We decided to extend the discussion of Bruce Springsteen‘s “American Skin (41 Shots)” into two weeks. As a coincidence, we launch this post on The Boss’s 64th birthday–a celebration, of sorts, of his extraordinary body of work, developing many of … Continue reading →
Martin Scorsese and Harry Belafonte are working together to produce a mini-series about King Leopold II’s brutal reign in the Congo. The project is currently in the early stages of production. While specific details are not yet being divulged, it … Continue reading →
We received the sad news that Fresno, Calif.-based master mandolin player and fiddler Kenny Hall passed away Wednesday evening, September 18th, following complications from a recent heart attack, just a few weeks shy of his 91st birthday. Kenny was a … Continue reading →
We’re focusing this week on Bruce Springsteen’s “American Skin (41 Shots).” If you have any concerns about us calling this song a murder ballad, I encourage you to read here, here, and/or the postcript below. It’s going to take us a … Continue reading →
THE CIVIL WARS The Civil Wars Columbia www.columbiarecords.com It’s almost impossible to listen to this album without taking the hype into consideration: a fairly meteoric independent rise; a major label deal; a dramatic and … Continue reading →
VARIOUS ARTISTS Live at Caffè Lena: Music From America’s Legendary Coffeehouse, 1967-2013 Tompkins Square 2967 www.tompkinssquare.com As one of the seminal folk clubs of the 1960s folk revival, Caffè Lena has few parallels. Founded in 1960 by … Continue reading →
LOAFERS’ GLORY Loafers’ Glory Arhoolie 542 www.arhoolie.com Southern California-based traditional bluegrass ensemble Loafers’ Glory is comprised of veteran talents Herb Pedersen, Bill Bryson and Tom Sauber along with Saubers’ youthful offspring Patrick – a … Continue reading →
TIM O’BRIEN and DARRELL SCOTT Memories and Moments Full Skies www.timobrien.net It’s hard to believe more than a decade has past since O’Brien and Scott’s last collection of new material, 2000’s Grammy-nominated Real Time. … Continue reading →
JOSIENNE CLARKE and BEN WALKER Fire & Fortune Navigator Records 82 www.navigatorrecords.co.uk New releases fall into categories such as old friends, familiar voices, and promising discoveries. But few are as delicious as those that … Continue reading →
JUURI & JUURI Pelimannit Aania 23 www.aania.fi After a decade together, Finnish musicians Eero Grundström (Harmonium, harmonica, voice) and Emilia Lajunen (5-string fiddle, nyckelharpa, voice) have finally made an album. Well, not one album, but … Continue reading →
