1. Krista Detor: Awake the Voice (The Silver Wood: Wintersongs), Tightrope www.kristadetor.com
2. Dixie Chicks: Merry Christmas from The Family (live -- download)
3. Kelly Willis & Bruce Robison: Oklahoma Christmas (Happy Holidays), self www.kellywillis.com
4. Mary Ann Rossoni: It's A Holiday (The 12 Steps of Christmas and Other Holiday Fare), Providence Music Works 10002 hearinri@ids.net
5. Susan Urban: Despite It All (Old Blue Dodge), No Lady 02
6. Kevin Keady: Let's Play Christmas (The Off-Season), Camp www.kevinkeady.com
7. Dar Williams: The Christians and The Pagans (3-song EP), Razor & Tie 718
8. Beth Nielsen Chapman: Years (Greatest Hits), Reprise 47302
9. Ilene Weiss: Tree (Weiss Christmas), Gadfly 236 www.gadflyrecords.com
10. Michael Dunkley & Suzanne Ives: Take the Tree out to the Curb (A Holiday Feast Vol. VII), Hungry for Music 016 www.hungryformusic.com
11. Bob Malone: The After Christmas Song (2-song EP), Delta Moon www.bobmalone.com
12. Tim O'Brien: Bah Humbug (Christmas on The Mountain), Universal South 48522
13. Misty River: Don't Take Down the Mistletoe (Midwinter: Songs of Christmas), self www.mistyriverband.com
14. Claudia Schmidt: Get Packin', Rod Blagojevich (single download)
15. Lori Lieberman: Daughters and Sons (download), self www.lorilieberman.com
16. Nancy White: Tellin' Those Christmas Lies (single download)
17. James Gordon: There Is No Silent Night (Mining for Gold), Borealis 129 www.borealisrecords.com
18. Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer: American Noel (American Noel), Signature Sounds 2011 www.signaturesounds.com
19. Teresa Healy / Tom Juravich Last Christmas on The Place (single download), self
20. Heidi Muller: Jesse's Carol (Matters of The Heart), Cascadia 102
21. Bruce Springsteen: How Can A Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live (The Seeger Sessions: The American Land Edition), Columbia 88231
22. Tom Paxton and Anne Hills: Links in The Chain (Under American Skies), Appleseed 1052 www.appleseedmusic.com
23. Ann Reed: Heroes (Hole in The Day), A Major Label 802 http://www.annreed.com/
24. Michael Doucet: Auld Lang Zyne (Christmas Bayou), Swallow 6064
25. The Hidden Persuaders: What Are You Doing New Year's Eve? (A Holiday Feast Vol. III), Hungry for Music 006
26. Cigarbox Planetarium: Hello Mr. New Year (A Holiday Feast Vol. IV), Hungry for Music 010
The Dreaded Folk Calendar over selections from Al Petteway and Amy Whhite's "Winter Tidings!" Maggie's Music 234 www.maggiesmusic.com
27. Sean Tyrrell: The Rising of The Moon (The Orchard), LongWalk Music 002
28. Loreena McKennitt: The Old Ways (A Christmas Radio Sampler 1999), Quinlan Road QRCDP12 [www.quinlanroad.com]
29. Bob Zentz: At The End of Another Year (single download), self http://bobzentz.com/
30. Slaid Cleaves: One Good Year (Broke Down), Philo 1225
I read part of Dr. Sandra R. Scantling's "For 2009, A Happiness Action Plan" http://www.courant.com/features/hc-drscantling1228.artdec28,0,1245384.column
31. Mary Chapin Carpenter: Late for Your Life (Time * Sex * Love), Columbia CK 85176
32. Kitty Donohoe: Do What You Love (This Road Tonight), Roheen 005 www.kittydonohoe.com
33. Claire Lynch: Who Knows What Tomorrow May Bring (Silver and Gold), Rounder 0415
34. Colum Sands: One of These Days (All My Winding Days), Spring 1035 www.columsands.net
35. David M. Bailey: If I Had Another (Life), self www.davidmbailey.com
I read Natine Stair's "If I Had My Life to Live Over"
36. Chuck McCabe: My Prayer for You (Creatures of Habit), Woodshed 7608 www.chuck-mccabe.com
37. Ian Robb: Song for The New Year (Rose & Crown), Folk-Legacy LP
38. Maria Muldaur et al: This Old World (Yes We Can!), Telarc 83672 www.telarc.com
39. Elvis Costello: What's So Funny 'bout Love, Peace and Understanding? (MP3 download from Random Noise)40. Eliza Gilkyson et al: Peace Call (Land of Milk and Honey), Red House 174 www.redhouserecords.com
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Friday, December 26, 2008
Slate Article about the "Rise Up Singing" songbook
Lie Down Singing
How a songbook saved my nighttimes.
By Emily Bazelon, Posted Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2008
Bedtime at our house has two rituals: stories and songs. (Yes, some children take nightly baths. Ours prefer dirt.) The books come first, the lights go out, and then Simon, who is 5, asks me or my husband, Paul, to sing. Three or four or five songs later, he asks us to sing some more.
We oblige. Going to sleep has never come easily to Simon. And so the lullaby medley at our house often turns into a miniconcert, in terms of quantity if not quality. This is all very sweet, I know—whenever I complain about the singing, people whose children have grown up tell me I'll miss it desperately someday. But at the moment, singing night after night gets tedious. I'm tired of my standard repertoire, and so is Simon. He has ruled out "Tender Shepherd" ("No more sheep"), "Hush Little Baby" ("I'm not a baby"), and "I Gave My Love a Cherry" ("Mommy stop singing that boring song!").
Also, almost anything in Hebrew and absolutely everything from "Free To Be … You and Me" http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00005OKQT?ie=UTF8&tag=slatmaga-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=B00005OKQT.
This is why, in our house, the songbook "Rise Up Singing" http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1881322122?ie=UTF8&tag=slatmaga-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=1881322122 represents a nightly form of deliverance.
How many songs do most of us know by heart—beyond, that is, bits and snatches? How many of those songs wear well with kids? When folk singer Pete Seeger asked the first question of the men he was serving with in the Army in 1943, he was impressed with their responses.
Now he thinks the list would be paltry http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/10/arts/music/10ratli.html?partner=permalink&exprod=permalink.
Rise Up Singing, which Seeger helped bring into being, is an answer to the ebbing away of shared lyric and melody. The book, which has sold more than 1 million copies, according to its creators, turns 20 this year.
It is exactly as advertised on its blue, spiral-bound cover: "The Group Singing Songbook" with "Words, Chords, and Sources to 1,200 Songs."
The rest of the article is at http://www.slate.com/id/2207306/
How a songbook saved my nighttimes.
By Emily Bazelon, Posted Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2008
Bedtime at our house has two rituals: stories and songs. (Yes, some children take nightly baths. Ours prefer dirt.) The books come first, the lights go out, and then Simon, who is 5, asks me or my husband, Paul, to sing. Three or four or five songs later, he asks us to sing some more.
We oblige. Going to sleep has never come easily to Simon. And so the lullaby medley at our house often turns into a miniconcert, in terms of quantity if not quality. This is all very sweet, I know—whenever I complain about the singing, people whose children have grown up tell me I'll miss it desperately someday. But at the moment, singing night after night gets tedious. I'm tired of my standard repertoire, and so is Simon. He has ruled out "Tender Shepherd" ("No more sheep"), "Hush Little Baby" ("I'm not a baby"), and "I Gave My Love a Cherry" ("Mommy stop singing that boring song!").
Also, almost anything in Hebrew and absolutely everything from "Free To Be … You and Me" http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00005OKQT?ie=UTF8&tag=slatmaga-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=B00005OKQT.
This is why, in our house, the songbook "Rise Up Singing" http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1881322122?ie=UTF8&tag=slatmaga-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=1881322122 represents a nightly form of deliverance.
How many songs do most of us know by heart—beyond, that is, bits and snatches? How many of those songs wear well with kids? When folk singer Pete Seeger asked the first question of the men he was serving with in the Army in 1943, he was impressed with their responses.
Now he thinks the list would be paltry http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/10/arts/music/10ratli.html?partner=permalink&exprod=permalink.
Rise Up Singing, which Seeger helped bring into being, is an answer to the ebbing away of shared lyric and melody. The book, which has sold more than 1 million copies, according to its creators, turns 20 this year.
It is exactly as advertised on its blue, spiral-bound cover: "The Group Singing Songbook" with "Words, Chords, and Sources to 1,200 Songs."
The rest of the article is at http://www.slate.com/id/2207306/
Sunday, December 21, 2008
12/21/08 Playlist
Sunday Night Folk Festival 12/21/08 (Hansen)
1. Laurie Lewis & Tom Rozum: Wintergrace (Winter's Grace), Signature Sounds 1251 www.signaturesounds.com
2. John McCutcheon: Wintersong (Wintersongs), Rounder 8038
I read "Dear Rebecca, Winter Is Here" by Jean Craighead George, published by HarperTrophy
3. Tim O'Brien / Heritage: Newgrange (A Christmas Heritage), Six Degrees / Koch
4. The Alexandria Kleztet: O Khanuke, O Khanuke (A Chanukah Feast), Hungry for Music 021 www.hungryformusic.com
5. The Klezmatics: Happy Joyous Hanuka (A Chanukah Feast, Vol. II), Hungry for Music 026
I read "Eight Wild Nights" by Brian P. Cleary, published by Kar-Ben
6. 5 Chinese Brothers: Age-Old Story (A Window Shopper's Christmas), Prime CD 035
7. Magpie: The Ballad of Chanukah (Last Month of The Year), Sliced Bread 71305
8. Tish Hinojosa: Hanukia (From Texas for A Christmas Night), Texas Music Group 4012 www.mundotish.com
9. Peter, Paul & Mary: Light One Candle (A Holiday Celebration), Gold Castle LP, 1988
10. Emily Kurn: Light the Lamp (I'm Just Like You), self www.emilykurnmusic.com
I read "One Candle" by Eve Bunting, published by HarperTrophy
11. Shelley Posen: Will Their Children Light the Candles (Menorah), Well Done Music 03 www.shelleyposen.com
12. Hugh Blumenfeld: This Mountain (At Home for The Holidays with The Folk Next Door), WWUH
13. Christine Lavin & The Mistletones: A Christmas / Kwanzaa / Solstice / Chanukah / Ramadan / Boxing Day Song (The Runaway Christmas Tree), Appleseed 1075 www.appleseedmusic.com
14. Roy Zimmerman: Christma-Hanu-Rama-Ka-Dona-Kwanzaa (Peacenick), Metaphor 918 www.royzimmerman.com
15. Margo Hennebach & Mark Saunders: How Far Is It to Bethlehem (Comfort & Joy), self
16. Richard Shindell: Before You Go (Wonderland), Signature Sounds 1266 www.signaturesounds.com
17. Tommy Sands: Among the Bushes of Jerusalem (To Shorten the Winter), Green Linnet 12122
18. The Chieftains / Jackson Browne: The Rebel Jesus (The Bells of Dublin), RCA BMG60824
19. Hugh Blumenfeld: Longhaired Radical Socialist Jew (Rocket Science), Prime CD 43 www.hughblumenfeld.com
20. Brett Dennen: The Holidays Are Here -- And We're Still at War (single)
21. Julie Sanderson: Christmas 1864 (A Holiday Feast Volume 2), Hungry for Music 004
I read "Wondering If the Girls Will Marry Them Now," written on December 25, 1863, by Nurse Kate Cumming, a nurse who worked with the Confederate army of Tennessee's medical service, and published in "American Christmases" by Blair.
22. Leslie Ritter & Scott Petito: The Bells of Christmas (This Christmas Morning), Collective Works 0501 www.leslieandscott.com
I read "Truce in The Trenches, 1914" written by W. R. M. Percy, London Rifle Brigade, and included in "A Christmas Celebration" published by Haarper & Row
23. Artisan: Christmas Eve 1914 (Paper Angels), Bedspring Boing 9806
I read "Christmas in Vietnam" by James G. Lubetkin, an opinion piece from The Christian Science Monitor, 12/24/87
24. Jefferson Pepper: Christmas in Fallujah (Christmas in Fallujah), American Fallout 001 www.americanfallout.com
25. Jeff Talmadge: A Soldier's Christmas (single), self www.jefftalmadge.com
26. Roy Zimmerman: I Won't Be Home for Christmas (Peacenick), Metaphor 918 www.royzimmerman.com
27. Nancy White: Tellin' the Christmas Lies (download)
28. Roy Zimmerman: A Merry American Christmas (download), self www.royzimmerman.com
29. Carla Ulbrich: Let It Go, Let It Go, Let It Go (download)
30. Roy Zimmerman: Give Back Everything (download)
31. Lou & Peter Berryman: Christmas Letter (Some Days), Cornbelt 13 louandpeter.com
32. Loudon Wainwright III: Christmas Morning (Bah Humbug), Greentrax 7007 www.greentrax.com
33. Chuck McCabe: Holidaze (Creatures of Habit), Woodshed 7608 www.chuck-mccabe.com
34. The Bobs: Fifty Kilowatt Tree (Too Many Santas), Rounder 9060
35. Kent Aldrich: The Santa Claus Assassin (single), self dogsuhbarking@aol.com
36. Anais Mitchell: Song of The Magi (The Brightness), Righteous Babe 53 [www.righteousbabe.com]
37. New St. George (Lisa Moscatiello, vocals): Time to Remember The Poor (A Holiday Feast), Hungry for Music 002 [www.hungryformusic.com]
38. Cathy Barton & Dave Para: Make My Present Small (Crazy Quilt), self
39. Gretchen Peters: Careful How You Go (Northern Lights), Scarlet Letter 208143 www.gretchenpeters.com
40. John Lennon: Happy Xmas / War Is Over (Legend)
41. Maria Dunn: God Bless Us Every One (Let It Snow! Unique Canadian Winter Music), www.gogetm.ca
42. Eliza Gilkyson et al: Peace Call (Land of Milk and Honey), Red House 174 www.redhouserecords.com
1. Laurie Lewis & Tom Rozum: Wintergrace (Winter's Grace), Signature Sounds 1251 www.signaturesounds.com
2. John McCutcheon: Wintersong (Wintersongs), Rounder 8038
I read "Dear Rebecca, Winter Is Here" by Jean Craighead George, published by HarperTrophy
3. Tim O'Brien / Heritage: Newgrange (A Christmas Heritage), Six Degrees / Koch
4. The Alexandria Kleztet: O Khanuke, O Khanuke (A Chanukah Feast), Hungry for Music 021 www.hungryformusic.com
5. The Klezmatics: Happy Joyous Hanuka (A Chanukah Feast, Vol. II), Hungry for Music 026
I read "Eight Wild Nights" by Brian P. Cleary, published by Kar-Ben
6. 5 Chinese Brothers: Age-Old Story (A Window Shopper's Christmas), Prime CD 035
7. Magpie: The Ballad of Chanukah (Last Month of The Year), Sliced Bread 71305
8. Tish Hinojosa: Hanukia (From Texas for A Christmas Night), Texas Music Group 4012 www.mundotish.com
9. Peter, Paul & Mary: Light One Candle (A Holiday Celebration), Gold Castle LP, 1988
10. Emily Kurn: Light the Lamp (I'm Just Like You), self www.emilykurnmusic.com
I read "One Candle" by Eve Bunting, published by HarperTrophy
11. Shelley Posen: Will Their Children Light the Candles (Menorah), Well Done Music 03 www.shelleyposen.com
12. Hugh Blumenfeld: This Mountain (At Home for The Holidays with The Folk Next Door), WWUH
13. Christine Lavin & The Mistletones: A Christmas / Kwanzaa / Solstice / Chanukah / Ramadan / Boxing Day Song (The Runaway Christmas Tree), Appleseed 1075 www.appleseedmusic.com
14. Roy Zimmerman: Christma-Hanu-Rama-Ka-Dona-Kwanzaa (Peacenick), Metaphor 918 www.royzimmerman.com
15. Margo Hennebach & Mark Saunders: How Far Is It to Bethlehem (Comfort & Joy), self
16. Richard Shindell: Before You Go (Wonderland), Signature Sounds 1266 www.signaturesounds.com
17. Tommy Sands: Among the Bushes of Jerusalem (To Shorten the Winter), Green Linnet 12122
18. The Chieftains / Jackson Browne: The Rebel Jesus (The Bells of Dublin), RCA BMG60824
19. Hugh Blumenfeld: Longhaired Radical Socialist Jew (Rocket Science), Prime CD 43 www.hughblumenfeld.com
20. Brett Dennen: The Holidays Are Here -- And We're Still at War (single)
21. Julie Sanderson: Christmas 1864 (A Holiday Feast Volume 2), Hungry for Music 004
I read "Wondering If the Girls Will Marry Them Now," written on December 25, 1863, by Nurse Kate Cumming, a nurse who worked with the Confederate army of Tennessee's medical service, and published in "American Christmases" by Blair.
