Murder Ballades I attended eighth blackbird’s performance of Bryce Dessner’s Murder Ballades few weeks ago, on Good Friday, at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. Matthew Duvall, eighth blackbird’s percussionist, had mentioned the performance on our Facebook page, and … Continue reading →
Hackensaw Boys Charismo Free Dirt 0078 www.freedirtrecords.com Charismo is the first full album of new Hackensaw Boys music and material in about a decade, an exuberant album buoyed by the Hackensaw cheekiness that was … Continue reading →
& WFDU-FM’s TRADITIONS Playlist for April 10, 2016 Fair and balanced used to be a significant principle for journalists before it became a catchphrase for Fox News. Perhaps there is a bit of sarcasm involved in that network’s use of … Continue reading →
You can tell Spring has arrived when a whole batch of new Bluegrass recordings are released as the festival season starts anew. In my mind the unofficial beginning of the festival season is the massive Merlefest held each year in … Continue reading →
“Those songs are gifts” On warm, humid evenings in Pahokee, Florida in 1947, teenager Mel Tillis would hear the neighbors arguing. Through open windows, broadcasting across the space between their home and his, their recurring shouting match of distrust and acrimony … Continue reading →
Singer-songwriter Joe Giacoio joined me in the studio for a segment of WFDU-FM’s TRADITIONS this past Sunday. The Bronx-born and current New Jersey resident visited me to share songs from his new CD I Love Hamburgers. This new recording is … Continue reading →
KATHY KALLICK BAND Foxhounds Live Oak Records www.kathykallick.com The next time someone wrinkles their nose at the mention of bluegrass, slap on these tunes. Kathy Kallick and her band are the real deal, and they … Continue reading →
TIM O’BRIEN Pompadour Howdy Skies www.timobrien.net I eagerly look forward to a new release from Tim O’Brien. He always delivers fresh, strong stuff … and Pompadour is no exception. It’s a diverse, ever captivating set … Continue reading →
Richard Polenberg HEAR MY SAD STORY: The True Tales That Inspired Stagolee, John Henry, and Other Traditional American Folksongs Cornell University Press 978-0-5017-0002-6 www.cornellpress.cornell.edu In 1966 Phil Ochs remarked, “Before … Continue reading →
DANIEL KOULACK and KARNNEL SAWITSKY Fiddle and Banjo: Tunes from the North, Songs from the South Self-released www.hearthmusic.com I adore this album. The title says exactly what it is, fiddle and banjo, and Koulack and Sawitsky … Continue reading →
