Rob Weir is a freelance journalist and a longtime contributor to Sing Out!. He is also a college professor based in western Massachusetts and the author of five books on American history. He's still in shock from an NPR story that called the late Sandy Denny a "virtually forgotten" singer! Oof.
RANI ARBO and DAISY MAHEM Violets are Blue Signature Sounds 2074 www.raniarbo.com “Americana” is such an ambiguous label that it often seems to connote little more than a song sung in English. If, on … Continue reading →
BUBE DAME KÖNIG Traumländlein – Neue Folkmusik CPI Music 005 www.neue-volkslieder.de Ich spreche kein Deutsch. I speak so little that I had to look up how to say, “I don’t speak German,” just as … Continue reading →
ANNA FALKENAU Féileacán na Saoirse Scroll Music 1401 www.annafalkenau.com The Irish-to-English translation of Anna Falkenau’s solo fiddle album is, roughly, “Butterfly of Freedom,” an apt descriptor. It reminds me of Kevin Burke projects in … Continue reading →
LIZ LONGLEY Liz Longley Sugar Hill 4108 www.sugarhillrecords.com Looking for a glorious new voice? Liz Longley came out of Boston’s Berklee College of Music a few years back and immediately began drawing comparisons to … Continue reading →
JENI AND BILLY’S BIG PICNIC BAND Picnic In The Sky Waystation 003 www.jeniandbilly.com In the early days of the recording industry much of what we today call folk, country, and old-time music was called … Continue reading →
KATHERINE FIRST and THE KITCHEN PARTY Dancing Tables and Dancing Chairs Fiddle First Music 002 www.katherinefirst.com In Ireland, one of the greatest honors a family can bestow upon a visitor is to invite that person into … Continue reading →
Lynched Cold Old Fire Lynched www.lynchedmusic.com Lynched is the brainchild of Dublin bothers Ian and Daragh Lynch, who once prowled the city’s punk rock scene. These days they’re more likely to be found in … Continue reading →
The Alt The Alt Under the Arch 002 www.thealtmusic.com The Alt is an accidental trio that came together with a glorious result. Irish-born musician/vocalists John Doyle (guitar/bouzouki/mandola), Nuala Kennedy (flute/whistles), and Eamon O’Leary (guitar/bouzouki) … Continue reading →
Makem and Spain Sessions, Vol. 1 Red Biddy www.redbiddy.com If the name Makem rings a bell, it’s because Rory is the offspring of Irish folk legends Tommy and Sarah Makem. He once had a … Continue reading →
Rod MacDonald Later That Night Blue Flute Music 107 www.rodmacdonald.net Every few years the mainstream media drives a lame stallion out of the stable to see if he’ll gallop. All of a sudden there will … Continue reading →
