This week marks the 46th anniversary of the Tate/LaBianca murders committed by Charles Manson and his cult-like Family. A nightmarish event with lasting cultural impact, music is central to its story. This and next weekâs posts explore the connection. Coming … Continue reading →
Somerset is in the Knobs of Kentucky, and if you live among those hills you know that the red clay you can find thereabouts is perfect for spurring a childâs imagination. One of Somersetâs native sons, who grew up making … Continue reading →
Murder ballads help us chart the frontiers of our empathy. They provide the chance to connect emotionally with victims and villains; sometimes with sympathy, sometimes with revulsion. Through them, we inhabit the perspectives of the dead and dying, witnesses and bystanders, and often the poor souls who, … Continue reading →
A dillar a dollar a ten o clock scholar blow off his legs and then watch him holler. — Dalton Trumbo: Johnny Got His Gun  I saw it. — Francisco Goya Bayonet and Musket In 1807, Napoleon Bonaparte launched a … Continue reading →
I recently paid a visit to Chicago for the birthday of my good friend Ken, also the father and co-founder of this blog.  After a party-hating thunderstorm drove Ken, his family, and me with near full coolers from a free concert in … Continue reading →
We were honored to receive a shout-out recently from Dear Balladeer, a blog run by the folk duo Forest Mountain Hymnal. FMH is the family business of Jonathan and Rebecca Moody, two teachers and artists based in Nashville. The Dear Balladeer project is … Continue reading →
This is Part Two of Murder Ballad Monday’s interview with Dom Flemons. Read Part One here. MBM: Iâd be interested to find out about current projects. Prospect Hill came out last year, 2014. Whatâs coming up next for you. Will … Continue reading →
We noticed a few months ago that Dom Flemons started “liking” and re-posting some of our posts on Facebook. Grateful for his enthusiasm and advocacy … and not wanting to let any good deed go unpunished…we reached out to see … Continue reading →
As Memorial Day here in the States always falls on a Monday, it’s become a ‘thing’ for us here at MBM to try and capture its essence by sharing some meaningful music with you.  This year the honor of trying falls to me, and I’ve … Continue reading →
I love a good man outside the law⨠just as much as I hate a bad man inside the law. — Woody Guthrie (1940) Legend On October 22, 1934, Charles Arthur âPretty Boyâ Floyd â a bank robber suspected by … Continue reading →