22. Leslie Ritter & Scott Petito: The Bells of Christmas (This Christmas Morning), Collective Works 0501 www.leslieandscott.com
I read "Truce in The Trenches, 1914" written by W. R. M. Percy, London Rifle Brigade, and included in "A Christmas Celebration" published by Haarper & Row
23. Artisan: Christmas Eve 1914 (Paper Angels), Bedspring Boing 9806
I read "Christmas in Vietnam" by James G. Lubetkin, an opinion piece from The Christian Science Monitor, 12/24/87
24. Jefferson Pepper: Christmas in Fallujah (Christmas in Fallujah), American Fallout 001 www.americanfallout.com
25. Jeff Talmadge: A Soldier's Christmas (single), self www.jefftalmadge.com
26. Roy Zimmerman: I Won't Be Home for Christmas (Peacenick), Metaphor 918 www.royzimmerman.com
27. Nancy White: Tellin' the Christmas Lies (download)
28. Roy Zimmerman: A Merry American Christmas (download), self www.royzimmerman.com
29. Carla Ulbrich: Let It Go, Let It Go, Let It Go (download)
30. Roy Zimmerman: Give Back Everything (download)
31. Lou & Peter Berryman: Christmas Letter (Some Days), Cornbelt 13 louandpeter.com
32. Loudon Wainwright III: Christmas Morning (Bah Humbug), Greentrax 7007 www.greentrax.com
33. Chuck McCabe: Holidaze (Creatures of Habit), Woodshed 7608 www.chuck-mccabe.com
34. The Bobs: Fifty Kilowatt Tree (Too Many Santas), Rounder 9060
35. Kent Aldrich: The Santa Claus Assassin (single), self dogsuhbarking@aol.com
36. Anais Mitchell: Song of The Magi (The Brightness), Righteous Babe 53 [www.righteousbabe.com]
37. New St. George (Lisa Moscatiello, vocals): Time to Remember The Poor (A Holiday Feast), Hungry for Music 002 [www.hungryformusic.com]
38. Cathy Barton & Dave Para: Make My Present Small (Crazy Quilt), self
39. Gretchen Peters: Careful How You Go (Northern Lights), Scarlet Letter 208143 www.gretchenpeters.com
40. John Lennon: Happy Xmas / War Is Over (Legend)
41. Maria Dunn: God Bless Us Every One (Let It Snow! Unique Canadian Winter Music), www.gogetm.ca
42. Eliza Gilkyson et al: Peace Call (Land of Milk and Honey), Red House 174 www.redhouserecords.com
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Davey Graham obituary
Davey Graham
Robin Denselow, The Guardian, Wednesday 17 December 2008
Davey Graham, who also recorded as Davy Graham, and has died aged 68 of lung cancer, was the undisputed guitar hero of the British folk-blues clubs in the early and mid-1960s: a remarkable and wildly inventive musician, he transformed the acoustic scene with performances that were startling and unique for their blend of traditional themes with blues, jazz and even Indian or Arabic influences. Years ahead of his time in the way he mixed styles, in doing so he opened the way for many of the great British guitarists who started out in the 60s.
Martin Carthy described him as "an extraordinary, dedicated player, the one everyone followed and watched - I couldn't believe anyone could play like that"; while for Bert Jansch (who would develop Graham's ideas in the band Pentangle), he was "courageous and controversial - he never followed the rules. He was a hard man to hold a conversation with, but he knew how to play the guitar." His influence extended from the folk clubs to the emerging British R&B and rock scene, where his followers included Jimmy Page, of Led Zeppelin, and Ray Davies, of the Kinks, who described him as "an awesome influence". He also influenced the American singer-songwriter Paul Simon, who covered Graham's instrumental piece Anji on the 1966 Simon and Garfunkel album Sounds of Silence - by when this slinky, complex tune had become a crucial part of the repertoire for any aspiring folk-blues guitarist.
An imposing, powerful-looking man with a moustache and almost military bearing that contrasted strangely with his wild lifestyle, Graham was a genial, enigmatic and complex figure who first appeared on the London folk scene at a time when it provided a home for an eclectic mixture of maverick musicians, as well as great traditional singers, writers or instrumentalists. For years he was well ahead of the pack. No one else in the early 60s took an interest in North African styles, but then no other musician wandered off to travel around Morocco, or even thought of experimenting with alternative guitar tunings. But despite his importance to the music scene, Graham earned little from playing, and for the past 32 years lived in a small house near the canal in Camden Town, London.
the rest is at
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2008/dec/17/folk-blues-music
Robin Denselow, The Guardian, Wednesday 17 December 2008
Davey Graham, who also recorded as Davy Graham, and has died aged 68 of lung cancer, was the undisputed guitar hero of the British folk-blues clubs in the early and mid-1960s: a remarkable and wildly inventive musician, he transformed the acoustic scene with performances that were startling and unique for their blend of traditional themes with blues, jazz and even Indian or Arabic influences. Years ahead of his time in the way he mixed styles, in doing so he opened the way for many of the great British guitarists who started out in the 60s.
Martin Carthy described him as "an extraordinary, dedicated player, the one everyone followed and watched - I couldn't believe anyone could play like that"; while for Bert Jansch (who would develop Graham's ideas in the band Pentangle), he was "courageous and controversial - he never followed the rules. He was a hard man to hold a conversation with, but he knew how to play the guitar." His influence extended from the folk clubs to the emerging British R&B and rock scene, where his followers included Jimmy Page, of Led Zeppelin, and Ray Davies, of the Kinks, who described him as "an awesome influence". He also influenced the American singer-songwriter Paul Simon, who covered Graham's instrumental piece Anji on the 1966 Simon and Garfunkel album Sounds of Silence - by when this slinky, complex tune had become a crucial part of the repertoire for any aspiring folk-blues guitarist.
An imposing, powerful-looking man with a moustache and almost military bearing that contrasted strangely with his wild lifestyle, Graham was a genial, enigmatic and complex figure who first appeared on the London folk scene at a time when it provided a home for an eclectic mixture of maverick musicians, as well as great traditional singers, writers or instrumentalists. For years he was well ahead of the pack. No one else in the early 60s took an interest in North African styles, but then no other musician wandered off to travel around Morocco, or even thought of experimenting with alternative guitar tunings. But despite his importance to the music scene, Graham earned little from playing, and for the past 32 years lived in a small house near the canal in Camden Town, London.
the rest is at
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2008/dec/17/folk-blues-music
Cool Story about Cowboy Singer Will Dudley
December 17th, 2008
Dudley Earns Cap and Gown for his Brother
Luke Mehall, Western State College of Colorado News
When asked what he is graduating in, Will Dudley joked, “A cap and a gown.” It is this sort of humor, among his other traits, that the 57 year old has won the hearts of his fellow students at Western State College. Dudley will graduate this Saturday with a degree in English.
The motivation for his return to studies at such a late age was his younger brother, Jon Dublin, a U.S. Diplomat who died in Iraq in February 2006. Dudley, a Vietnam veteran himself, had always told his brother that he would one day return to school, to which his brother replied, “not in my lifetime.”
“Well I guess he was right,” Dudley said. His upcoming graduation is a tribute to his brother.“To honor my brother means the world to me,” Dudley said. “I would not have done this if it wasn’t for him.”
Dudley, a traveling musician, attended Belmont College in Nashville, Tenn., in the 80s but dropped out to tour with Tanya Tucker, a famous country music star. Other musicians that Dudley has worked with or has befriended include Willie Nelson, Townes Van Zandt, and Charlie Daniels.
After his brother died, Dudley enrolled at Adams State College in Alamosa, the closest school to Walsenburg, Colo., where he was living. His friends, Rod and Ryan Pringle, who own and operate the Waunita Hot Springs Ranch, enabled Dudley to move up to Gunnison. They offered him a free place to stay at the ranch while he completed his studies. Starting at Western in the fall of 2007, Dudley figured that he would be able to relate to his teachers, but not to the students, most of whom are half his age. But with his wit and involvement in campus and community activities, Dudley fit right in with his peers.
“Will quickly became a favorite among students,” remarked Mark Todd, an English professor and Dudley’s adviser. “There has never been a sense of separation from them.” Todd says that Dudley’s popularity is due in part to his musical and lyrical talents, as well as his participation in extracurricular programming. Dudley is a popular act at the Gunnison Arts Center, and has performed there often over the last year and a half.
Krista Ehasz, a senior at Western, remembered how Dudley was nervous at first about fitting in. But as she has gotten to know him through English classes, and extracurricular activities like Wordhorde open-mic nights and playing music together at the Folksong Coffeehouse, she now considers him a close friend. “What’s great about Will is that he recognizes the importance of passion,” she shared. “Will has taught me by example how to just live for what’s here.” Tiara Lopez, a junior at Western, shared that sentiment. “He has been a pleasure in my classes and always has something nice to say to me.”
“That has been the biggest surprise to me that I have been accepted among the wonderful young people here,” Dudley said. Dudley notes that integrating into the world of computers was one of the major challenges that he faced. His last year and a half in Gunnison was also the first time he has stayed in one place in the last 20 years.
In the midst of finals week, days away from graduation, Dudley isn’t quick to praise his efforts, or to say that his effort is complete. “I won’t believe it till it happens,” he reflected. He added that he is extremely thankful for the students and teachers at Western and for the Pringle family.
“We’ve all taken away a lot from getting to know Will,” Ehasz shared. “He could be anywhere in the world right now making music and traveling and he chose to ride it out at Western. We all could learn something from the heart and determination he brings with that.” “I for one will be sorry to see him graduate,” Todd added. “I hope he continues to think as fondly of us as we do of him. It’s rare to have an alum who has already made his mark as opposed to preparing to make that mark. We can already call him one of our famous alums – just as soon as he walks across that stage to get his diploma at Commencement.”
More about Will Dudley and his music can be found at www.willdudley.com
Dudley Earns Cap and Gown for his Brother
Luke Mehall, Western State College of Colorado News
When asked what he is graduating in, Will Dudley joked, “A cap and a gown.” It is this sort of humor, among his other traits, that the 57 year old has won the hearts of his fellow students at Western State College. Dudley will graduate this Saturday with a degree in English.
The motivation for his return to studies at such a late age was his younger brother, Jon Dublin, a U.S. Diplomat who died in Iraq in February 2006. Dudley, a Vietnam veteran himself, had always told his brother that he would one day return to school, to which his brother replied, “not in my lifetime.”
“Well I guess he was right,” Dudley said. His upcoming graduation is a tribute to his brother.“To honor my brother means the world to me,” Dudley said. “I would not have done this if it wasn’t for him.”
Dudley, a traveling musician, attended Belmont College in Nashville, Tenn., in the 80s but dropped out to tour with Tanya Tucker, a famous country music star. Other musicians that Dudley has worked with or has befriended include Willie Nelson, Townes Van Zandt, and Charlie Daniels.
After his brother died, Dudley enrolled at Adams State College in Alamosa, the closest school to Walsenburg, Colo., where he was living. His friends, Rod and Ryan Pringle, who own and operate the Waunita Hot Springs Ranch, enabled Dudley to move up to Gunnison. They offered him a free place to stay at the ranch while he completed his studies. Starting at Western in the fall of 2007, Dudley figured that he would be able to relate to his teachers, but not to the students, most of whom are half his age. But with his wit and involvement in campus and community activities, Dudley fit right in with his peers.
“Will quickly became a favorite among students,” remarked Mark Todd, an English professor and Dudley’s adviser. “There has never been a sense of separation from them.” Todd says that Dudley’s popularity is due in part to his musical and lyrical talents, as well as his participation in extracurricular programming. Dudley is a popular act at the Gunnison Arts Center, and has performed there often over the last year and a half.
Krista Ehasz, a senior at Western, remembered how Dudley was nervous at first about fitting in. But as she has gotten to know him through English classes, and extracurricular activities like Wordhorde open-mic nights and playing music together at the Folksong Coffeehouse, she now considers him a close friend. “What’s great about Will is that he recognizes the importance of passion,” she shared. “Will has taught me by example how to just live for what’s here.” Tiara Lopez, a junior at Western, shared that sentiment. “He has been a pleasure in my classes and always has something nice to say to me.”
“That has been the biggest surprise to me that I have been accepted among the wonderful young people here,” Dudley said. Dudley notes that integrating into the world of computers was one of the major challenges that he faced. His last year and a half in Gunnison was also the first time he has stayed in one place in the last 20 years.
In the midst of finals week, days away from graduation, Dudley isn’t quick to praise his efforts, or to say that his effort is complete. “I won’t believe it till it happens,” he reflected. He added that he is extremely thankful for the students and teachers at Western and for the Pringle family.
“We’ve all taken away a lot from getting to know Will,” Ehasz shared. “He could be anywhere in the world right now making music and traveling and he chose to ride it out at Western. We all could learn something from the heart and determination he brings with that.” “I for one will be sorry to see him graduate,” Todd added. “I hope he continues to think as fondly of us as we do of him. It’s rare to have an alum who has already made his mark as opposed to preparing to make that mark. We can already call him one of our famous alums – just as soon as he walks across that stage to get his diploma at Commencement.”
More about Will Dudley and his music can be found at www.willdudley.com
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Americana Top 100
The top 100 most-played albums, as charted on the Americana Airplay Chart:
1) Hayes Carll
2) James McMurtry
3) Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
4) Steve Earle
5) Tift Merritt
6) Ryan Bingham
7) John Hiatt
8) Band of Heathens
9) Levon Helm
10) Alejandro Escovedo
and the rest are at
http://americanamusic.org/site.php?content=2008_Top_100
1) Hayes Carll
2) James McMurtry
3) Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
4) Steve Earle
5) Tift Merritt
6) Ryan Bingham
7) John Hiatt
8) Band of Heathens
9) Levon Helm
10) Alejandro Escovedo
and the rest are at
http://americanamusic.org/site.php?content=2008_Top_100
Monday, December 15, 2008
Abigail Washburn in China
From the Sparrow Quartet newsletter:
Abigail is currently in the Chinese province of Sichuan doing an artist residency at Sichuan University. She sent us a note to pass along to you:
Sichuan is great. The food is spicy spicy spicy. I was here for 6 months in 1997. The city has changed drastically just like most of China as it has developed economically. The artists and students I’ve been working with are totally inspiring. I’ve been learning about different aspects of Chinese folk music, specifically the difference between the new folk music and the original folk music and their separate and unique virtues.
I’m also learning about Sichuan Opera. I’ve been lucky enough to befriend one of the lead kungfu and face-changing artists in Chengdu. He has introduced me to the full scope of Chengdu’s Sichuan Opera from the expert and formal ways of the official state troupe to the University training of the new artists to come and the folk opera in the teahouses. I’ve ended up teaching classes to the students and performing alongside them.... my Chinese has been getting a serious tune up.
The other unexpected and very welcome performing I’ve been given the chance to do is in the mountain towns outside of Chengdu that were devastated by the earthquakes of 5/12. My friends at Sichuan Quake Relief asked me to accompany them on trips to set up libraries in the schools. While they set up the libraries I performed for the kids, and then they performed for me.
I’m glad to report that my friend Amanda Kowalski, a rockin’ photographer, is here in Sichuan with me. We are in the process of creating a series of narrative photo and written essays about a few specific forms of artistic expression in China that have given us an intimate view of the evolution of art and tradition in the midst of enormous economic and social changes here. We’ll also have a piece about going up into the earthquake schools. We look forward to sharing it all with you. We’ll keep you posted.
http://www.abigailwashburn.com/
Abigail is currently in the Chinese province of Sichuan doing an artist residency at Sichuan University. She sent us a note to pass along to you:
Sichuan is great. The food is spicy spicy spicy. I was here for 6 months in 1997. The city has changed drastically just like most of China as it has developed economically. The artists and students I’ve been working with are totally inspiring. I’ve been learning about different aspects of Chinese folk music, specifically the difference between the new folk music and the original folk music and their separate and unique virtues.
