DAVID PHILIPS The Rooftop Recordings Black & Tan 037 www.black-and-tan.com Born and raised in the United Kingdom, singer-songwriter and guitarist Philips moved to Barcelona, Spain at age 24 and has lately released two solo … Continue reading →
I can’t believe it’s nearly forty years since I parted from my college sweetheart Peggy Noonan. Forty years … but who’s counting? I would let go, but every time I turn on a television political news forum, or pick up … Continue reading →
(photo by K. Bigger) This is our second post on the ballad “Bold William Taylor.” To read the first post, click here.When is a murder ballad not a murder ballad?The performance that brought “William Taylor” back to my attention (acknowledging … Continue reading →
PETE SEEGER The Complete Bowdoin College Concert Smithsonian/Folkways 40184 Smithsonian/Folkways Website www.peteseeger.net If it was a difficult year for Sing Out! magazine co-founder and longtime columnist Pete Seeger, you’d never know it from the buoyancy … Continue reading →
BILL BURKE & FRED COON Black Bear On The Mountain oldtimeymusic.com www.oldtimeymusic.com There is something special about listening to musicians who have played together for a long time. Bill Burke & Fred Coon met … Continue reading →
PER ANDERS BUEN GARNAS Seljord Anno 1935 Talik 85 www.talik.no Garnås, a Hardanger fiddle player, won Norway’s annual folk music competition in 2010 and was offered a contract by Talik records, which suggested he … Continue reading →
Bowing 9 Force Majeure Dimma 011 www.dimmaswe.com It really is a string orchestra. Take six violinists, two viola players, a cellist and a bassist, all playing material composed for the group by members … Continue reading →
Illustration from “Billy Taylor” broadside “The Tragedy of the Press-Gang: A True and Lamentable Ballad call’d Billy Taylor, shewing the fatal effects of Inconstancy.” Transvestism! Seafaring! Betrayal! Murder! In my last full week of posts, I explored “The Demon Lover” … Continue reading →
HEKLA STÅLSTRENGA Makramé Talik 84 www.talik.no It’s Norwegian folk-rock. No, really, it is. A mix of the tradition and original material – both songs and tunes – all gussied up, amplified and brought out … Continue reading →
As we found out in the introductory post this week, “Cold Rain and Snow”, which most folks know as a staple in the Grateful Dead’s repertoire, is an American ballad written by an unknown author after a man murdered his … Continue reading →
