“Red Hair and Black Leather” One of the things that Pat explored with “Matty Groves” is how such a brutal song managed to endure as a folk favorite down through the ages, partly through it’s ability to provide a compelling … Continue reading →
Richard Thompson. Esq., OBE A Songwriter’s Songwriter You’ll likely note that I’ve been reluctant to dive too deeply into a close reading or textual analysis of RT’s four-verse wonder (I’m still a little intrigued that in the video I linked … Continue reading →
Red Molly and Tenbrooks So, how does a late 20th century English-style ballad about death and motorcycles become the 2002 International Bluegrass Music Association Song of the Year? This is how. Dick Bowden, a friend of Del McCoury and his … Continue reading →
The Making of a Modern Classic Like Steve Earle said about picking which song to start with on his tribute album to Townes Van Zandt, you’ve got to start by fighting the biggest con on the cell block to make … Continue reading →
Before the Battle aka Lady Affixing a Pennant to a Knight’s Spear – Elizabeth Eleanor Siddal, 1858 We started this week on Memorial Day with a great ballad from the Civil War that works in some ways like a murder … Continue reading →
CRAIG BICKHARDT Live At Sellersville Theater Stone Barn 1006 www.craigbickhardt.com Every time I present Philadelphia-based master songwriter Craig Bickhardt, I introduce him by pondering how it happened that hit songwriters including Janis Ian, POCO, … Continue reading →
Arthel Lane “Doc” Watson (March 3, 1923 – May 29, 2012) If there are patron saints for this blog, Doc Watson is one of them, at least for me. With apologies to my dad, who was the acoustic guitar player with … Continue reading →
The Veteran in a New Field – Winslow Homer, 1865 I mentioned in my last week of posts that I’m preparing to take my 8th grade students to Gettysburg, and that all things Civil War occupy my mind this time … Continue reading →
As we saw earlier in the week, there’s great controversy about “Powderfinger” and what story it is trying to tell us. What always gets to me about this song are the two things that I know it’s about for sure. … Continue reading →
As I mentioned in my first post, there’s no small controversy over what, exactly, “Powderfinger” is about. Aided by the abundance of specific details in the lyrics, especially about that boat, almost all interpretations nod to Young’s political sensibilities in … Continue reading →