I’m also learning about Sichuan Opera. I’ve been lucky enough to befriend one of the lead kungfu and face-changing artists in Chengdu. He has introduced me to the full scope of Chengdu’s Sichuan Opera from the expert and formal ways of the official state troupe to the University training of the new artists to come and the folk opera in the teahouses. I’ve ended up teaching classes to the students and performing alongside them.... my Chinese has been getting a serious tune up.
The other unexpected and very welcome performing I’ve been given the chance to do is in the mountain towns outside of Chengdu that were devastated by the earthquakes of 5/12. My friends at Sichuan Quake Relief asked me to accompany them on trips to set up libraries in the schools. While they set up the libraries I performed for the kids, and then they performed for me.
I’m glad to report that my friend Amanda Kowalski, a rockin’ photographer, is here in Sichuan with me. We are in the process of creating a series of narrative photo and written essays about a few specific forms of artistic expression in China that have given us an intimate view of the evolution of art and tradition in the midst of enormous economic and social changes here. We’ll also have a piece about going up into the earthquake schools. We look forward to sharing it all with you. We’ll keep you posted.
http://www.abigailwashburn.com/
Sunday, December 14, 2008
12/14/08 Playlist
1. Jim Henry: The Tree (Wonderland), Signature Sounds 1266 www.signaturesounds.com
2. Sloan Wainwright: Big Bright Beautiful Tree (single), download www.sloanwainwright.com
3. Joni Mitchell: River (Blue), Reprise 2038
4. Bill Kirchen: Truckin' Trees for Christmas (A Holiday Feast Volume 2), Hungry for Music 004 www.hungryformusic.com
I read Mary Lyn Ray's "Christmas Farm," published 2008 by Harcourt
5. Doug Clegg: Deck The Hall (Noel), Clegg Yolk 9821
6. Arlon Bennett: The Christmas Tree on Salem Street (Hudson Harding Sampler: Happy Holidays Volume 2), Hudson Harding www.hudsonharding.com
7. Leslie Ritter & Scott Petito: Oh Christmas Tree (This Christmas Morning), Collective Works 0501 www.leslieandscott.com
8. Chris Hillman & Herb Pedersen: Blue Christmas Lights (Tinsel Tunes), Sugar Hill 3855
9. Tom Paxton: We're Going to Get Our Christmas Tree (A Child's Christmas), Pax cassette 004
Hope this doesn't happen while you're seeking your tree!
10. Bruce Hornsby: Lost in The Snow (Halcyon Days), Columbia CK 92652 www.brucehornsby.com
Solstice:11. Jay Ungar & Molly Mason: The Solstice Set (The Pleasures of Winter), Fiddle & Dance 104 www.jayandmolly.com
12. Grace Griffith: Song for A Winter's Night (My Life), Blix Street G2-10085
13. Herdman / Hills / Mangsen: At the Turning of The Year (At the Turning of The Year), Hand & Heart Music 2000 www.annehills.com
14. Mary Chapin Carpenter: The Longest Night of The Year (Come Darkness, Come Light), Zoe 1123
Guest Chuck E. Costa www.chuckecosta.com
15. Batten the Hatches (live)
16. At the Drawing Board (live)
17. The Goalie (live)
18. Hollow Man (Where the Songs Come From), self
19. So Many Things (live)
20. Hey Hey (live)
Giveaways!
21. Loreena McKennitt: Breton Carol (A Midwinter Night's Dream), Quinlan Road 12096
22. Leslie Ritter & Scott Petito: Give A Little Hope (This Christmas Morning), Collective Works 0501 www.leslieandscott.com
The Dreaded Folk Calendar over selections from Jay Ungar & Molly Mason's "The Pleasures of Winter," Fiddle & Dance www.jayandmolly.com
23. Gretchen Peters: Northern Lights (Northern Lights), Scarlet Letter Records 208143 www.gretchenpeters.com
24. Herdman / Hills / Mangsen: Voices of Winter / Red & Green (Voices of Winter), Gadfly 235 www.gadflyrecordscom
25. Claudia Schmidt & Paul Cebar: Baby, It's Cold Outside (45 single)
26. John McCutcheon: Waiting for Snow (Wintersongs), Rounder 8038
27. Mae Robertson: Every December Sky (December Sky), Lyric Partners 4906 www.lyricpartners.com
28. Heritage: Newgrange (A Christmas Heritage), Six Degrees / Koch
29. Maddy Prior: Long Shadows (Year), Park 20
30. Laurie Lewis & Tom Rozum: Christmas Time's A-Comin' (Winter's Grace), Signature Sounds 1251
31. Hills / Sato / Mangsen et al: Christmas Is Coming (On This Day Earth Shall Ring), Flying Fish 40605
32. Ralph Stanley: I'm Going Home, It's Christmas Time (Christmas Time with Ralph Stanley), CRFRC
33. Burns Sisters: This Christmas (Tradition), Philo 1208
34. Eliza Gilkyson et al; Peace Call (Land of Milk and Honey), Red House 174 www.redhouserecords.com
2. Sloan Wainwright: Big Bright Beautiful Tree (single), download www.sloanwainwright.com
3. Joni Mitchell: River (Blue), Reprise 2038
4. Bill Kirchen: Truckin' Trees for Christmas (A Holiday Feast Volume 2), Hungry for Music 004 www.hungryformusic.com
I read Mary Lyn Ray's "Christmas Farm," published 2008 by Harcourt
5. Doug Clegg: Deck The Hall (Noel), Clegg Yolk 9821
6. Arlon Bennett: The Christmas Tree on Salem Street (Hudson Harding Sampler: Happy Holidays Volume 2), Hudson Harding www.hudsonharding.com
7. Leslie Ritter & Scott Petito: Oh Christmas Tree (This Christmas Morning), Collective Works 0501 www.leslieandscott.com
8. Chris Hillman & Herb Pedersen: Blue Christmas Lights (Tinsel Tunes), Sugar Hill 3855
9. Tom Paxton: We're Going to Get Our Christmas Tree (A Child's Christmas), Pax cassette 004
Hope this doesn't happen while you're seeking your tree!
10. Bruce Hornsby: Lost in The Snow (Halcyon Days), Columbia CK 92652 www.brucehornsby.com
Solstice:11. Jay Ungar & Molly Mason: The Solstice Set (The Pleasures of Winter), Fiddle & Dance 104 www.jayandmolly.com
12. Grace Griffith: Song for A Winter's Night (My Life), Blix Street G2-10085
13. Herdman / Hills / Mangsen: At the Turning of The Year (At the Turning of The Year), Hand & Heart Music 2000 www.annehills.com
14. Mary Chapin Carpenter: The Longest Night of The Year (Come Darkness, Come Light), Zoe 1123
Guest Chuck E. Costa www.chuckecosta.com
15. Batten the Hatches (live)
16. At the Drawing Board (live)
17. The Goalie (live)
18. Hollow Man (Where the Songs Come From), self
19. So Many Things (live)
20. Hey Hey (live)
Giveaways!
21. Loreena McKennitt: Breton Carol (A Midwinter Night's Dream), Quinlan Road 12096
22. Leslie Ritter & Scott Petito: Give A Little Hope (This Christmas Morning), Collective Works 0501 www.leslieandscott.com
The Dreaded Folk Calendar over selections from Jay Ungar & Molly Mason's "The Pleasures of Winter," Fiddle & Dance www.jayandmolly.com
23. Gretchen Peters: Northern Lights (Northern Lights), Scarlet Letter Records 208143 www.gretchenpeters.com
24. Herdman / Hills / Mangsen: Voices of Winter / Red & Green (Voices of Winter), Gadfly 235 www.gadflyrecordscom
25. Claudia Schmidt & Paul Cebar: Baby, It's Cold Outside (45 single)
26. John McCutcheon: Waiting for Snow (Wintersongs), Rounder 8038
27. Mae Robertson: Every December Sky (December Sky), Lyric Partners 4906 www.lyricpartners.com
28. Heritage: Newgrange (A Christmas Heritage), Six Degrees / Koch
29. Maddy Prior: Long Shadows (Year), Park 20
30. Laurie Lewis & Tom Rozum: Christmas Time's A-Comin' (Winter's Grace), Signature Sounds 1251
31. Hills / Sato / Mangsen et al: Christmas Is Coming (On This Day Earth Shall Ring), Flying Fish 40605
32. Ralph Stanley: I'm Going Home, It's Christmas Time (Christmas Time with Ralph Stanley), CRFRC
33. Burns Sisters: This Christmas (Tradition), Philo 1208
34. Eliza Gilkyson et al; Peace Call (Land of Milk and Honey), Red House 174 www.redhouserecords.com
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Boston Folk Fest canceled
http://www.boston.com/ae/celebrity/articles/2008/12/09/wahlberg_and_gang_take_over_oyster_house/
Folk fest nixed
Yet another victim of tough economic times, next year's Boston Folk Festival has been canceled. Pat Monteith, executive director of the event and general manager of sponsoring radio station WUMB, says organizers decided it wouldn't be fiscally responsible to have one in the fall, especially with no corporate sponsors on board. Now in its 11th year, the festival - which has featured such headliners as Emmylou Harris, Richard Thompson, and Suzanne Vega - could be revived, but Monteith is hesitant to say when or how. "To be very honest with you, I can't even think about another festival until I get the radio station [financially] healthy."
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
NY Daily News: Odetta Left Message of Hope
Odetta left message of hope
BY DAVID HINCKLEY, DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER, Thursday, December 4, 2008
Less than a week before she died, the city's much-loved singer Odetta urged her fans and admirers to keep the faith.
The Thanksgiving message, sent from the Lenox Hill Hospital bed where she died Tuesday of heart disease at 77, underscored her lifetime of commitment, in social activism and song, to what she called positive change.
"The world is trembling under the weight of many problems," she wrote, but she urged everyone to still give thanks for friends and community.
She was exhilarated, friends said yesterday, by the election victory of Barack Obama, whose ascension she considered the fruit of a half-century of activism in which she had played an unrelenting role.
She sang alongside the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. at the 1963 March on Washington, and she had hoped to return to sing at Obama's inauguration, according to her longtime manager, Doug Yeager.
She was known as a folk singer, though she recorded blues, rock, popular and classical music.
"I'm called a folk singer because it's short and easy, I guess," she said in 1987. "I don't mind. But I'm really a song interpreter. We have all kinds of songs going on within us."
With a voice that could range from a whisper to a roar, she became a major influence on artists from Harry Belafonte to Joan Baez and Bob Dylan. John Waters saluted her stature in "Hairspray" with a beatnik played by Pia Zadora who purred, "When I'm high, I am Odetta."
She was nominated for several Grammys and awarded the National Medal of the Arts in 1999.
Brought up in Los Angeles on popular and classical music, she also was drawn to topical folk songs and artists like Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith.
"I learned black history from music," she said, and one of her life missions was to pass along those lessons.
One of her last appearances was in October, when she sang from a wheelchair for tens of thousands in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park.
She was a familiar figure in many places around New York, where she lived for much of her life at 110th St. and Fifth Ave.
On the eve of the 1991 Persian Gulf War, she gathered a group of children atthe Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine and told them they needed to tell grownups war is wrong.
Even if no one seems to listen, she said, it's important to raise your voice, and she led them in "This Little Light of Mine."
Married once years ago and divorced, she is survived by a daughter, Michelle Esrick of New York, and a son, Boots Jaffre of Fort Collins, Colo.
Yeager says a memorial service is planned for next month.
http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music/2008/12/04/2008-12-04_odetta_left_message_of_hope.html
BY DAVID HINCKLEY, DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER, Thursday, December 4, 2008
Less than a week before she died, the city's much-loved singer Odetta urged her fans and admirers to keep the faith.
The Thanksgiving message, sent from the Lenox Hill Hospital bed where she died Tuesday of heart disease at 77, underscored her lifetime of commitment, in social activism and song, to what she called positive change.
"The world is trembling under the weight of many problems," she wrote, but she urged everyone to still give thanks for friends and community.
She was exhilarated, friends said yesterday, by the election victory of Barack Obama, whose ascension she considered the fruit of a half-century of activism in which she had played an unrelenting role.
She sang alongside the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. at the 1963 March on Washington, and she had hoped to return to sing at Obama's inauguration, according to her longtime manager, Doug Yeager.
She was known as a folk singer, though she recorded blues, rock, popular and classical music.
"I'm called a folk singer because it's short and easy, I guess," she said in 1987. "I don't mind. But I'm really a song interpreter. We have all kinds of songs going on within us."
With a voice that could range from a whisper to a roar, she became a major influence on artists from Harry Belafonte to Joan Baez and Bob Dylan. John Waters saluted her stature in "Hairspray" with a beatnik played by Pia Zadora who purred, "When I'm high, I am Odetta."
She was nominated for several Grammys and awarded the National Medal of the Arts in 1999.
Brought up in Los Angeles on popular and classical music, she also was drawn to topical folk songs and artists like Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith.
"I learned black history from music," she said, and one of her life missions was to pass along those lessons.
One of her last appearances was in October, when she sang from a wheelchair for tens of thousands in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park.
She was a familiar figure in many places around New York, where she lived for much of her life at 110th St. and Fifth Ave.
On the eve of the 1991 Persian Gulf War, she gathered a group of children atthe Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine and told them they needed to tell grownups war is wrong.
Even if no one seems to listen, she said, it's important to raise your voice, and she led them in "This Little Light of Mine."
Married once years ago and divorced, she is survived by a daughter, Michelle Esrick of New York, and a son, Boots Jaffre of Fort Collins, Colo.
Yeager says a memorial service is planned for next month.
http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music/2008/12/04/2008-12-04_odetta_left_message_of_hope.html
Monday, December 8, 2008
TreeHugger Interviews Eliza Gilkyson
TreeHugger Interviews Eliza Gilkyson, Folk Music's Environmental Troubadour
by Trevor Reichman on 12. 6.08
Folk Music Troubadour, Eliza Gilkyson, is currently touring in support of her new release, "Beautiful World", an album which tackles environmental issues, and not timidly. Eliza Glkyson, who has toured with folk greats such as Patty Griffin and Richard Thompson and most recently had 2 songs covered by Joan Baez, offsets all of her touring with carbon credits and also uses a portable solar powered system to power her local shows in Austin, TX. But Eliza doesn't think that is doing enough. Read further for an exclusive interview with Eliza Gilkyson and her perspective on the the possibilities of green touring and a "great correction":
1)TH: At the moment, you are offsetting all of your touring with carbon credits as well as performing in your hometown using a portable solar powered system. What is the next step for you in your future of green touring ? Name one immediate, easily realized goal in your near future, and one extreme, very challenging, far-off, but attainable fantasy of yours in a further future? Don't hold back on this one. Anything goes.
Eliza: A small goal I want to reach by my next release is to use recycled cardboard for the cover. I am proud to say I was the first at the label to push for the jettisoning of plastic jewel cases. But on a larger scale, although I perform via solar when I can at home and practice restraint on the road, I worry about the trendy purchasing of carbon credits and green consumer choices as doing little more than assuaging the consciences of musicians so we can continue to live at ridiculous levels of privilege and advantage in a first world nation that feeds off the disadvantaged third world's resources, whether a group of us minimize our footprints or not. I have had to confront that in my own life just recently.
I consulted with a local solar company to take my house here in Austin off the grid entirely, and my consultant Neal Turley of Sustainable Waves had to remind me, although I could afford a system that was not on the grid, that the righteous thing to do is grid tie in a city so that you are actually giving back into the community. I was truly humbled by that remark, and have thought long and hard about how it illuminates the way I was conditioned to think in a capitalist economic system: as long as I have MY solar panels and MY storage batteries and MY ass is covered then everyone else can either sink or swim. This whole way of thinking is deeply ingrained in our culture via our infatuation with the "American Dream" fantasy, the whole "I-got-mine-now-you-go-get-yours" motivation that has bred an insane and unsustainable level of consumption, self absorption,and corruption in our country.
I see the danger of the green movement falling into another form of the same kind of self-centered thinking. You know, as long as I can use these efficient light bulbs, green products, and fill up my tourbus with biofuel I can still go out and make a ridiculous amount of guilt-free money and live in my oversized solar powered home(or homes) and drive my hybrid Lexus SUV and hey you can do that too and all's well with the world. But no, all is not well with the world. Just look at the stats around who is having a food shortage based on the biofuel demand.
