SIERRA HULL: Weighted Mind
SIERRA HULL Weighted Mind Rounder Records www.rounder.com Innovation has long been an important part of the musical endeavor, and it’s often the first person to happen upon a new idea – rather than the … Continue reading →
JOHN BYRNE BAND: The Immigrant and the Orphan
JOHN BYRNE BAND The Immigrant and the Orphan John Byrne Band 082015 www.johnbyrneband.com I‘ve known John Byrne, an Irishman long settled in Philadelphia, about a decade. Besides being one of the most pleasant chaps … Continue reading →
OLA BELLE REED and Southern Mountain Music On The Mason-Dixon Line
Henry Glassie, Clifford R. Murphy, Douglas Dowling Peach OLA BELLE REED and Southern Mountain Music on the Mason-Dixon Line Dust to Digital 978-0-9817342-7-9 www.dust-digital.com The Mason-Dixon line was created in Colonial America to … Continue reading →
JOE ELY: Panhandle Rambler
JOE ELY Panhandle Rambler Rack ‘Em Records 007 www.ely.com A new Joe Ely album is always cause for rejoicing in my house. The Texas songman creates dramatic story-songs which he delivers with heroic flourish. … Continue reading →
Folkfinds: Brendan Taaffe’s “Train On The Island”
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/96555430″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /] Brattleboro, VT’s Brendan Taaffe takes a wide ranging approach to folk; he’s got a Masters in Irish fiddle, has studied mbira playing and choral arrangement in Zimbabwe, and composes new songs in … Continue reading →
Clearwater Festival Cancelled for 2016
Sad news out of Beacon, New York … at a meeting on January 20, the Clearwater environmental group’s board of directors voted to cancel the 2016 annual festival, the Great Hudson River Revival. There are also lots of questions about … Continue reading →
Podcast: Folk Jazz
Episode #16-03 | airing 1-20-16
America has produced two distinct musical styles which have traveled the world-Blues and Jazz. Both are improvisational in nature and stem from the same source-the folk music of the African-Americans who were brought here as slaves. This week on The … Continue reading →
The Truth to You I’ll Tell – “Little Glass of Wine”
Introduction – “Come little girl…” A couple of years back, I blogged over two weeks about what I called my “Essential Eleven Traditional Murder Ballads” and my “Essential Eleven Non-Traditional Murder Ballads.” I cataloged a variety of tunes and performances … Continue reading →
Podcast: Harmonica Greats
Episode #16-02 | airing 1-12-16
This week we’ll turn our attention to the Harmonica and some of its finest players. We’ll hear classic masters like Little Walter and James Cotton, innovators like Mickey Raphael Charlie McCoy and John Mayall and new a new recording from … Continue reading →
Ron’s Favorites of 2015
& WFDU-FM’s TRADITIONS Playlist for January 10, 2016 The year 2016 is two weeks old and I have already received over a dozen new recordings to share on my radio show. While I am looking forward to all the musical treats … Continue reading →