Across Indiana

On this trip across Indiana you'll meet the people who are making the world's news music and some of the most pure things about a concert they're not only out to make beautiful music they're out to make them better while they work with women all across the globe that have been victimized. By war. This trip across Indiana is made possible by the annual financial support from viewers like you and by the following corporate sponsors. Music in Indianapolis where you experience arts. You submitted that see it here. Use it. And enough. Or Welcome aboard a cross at the end for another trip through the cold or of our heart.

I am as always your genial host Michael Atwood and our first trip begins in your imagination. Picture a bright red rose in the middle of a field of sunflowers. Picture a unicorn running with a herd of wild horses and then answer this. It's not hard to stand out in a crowd is it. If you're determined to be someone who is completely different from everyone else around you. And so it is with the subject of our first story a unique singer who hopes to make it big while staying close to her roots right here in Indiana. So how do you make the brass on either coast sit up and take notice when you're way out here. You do it by being one of a kind o. What we're doing now is going to be I'm really excited about the songs because I've

really been concentrating on the song and making sure that I'm saying exactly what I want to. Sort of the whole album and it's sort of like the journey I think through and kind of figuring out what we want to be and why are we here. You know what are we going to be doing in 10 years. And I definitely have a lot of that traveling around and doing the new songs and we've just gotten really really good reception and really good feedback from people so I'm really excited. It's so cool to look out and I see people singing my songs and I'm like oh my god this is really really cool I think something is not allowed. Back in Europe literally and figuratively our poncho. Jerry and George

also owns the studio and has a 25 year veteran of the music industry can offer sage like advice to those who are just starting out. If you have a passion for and you do have some talent and a little bit of luck your chances good as anybody. I have the best rhythm section that anybody has. In the whole state of Indiana. I've been so lucky to be blessed with these musicians that are so wonderful and get what I can get the sound that I'm trying to go for. First good song material first live nothing. You know we would definitely go low noise to make would taste different. He's got a nice little chemistry going on. You know Rob Base I mean we do what we do. You know in a lot of people love it. It sounds great but you have to wonder is Indie the best place to break into the music scene.

It's a great place to hone your skills. If you go to a bigger city you know you had the same studio with the same equipment. You know words here maybe like 25 to 30 dollars an hour. And they like somewhere like L.A. maybe $300 an hour you know so the cost of living is cheaper. I was kind of felt like a fish out of water. And I just. Realized. That I'm. Going to use that to my. Advantage and maybe this is why I'm here because I do stand out. And I don't look like everybody I don't sound like everybody. So I think that people are like oh wait. What is this. And while this Hoosier woman is trying to change her own life with music she's also trying to do the same for millions. Remember this all from envy to Africa. And what I've been doing is I've been putting together benefit shows to raise money to raise awareness for some of the things have been going on in Darfur Sudan and in northern Uganda.

I kind of felt like it's kind of hidden at that time in the summer it was not on the news and you know no one was talking about it. You turn on the TV and you see stories about Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton that's. You know easily digestible. But to hear 400000 people have died in the past however many years and two million two million people are are homeless and therefore people want to hear that. I don't think it's too much it's you know it's. It's too much. So I just started thinking I can sing I can perform I'm sure a lot of other of my musician friends would also maybe like to participate in maybe doing a concert. And so that's what I did I just picked up the phone I sort of calling people started emailing people. And the response was overwhelming. I love you. It's it's in my blood. It's in my soul. Never happier than when I'm on stage performing never I guess about

two years ago I was sitting at work and I was supposed to be underwriting a file. And I was writing lyrics on the file and I literally I remember this like yesterday I literally looked up and I said What am I doing. Why am I why am I doing this this is silly I'm not happy this is not obviously it's not what's in me to do. And so it was at that point I kind of realized you know I'm just going to go for it. I'm going to go for it for whatever reason. You know everybody has their thing that they do everyone has their talent and for whatever reason. God gave me the ability to be able to sing and to be able to write and I kind of feel like I'd be. Foolish not to not to go for enough to at least try. Anybody actually should Mashable knew who they were when they walked down the street. Tis better to lie to one soy candle than to curse the darkness

or drink soy milk or eat as soy burgers for that matter. At least that's what a fledgling company up in Zionsville hopes you'll think for they found a new use for that little bean of which we are proudly the third most prolific grower in the nation. So let's head up to Boone County for a story that will most certainly shed some light on this burning topic. In the plain town zines Olympia is a small family business with a bright future designs built candle companies just two years old but it's already making a name for itself around the country. Their candles are all handmade and organic Indiana soybeans. So we are truly an equally organic soy as natural as we can be and we still hand for everything. It's all true information. It's not the cheapest It's not the most expensive and also the candles have personalities which certificates the candles have

stories about them and I've had people call and laugh or cry. I'm emotional about him and and that's really cool too so I want people to think you know that's a candle with the personality. Of the soybean candle is a fairly new idea. Purdue University students actually developed the product to aid in the farmers and what's hot about the land. It's actually kind of cool but the soy wax burns a very cool temperature. It's almost like a warm motion. And you said does it I mean it feels great on your hands. We're actually trying to move the body lotion and of body bar out. It's always wonderful and I mean everybody who comes around always observe hands and they're so like wow. Want to find out more you can burn it and use it as a lesson the next time and not only is cooler to the touch but it's better for the environment and for your health. So they do burn cleaner. There's less and so fewer emissions from soybean candle. They also burn much longer.