I think it's important for us musicians to ponder the possibility that touring will not be an acceptable usage of any kind of fuel if the future holds the kinds of restrictions necessary for survival. Are we willing to just be the local musicians in the village without the glamorous dream of becoming the latest national whatever? These questions are confronting and possibly extreme, but they set in motion new thoughts on how communities can survive on a smaller scale. As an interesting alternative to touring, one might go have a look at Michael Nesmith's project, Videoranch. But of course we will need fuel to run all those servers.
the rest is at
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/12/eliza-gilkyson-interview.php
by Trevor Reichman on 12. 6.08
Folk Music Troubadour, Eliza Gilkyson, is currently touring in support of her new release, "Beautiful World", an album which tackles environmental issues, and not timidly. Eliza Glkyson, who has toured with folk greats such as Patty Griffin and Richard Thompson and most recently had 2 songs covered by Joan Baez, offsets all of her touring with carbon credits and also uses a portable solar powered system to power her local shows in Austin, TX. But Eliza doesn't think that is doing enough. Read further for an exclusive interview with Eliza Gilkyson and her perspective on the the possibilities of green touring and a "great correction":
1)TH: At the moment, you are offsetting all of your touring with carbon credits as well as performing in your hometown using a portable solar powered system. What is the next step for you in your future of green touring ? Name one immediate, easily realized goal in your near future, and one extreme, very challenging, far-off, but attainable fantasy of yours in a further future? Don't hold back on this one. Anything goes.
Eliza: A small goal I want to reach by my next release is to use recycled cardboard for the cover. I am proud to say I was the first at the label to push for the jettisoning of plastic jewel cases. But on a larger scale, although I perform via solar when I can at home and practice restraint on the road, I worry about the trendy purchasing of carbon credits and green consumer choices as doing little more than assuaging the consciences of musicians so we can continue to live at ridiculous levels of privilege and advantage in a first world nation that feeds off the disadvantaged third world's resources, whether a group of us minimize our footprints or not. I have had to confront that in my own life just recently.
I consulted with a local solar company to take my house here in Austin off the grid entirely, and my consultant Neal Turley of Sustainable Waves had to remind me, although I could afford a system that was not on the grid, that the righteous thing to do is grid tie in a city so that you are actually giving back into the community. I was truly humbled by that remark, and have thought long and hard about how it illuminates the way I was conditioned to think in a capitalist economic system: as long as I have MY solar panels and MY storage batteries and MY ass is covered then everyone else can either sink or swim. This whole way of thinking is deeply ingrained in our culture via our infatuation with the "American Dream" fantasy, the whole "I-got-mine-now-you-go-get-yours" motivation that has bred an insane and unsustainable level of consumption, self absorption,and corruption in our country.
I see the danger of the green movement falling into another form of the same kind of self-centered thinking. You know, as long as I can use these efficient light bulbs, green products, and fill up my tourbus with biofuel I can still go out and make a ridiculous amount of guilt-free money and live in my oversized solar powered home(or homes) and drive my hybrid Lexus SUV and hey you can do that too and all's well with the world. But no, all is not well with the world. Just look at the stats around who is having a food shortage based on the biofuel demand.
I think it's important for us musicians to ponder the possibility that touring will not be an acceptable usage of any kind of fuel if the future holds the kinds of restrictions necessary for survival. Are we willing to just be the local musicians in the village without the glamorous dream of becoming the latest national whatever? These questions are confronting and possibly extreme, but they set in motion new thoughts on how communities can survive on a smaller scale. As an interesting alternative to touring, one might go have a look at Michael Nesmith's project, Videoranch. But of course we will need fuel to run all those servers.
the rest is at
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/12/eliza-gilkyson-interview.php
Sunday, December 7, 2008
12/7/08 Playlist
1. Robin & Linda Williams: Going, Going Gone (Buena Vista), Red House 213 www.redhouserecords.com
2. Todd Snider: The Ballad of Cape Henry (Peace Queer), Aimless www.toddsnider.net
3. Cosy Sheridan: The Canyon Rim (Eros), Wind River 4042 www.folkera.com/windriver
4. Tom Morello/The Nightwatchman: Battle Hymns (One Man Revolution), Epic 67546
5. Joan Baez (Grammy nominee): The Scarlet Tide (Day after Tomorrow), Bobolink / Razor & Tie www.razorandtie.com
6. Jackson Browne: Looking East (Yes We Can: Voices of a Grassroots Movement), Hidden Beach www.hiddenbeach.com
7. Kathy Mattea (Grammy nominee): You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive (Coal), Captain Potato www.mattea.com
Interview with Laurie Lewis and Craig Smith, recorded 12/5/08 www.laurielewis.com
8. Laurie Lewis and The Right Hands: Texas Bluebonnets (Live), Spruce & Maple 2004
9. Laurie and Craig: Weevily Wheat (live)
10. Laurie and Craig: untitled song, written by Laurie and Scott Huffman (live)
11. Laurie and Craig: My Heart's Own Love (live)
12. Laurie: Wood Thrush (live)
13. Laurie and Craig: Willie Poor Boy (live)
Christmas give-aways!
14. Loreena McKennitt: Noel Nouvelet! (A Midwinter Night's Dream), Quinlan Road 12096 www.quinlanroad.com
15. Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer: The Ditchling Carol (American Noel), Signature Sounds 2011 www.signaturesounds.com
16. Mindy Smith: My Holiday (My Holiday), Vanguard 79838
17. Alison Brown Quartet with Joe Craven: O'Carolan's / Welcome Christmas (Evergreen), Compass 4470 www.compassrecords.com
18 & 19. Rick Lang and Friends: The Season of My Heart & Decorate the Tree with Love (The Season of My Heart), private
The Dreaded Folk Calendar over selections from Wagtail's "One Clear Moment," self www.wagtailmusic.com
A small remembrance of Odetta;
20. Jack O'Diamonds (Odetta Sings Ballads and Blues), Tradition 1004
21. Bourgeois Blues (Lookin' for A Home), M.C. Records 0044 www.mc-records.com
22. The Fox (To Ella), Silverwolf 012 www.silverwolfmusic.com
23. Maria Muldaur with Odetta and others: We Shall Be Free (Yes We Can!), Telarc 83672 www.telarc.com
24. Midnight Special (The Best of WoodSongs Volume Three), PoetMan www.woodsongs.com
It's Tom Waits's birthday:
25. Road to Peace (Orphans), Anti- 86677, radio promo
More Grammy nominees:
26. Dr. John and The Lower 911: Black Gold (City That Care Forgot), 429 Records www.429records.com
27. Marcia Ball: Peace, Love & BBQ (Peace, Love & BBQ), Alligator 4922 www.marciaball.com
28. Pete Seeger: If It Can't Be Reduced (At 89), Appleseed 1113 www.appleseedmusic.com
29. Peggy Seeger: Dink's Song (Bring Me Home), Appleseed 1106 www.appleseedmusic.com
30. Tom Paxton: Home To Me [Is Anywhere You Are] (Comedians & Angels), Appleseed 1105 www.appleseedmusic.com
31. Eliza Gilkyson et al: Peace Call (Land of Milk and Honey), Red House 174 www.redhouserecords.com
2. Todd Snider: The Ballad of Cape Henry (Peace Queer), Aimless www.toddsnider.net
3. Cosy Sheridan: The Canyon Rim (Eros), Wind River 4042 www.folkera.com/windriver
4. Tom Morello/The Nightwatchman: Battle Hymns (One Man Revolution), Epic 67546
5. Joan Baez (Grammy nominee): The Scarlet Tide (Day after Tomorrow), Bobolink / Razor & Tie www.razorandtie.com
6. Jackson Browne: Looking East (Yes We Can: Voices of a Grassroots Movement), Hidden Beach www.hiddenbeach.com
7. Kathy Mattea (Grammy nominee): You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive (Coal), Captain Potato www.mattea.com
Interview with Laurie Lewis and Craig Smith, recorded 12/5/08 www.laurielewis.com
8. Laurie Lewis and The Right Hands: Texas Bluebonnets (Live), Spruce & Maple 2004
9. Laurie and Craig: Weevily Wheat (live)
10. Laurie and Craig: untitled song, written by Laurie and Scott Huffman (live)
11. Laurie and Craig: My Heart's Own Love (live)
12. Laurie: Wood Thrush (live)
13. Laurie and Craig: Willie Poor Boy (live)
Christmas give-aways!
14. Loreena McKennitt: Noel Nouvelet! (A Midwinter Night's Dream), Quinlan Road 12096 www.quinlanroad.com
15. Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer: The Ditchling Carol (American Noel), Signature Sounds 2011 www.signaturesounds.com
16. Mindy Smith: My Holiday (My Holiday), Vanguard 79838
17. Alison Brown Quartet with Joe Craven: O'Carolan's / Welcome Christmas (Evergreen), Compass 4470 www.compassrecords.com
18 & 19. Rick Lang and Friends: The Season of My Heart & Decorate the Tree with Love (The Season of My Heart), private
The Dreaded Folk Calendar over selections from Wagtail's "One Clear Moment," self www.wagtailmusic.com
A small remembrance of Odetta;
20. Jack O'Diamonds (Odetta Sings Ballads and Blues), Tradition 1004
21. Bourgeois Blues (Lookin' for A Home), M.C. Records 0044 www.mc-records.com
22. The Fox (To Ella), Silverwolf 012 www.silverwolfmusic.com
23. Maria Muldaur with Odetta and others: We Shall Be Free (Yes We Can!), Telarc 83672 www.telarc.com
24. Midnight Special (The Best of WoodSongs Volume Three), PoetMan www.woodsongs.com
It's Tom Waits's birthday:
25. Road to Peace (Orphans), Anti- 86677, radio promo
More Grammy nominees:
26. Dr. John and The Lower 911: Black Gold (City That Care Forgot), 429 Records www.429records.com
27. Marcia Ball: Peace, Love & BBQ (Peace, Love & BBQ), Alligator 4922 www.marciaball.com
28. Pete Seeger: If It Can't Be Reduced (At 89), Appleseed 1113 www.appleseedmusic.com
29. Peggy Seeger: Dink's Song (Bring Me Home), Appleseed 1106 www.appleseedmusic.com
30. Tom Paxton: Home To Me [Is Anywhere You Are] (Comedians & Angels), Appleseed 1105 www.appleseedmusic.com
31. Eliza Gilkyson et al: Peace Call (Land of Milk and Honey), Red House 174 www.redhouserecords.com
Friday, December 5, 2008
Love McCutcheon's "Christmas in The Trenches?"
In John's latest newsletter he talks about "a plan in the works for commemorating the events that inspired “Christmas in the Trenches” on December 24th, 2014, the one hundredth anniversary of the Truce.
"This is advanced warning that there will be an event at the site of the 1914 Christmas Eve Truce to commemorate one of the most courageous events ever to happen on a battlefield. Many musicians from all over the world are planning to attend. So save up your frequent flyer miles and keep checking the web site www.folkmusic.com, as we’ll have updates as the date approaches."
"This is advanced warning that there will be an event at the site of the 1914 Christmas Eve Truce to commemorate one of the most courageous events ever to happen on a battlefield. Many musicians from all over the world are planning to attend. So save up your frequent flyer miles and keep checking the web site www.folkmusic.com, as we’ll have updates as the date approaches."
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Odetta Dies at 77
From the New York Times, Dec. 3, 2008
By TIM WEINER
Published: December 3, 2008
Odetta, the singer whose deep voice wove together the strongest songs of American folk music and the civil rights movement, died on Tuesday at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan. She was 77.
The cause was heart disease, said her manager, Doug Yeager. He added that she had been hoping to sing at Barack Obama’s inauguration.
Odetta sang at coffeehouses and at Carnegie Hall, made highly influential recordings of blues and ballads, and became one of the most widely known folk-music artists of the 1950s and ’60s. She was a formative influence on dozens of artists, including Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and Janis Joplin.
Her voice was an accompaniment to the black-and-white images of the freedom marchers who walked the roads of Alabama and Mississippi and the boulevards of Washington in the quest to end racial discrimination.
Rosa Parks, the woman who started the boycott of segregated buses in Montgomery, Ala., was once asked which songs meant the most to her. She replied, “All of the songs Odetta sings.”
Odetta sang at the march on Washington, a pivotal event in the civil rights movement, in August 1963. Her song that day was “O Freedom,” dating to slavery days: “O freedom, O freedom, O freedom over me, And before I’d be a slave, I’d be buried in my grave, And go home to my Lord and be free.”
Odetta Holmes was born in Birmingham, Ala., on Dec. 31, 1930, in the depths of the Depression. The music of that time and place — particularly prison songs and work songs recorded in the fields of the Deep South — shaped her life.
“They were liberation songs,” she said in a videotaped interview with The New York Times in 2007 for its online feature “The Last Word.” “You’re walking down life’s road, society’s foot is on your throat, every which way you turn you can’t get from under that foot. And you reach a fork in the road and you can either lie down and die, or insist upon your life.”
Her father, Reuben Holmes, died when she was young, and in 1937 she and her mother, Flora Sanders, moved to Los Angeles. Three years later, Odetta discovered that she could sing.
“A teacher told my mother that I had a voice, that maybe I should study,” she recalled. “But I myself didn’t have anything to measure it by.”
She found her own voice by listening to blues, jazz and folk music from the African-American and Anglo-American traditions. She earned a music degree from Los Angeles City College. Her training in classical music and musical theater was “a nice exercise, but it had nothing to do with my life,” she said.
“The folk songs were — the anger,” she emphasized.
In a 2005 National Public Radio interview, she said: “School taught me how to count and taught me how to put a sentence together. But as far as the human spirit goes, I learned through folk music.”
In 1950, Odetta began singing professionally in a West Coast production of the musical “Finian’s Rainbow,” but she found a stronger calling in the bohemian coffeehouses of San Francisco. “We would finish our play, we’d go to the joint, and people would sit around playing guitars and singing songs and it felt like home,” she said.
She began singing in nightclubs, cutting a striking figure with her guitar and her close-cropped hair.
Her voice plunged deep and soared high, and her songs blended the personal and the political, the theatrical and the spiritual. Her first solo album, “Odetta Sings Ballads and Blues,” resonated with an audience hearing old songs made new.
Bob Dylan, referring to that recording, said in a 1978 interview, “The first thing that turned me on to folk singing was Odetta.” He said he heard something “vital and personal,” and added, “I learned all the songs on that record.” It was her first, and the songs were “Mule Skinner,” “Jack of Diamonds,” “Water Boy,” “ ’Buked and Scorned.”
Her blues and spirituals led directly to her work for the civil rights movement. They were two rivers running together, she said in her interview with The Times. The words and music captured “the fury and frustration that I had growing up.”
Her fame hit a peak in 1963, when she marched with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and performed for President John F. Kennedy. But after King was assassinated in 1968, the wind went out of the sails of the civil rights movement and the songs of protest and resistance that had been the movement’s soundtrack. Odetta’s fame flagged for years thereafter.
In 1999 President Bill Clinton awarded Odetta the National Endowment for the Arts Medal of the Arts and Humanities.
Odetta was married three times: to Don Gordon, to Gary Shead, and, in 1977, to the blues musician Iverson Minter, known professionally as Louisiana Red. The first two marriages ended in divorce; Mr. Minter moved to Germany in 1983 to pursue his performing career.
She was singing and performing well into the 21st century, and her influence stayed strong.
In April 2007, half a century after Bob Dylan first heard her, she was on stage at a Carnegie Hall tribute to Bruce Springsteen. She turned one of his songs, “57 Channels,” into a chanted poem, and Mr. Springsteen came out from the wings to call it “the greatest version” of the song he had ever heard.
Reviewing a December 2006 performance, James Reed of The Boston Globe wrote: “Odetta’s voice is still a force of nature — something commented upon endlessly as folks exited the auditorium — and her phrasing and sensibility for a song have grown more complex and shaded.”
The critic called her “a majestic figure in American music, a direct gateway to bygone generations that feel so foreign today.”
20-minute docu-video of a recent interview:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/03/arts/music/03odetta.html?_r=1
By TIM WEINER
Published: December 3, 2008
Odetta, the singer whose deep voice wove together the strongest songs of American folk music and the civil rights movement, died on Tuesday at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan. She was 77.
