Edgar B. Herwick III

The inimitable Boston Globe pop music and TV critic Sarah Rodman joined myself, Jim and Margery on Boston Public Radio. We offered up some new music recommendations and to discussed everything from the average age of performers at the upcoming Boston Strong benefit concert to the Gatsby Soundtrack to a prominent odor on Willie Nelson's tour bus.

What makes sports rivalries different than other forms of competition? Edgar B. Herwick III, chief of WGBH’s Curiosity Desk, shares his insight.

Like a lot of you, in the weeks since two bombs exploded at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, I’ve watched a lot of coverage on TV, read everything from first hand accounts to op-eds, and talked with countless people about their experiences.

Today, Boston Public Radio turned to the Boston Globe's Sarah Rodman and the guy behind our Curiosity Desk, Edgar B Herwick III, for some tips on new music worth digging into, from artists well-known and obscure. Here are a few of their favorites:

New Music Picks from Sarah Rodman, Boston Globe Pop Music and TV Critic:

"Someone Will" by Dawes, from "Stories Don't End"

Baseball is a marathon, not a sprint.

That's one of the most well worn phrases in sports. An adage that, as far as anyone can tell, is nearly as old as the game of baseball itself. Come out of the gate hot, like the Red Sox have this year, and you are guaranteed to hear it from all corners.

"You’re talking about 162 games; you’ve got six of them under your belt," said Boston Globe sportswriter Dan Shaughnessy earlier this week. "And they’ve won four out of six which is great, but it’s a very small sample. Doesn’t tell you a lot."

Another holiday, another "Five Favorites" post from the gang here at The Curiosity Desk. Here are a few of our favorite tunes that focus the spotlight on of the great archetypes of art, literature and music: The fool.  

"What A Fool Believes," by the Doobie Brothers
Only a fool would try to deny the light touch and infectious groove of the Doobies on this track.

It's a time-honored tradition. One of those things that simply "is," like candles on a birthday cake or the playground game "tag." Who hasn't either pulled a prank, or had a prank pulled at their expense on April Fools' Day?

Here at the Curiosity Desk, we try never to miss an opportunity to do a "Five Favorites" post. And with the vernal equinox occurring this morning at 7:02 Eastern Daylight Time, it seems natural to feature a few of our favorite songs about spring. There are a ton of good ones out there so keep in mind these are only five of our many, many favorites. 

At 7:02 Wednesday, the vernal equinox occurred, marking the official start of spring — as you can tell by the snow on the ground. To paraphrase the great American writer Henry van Dyke, in New England, there is a big difference between the first day of spring and the first spring day.

There is a good chance that at some point today you will hear the phrase, "beware the Ides of March." Heck, you might even say it yourself. But why do we say it?

Well, it appears to be smoke's moment in the sun.

In honor of the papal conclave's preferred method of communication, here are few of The Curiosity Desk's favorite "smoke" songs. There are a lot of good ones out there. We're curious, what are some of your favorites? Let us know below.

The conclave of cardinals who will determine the Roman Catholic Church's next pope got started on Tuesday the way all good parties get started; with a song.

It's easy enough to take it for granted today, but we didn't always "spring" the clock forward during winter’s waning days. In fact, for much of the 20th century, the practice was downright controversial. And as it turns out, the commonwealth of Massachusetts has played a big role in our brief history of Daylight Saving time.

He's the city's very own Indiana Jones — collecting artifacts and treasures once buried beneath Boston's parks and streets. In his duties as City Archeologist, Joe Bagley reigns over 7,000 years of human history. From chamber pots uncovered during the Big Dig to cannonballs used in the Battle of Bunker Hill, Bagley shares some of the city's once-covered history. 

Here's an idea, film buffs. 

Saturday, February 23 at the Somerville theater in Davis Square, they are screening three early short films starring Buster Keaton. And that's not even the cool part.

You can't have Valentine's Day without having a conversation about love songs. So today on BPR, we did just that.  WGBH's Ron Della Chiesa  and the Boston Globe's Sarah Rodman joined us to share some personal favorites and explain what makes sets the great love song apart. 

Ron's Picks:

Just in time for Valentines Day this year, Billboard released its list of the "Top 50 'Love' Songs of All Time." It's a good list, with no shortage of classic tunes (Endless Love, I Will Always Love You, I Can't Stop Loving You) and legendary artists (Paul McCartney, Mariah Carey, Ray Charles).

When Pope Benedict XVI announced recently that he would step down as the head of the Catholic Church, it left many Catholics scratching their heads. Not simply because it was unexpected , but because—given the church  strict adherence to tradition—the unexpected is almost unheard of. 

I think we are all well aware that this town that is known for science—from the labs of MIT to the pharmaceutical firms to the biotech startups in Kendall Square. But did you also know that it's a pretty good bet when it comes to science fiction as well?

As they say, hope springs eternal. And the key word in that phrase—today— is “springs.” That is because today is the first day of Red Sox spring training and the official beginning of their 2013 campaign. To mark the occasion, we checked in with Roger Abrams, former Major League Baseball arbitrator and Northeastern University Law professor, who joined us with an update from sunny Florida. 

"Harvard Square has three people in it," said Bob Souza of ATS Towing, who drove WGBH News' Edgar B. Herwick III from Somerville to WGBH in Brighton. "You never see that."

Here on Boston Public Radio, we love a good roundtable. Emily Rooney has her week in review each Friday. Callie Crossley regularly takes us under the radar with a roundtable of hyper-local news gatherers. We’ve had a number of concert roundtables. But today, we convened our first ever pastor roundtable. 

Perhaps you watched the football game yesterday. In fact, according to Nielsen, if you own a TV, there is about a 50/50 chance you did. About half of all the televisions in the country (and about 70% of those that were on in select major cities) were tuned into Super Bowl XLVII Sunday night, as the Baltimore Ravens bested the San Francisco 49ers to win their second NFL crown.

The first Friday of the month means we slip the surly bonds of Earthly news with Kelly Beatty, Senior Contributing Editor for Sky & Telescope, for a preview of the month ahead in the stars. Highlights for February 2013 include a close encounter with an asteroid, a glimpse of the elusive Mercury and a star turn (pun intended) by a mythical hunter. 

Guest:

• Kelly Beatty, Senior Contributing Editor for Sky & Telescope 

Before saying goodbye to January 2013 here on BPR, we decided to say hello to "new music Thursday." Boston Globe pop music and TV critic Sarah Rodman stopped by with some recommendations for albums that dropped this month. Yes, as it turns out, they still produce and release full albums. Scores of them. Every single month. Who knew?

Here are Sarah's picks: