But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me; for of such is the kingdom of heaven. — Matthew 19:14 This post looks at a pair of songs inspired by memories of one of postwar … Continue reading →
The cool room “The purpose of rhythm, it has always seemed to me … is to prolong the moment of contemplation … by hushing it with an alluring monotony.” — William Butler Yeats, The Symbolism of Poetry “Oh Lord” — … Continue reading →
Today’s post is an “Interlude” post, because we take a break from our normal cycle of exploring individual songs or song themes, and take a look at related works of art in other performance media. Although today’s post involves a … Continue reading →
We thought it might be fun this week to share with you some of why we do what we do in this blog. Each of the writers here has their own story about hearing their first murder ballad. Each of … Continue reading →
You can almost smell the coffee. It’s morning, you’ve just pulled up a gravel road to sit at a kitchen table and listen to your friend June Carter Cash, or to your friend Wanda Jackson. You’re here to listen to … Continue reading →
Twice in recent weeks I’ve delved into Hazel Dickens’s work to find songs that walk the line between life and death in America’s coal fields. “Black Lung” is no murder ballad, but we saw how it used Primitive Baptist singing … Continue reading →
Ellen Greene An “Interlude” post, in our use, is not necessarily a connection between one piece of music and another, but an exploration of artistic work with close thematic engagement with murder ballads. It’s a step outside our “song of … Continue reading →
Ween (photo by Danny Clinch) This is the fourth and final post in our initial, two-week foray into Murder Ballad Comedy. Today’s post refers back to the earlier three, which you can read here: “The Irish Ballad” (Ken) “Lizzie Borden” … Continue reading →
Lofty Deeds, Jon Langford This is the final installment of our interview with Chicago musician and artist Jon Langford. After recording three albums of murder ballads, he seemed like the ideal candidate for a Murder Ballad Monday sit-down. You can … Continue reading →
Jon Langford (Photo by Barry Phipps, courtesy the artist and Bloodshot Records) Today we continue our conversation with transplanted Chicagoan and jack-of-all-trades (music, art, comic interludes, storytelling) Jon Langford. You can read Part One here; Part Three appears Friday. Today … Continue reading →