The cause was heart disease, said her manager, Doug Yeager. He added that she had been hoping to sing at Barack Obama’s inauguration.
Odetta sang at coffeehouses and at Carnegie Hall, made highly influential recordings of blues and ballads, and became one of the most widely known folk-music artists of the 1950s and ’60s. She was a formative influence on dozens of artists, including Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and Janis Joplin.
Her voice was an accompaniment to the black-and-white images of the freedom marchers who walked the roads of Alabama and Mississippi and the boulevards of Washington in the quest to end racial discrimination.
Rosa Parks, the woman who started the boycott of segregated buses in Montgomery, Ala., was once asked which songs meant the most to her. She replied, “All of the songs Odetta sings.”
Odetta sang at the march on Washington, a pivotal event in the civil rights movement, in August 1963. Her song that day was “O Freedom,” dating to slavery days: “O freedom, O freedom, O freedom over me, And before I’d be a slave, I’d be buried in my grave, And go home to my Lord and be free.”
Odetta Holmes was born in Birmingham, Ala., on Dec. 31, 1930, in the depths of the Depression. The music of that time and place — particularly prison songs and work songs recorded in the fields of the Deep South — shaped her life.
“They were liberation songs,” she said in a videotaped interview with The New York Times in 2007 for its online feature “The Last Word.” “You’re walking down life’s road, society’s foot is on your throat, every which way you turn you can’t get from under that foot. And you reach a fork in the road and you can either lie down and die, or insist upon your life.”
Her father, Reuben Holmes, died when she was young, and in 1937 she and her mother, Flora Sanders, moved to Los Angeles. Three years later, Odetta discovered that she could sing.
“A teacher told my mother that I had a voice, that maybe I should study,” she recalled. “But I myself didn’t have anything to measure it by.”
She found her own voice by listening to blues, jazz and folk music from the African-American and Anglo-American traditions. She earned a music degree from Los Angeles City College. Her training in classical music and musical theater was “a nice exercise, but it had nothing to do with my life,” she said.
“The folk songs were — the anger,” she emphasized.
In a 2005 National Public Radio interview, she said: “School taught me how to count and taught me how to put a sentence together. But as far as the human spirit goes, I learned through folk music.”
In 1950, Odetta began singing professionally in a West Coast production of the musical “Finian’s Rainbow,” but she found a stronger calling in the bohemian coffeehouses of San Francisco. “We would finish our play, we’d go to the joint, and people would sit around playing guitars and singing songs and it felt like home,” she said.
She began singing in nightclubs, cutting a striking figure with her guitar and her close-cropped hair.
Her voice plunged deep and soared high, and her songs blended the personal and the political, the theatrical and the spiritual. Her first solo album, “Odetta Sings Ballads and Blues,” resonated with an audience hearing old songs made new.
Bob Dylan, referring to that recording, said in a 1978 interview, “The first thing that turned me on to folk singing was Odetta.” He said he heard something “vital and personal,” and added, “I learned all the songs on that record.” It was her first, and the songs were “Mule Skinner,” “Jack of Diamonds,” “Water Boy,” “ ’Buked and Scorned.”
Her blues and spirituals led directly to her work for the civil rights movement. They were two rivers running together, she said in her interview with The Times. The words and music captured “the fury and frustration that I had growing up.”
Her fame hit a peak in 1963, when she marched with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and performed for President John F. Kennedy. But after King was assassinated in 1968, the wind went out of the sails of the civil rights movement and the songs of protest and resistance that had been the movement’s soundtrack. Odetta’s fame flagged for years thereafter.
In 1999 President Bill Clinton awarded Odetta the National Endowment for the Arts Medal of the Arts and Humanities.
Odetta was married three times: to Don Gordon, to Gary Shead, and, in 1977, to the blues musician Iverson Minter, known professionally as Louisiana Red. The first two marriages ended in divorce; Mr. Minter moved to Germany in 1983 to pursue his performing career.
She was singing and performing well into the 21st century, and her influence stayed strong.
In April 2007, half a century after Bob Dylan first heard her, she was on stage at a Carnegie Hall tribute to Bruce Springsteen. She turned one of his songs, “57 Channels,” into a chanted poem, and Mr. Springsteen came out from the wings to call it “the greatest version” of the song he had ever heard.
Reviewing a December 2006 performance, James Reed of The Boston Globe wrote: “Odetta’s voice is still a force of nature — something commented upon endlessly as folks exited the auditorium — and her phrasing and sensibility for a song have grown more complex and shaded.”
The critic called her “a majestic figure in American music, a direct gateway to bygone generations that feel so foreign today.”
20-minute docu-video of a recent interview:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/03/arts/music/03odetta.html?_r=1
Sunday, November 30, 2008
11/30/08 Playlist
A short show, preempted around 8:25pm:
1. Truckstop Honeymoon: Nobody Asks Me (Great Big Family), Squirrel 1054 www.truckstophoneymoon.com
2. Ben Sollee: Bury Me with My Car (Learning to Bend), Thirty Tigers / Sona Blast 1015 www.bensollee.com
3. The Figs: Cross That Bridge (The Figs), Valcour 0003 www.thefigsband.com
4. Still on The Hill: One Good Leg (Ozark), self www.stillonthehill.com
5. Asylum Street Spankers: Asylum Street Blues (slightly edited, from What? And Give Up Show Biz?), Yellow Dog 1408 www.yellowdogrecords.com/spankers
6. Beausoleil: Basco Stomp (download -- from the forthcoming Alligator Purse), Yep Roc
7. Annbjorg Lien: Home East (Waltz with Me), Compass 4492 www.compassrecords.com
8. Barry & Holly Tashian: The Grey Funnel Line (Long Story Short), Rock-A-Lot 008 www.tashianmusic.com
9. The Bluelights: Down and Out (Rub That Rhythm), self www.bluelightsjugband.com
10. Blue Mule: Kitty Creek (Scratchy), Flat Five Press 1135 www.bluemulemusic.com
11. Emmylou Harris: Kern River (All I Intended to Be), Nonesuch 480444
12. Jed Marum: Yankee in Texas (Ain't No Goin' Back), EP Boston Road Records www.bostonroadrecords.com
A few songs for the coming season and the current chill:
13. Matt & Shannon Heaton (at P.A.C.E. 12/6: Fine Winter's Night (Fine Winter's Night), self www.MattandShannonHeaton.com
14. Joel Mabus: Snow on The Water (The Joel Mabus Omnibus), Fossil 1908 www.joelmabus.com
15. Kitty Donohoe / The Yellow Room Gang: Winter Dark (Happy New Day), Yellow Room Records 009 www.yellowroomgang.com
16. Loreena McKennitt: Snow (A Midwinter Night's Dream), Quinlan Road 12096 www.quinlanroad.com
17. Krista Detor: A Traveler in Winter (The Silver Wood), Tightrope www.kristadetor.com
The guy’s view of the failed romance………
18. Chris Stuart and Backcountry: I Remember Memphis (Crooked Man), self www.chrisstuart.com/crookedman
19. Barry & Holly Tashian: Honey, Where's The Money Gone (Long Story Short), Rock-A-Lot 008 www.tashianmusic.com
20. Joel Mabus: The Book I Gave Up Reading (The Joel Mabus Omnibus), Fossil 1908 www.joelmabus.com
21. Annabelle Chvostek: The Sioux (Resilience), Borealis 193 www.borealisrecords.com]
1. Truckstop Honeymoon: Nobody Asks Me (Great Big Family), Squirrel 1054 www.truckstophoneymoon.com
2. Ben Sollee: Bury Me with My Car (Learning to Bend), Thirty Tigers / Sona Blast 1015 www.bensollee.com
3. The Figs: Cross That Bridge (The Figs), Valcour 0003 www.thefigsband.com
4. Still on The Hill: One Good Leg (Ozark), self www.stillonthehill.com
5. Asylum Street Spankers: Asylum Street Blues (slightly edited, from What? And Give Up Show Biz?), Yellow Dog 1408 www.yellowdogrecords.com/spankers
6. Beausoleil: Basco Stomp (download -- from the forthcoming Alligator Purse), Yep Roc
7. Annbjorg Lien: Home East (Waltz with Me), Compass 4492 www.compassrecords.com
8. Barry & Holly Tashian: The Grey Funnel Line (Long Story Short), Rock-A-Lot 008 www.tashianmusic.com
9. The Bluelights: Down and Out (Rub That Rhythm), self www.bluelightsjugband.com
10. Blue Mule: Kitty Creek (Scratchy), Flat Five Press 1135 www.bluemulemusic.com
11. Emmylou Harris: Kern River (All I Intended to Be), Nonesuch 480444
12. Jed Marum: Yankee in Texas (Ain't No Goin' Back), EP Boston Road Records www.bostonroadrecords.com
A few songs for the coming season and the current chill:
13. Matt & Shannon Heaton (at P.A.C.E. 12/6: Fine Winter's Night (Fine Winter's Night), self www.MattandShannonHeaton.com
14. Joel Mabus: Snow on The Water (The Joel Mabus Omnibus), Fossil 1908 www.joelmabus.com
15. Kitty Donohoe / The Yellow Room Gang: Winter Dark (Happy New Day), Yellow Room Records 009 www.yellowroomgang.com
16. Loreena McKennitt: Snow (A Midwinter Night's Dream), Quinlan Road 12096 www.quinlanroad.com
17. Krista Detor: A Traveler in Winter (The Silver Wood), Tightrope www.kristadetor.com
The guy’s view of the failed romance………
18. Chris Stuart and Backcountry: I Remember Memphis (Crooked Man), self www.chrisstuart.com/crookedman
19. Barry & Holly Tashian: Honey, Where's The Money Gone (Long Story Short), Rock-A-Lot 008 www.tashianmusic.com
20. Joel Mabus: The Book I Gave Up Reading (The Joel Mabus Omnibus), Fossil 1908 www.joelmabus.com
21. Annabelle Chvostek: The Sioux (Resilience), Borealis 193 www.borealisrecords.com]
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
A Funny Bit from John Gorka's Website
Woody, Cisco and Me
I first met Woody Guthrie in Chico, CA in late July, 1938. He and Cisco Houston had been invited to play at an afternoon rally for a new fruit pickers union. I attended and hovered around afterwards but didn’t have the nerve to try and say hello. Later that evening I followed Woody, Cisco, and a small group of hangers on as they moved to a bar in downtown Chico. The place had an Irish sounding name as I recall — Muldoon’s or Mulrooney’s. Several people offered to buy them drinks. ”Well,” Woody said, “I only drink in two situations — when I’m alone or with somebody.” Since it was a warm evening in July both the front and the backdoors were open so I was able sneak a peek and listen to the grown-ups even though I wasn’t old enough to go inside. After eating sandwiches at the bar they moved to the back room and out came the instruments. I moved to the back entrance to listen and I remember hearing Gypsy Davy, and what would become some of Woody’s dustbowl ballads (recorded in Camden, NJ, 1940). At one point Cisco came out the back to have a smoke and he saw me there and asked if I had eaten lately and would I like a root beer. I said I’d had some jerky and peanuts but I would love the root beer although I didn’t have the money to pay for one. Cisco said “Don’t worry about it kid,” got me the root beer and went back inside to make some more music.
That music went on and on and eventually I fell asleep listening. When I woke up I had my head on my pack and someone had put a red and white checkered table cloth over me as a blanket. I stirred as they left the bar, still singing. Woody and Cisco’s ride to Los Angeles never showed up so a guy who wrote under the name “Mick Inkmann” for the local paper said he could give them a lift out to the main highway. From there they planned to hitch hike to Los Angeles or at least to Sacramento. The newspaperman’s car had a rumble seat that was open & unoccupied so I jumped in and kept my head out of sight. At a railroad crossing the car stopped for a freight train moving slowly south out of town. At the north end of the train we saw a boxcar door open and 4 men jumped out looking like certified hoboes. Woody and Cisco quickly decided a change of plans was in order, jumped out of the car, thanked Mick and hopped up through the open boxcar door. I scrambled out, startling the Local Press, and ran for the train. Woody saw me and pulled me up into the car. They asked my name and I told them and we sat and talked or rather shouted over the sounds of the moving train. I told them of the many places I had been and all the people I had met but that more than anything I wanted to do what they were doing. It quickly dawned on Woody that the account of my travels was not technically factual and he stopped me and said “How old are you kid?” I said that “strictly speaking I won’t be born for another 20 years or so”. There was a pause then Woody said “What’s a preconceived notion like you doing on a train like this?” I said that “the musical standard that you and Pete and Leadbelly were setting was so high that the aspiring folksingers of the future needed to get as early a start as possible. So that’s why I’m here – to observe my heroes up close and personal, even though it did take some doing to make the arrangements.” Woody looked at Cisco. Cisco looked at Woody. Without saying a word they both picked me up and heaved me out of the boxcar door.
Somehow they must have known they could not harm my immortal soul in the process.
As I tumbled eastward down the embankment they yelled that I should be more careful in picking my heroes. I waved and sang a little bit of the chorus of “So Long It’s Been Good to Know You” which prompted rude, synchronized gestures from the two of them.
I smiled to myself and continued to roll slowly and steadily to the east, rolling up the Sierras and down through the desert, then up the Western Slope of the Rockies and down into the Plains, only stopping on a summer Sunday afternoon in Newark, NJ where I was born, again – so to speak, bound to sing, if not actually bound for glory.
John Gorka, December, 2007
I first met Woody Guthrie in Chico, CA in late July, 1938. He and Cisco Houston had been invited to play at an afternoon rally for a new fruit pickers union. I attended and hovered around afterwards but didn’t have the nerve to try and say hello. Later that evening I followed Woody, Cisco, and a small group of hangers on as they moved to a bar in downtown Chico. The place had an Irish sounding name as I recall — Muldoon’s or Mulrooney’s. Several people offered to buy them drinks. ”Well,” Woody said, “I only drink in two situations — when I’m alone or with somebody.” Since it was a warm evening in July both the front and the backdoors were open so I was able sneak a peek and listen to the grown-ups even though I wasn’t old enough to go inside. After eating sandwiches at the bar they moved to the back room and out came the instruments. I moved to the back entrance to listen and I remember hearing Gypsy Davy, and what would become some of Woody’s dustbowl ballads (recorded in Camden, NJ, 1940). At one point Cisco came out the back to have a smoke and he saw me there and asked if I had eaten lately and would I like a root beer. I said I’d had some jerky and peanuts but I would love the root beer although I didn’t have the money to pay for one. Cisco said “Don’t worry about it kid,” got me the root beer and went back inside to make some more music.
That music went on and on and eventually I fell asleep listening. When I woke up I had my head on my pack and someone had put a red and white checkered table cloth over me as a blanket. I stirred as they left the bar, still singing. Woody and Cisco’s ride to Los Angeles never showed up so a guy who wrote under the name “Mick Inkmann” for the local paper said he could give them a lift out to the main highway. From there they planned to hitch hike to Los Angeles or at least to Sacramento. The newspaperman’s car had a rumble seat that was open & unoccupied so I jumped in and kept my head out of sight. At a railroad crossing the car stopped for a freight train moving slowly south out of town. At the north end of the train we saw a boxcar door open and 4 men jumped out looking like certified hoboes. Woody and Cisco quickly decided a change of plans was in order, jumped out of the car, thanked Mick and hopped up through the open boxcar door. I scrambled out, startling the Local Press, and ran for the train. Woody saw me and pulled me up into the car. They asked my name and I told them and we sat and talked or rather shouted over the sounds of the moving train. I told them of the many places I had been and all the people I had met but that more than anything I wanted to do what they were doing. It quickly dawned on Woody that the account of my travels was not technically factual and he stopped me and said “How old are you kid?” I said that “strictly speaking I won’t be born for another 20 years or so”. There was a pause then Woody said “What’s a preconceived notion like you doing on a train like this?” I said that “the musical standard that you and Pete and Leadbelly were setting was so high that the aspiring folksingers of the future needed to get as early a start as possible. So that’s why I’m here – to observe my heroes up close and personal, even though it did take some doing to make the arrangements.” Woody looked at Cisco. Cisco looked at Woody. Without saying a word they both picked me up and heaved me out of the boxcar door.
Somehow they must have known they could not harm my immortal soul in the process.
As I tumbled eastward down the embankment they yelled that I should be more careful in picking my heroes. I waved and sang a little bit of the chorus of “So Long It’s Been Good to Know You” which prompted rude, synchronized gestures from the two of them.
