I am very fond of music that pushes the envelope, that is I enjoy when musicians leave their comfort zone and take their music in new directions. This weekâs program is entitled Name That Tune and features players who are … Continue reading →
     Richard Thompson Acoustic Classics Beeswing 002 www.richardthompson-music.com  An entire studio album of Richard Thompson re-imagining a batch of his songs as acoustic performances is truly way overdue. The program is drawn from his entire … Continue reading →
âI think there are shades of political songs; some are more subtle and can be more effective for being subtle, for being more metaphorical. Iâve written a lot of songs like that, where itâs not really clear if itâs a … Continue reading →
Richard Thompson Donât worry, that thing is definitely loaded. (Photo by Ron Sleznak) Whatever you do, donât let Sidney lead you astray⌠Iâm blogging today on short notice. The only reason Iâm mentioning this to you is because the late … Continue reading →
Introduction A few weeks back I assembled a list of my âessential elevenâ traditional murder ballads. Â While we here at Murder Ballad Monday usually delve deeply into one ballad or theme, we saw some possible value in a lighter âlist-basedâ … Continue reading →
Natalie Merchant âI kept on positing that [folk music] is any music that serves the people and describes the cultureâ Natalie Merchant on NPRâs American Routes, November 7, 2003 Introduction I wrote in the previous post on âCrazy Man Michaelâ … Continue reading →
Fairport Convention This is the first of two posts on âCrazy Man Michael.â Read the second post here. Within the fire and out upon the sea Early in the morning hours of May 12, 1969, four of the five members … Continue reading →
This is the first of three posts about songs more or less related to the infamous Red Barn Murder in Polstead, England in 1827. This post introduces the song and the background story. The next post explores the songâs âcareer.â … Continue reading →
    KAMI THOMPSON Love Lies Warner Bros. 2564665549 www.warnerbrosrecords.com www.kamithompson.com  This newcomerâs talent is obvious after the first few bars of the opening âLittle Boy Blue,â complete with its Dire Straitsâ aura. The younger daughter of … Continue reading →
âRed Hair and Black Leatherâ One of the things that Pat explored with âMatty Grovesâ is how such a brutal song managed to endure as a folk favorite down through the ages, partly through itâs ability to provide a compelling … Continue reading →