Two and a half times longer from a soybean candle versus a comparable paraffin paraffin wax candle Zionsville candle company prides themselves in unique fragrances that burn longer than other store bought candles. Everything from the scent of coffee in your pj's to bonfire. There's something for everyone. So many fragrances. Yeah we have about 85 in production that we use all the time. We think about that time. 10 to 12 different types of containers are up to almost a thousand different types. This is an essential lavender. Oh yeah. For that it's really really what's your most popular fragrance the most popular she is vanilla. We call vanilla silt and I see this one chocolate. Yeah is this a popular salad I mean self just like it. And the I mean we have some like Julie that some people are really really into we have just bizarre and fresh cut grass which really smells like fresh cut grass. We have cinnamon vines which makes you think you're running there for you know by stand. The leather

probably is kind of bizarre too. But I do not know. Different strokes for different folks. Chris first began experimenting with candles just a couple of years ago after six months of testing and perfecting his project. He fired up production of designs built candle company. I'm kind of proud that in two years we pulled it together to where it is like looking back on it now I mean we started this company. We never made a candle before. My wife my family my associates we looked at it they thought it was crazy. So we had to start researching and we didn't just jump in with five or six different kinds of candles. We went in with 75 different very much with. 10 different containers and. We made it through all that stuff. And now business is booming for the zine Bill Campbell company within the last couple of months the company launched its website and has seen a tremendous growth in sales. We get 2 to 4 leads a day right now from New retail stores around the country wanted to pick up our line. We get continued orders online from retail people in general. And then there's our current wholesale base. So it's pretty neat that it wants to grow on its own like that.

Most of our orders come in through the Internet from all over the country maybe even have some from Canada. We've done a lot of work to get our site to show up in Google. So if you type in soy candles we're on the front page. Now we don't endanger push for that to say get into google so people can find us online. Hoping all of this really take off and grow like crazy. And you can check out the Zionsville candle company at what ails Zionsville candle company dot com. I see you're into Safe Sound. So what do cars and basketball have in common. Well at one time you could trace the origins of professional basketball in Indiana in part by listing the teams that got started in towns that had vibrant auto parts factories like Anderson and Fort Wayne. Of course as Pacers fans know all too well the Fort Wayne

Pistons moved to Detroit and the Andersen team faded away. Until now that is the Anderson Cancer making quite a name for themselves by bringing professional basketball on a smaller scale back to the littler burbs of Indiana. And that's got interest in the sport on the rebound. It's a pretty indisputable fact that Indiana loves basketball. In fact it might be said that Indiana has as many basketball hoops as it does cornfields. This is your love for basketball goes back a long way back to the late 19th century. Basketball came to Indiana in the 1890s. It was looked at as something to keep baseball players in shape in the off season. The first professional basketball team in Indiana which started about 1912 was the Indianapolis rose and the scheduled Indiana University they scheduled the original Boston Celtics which was another barnstorming team they said they scheduled the Crawfordsville YMCA and pretty much anybody who would play that about

25 miles northeast of Indianapolis in the city of Anderson. Mike Duffy The owner of the meat processing plant set out to create a professional basketball team of his own in 1945 the Anderson Packers were born playing their home games in the Anderson High School gymnasium more commonly known as the wigwam. We know it or so it was it was it is a huge basketball town and the way it was where the games were played was a famous gymnasium here in India. And so it was a natural that. It seemed like a natural to bring in a pro team. Anybody interested in basketball. Knew who they were when they walked down the street and it always you know after neighbors and the players would always acknowledge it and wave to it and there was a couple of times when a doxie more marine one you know who ever was a coach at that time was shaker missed a play or something. And I Guffey asked my dad to coach the team. What a night

shows were and my dad coaching a professional basketball team. I think my brother and I went up to him one night after he coached and. Asked him if we could. Have each autograph. Basketball in Indiana probably as much as any other state has always been a way of identifying communities. Indiana by and large is a state of small communities we don't have a Chicago or Detroit or Cleveland historically what we have is Connersville and Newcastle and Richmond and Anderson and Muncie and places like that and a lot of those communities have historically identified themselves through their local high school basketball team and. Professional Basketball is just an extension of that. The Packers played four seasons in the NBA and one league championship in 1949. The following year the NBL joined up with another league to form the National Basketball Association and for

just one season. Anderson Indiana had one of the original NBA teams. Unfortunately as professional basketball gained popularity the high cost of running a team became too much for Duffy. After going on to the semifinals in the first ever NBA playoffs the end of the Packers faded into the history books. Fortunately that's not where our story ends. Professional Basketball Anderson has been reborn with the creation of the Indiana has. Pools or basketball is very important Anderson. That was one of the first things that I learned from Ohio when I came here it was just amazing to see the support and the people you know and the commune. Lisa in Indiana. You know I just really really took a liking into basketball and. Understand the tradition the young cats bring a unique blend of experience to the game but many with players fresh out of the areas both political edge programs and the world's most respected leaders. Attended St. John's University to play professional ball that with the Portland Trailblazers.