I smiled to myself and continued to roll slowly and steadily to the east, rolling up the Sierras and down through the desert, then up the Western Slope of the Rockies and down into the Plains, only stopping on a summer Sunday afternoon in Newark, NJ where I was born, again – so to speak, bound to sing, if not actually bound for glory.
John Gorka, December, 2007
Sunday, November 23, 2008
11/23/08 Playlist
NEW:
1. Annabelle Chvostek: I Left My Brain (Resilience), Borealis 193 www.borealisrecords.com
2. Bob Dylan: Tell Ol' Bill (Tell Tale Signs), Columbia 34747
3. Barry & Holly Tashian: Darkness on The Delta (Long Story Short), Rock-A-Lot 008 www.tashianmusic.com
4. Tom Kimmel: One World (Never Saw Blue), Point Clear 0007 www.tomkimmel.com
5. Autumn: Velvet Sky (Velvet Sky), Bull Creek 80361 www.autumnonline.com
6. Arlo Guthrie with The Dillards: Pastures of Plenty (Thirty-two Cents Postage Due), Rising Son 1127
Finally, I can play
7. Joni Mitchell: Urge for Going (Hits), Reprise 46326
8. Anne Hills: Brown Leaves (Beauty Attends), Collective Works 0502 www.collectiveworksmedia.com
9. Maddy Prior: Marigold / Harvest Home (Year), Park 20
10. Matt & Shannon Heaton: Harvest Time (Blue Skies Above), Eats Records 006 www.EatsRecords.com
11. Paul & Win Grace and Family: Autumn Harvest (Dance upon The Earth), Wellspring 4905
It's Steve Gillette's birthday:
12. Steve Gillette & Cindy Mangsen: When The First Leaves Fall (A Sense of Place), Redwing 5409 www.redwingmusic.com
13. Steve & Cindy: Johnny Appleseed (The Light of The Day), Compass Rose 7 www.compassrosemusic.com
14. Steve & Cindy: Hurricane (Being There), Compass Rose 11 www.compassrosemusic.com
Thanksgiving preview:
15. Si Kahn: Thanksgiving (Thanksgiving), Strictly Country Records 63 www.strictlycountryrecords.com
16. Mary Chapin Carpenter: Thanksgiving Song (Come Darkness, Come Light), Rounder Zoe 1123
17. John McCutcheon: Thanksgiving Day (Autumnsong), Rounder Kids 8037
18. Mary Gauthier: Thanksgiving (Between Daylight and Dark), Lost Highway 33857
Food insecurity:
19. Phil Lee: 3 Faces in The Window (Songbook Americana), Shanachie
20. Bill Morrissey: Picnic (The Silverwolf Homeless Project), Silverwolf 1002
21. Tom Paxton: Feed the Children (Up & Up), Mountain Railroad 52792
NEW & NEWISH:
22. Johnny Cash: Busted (At Folsom Prison), Columbia 38176
23. RJ Cowdery: Down the Road (One More Door), Goose Pie www.rjcowdery.com
24. Richard Berman: There Is No Gold (Now and Then), self www.richardberman.com
25. Tish Hinojosa (with Carrie Rodriguez): Mi Pueblo (Our Little Planet), Continental Song City 1049 www.mundotish.com
26. Tom May: The Words upon The Wire (Blue Roads Red Wine), Waterbug 80 www.tommayfolk.com
27. Kathy Mattea: You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive (Coal), Captain Potato www.mattea.com
The Dreaded Folk Calendar over selections from Lunasa's "The Story So Far," Compass 4475
Katrina Kids The Sickest Seen in The U.S. www.newsweek.com/id/170370
28. Dr. John with Willie Nelson: Promises Promises (City That Care Forgot ), 429 Records 17703 www.429records.com
29. Truckstop Honeymoon: The River & The Lake (Great Big Family), Squirrel 1054 www.truckstophoneymoon.com
"Richest 1 Percent Get Biggest Share of Income Ever..."
http://www.motherjones.com/mojoblog/archives/2008/07/9153_income_inequality_and_the_labor_movement.html
30. Carol Denney: The Rich Will Never Be Poor (The Rich Will Never Be Poor), self www.caroldenney.com
31. Peggy Seeger: Legal Illegal (Enough Is Enough), self www.pegseeger.com
32. James McMurtry: Can't Make It Here (radio edit -- download), self www.jamesmcmurtry.com
33. Bruce Springsteen: How Can A Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live (We Shall Overcome / American Land Edition), Columbia 88231
NEW & NEWISH:
34. Laurie Lewis & The Right Hands: Val's Cabin (Live), Spruce & Maple 2004 www.laurielewis.com
35. Houston Jones: Sleepy Armadillo (Calico Heart), Summerhill 004 www.houstonjones.com
36. Annbjorg Lien: The Old Car (Waltz with Me), Compass 4492 www.compassrecords.com
37. Eliza et al: Peace Call (Land of Milk and Honey), Red House 174 www.redhouserecords.com
1. Annabelle Chvostek: I Left My Brain (Resilience), Borealis 193 www.borealisrecords.com
2. Bob Dylan: Tell Ol' Bill (Tell Tale Signs), Columbia 34747
3. Barry & Holly Tashian: Darkness on The Delta (Long Story Short), Rock-A-Lot 008 www.tashianmusic.com
4. Tom Kimmel: One World (Never Saw Blue), Point Clear 0007 www.tomkimmel.com
5. Autumn: Velvet Sky (Velvet Sky), Bull Creek 80361 www.autumnonline.com
6. Arlo Guthrie with The Dillards: Pastures of Plenty (Thirty-two Cents Postage Due), Rising Son 1127
Finally, I can play
7. Joni Mitchell: Urge for Going (Hits), Reprise 46326
8. Anne Hills: Brown Leaves (Beauty Attends), Collective Works 0502 www.collectiveworksmedia.com
9. Maddy Prior: Marigold / Harvest Home (Year), Park 20
10. Matt & Shannon Heaton: Harvest Time (Blue Skies Above), Eats Records 006 www.EatsRecords.com
11. Paul & Win Grace and Family: Autumn Harvest (Dance upon The Earth), Wellspring 4905
It's Steve Gillette's birthday:
12. Steve Gillette & Cindy Mangsen: When The First Leaves Fall (A Sense of Place), Redwing 5409 www.redwingmusic.com
13. Steve & Cindy: Johnny Appleseed (The Light of The Day), Compass Rose 7 www.compassrosemusic.com
14. Steve & Cindy: Hurricane (Being There), Compass Rose 11 www.compassrosemusic.com
Thanksgiving preview:
15. Si Kahn: Thanksgiving (Thanksgiving), Strictly Country Records 63 www.strictlycountryrecords.com
16. Mary Chapin Carpenter: Thanksgiving Song (Come Darkness, Come Light), Rounder Zoe 1123
17. John McCutcheon: Thanksgiving Day (Autumnsong), Rounder Kids 8037
18. Mary Gauthier: Thanksgiving (Between Daylight and Dark), Lost Highway 33857
Food insecurity:
19. Phil Lee: 3 Faces in The Window (Songbook Americana), Shanachie
20. Bill Morrissey: Picnic (The Silverwolf Homeless Project), Silverwolf 1002
21. Tom Paxton: Feed the Children (Up & Up), Mountain Railroad 52792
NEW & NEWISH:
22. Johnny Cash: Busted (At Folsom Prison), Columbia 38176
23. RJ Cowdery: Down the Road (One More Door), Goose Pie www.rjcowdery.com
24. Richard Berman: There Is No Gold (Now and Then), self www.richardberman.com
25. Tish Hinojosa (with Carrie Rodriguez): Mi Pueblo (Our Little Planet), Continental Song City 1049 www.mundotish.com
26. Tom May: The Words upon The Wire (Blue Roads Red Wine), Waterbug 80 www.tommayfolk.com
27. Kathy Mattea: You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive (Coal), Captain Potato www.mattea.com
The Dreaded Folk Calendar over selections from Lunasa's "The Story So Far," Compass 4475
Katrina Kids The Sickest Seen in The U.S. www.newsweek.com/id/170370
28. Dr. John with Willie Nelson: Promises Promises (City That Care Forgot ), 429 Records 17703 www.429records.com
29. Truckstop Honeymoon: The River & The Lake (Great Big Family), Squirrel 1054 www.truckstophoneymoon.com
"Richest 1 Percent Get Biggest Share of Income Ever..."
http://www.motherjones.com/mojoblog/archives/2008/07/9153_income_inequality_and_the_labor_movement.html
30. Carol Denney: The Rich Will Never Be Poor (The Rich Will Never Be Poor), self www.caroldenney.com
31. Peggy Seeger: Legal Illegal (Enough Is Enough), self www.pegseeger.com
32. James McMurtry: Can't Make It Here (radio edit -- download), self www.jamesmcmurtry.com
33. Bruce Springsteen: How Can A Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live (We Shall Overcome / American Land Edition), Columbia 88231
NEW & NEWISH:
34. Laurie Lewis & The Right Hands: Val's Cabin (Live), Spruce & Maple 2004 www.laurielewis.com
35. Houston Jones: Sleepy Armadillo (Calico Heart), Summerhill 004 www.houstonjones.com
36. Annbjorg Lien: The Old Car (Waltz with Me), Compass 4492 www.compassrecords.com
37. Eliza et al: Peace Call (Land of Milk and Honey), Red House 174 www.redhouserecords.com
Friday, November 21, 2008
Red House: The little label that just keeps spinning
by JEFF BAENEN, The Associated Press - Friday, November 21, 2008
ST. PAUL, Minn.
Digital music downloads, both legal and illegal. Declining record sales. The fickle tastes of the music-buying public. All make it tough enough to keep a small independent label afloat.
Add the unexpected death of the record company's owner and guiding light, and a label could be as obsolete as eight-track tapes.
But tiny Red House Records has managed to survive and even thrive since the death two years ago of president Bob Feldman. Thanks to its sturdy foundation and the passion of its staff, "The House That Bob Built" is celebrating its 25th anniversary and carrying on his mission - to bring the music to the people.
Red House's roster has featured folk stalwarts such as Loudon Wainwright III, former Jefferson Airplane guitarist Jorma Kaukonen and Ramblin' Jack Elliott, whose 1995 album "South Coast" won Red House its first and only Grammy. The label's appeal is mainly to public radio listeners and the coffeehouse crowd.
To celebrate its 25th anniversary, Red House caps a yearlong concert tour Saturday (Nov. 22) with a sold-out performance at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis, featuring Eliza Gilkyson, John Gorka and Cliff Eberhardt. A 64-song, three-CD boxed set, "Red House 25: A Silver Anniversary Retrospective," is set for release Tuesday (Nov. 25).
Losing Feldman, a hands-on businessman who once ran Red House from his apartment and sold records from his trunk, was emotionally devastating to his staff. But it also re-energized the St. Paul-based label, which specializes in folk, roots music and Americana. The employees knew what had happened at other labels when the sole owner died.
"Most of them didn't survive. Their catalogs get sold to another label, and they basically vanish from the face of the business. And we didn't want that to happen with Red House," says Chris Frymire, 47, Red House's vice president of operations and a 19-year veteran at the label.
Red House survived by doing what a lot of other indie labels have done - create a brand that has "stood the test of time," says Rich Bengloff, president of the American Association of Independent Music, a trade organization that represents about 210 labels.
"I would buy a Red House record just based on reading a review or seeing the Red House (logo) on the back of the CD, because I know what they put out," Bengloff says.
A love of music is what makes for a successful independent label, says Tom Riggs, 72, whose Columbus, N.C.-based bluegrass label Pinecastle Records is celebrating its 20th anniversary.
"Most people in independent music still basically love the music, and unfortunately the major labels are run by bean counters as opposed to people who really love music," Riggs said.
Red House is a label that emphasizes singer-songwriters, who were beloved by Feldman.
"The vast majority of pop music out there is really focused on boy meets girl, boy loses girl, girl meets boy. They're all love stories, very superficial," said Frymire, the Red House vice president. "Red House artists songs tell a story, evoke an emotion, take you to a time and place you can relate to. There's just depth to it."
Feldman stressed selling one record at a time - a philosophy that his staff continues. The biggest sellers at Red House are Lucy Kaplansky's 1999 album "Ten Year Night" and "A Nod to Bob," a 2001 tribute to Bob Dylan featuring Red House artists. Each has sold more than 70,000 copies.
Larry Groce, host, artistic director and founder of the National Public Radio program "Mountain Stage," cites the "very thoughtful songwriting" of Red House artists, who are frequent guests on his show. Groce said Red House is "not aiming at the lowest common denominator and they're not trying to win over the mass market."
"The people who like to listen (to Red House music) are more of a literary bent," said Groce, who had his own hit, "Junk Food Junkie," in 1975.
Iowa singer-songwriter Greg Brown started Red House to issue his first two albums, naming it after the red house he was living in outside of Iowa City. A champion of folk music, Feldman invested $2,000 to reissue Brown's "The Iowa Waltz" and eventually quit teaching to focus on the label. Red House now has nine full- and part-time employees at its office in St. Paul's Midway area, a number that has held steady since Feldman's death in 2006.
The rest is at
Associated Press: http://www.wctrib.com/ap/index.cfm?page=view&id=D94J4V401
ST. PAUL, Minn.
Digital music downloads, both legal and illegal. Declining record sales. The fickle tastes of the music-buying public. All make it tough enough to keep a small independent label afloat.
Add the unexpected death of the record company's owner and guiding light, and a label could be as obsolete as eight-track tapes.
But tiny Red House Records has managed to survive and even thrive since the death two years ago of president Bob Feldman. Thanks to its sturdy foundation and the passion of its staff, "The House That Bob Built" is celebrating its 25th anniversary and carrying on his mission - to bring the music to the people.
Red House's roster has featured folk stalwarts such as Loudon Wainwright III, former Jefferson Airplane guitarist Jorma Kaukonen and Ramblin' Jack Elliott, whose 1995 album "South Coast" won Red House its first and only Grammy. The label's appeal is mainly to public radio listeners and the coffeehouse crowd.
To celebrate its 25th anniversary, Red House caps a yearlong concert tour Saturday (Nov. 22) with a sold-out performance at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis, featuring Eliza Gilkyson, John Gorka and Cliff Eberhardt. A 64-song, three-CD boxed set, "Red House 25: A Silver Anniversary Retrospective," is set for release Tuesday (Nov. 25).
Losing Feldman, a hands-on businessman who once ran Red House from his apartment and sold records from his trunk, was emotionally devastating to his staff. But it also re-energized the St. Paul-based label, which specializes in folk, roots music and Americana. The employees knew what had happened at other labels when the sole owner died.
"Most of them didn't survive. Their catalogs get sold to another label, and they basically vanish from the face of the business. And we didn't want that to happen with Red House," says Chris Frymire, 47, Red House's vice president of operations and a 19-year veteran at the label.
Red House survived by doing what a lot of other indie labels have done - create a brand that has "stood the test of time," says Rich Bengloff, president of the American Association of Independent Music, a trade organization that represents about 210 labels.
"I would buy a Red House record just based on reading a review or seeing the Red House (logo) on the back of the CD, because I know what they put out," Bengloff says.
A love of music is what makes for a successful independent label, says Tom Riggs, 72, whose Columbus, N.C.-based bluegrass label Pinecastle Records is celebrating its 20th anniversary.
"Most people in independent music still basically love the music, and unfortunately the major labels are run by bean counters as opposed to people who really love music," Riggs said.
Red House is a label that emphasizes singer-songwriters, who were beloved by Feldman.
"The vast majority of pop music out there is really focused on boy meets girl, boy loses girl, girl meets boy. They're all love stories, very superficial," said Frymire, the Red House vice president. "Red House artists songs tell a story, evoke an emotion, take you to a time and place you can relate to. There's just depth to it."
Feldman stressed selling one record at a time - a philosophy that his staff continues. The biggest sellers at Red House are Lucy Kaplansky's 1999 album "Ten Year Night" and "A Nod to Bob," a 2001 tribute to Bob Dylan featuring Red House artists. Each has sold more than 70,000 copies.
Larry Groce, host, artistic director and founder of the National Public Radio program "Mountain Stage," cites the "very thoughtful songwriting" of Red House artists, who are frequent guests on his show. Groce said Red House is "not aiming at the lowest common denominator and they're not trying to win over the mass market."
