The Singing Weatherman
In a recent blog post, I referenced the Frostbite 5K, a race I’ll be running in less than two weeks. Yesterday, after a training run, I was stretching my old body out and asked my son, Henry, to take a picture of me. I just so happened to be stretching close to a picture of […]
If you catch me this summer, you will likely hear a new sound in the musical mix. My middle son, Nate, is a percussionist and plays chimes (vibraphone, xylophone, glockenspiel) with Starkville High School’s marching band as well as Starkville Indoor Percussion (SIP). He is also the drummer for our family band, “Henry and the […]
I have always loved to sing so I suppose my voice was my first musical instrument. But, other than two years of playing trumpet in 5th and 6th grades, I didn’t pick up an instrument until after college. Because of my relatively-late start, I always encourage kids in my audiences to pick up an instrument […]
When I’m not singing about science in the summer, I’m teaching science at Mississippi State University. Just a few weeks ago I was wrapping up a conceptual chemistry unit with my Physical Science Survey II students by talking about water treatment and water purification. Since I like to pepper in personal stories in my teaching, […]
Leslie Geoghehan and the Hoop-elo crew were a great audience for our set Saturday morning at the Dudie Burger Festival.
While my last blog post was an adieu to Summer 2024, turns out that I’ve found some opportunities to stay active. This past week I was invited to speak to the entire 3rd grade class (300+ students!) at Henderson-Ward Elementary in Starkville, MS. I don’t always perform for groups of that size (thank goodness I […]
My stop in Pass Christian yesterday was the last of the summer so my “Magical Musical Meteorology Tour” has come to an end. As I mentioned at the outset, I usually try to write a new song to go along with the fresh program I present each summer. This year, the song was called “Highs […]
Every summer I try to align my show with the theme of the Summer Reading Program. This year, most libraries are going with the theme, “Adventure Begins at Your Library,” or something along those lines. That’s a pretty broad theme and allows me a fair amount of artistic license. My plan is to present my […]
It’s been a while since I’ve posted, and I’ve got good reasons to update. First of all, Henry & The Dynamite are gearing up for another gig. We’ll be taking part in a “battle of the bands” at this Saturday’s Starkville Derby. Here’s a little taste of what we’re cooking up — When we are […]
It’s been 20 years since I released my CD, “Do the Weather Wiggle with Stormin’ Bob Swanson.” Reaching such a milestone has given me a nice opportunity to reflect on places I’ve been and people I’ve met who have helped me in my “singing weatherman” journey. I think way back to a teaching colleague of […]