I was drafted first around twenty eighth pick. And. That's my story. But now. With professional basketball coming back to Anderson the city finds itself having something new to cheer about. The cattle provide much more than entertainment whether working hard for the city both on and off the field. You go out to high schools to elementary schools and we do you know just different things with the kids you know try to come in and get no smoking no drinking that's just something that we try to instill in these young kids to make them understand that hey this is a good sport. This is a good occupation eventually if you put your mind to it and you really really have determination as the other cats make their home Anderson they've appealed to fans both young and old. Bringing the community together around the court. There's devil is familiar faces in the crowd so there's people that once you come once you're going to come here. The tradition of professional basketball has been brought back to Andersen after an absence of over 50 years.

Some say the team's presence will bring new life to the city and many are excited about cheering on their new home team. One thing's for sure here in Hoosier country everyone loves a good comeback story. We conclude this trip right where we started with a look at some pretty eclectic music. Have you ever heard of Oliver Tuku to Cuzzi lezzie or new R Cura men. Well if you were from Zimbabwe France or Brazil these names would be as big as if you said Springsteen. McCartney or Jagger here in the U.S.. So how does one get to sample the works of some of the biggest stars in world music. Well you can thank the late Lotus Dickey for the opportunity Lotus was a master at translating the music of rural life his own poetry and his faith in the Bible into songs that spoke to people of all ages and walks of life. Bloomington Lotus festival named in his honor carries on that work and it's quite the cross cultural event. I mean where else

could you see a Muslim group performing in a Christian church. That's only one of the remarkable things you'll see as we take a look at the place where the people who make world music come together cultural and ethnic boundaries melt away on the streets of downtown Bloomington. On this October weekend. Being here is like taking a trip around the world. The. Lord knows who is or isn't a little bit of culture. The Lotus World Music and Arts Festival deemed just Lotus by those who've experienced it to Unity United. By artistic expression.

Lotus. Got its namesake from one man who lived his life with the same philosophy the founders of the festival wanted to emulate. Quinten Lotus Dickey played without boundaries. Several of us in the organizing committee knew Lotus sticky and we were inspired by his his humanity more than anything else. Not only just when he was a great musician but he was a really wonderful person always willing to play music at any hour. The Lotus is also a flower that grows all over the world. We want to be connected to Indiana but we also want to be connected to the rest of the world. And with his spirit behind them. A small group of people began to put on a show that would transcend expectations. People from all walks businessmen musicians artists you stupid they all pitch in to make it happen.

On the streets you'll see art. And music. With influences from all parts of the globe. It's about coexisting at this festival opening new doors and breaking down walls. A crowd gathered to watch the acclaimed Iraqi McCombs band Saphir play in the First Christian Church. In this moment one can feel an energy that surrounds this entire festival. Music is one of the most pure things about a culture. And so it's a great inroad to a culture that you might not know otherwise. And one of the things that we hope to do with our music is show some of the other sides of Iraqis. You know they have nothing to do with current politics kind of because there's so much richness in this culture. And I think that they

Iraqis feel really glad that their music is being represented in America because it helps to bridge more gaps and so that it's not exactly political but we hope just to you know connect more people using music. Now on your world travels I don't return to the moment for selfish with me I'll be the first to admit that interviews with the artists could be challenging at times. So how do you tell me the story. Where did you guys come to be his father. My father his father. And my mother Mary sister and his daughter. Does not exist don't do in music don't do it. It's right yeah. You know don't doing music. I'm going to go with a different country.

But I soon felt right at home getting to know everyone. You know there's some guys in Brazil that that's there's a way to say Brazil that. I don't choose music music choose me you know. Yeah yeah that's an average week. To get out. There you know. We bring my number. That's coming up. Good thing on the Don people don't wake up. To get out. I know there is definitely something for everyone that loves us. You might just run into an African stilt walkers on your way to the bus courtesy of the theater to catch Catherine Russell sing the song or. You can pop into the Bluebird and catch Fred a man and his Brazilian funk

samba. One thing's for sure you won't see everything. If experiencing world culture in India in his own backyard sounds appealing to you. Check out Lotus. It happens every fall practically every single person that comes to Lotus will have any experience because even husbands and wives brothers and sisters they'll eventually go their own way to see something else and know this. When you go to Lotus. You'll see what our world has to offer and you'll realize how important that is. Been. There done. That.

Then the trip across Indiana was made possible by the idle financial support from yours Mike you. Can Buy the following corporate sponsors. Seat periods for you. To. Hear it. You. Have. To feel you hear it. You may experience it. You. He's.

On our next trip across Indiana. You'll meet the people who are making the world's news. Music is synonymous pure things about a concert though not a way out to make beautiful music. You're out to make them better when they work with women all across the globe that have been. Victimized. By war.