"The people who like to listen (to Red House music) are more of a literary bent," said Groce, who had his own hit, "Junk Food Junkie," in 1975.
Iowa singer-songwriter Greg Brown started Red House to issue his first two albums, naming it after the red house he was living in outside of Iowa City. A champion of folk music, Feldman invested $2,000 to reissue Brown's "The Iowa Waltz" and eventually quit teaching to focus on the label. Red House now has nine full- and part-time employees at its office in St. Paul's Midway area, a number that has held steady since Feldman's death in 2006.
The rest is at
Associated Press: http://www.wctrib.com/ap/index.cfm?page=view&id=D94J4V401
Monday, November 17, 2008
The ASL version of Defenders of Marriage
You've heard me play Roy Zimmerman's excellent song a number of times. Here's the latest version, filmed at the NorthEast Region Folk Alliance conference held this past weekend. The interpreter is Dave McCloskey, often seen at folk festivals; Roy is singing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKOqiH2ld40
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKOqiH2ld40
Sunday, November 16, 2008
11/16/08 Playlist
New:
1. Eva Cassidy: Coat of Many Colors (Somewhere), Blix Street G2-10090 www.blixstreet.com
2. Andy Mullen: Sun Goes Up, Sun Goes Down (The Toenail Jar), self www.andymullenmusic.com
3. K.C. Clifford: Johnny Cash (Pockets Full of Hope), self www.kcclifford.com
4. Paul Reddick: Blue Wings (Sugar Bird), NorthernBlues 0050 www.northernblues.com
New:
5. Emily Kurn: I'm Just Like You (I'm Just Like You), self www.emilykurnmusic.com
6. Beppe Gambetta with Patty Larkin: Battle of Waterloo (Rendez-vous), Gadfly 516 www.gadflyrecords.com
7. Lindsay Mac: 7 Stones (Stop Thinking), self www.lindsaymac.com
8. Michael Jerome Browne: Pouring Water on A Drowning Man (This Beautiful Mess), Borealis 192 www.borealisrecords.com
For the first legal same-sex marriages here in CT, and in support of those protesting Prop 8 this past weekend:
9. Danny Schmidt: Song for Judy & Bridget (Little Grey Sheep), Waterbug 79 www.dannyschmidt.com
10. Kim Richardson: Virginia (True North), self www.kimrichardsonmusic.com
11. Roy Zimmerman: Defenders of Marriage (Faulty Intelligence), Metaphor 920 www.royzimmerman.com
New:
12. Tish Hinojosa: We Mostly Feel That Way (Our Little Planet), self www.mundotish.com
13. Arlo Guthrie with The Dillards: Tom Joad (32 cents/Postage Due), Rising Son 1127
14 & 15. Cosy Sheridan: Weekend Workshop & The Days I Do Not Believe (Eros), Wind River 4042 www.cosysheridan.com
16. Luke Powers: Aron Presley (Texasee), Phoebe Claire www.texasee.com
Odetta's ailing -- you can find an address to which you can send a card at http://barelydarkerthantheair.blogspot.com:
17. Spiritual Trilogy: Oh Freedom, Come and Go with Me, I'm on My Way (Odetta Sings Ballads and Blues), Tradition 1004
18. John McCutcheon: Si Se Puede (Autumnsongs), Rounder Kids 8037
19. Christine Lavin & The Democratic Republicans: God Bless Barack Obama (single download)
In response to the AP news-story "Obama election spurs race crimes around country:"
20. Maria Muldaur and ensemble: We Shall Be Free (Yes We Can!), Telarc 83672 www.telarc.com
In competing concerts on Friday 11/21:
21. Cheryl Wheeler (Infinity Hall): Quarter Moon (Cheryl Wheeler), True North LP
22. Janis Ian (Cheney Hall): God and The FBI (God and The FBI), Windham Hill 11498 www.janisian.com
23. Cheryl Wheeler: Summer Fly (Half A Book), Cypress LP
24. Janis Ian: Boots Like Emmylou's (God and The FBI)
The world lost Miriam Makeba last week:
25. Miriam Makeba: Pata Pata (The Best of World Music/World Vocal), Putumayo Rhino R2 71203
26. Harry Belafonte with Miriam Makeba: Bamotsweri (The Many Moods of Belafonte) BMG
The Dreaded Folk Calendar over selections from Jeremy Kittel's "Roaming" www.jeremykittel.com
27. Northern Lights (Roaring Brook 11/22): Talk about Suffering (One Day), Fifty Fifty Music 106 www.fiftyfiftymusic.com
28. David Jacobs-Strain (Iron Horse 11/23): Write Me A Few Short Lines (Liar's Day), self www.davidjacobs-strain.com
29. Anand Nayak (P.A.C.E. 11/22)/ Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem: What's That (Big Old Life), Signature Sounds 2005 www.signaturesounds.com
Gun sales have increased drastically since the election (ABC News with Charles Gibson, Nov. 7):
30. David Zink: Damn That Gun (Pyro), Papa's Moon 07802
31. Harvey Reid: Cryin' Shame (A Very Old Song), Woodpecker LP
2. Deborah Holland: Kids with Guns (The Book of Survival), Gadfly 257 www.gadflyrecords.com
33. Fred Eaglesmith: Time to Get A Gun (Ralph's Last Show), Signature Sounds 1265
New:
34. Celeste Krenz: I Know You (My Mother and Me), self www.highhorserecords.com
35. Rex March Fowler: Stargazers (Stargazers), Red Engine www.rexmarchfowler.com
36. Tony Trischka: Trompe de L'reille (Territory), Smithsonian Folkways 40169 www.folkways.si.edu
37, Catie Curtis: The Princess and The Mermaid (Sweet Life), Compass www.catiecurtis.com
38. Eliza Gilkyson et al: Peace Call (Land of Milk and Honey), Red House 174 www.redhouserecords.com
1. Eva Cassidy: Coat of Many Colors (Somewhere), Blix Street G2-10090 www.blixstreet.com
2. Andy Mullen: Sun Goes Up, Sun Goes Down (The Toenail Jar), self www.andymullenmusic.com
3. K.C. Clifford: Johnny Cash (Pockets Full of Hope), self www.kcclifford.com
4. Paul Reddick: Blue Wings (Sugar Bird), NorthernBlues 0050 www.northernblues.com
New:
5. Emily Kurn: I'm Just Like You (I'm Just Like You), self www.emilykurnmusic.com
6. Beppe Gambetta with Patty Larkin: Battle of Waterloo (Rendez-vous), Gadfly 516 www.gadflyrecords.com
7. Lindsay Mac: 7 Stones (Stop Thinking), self www.lindsaymac.com
8. Michael Jerome Browne: Pouring Water on A Drowning Man (This Beautiful Mess), Borealis 192 www.borealisrecords.com
For the first legal same-sex marriages here in CT, and in support of those protesting Prop 8 this past weekend:
9. Danny Schmidt: Song for Judy & Bridget (Little Grey Sheep), Waterbug 79 www.dannyschmidt.com
10. Kim Richardson: Virginia (True North), self www.kimrichardsonmusic.com
11. Roy Zimmerman: Defenders of Marriage (Faulty Intelligence), Metaphor 920 www.royzimmerman.com
New:
12. Tish Hinojosa: We Mostly Feel That Way (Our Little Planet), self www.mundotish.com
13. Arlo Guthrie with The Dillards: Tom Joad (32 cents/Postage Due), Rising Son 1127
14 & 15. Cosy Sheridan: Weekend Workshop & The Days I Do Not Believe (Eros), Wind River 4042 www.cosysheridan.com
16. Luke Powers: Aron Presley (Texasee), Phoebe Claire www.texasee.com
Odetta's ailing -- you can find an address to which you can send a card at http://barelydarkerthantheair.blogspot.com:
17. Spiritual Trilogy: Oh Freedom, Come and Go with Me, I'm on My Way (Odetta Sings Ballads and Blues), Tradition 1004
18. John McCutcheon: Si Se Puede (Autumnsongs), Rounder Kids 8037
19. Christine Lavin & The Democratic Republicans: God Bless Barack Obama (single download)
In response to the AP news-story "Obama election spurs race crimes around country:"
20. Maria Muldaur and ensemble: We Shall Be Free (Yes We Can!), Telarc 83672 www.telarc.com
In competing concerts on Friday 11/21:
21. Cheryl Wheeler (Infinity Hall): Quarter Moon (Cheryl Wheeler), True North LP
22. Janis Ian (Cheney Hall): God and The FBI (God and The FBI), Windham Hill 11498 www.janisian.com
23. Cheryl Wheeler: Summer Fly (Half A Book), Cypress LP
24. Janis Ian: Boots Like Emmylou's (God and The FBI)
The world lost Miriam Makeba last week:
25. Miriam Makeba: Pata Pata (The Best of World Music/World Vocal), Putumayo Rhino R2 71203
26. Harry Belafonte with Miriam Makeba: Bamotsweri (The Many Moods of Belafonte) BMG
The Dreaded Folk Calendar over selections from Jeremy Kittel's "Roaming" www.jeremykittel.com
27. Northern Lights (Roaring Brook 11/22): Talk about Suffering (One Day), Fifty Fifty Music 106 www.fiftyfiftymusic.com
28. David Jacobs-Strain (Iron Horse 11/23): Write Me A Few Short Lines (Liar's Day), self www.davidjacobs-strain.com
29. Anand Nayak (P.A.C.E. 11/22)/ Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem: What's That (Big Old Life), Signature Sounds 2005 www.signaturesounds.com
Gun sales have increased drastically since the election (ABC News with Charles Gibson, Nov. 7):
30. David Zink: Damn That Gun (Pyro), Papa's Moon 07802
31. Harvey Reid: Cryin' Shame (A Very Old Song), Woodpecker LP
2. Deborah Holland: Kids with Guns (The Book of Survival), Gadfly 257 www.gadflyrecords.com
33. Fred Eaglesmith: Time to Get A Gun (Ralph's Last Show), Signature Sounds 1265
New:
34. Celeste Krenz: I Know You (My Mother and Me), self www.highhorserecords.com
35. Rex March Fowler: Stargazers (Stargazers), Red Engine www.rexmarchfowler.com
36. Tony Trischka: Trompe de L'reille (Territory), Smithsonian Folkways 40169 www.folkways.si.edu
37, Catie Curtis: The Princess and The Mermaid (Sweet Life), Compass www.catiecurtis.com
38. Eliza Gilkyson et al: Peace Call (Land of Milk and Honey), Red House 174 www.redhouserecords.com
Friday, November 14, 2008
Odetta hospitalized 11/8/08
On Saturday, she went into Lenox Hill Hospital for a check-up and IV nourishment. However, on Sunday evening she went into kidney failure, and we were told that the next 24 hours would determine if she would survive. Miraculously, she made it through that emergency, but is still listed in critical condition. I was on the road when she went in the hospital and rushed back on Sunday. Jan and I are thankful that Michelle was here and has been by Odetta's side every moment of this ordeal.
Odetta believes she is going to sing at Obama's Inauguration, and I believe that is the reason she is still alive. She has a big poster of Barack Obama taped on the wall across from her bed. Her old heart has already outperformed and lasted far beyond the expectations of the heart specialists who treated her in January-March 2007 when she had her last health crisis while touring out West. Now compounded with the kidney failure, the doctors at the hospital are trying to do everything possible to stabilize her system and prevent the weakening of her other organs. They have her on dialysis now to rid the body of the toxic poisons that have built up, and it seems to be slowly working. She is sleeping a lot, but after a dialysis treatment and some food, she is coherent and talking. She is not in pain. We are told that she will be in the ICU Unit for at least another week, and that we'll just have to wait and see after that. All of you are well aware of Odetta's indomitable spirit. Accordingly, I wouldn't bet against her singing for Barack in January!
If you would like to send a card, I know that she would love to hear from you (address of the hospital is below).
Ms. Odetta Gordon
Room # 719, 7th Floor ICU Unit
LENOX HILL HOSPITAL
100 East 77th Street
New York, NY 10021
Odetta believes she is going to sing at Obama's Inauguration, and I believe that is the reason she is still alive. She has a big poster of Barack Obama taped on the wall across from her bed. Her old heart has already outperformed and lasted far beyond the expectations of the heart specialists who treated her in January-March 2007 when she had her last health crisis while touring out West. Now compounded with the kidney failure, the doctors at the hospital are trying to do everything possible to stabilize her system and prevent the weakening of her other organs. They have her on dialysis now to rid the body of the toxic poisons that have built up, and it seems to be slowly working. She is sleeping a lot, but after a dialysis treatment and some food, she is coherent and talking. She is not in pain. We are told that she will be in the ICU Unit for at least another week, and that we'll just have to wait and see after that. All of you are well aware of Odetta's indomitable spirit. Accordingly, I wouldn't bet against her singing for Barack in January!
If you would like to send a card, I know that she would love to hear from you (address of the hospital is below).
