âIn the Timbers of FennarioâŚâ Todayâs murder ballad dances merrily along borderlines with which weâve become familiar in this blog; boundaries between celebration and fear, civilization and savagery, traditional and post-modern balladry â and of course that inscrutable passage between life … Continue reading →
Introduction It is, apparently, awfully hard to find a picture of a broken or cracked china doll online that doesnât immediately bring one to the brink of depression. Â The one above, though, inspires me. Â I wish I could link you … Continue reading →
     NEW RIDERS of the PURPLE SAGE Instant Armadillo Blues: Best of 1971-1975 Raven 345 Raven Records Web Site       NEW RIDERS of the PURPLE SAGE 17 Pine Avenue Woodstock 0037 … Continue reading →
detail from Twa Sisters â quilt by Dan Willig So, as I introduced in my first post this week, Iâm trying to add some depth and variety to my first series of entries from six months ago on the ballad known as Child … Continue reading →
The Veteran in a New Field â Winslow Homer, 1865 I mentioned in my last week of posts that Iâm preparing to take my 8th grade students to Gettysburg, and that all things Civil War occupy my mind this time … Continue reading →
âNone recover, they are just replaced.â  â Robert Hunter, 1995 Note: This is Part 3 of a three part series.  See also Part 1 and Part 2. Introduction At the free concert at Altamont Speedway on December 6, 1969, an eighteen … Continue reading →
Note: this is Part 1 of a three part series. Â See also Part 2, and Part 3. Introduction âWe can share the women, we can share the wine. We can share what we got of yours, âcos we done shared … Continue reading →
Ok, letâs bring this one on home. In the introductory post for the week, we learned that Child 10, the ballad commonly known as âTwo Sistersâ, is in fact quite old, with Scandinavian roots stretching back perhaps a thousand years. … Continue reading →
âGirl by Streamâ Charles Van Shaick ca. 1880 This week finds us in new waters â sibling rivalry. Ok, ok, I know. One thing to love about murder ballads is that we canât dismiss the violence with simple explanations or … Continue reading →
For the first selection: Fair Ellender.  Here is Jerry Garcia and David Grismanâs version from âShady Grove.â Fair Ellender (Spotify) Hereâs the same song on YouTube: (link replaced 12/10/14) While not the most famous of the genre, this one … Continue reading →
