Sumi Tonooka. Both women have made artistic homes for themselves in the jazz tradition, and both often venture into other realms and genres with great assurance. Although they’ve never met each other, their recent works are complementary, and this episode presents them side by side.
Episode 35 of Cool Tunes for a Hot Planet is all about holding on in the face of the oppressive forces confronting us. Holding on while we resist the violence and injustice – racial injustice, climate injustice, social injustice – with hope. And with song. Now, as in the Civil Rights movement of the 60’s, music is a way to bond and unify us in whatever acts of peaceful resistance we can muster. No act is too small to confront the enormity of the evils we face. Email your Representative, talk to friends and family, boycott businesses that enable the corruption, above all VOTE. And by all means, sing.
Episode 34 — “Lunar New Year, with Rebecca Boyle”
Cool Tunes for a Hot Planet is going to the Moon! We celebrate the Lunar New Year with a special all things – moon episode built around a full-length interview with science writer Rebecca Boyle, whose book, “Our Moon” was a New York Times bestseller in 2024.
“Ice Breakers” Episode 33 of Cool Tunes for a Hot Planet strikes a somber note to the chaos unfolding in our streets – violence led by agents of destruction wearing ICE uniforms. These are dark times in our country, around which we hope music can shed some light, echo what’s in our hearts, generate a little catharsis, and maybe even light a spark of resistance.
Jason Davis and Climate Stories Project
Episode 32 is an in-depth profile of bassist, composer, and activist Jason Davis, who started the Climate Stories Project as a way to help people discuss climate change and how it manifests in their own lives.
Since its inception, the Project has collected personal narratives of climate change from all over the world.
Episode 31 of Cool Tunes for a Hot Planet meets the New Year with new resolve to inspire all our listeners to do something healing for our planet. It can be making “good trouble,” as John Lewis once told us; it can be raising awareness with song; it can be coming together in community. Or simply being a caring person to those around you. We dedicate this episode to the future.
Episode 30 — “Reverend Billy and The Church of Stop Shopping”
Episode 30 (Season 2) is a profile of the legendary activist collective The Church of Stop Shopping, led by Reverend Billy (William Talen) and Savitri D. Beginning with anticonsumerist actions in New York’s Times Square in the 1990s, the church grew into a powerful performing force, with infectious gospel grooves, dozens of voices in harmony, with Reverend Billy’s heartfelt, eloquent anticonsumption message delivered in true prophetic voice.
Episode 29 of Cool Tunes for a Hot Planet enters the holiday season with songs and talk about coming together to make things better. Whether it’s finding peace in sharing voices musically, even in the midst of war; of joining hands to combat social injustice; of convening world leaders to confront climate change; or just helping each other through the dark times of recent decades. We enjoin you to dispense with the consumerism of the season, and spend quality time with those you love. Share more – buy less. And have a happy holiday.
hosted by Warren Senders, features an interview with NYT Bestselling author Michael Grunwald about his new book, “We Are Eating The Earth,” which examines the role of our farming and agriculture in climate change, along with music from all over the world on farming and agricultural themes.
Episode 27 of Cool Tunes for a Hot Planet starts out with a song about ordinary Americans banding together this month to celebrate No Kings Day.
Episode 26 “The Climate Music Project”, a San Francisco-based team that brings together scientists, musicians, and graphic artists to create new ways to communicate climate science. The CMP’s innovative multi-media presentations offer hard data with an emotional score and compelling visuals to transform audience members’ personal engagement with climate change.
We feature interviews with co-founders Stephen Crawford and Fran Schulberg, climatologist Garrett Boudinot, and composer Erik Ian Walker, along with excerpts from five of the CMP’s groundbreaking pieces.
Episode 25 “No Kings” is a mixed bag of tunes, starting out with Pay Attention by Earth Mama. It’s a simple – even childlike – doo-wop kind of song that asks us to pay attention to the earth, and all the wonderful things it gives us. But it also makes clear our responsibility to keep it clean and whole.
Building on Earth Mama’s insistence to take responsibility for our planet, next is Crys Matthews, singing her Waking Up the Dead, a song about our generational responsibility to the slaves, some dead hundreds of years, now buried in the cemetery Crys finds herself walking through. She feels their suffering and celebrates their struggle to achieve the freedom they got only in death.
When we remember that fossil fuels are simply the sunlight that fell on Earth hundreds of millions of years ago, it changes our perspective on energy use. It’s ALL solar power; the only difference is whether it’s old or new. All these forms of energy have their own music, and this episode of “Cool Tunes For A Hot Planet” brings together songs of coal miners and anti-mining activists, the songs of oil drillers and of those fighting to preserve their lands, the songs of anti-fracking campaigns…
Dropping September 1 is a special edition of Cool Tunes for a Hot Planet – it’s our one year anniversary. We’re offering an expanded show this time, with each of our producers looking back on what we’ve accomplished, and presenting a variety of music videos that stand out as representative of the year gone by.
“Music Beyond Humanity”
Clarinetist, author, and philosopher David Rothenberg has spent his life making music far removed from the usual contexts of performance stages or recording studios. Rothenberg’s collaborators have included cicada swarms, katydids, nightingales, lyrebirds, warblers, whales, and dolphins.
The August episode of Cool Tunes for a Hot Planet is a somber one, commemorating the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6th and 9th, 1945, ending World War II and unleashing the atomic age.
