Golgotha Jesus and the Murder Ballad This week weâre going to take a small detour from the traditional murder ballad. Shaleaneâs post on Nick Caveâs âThe Mercy Seatâ prompted me to consider just how frequently and in what guises Jesus figures … Continue reading →
Because of the success of the first one-day mini-conference which drew more than 175 people in Massachusetts last April, the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) is set to host two more conferences in Bethesda, MD and Boston, MA on May … Continue reading →
Romeo and Juliet â Sir Frank Dicksee, 1884 Note: This is Part 3 of a three part series.  See also Part 1 and Part 2. Introduction What is it about this weekâs song, âMatty Grovesâ, that attracts us so?  (If youâre … Continue reading →
Barnard Castle â William Turner, 1825 Note: This is Part 2 of a three part series.  See also Part 1 and Part 3. Introduction It is clear that psychological themes in this weekâs subject, âMatty Grovesâ, strike the most resonant chords for … Continue reading →
This is Part 1 of a three part series.  See also Part 2, and Part 3. Introduction â âTwas on the high, high holy dayâŚâ This week we go back to Britain, to the old ballads.  Yes, itâs one of … Continue reading →
The thing I like about traditional murder ballads is that there doesnât have to be any motive for the murder. Thereâs just these two people and he takes her down to the river and he kills her and he throws … Continue reading →
The recipients of the Awards for excellence in Historical Recorded Sound Research of the twenty-first annual ARSC (Association for Recorded Sound Collections) award ceremony have been announced. Recipients for works in History include Lightninâ Hopkins: His Life and Blues, by … Continue reading →
In this interview mentioned in the last post, Nick Cave explained how his musical inclinations were forever changed when â as young boy in a small town in Australia â he started watching the Johnny Cash Show. The first episode of the show … Continue reading →
This week, Iâll explore the dialogue between Johnny Cash and Nick Cave, two great modern murder balladeers who wrestled with themes of redemption and retribution as they explored crime, death, love, isolation, religion and the myths and musical roots of … Continue reading →
The D.K. Wilgus article I mentioned in my first post this week divides the American versions of what it refers to as the âRose Connoleyâ ballad into two forms. Â The first is what Wilgus calls the âCome-all-yeâ form, which normally … Continue reading →