Ms. Odetta Gordon
Room # 719, 7th Floor ICU Unit
LENOX HILL HOSPITAL
100 East 77th Street
New York, NY 10021
Monday, November 10, 2008
Late posting: Guest Host John Sloan's 10/5/08 Playlist
SONG / ARTIST / ALBUM / LABEL
Road Home / String Cheese Incident / Round The Wheel / sci fidelity
Wildwood Flower / Roseanne Cash / Ramblin' Boy
Headin' South / Radoslav Lorkovic / High & Dry / shed
First Chill of Winter / Boo Hewardine & Darden Smith / Evidence / compass
Cursed Be The Caller / Jez Lowe & The Bad Pennies / Northern Echoes /
tantobie
Love Vigilantes / Oyster Band / Ride / ryko
That's My Song / Bill Staines / Old Dogs
The Wing & The Wheel / Nanci Griffith / Last Of the True Believers / philo
The General Specific / Band Of Horses / Cease to Begin
Mud Slide Slim / James Taylor / Mud Slide Slim & the Blue Horizon / reprise
The Fields Of Athenry / Petra Haden / Ramblin' Boy
Follow Through / Michael Hedges / Best of / windham hill
Not Of This Earth / Keller Williams / Breath / sci fidelity
Arrowhead / Michael Hedges / Best Of / windham hill
Two Soldiers / Cowboy Junkies / Early 21st Century Blues /
Society / Eddie Vedder / Into The Wild- Soundtrack /
Factory / Martha Wainright /
No God But God / Brian Cullman / All Fires The Fire / sunny side
Detlef Shrempf / Band Of Horses / Cease To Begin
Couldn't Cause Me Harm / Beth Orton / Central Reservation / arista
Single Girl, Married Girl / Haden Triplets / Ramblin' Man
Ballad Of Lucy Jordan / Marianne Faithful / Perfect Stranger-Anthology /
island
The Long Way Home / Tom Waits / Big Bad Love-Soundtrack
Theme From Alamo Bay / Ry Cooder / Music By Ry Cooder / wb
Nobody Cares / John Mayall / Memories / polydor
All To You / Ellen McIlwane / Up From The Skies / polydor
Buzzinfly / Tim Buckley / Dream Letter-Live In London /
Easy / Norah Jones & Anoushka Shankar
An Architect's Dream / Kate Bush / Aerial / columbia
Dawning Is The Day / Moody Blues / A Question Of Balance / threshold
Givin In / Happy Rhodes / Rhodesongs / aural gratification
Little Brown Bat / Mike Craver / Wagoner's Lad / sapsucker
Sailing Round The Room / Emmylou Harris / All I Intended To Be
Autumn Song / Jory Nash / Tangle With The Ghost
Road Home / String Cheese Incident / Round The Wheel / sci fidelity
Wildwood Flower / Roseanne Cash / Ramblin' Boy
Headin' South / Radoslav Lorkovic / High & Dry / shed
First Chill of Winter / Boo Hewardine & Darden Smith / Evidence / compass
Cursed Be The Caller / Jez Lowe & The Bad Pennies / Northern Echoes /
tantobie
Love Vigilantes / Oyster Band / Ride / ryko
That's My Song / Bill Staines / Old Dogs
The Wing & The Wheel / Nanci Griffith / Last Of the True Believers / philo
The General Specific / Band Of Horses / Cease to Begin
Mud Slide Slim / James Taylor / Mud Slide Slim & the Blue Horizon / reprise
The Fields Of Athenry / Petra Haden / Ramblin' Boy
Follow Through / Michael Hedges / Best of / windham hill
Not Of This Earth / Keller Williams / Breath / sci fidelity
Arrowhead / Michael Hedges / Best Of / windham hill
Two Soldiers / Cowboy Junkies / Early 21st Century Blues /
Society / Eddie Vedder / Into The Wild- Soundtrack /
Factory / Martha Wainright /
No God But God / Brian Cullman / All Fires The Fire / sunny side
Detlef Shrempf / Band Of Horses / Cease To Begin
Couldn't Cause Me Harm / Beth Orton / Central Reservation / arista
Single Girl, Married Girl / Haden Triplets / Ramblin' Man
Ballad Of Lucy Jordan / Marianne Faithful / Perfect Stranger-Anthology /
island
The Long Way Home / Tom Waits / Big Bad Love-Soundtrack
Theme From Alamo Bay / Ry Cooder / Music By Ry Cooder / wb
Nobody Cares / John Mayall / Memories / polydor
All To You / Ellen McIlwane / Up From The Skies / polydor
Buzzinfly / Tim Buckley / Dream Letter-Live In London /
Easy / Norah Jones & Anoushka Shankar
An Architect's Dream / Kate Bush / Aerial / columbia
Dawning Is The Day / Moody Blues / A Question Of Balance / threshold
Givin In / Happy Rhodes / Rhodesongs / aural gratification
Little Brown Bat / Mike Craver / Wagoner's Lad / sapsucker
Sailing Round The Room / Emmylou Harris / All I Intended To Be
Autumn Song / Jory Nash / Tangle With The Ghost
Sunday, November 9, 2008
11/9/08 Playlist
The post-election show:
1. The Foremen: What Did You Do On Election Day? (Who's Left?), Reprise
2. Leonard Cohen: Democracy (More Best of Leonard Cohen), Columbia CK 68636
3. Ensemble: This Land Is Your Land (Ribbon of Highway, Endless Skyway), Music Road www.musicroadrecords.com
4. Johnny Cash: I Am The Nation (Johnny Cash's America), Columbia/Legacy 23401
5. Gretchen Peters: American Tune (Trio), Purple Crayon www.gretchenpeters.com
6. Roy Zimmerman: America (Faulty Intelligence), Metaphor 920 www.royzimmerman.com
7. Bruce Springsteen: American Land (American Land), Columbia 88231
8. Eva Cassidy: People Get Ready (Live at Blues Alley), self [don't know if it's available through Blix Street -- www.blixstreet.com]
9. John Gorka: Good Noise (Out of The Valley), High Street
10. Aoife Clancy: There Is Hope (Sowing The Seeds -- The 10th Anniversary), Appleseed 1102 www.appleseedmusic.com
11. Ed Petterson: The Liberty Song [ca 1768] (Song of America), Split Rock / 31 Tigers 1206546 www.songofamerica.org
12. Roy Zimmerman: I Approve This Message (Thanks for The Support), Metaphor 922 www.royzimmerman.com
13. Eliza Gilkyson: Chimes of Freedom (Misfits), Realiza www.elizagilkyson.com
14. The Byrds: Turn, Turn, Turn (There Is A Season), Columbia / Legacy advance
15. Ferron: It Won't Take Long (Shadows on A Dime), Redwood LP
16. Bobby Darin: Simple Song of Freedom (Aces Back to Back), Hyena 9324 www.hyenarecords.com
17. Tom Paxton: Outward Bound (The Best of Tom Paxton), Elektra Rhino R2 73515
18. SNCC Freedom Singers: Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around (Sing for Freedom!), Smithsonian Folkways 40032
19. Steve Gillette & Cindy Mangsen: 1800 and Froze to Death (The Light of The Day), Compass Rose 7 www.compassrosemusic.com
20. Malvina Reynolds: The Money Crop (Ear to The Ground), Smithsonian Folkways 40124
21. Peter Dyer: Moneychangers (single)
22. Woody Guthrie: Worried Man Blues (Some Folk), Properbox 115 www.proper-records.com
3. Eliza Gilkyson: Runaway Train (Beautiful World), Red House 212 www.redhouserecords.com
24. Tom Paxton: I Am Changing My Name to (single download) www.tompaxton.com
25. Del McCoury et al: Breadline Blues 2008 (Moneyland), McCoury Music 0005 www.mccourymusic.com
26. Utah Phillips: What We Need (Farewell to The Thief), Running Scared www.georgeandjulius.com
The Dreaded Folk Calendar over selections from Beppe Gambetta's "Rendez-vous," Gadfly 516 www.gadflyrecords.com
27. Dan Bern: President (My Country II), Messenger 19 www.danbern.com
28. David Massengill: The X-President's Waltz (Fast Folk Musical Magazine March 1985), Fast Folk LP
29. Bob Dylan: When The Ship Comes In (The Times They Are A-Changin'), Columbia CK8905
30. Magpie: Give Light (Give Light), Sliced Bread 71185 www.magpiemusic.com
31. Bob Gibson: Let The Band Play Dixie (The Living Legend Years), Bob Gibson Legacy www.bobgibsonlegacy.com
32. Phil Ochs: Power and The Glory (Farewells & Fantasies), Elektra Rhino R2 73518
33. Johnny Cash: Veteran's Day (Wounded Heart of America -- Tom Russell Songs), Hightone 8196 www.hightone.com
34. Mark Erelli: Volunteers (Delivered), Signature Sounds 2014 www.markerelli.com
35. Joel Mabus: Touch A Name on The Wall (Retold), Fossil 1808 www.joelmabus.com
36. Elana James: Hey, Beautiful (single) www.nytimes.com/2008/03/22/us/4000campos.web
37. Ed McCurdy: When Soldiers Die in Battlefields / Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream (Fast Folk Feburary 1982
38. Eliza Gilkyson et al: Peace Call (Land of Milk and Honey), Red House 174 www.redhouserecords.com
1. The Foremen: What Did You Do On Election Day? (Who's Left?), Reprise
2. Leonard Cohen: Democracy (More Best of Leonard Cohen), Columbia CK 68636
3. Ensemble: This Land Is Your Land (Ribbon of Highway, Endless Skyway), Music Road www.musicroadrecords.com
4. Johnny Cash: I Am The Nation (Johnny Cash's America), Columbia/Legacy 23401
5. Gretchen Peters: American Tune (Trio), Purple Crayon www.gretchenpeters.com
6. Roy Zimmerman: America (Faulty Intelligence), Metaphor 920 www.royzimmerman.com
7. Bruce Springsteen: American Land (American Land), Columbia 88231
8. Eva Cassidy: People Get Ready (Live at Blues Alley), self [don't know if it's available through Blix Street -- www.blixstreet.com]
9. John Gorka: Good Noise (Out of The Valley), High Street
10. Aoife Clancy: There Is Hope (Sowing The Seeds -- The 10th Anniversary), Appleseed 1102 www.appleseedmusic.com
11. Ed Petterson: The Liberty Song [ca 1768] (Song of America), Split Rock / 31 Tigers 1206546 www.songofamerica.org
12. Roy Zimmerman: I Approve This Message (Thanks for The Support), Metaphor 922 www.royzimmerman.com
13. Eliza Gilkyson: Chimes of Freedom (Misfits), Realiza www.elizagilkyson.com
14. The Byrds: Turn, Turn, Turn (There Is A Season), Columbia / Legacy advance
15. Ferron: It Won't Take Long (Shadows on A Dime), Redwood LP
16. Bobby Darin: Simple Song of Freedom (Aces Back to Back), Hyena 9324 www.hyenarecords.com
17. Tom Paxton: Outward Bound (The Best of Tom Paxton), Elektra Rhino R2 73515
18. SNCC Freedom Singers: Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around (Sing for Freedom!), Smithsonian Folkways 40032
19. Steve Gillette & Cindy Mangsen: 1800 and Froze to Death (The Light of The Day), Compass Rose 7 www.compassrosemusic.com
20. Malvina Reynolds: The Money Crop (Ear to The Ground), Smithsonian Folkways 40124
21. Peter Dyer: Moneychangers (single)
22. Woody Guthrie: Worried Man Blues (Some Folk), Properbox 115 www.proper-records.com
3. Eliza Gilkyson: Runaway Train (Beautiful World), Red House 212 www.redhouserecords.com
24. Tom Paxton: I Am Changing My Name to (single download) www.tompaxton.com
25. Del McCoury et al: Breadline Blues 2008 (Moneyland), McCoury Music 0005 www.mccourymusic.com
26. Utah Phillips: What We Need (Farewell to The Thief), Running Scared www.georgeandjulius.com
The Dreaded Folk Calendar over selections from Beppe Gambetta's "Rendez-vous," Gadfly 516 www.gadflyrecords.com
27. Dan Bern: President (My Country II), Messenger 19 www.danbern.com
28. David Massengill: The X-President's Waltz (Fast Folk Musical Magazine March 1985), Fast Folk LP
29. Bob Dylan: When The Ship Comes In (The Times They Are A-Changin'), Columbia CK8905
30. Magpie: Give Light (Give Light), Sliced Bread 71185 www.magpiemusic.com
31. Bob Gibson: Let The Band Play Dixie (The Living Legend Years), Bob Gibson Legacy www.bobgibsonlegacy.com
32. Phil Ochs: Power and The Glory (Farewells & Fantasies), Elektra Rhino R2 73518
33. Johnny Cash: Veteran's Day (Wounded Heart of America -- Tom Russell Songs), Hightone 8196 www.hightone.com
34. Mark Erelli: Volunteers (Delivered), Signature Sounds 2014 www.markerelli.com
35. Joel Mabus: Touch A Name on The Wall (Retold), Fossil 1808 www.joelmabus.com
36. Elana James: Hey, Beautiful (single) www.nytimes.com/2008/03/22/us/4000campos.web
37. Ed McCurdy: When Soldiers Die in Battlefields / Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream (Fast Folk Feburary 1982
38. Eliza Gilkyson et al: Peace Call (Land of Milk and Honey), Red House 174 www.redhouserecords.com
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Joan Baez on CNN
Legendary singer Joan Baez says she's finally happy
By Shanon Cook, CNN
NEW YORK (CNN) -- Joan Baez is in a celebratory mood. And rightly so: She's survived 50 years in show business.
The legendary singer, who rose to fame during the folk movement of the 1950s and 1960s, is marking the occasion with a new album called "Day After Tomorrow." Produced by Steve Earle (whom Baez likes to call "Mister Gruff"), it's a collection of bluegrass-tinged songs reminiscent of her early repertoire.
"We were looking for songs that feel like now but sound like back then," she said.
Earle penned one of the album's standout tracks, "God Is God," which he describes as "recovery speak." Baez also covers "Scarlet Tide," a song written by Elvis Costello and T Bone Burnett for the 2003 film "Cold Mountain."
At 67, Baez finds her voice may not have the sheer power it did in her 20s, but her political spirit is intact. She passionately expressed her support for Barack Obama during the presidential campaign, the first time the self-described pacifist has taken sides in party politics.
"I haven't heard an orator like that since King," she said. Baez knew the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and famously sang the protest song "We Shall Overcome" to a massive crowd at the Lincoln Memorial during King's 1963 March on Washington.
Baez spoke to CNN about sustaining her voice and finding happiness in her 60s. The following is an edited version of that interview, which was conducted before Tuesday's election.
CNN: What did Steve Earle bring to the table with your new album?
Joan Baez: Oh, everything but the voice. Spirit, some songs. His gruffness to my non-gruffness. He worked fast, really fast, and I like that. And he brought the musicians. I don't know who to choose for musicians. We were a good match.
CNN: Is there a song on the album that speaks to you more than others?
Baez: I guess the ones I go back listening to are "God Is God" and "Rose of Sharon." "Rose of Sharon" sounds exactly like an old folk song. I wouldn't have guessed in a million years that it's contemporary.
The rest at
http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/Music/11/06/joan.baez/index.html
By Shanon Cook, CNN
NEW YORK (CNN) -- Joan Baez is in a celebratory mood. And rightly so: She's survived 50 years in show business.
The legendary singer, who rose to fame during the folk movement of the 1950s and 1960s, is marking the occasion with a new album called "Day After Tomorrow." Produced by Steve Earle (whom Baez likes to call "Mister Gruff"), it's a collection of bluegrass-tinged songs reminiscent of her early repertoire.
"We were looking for songs that feel like now but sound like back then," she said.
Earle penned one of the album's standout tracks, "God Is God," which he describes as "recovery speak." Baez also covers "Scarlet Tide," a song written by Elvis Costello and T Bone Burnett for the 2003 film "Cold Mountain."
At 67, Baez finds her voice may not have the sheer power it did in her 20s, but her political spirit is intact. She passionately expressed her support for Barack Obama during the presidential campaign, the first time the self-described pacifist has taken sides in party politics.
"I haven't heard an orator like that since King," she said. Baez knew the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and famously sang the protest song "We Shall Overcome" to a massive crowd at the Lincoln Memorial during King's 1963 March on Washington.
Baez spoke to CNN about sustaining her voice and finding happiness in her 60s. The following is an edited version of that interview, which was conducted before Tuesday's election.
CNN: What did Steve Earle bring to the table with your new album?
Joan Baez: Oh, everything but the voice. Spirit, some songs. His gruffness to my non-gruffness. He worked fast, really fast, and I like that. And he brought the musicians. I don't know who to choose for musicians. We were a good match.
CNN: Is there a song on the album that speaks to you more than others?
Baez: I guess the ones I go back listening to are "God Is God" and "Rose of Sharon." "Rose of Sharon" sounds exactly like an old folk song. I wouldn't have guessed in a million years that it's contemporary.
The rest at
http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/Music/11/06/joan.baez/index.html
Sunday, November 2, 2008
11/2/08 Playlist
1. Polk Miller & & His Old South Quartette: The Watermelon Party (Polk Miller), Tompkins Square 2028 [www.tompkinssquare.com]
2. Red Rock Rondo: Rocks on Fire (Zion Canyon Song Cycle), Steamboat Mountain [www.redrockrondo.com]
3. Todd Burge: Buffalo Skinned by All The Kings Men (My Lost and Found), self [www.toddburge.com]
4. Paul Rishell and Annie Raines (Vanilla Bean 11/8): I'm A Lover Not A Fighter (A Night in Woodstock), Mojo Rodeo [www.paulandannie.com]
5. A. J. Roach: Revelation (Revelation), Waterbug [www.RoachMusic.com]
6. Haynie & Samuel: Please Don't Blame It All on Texas (Here in America), Hard Pressed [www.haynieandsamuel.com]
7. Patriot Act: Back to Crawford Waltz (Farewell to The Thief! Volume IV), Running Scared [www.georgeandjulius.com]
8. Tony Rice: He Rode All the Way to Texas (Night Flyer), Rounder
I read "White House Memos on Wiretapping Sought" (Joan Lowy, AP, via truthout.org)
9. Chuck Brodsky: Dangerous Times (Color Came One Day), Waterbug [www.chuckbrodsky.com]
10. Cindy Kallet: Trying Times (Cindy Kallet 2), Folk-Legacy 98 [www.cindykallet.com]
11. Ellen Bukstel & Nick Annis: By My Silence (Daddy's Little Girl), self [www.ellenbukstel.com]
12. Scott Alarik: Finest Are The First to Go (All That Is True), self
13. Band of Hope: If They Come in The Morning (Rhythm & Reds), MusikFolk 512
14. Solas: Song of Choice (The Words That Remain), Shanachie 78023
15. Hardy & Massengill (The Folk Brothers): The Worst President Ever (Partners in Crime), Great Divide 1780 [www.thefolkbrothers.com]
16. Joni Mitchell: Strong and Wrong (Shine), HearMusic 30457
We're all worried about the economy -- have we forgotten that the wars continue?
17. Elana James: Hey Beautiful (single), promo [leslie@songlinesmusic.com]
18. Ensemble: Rise and Stand (Songs for Our Soldiers), Elthon [www.songsforoursoldiers.com]
19. Steve Earle: Rich Man's War (The Revolution Starts...Now), E-squared/Artemis
20. Eliza GIlkyson: Hiway 9 (Land of Milk and Honey), Red House 174 [www.redhouserecords.com]
21. Richard Thompson: 'Dad's Gonna Kill Me (Sweet Warrior), Shout Factory [www.richardthompson-music.com]
22. Jackson Browne: Lives in The Balance (Solo Acoustic Vol. 1), Inside Recordings 52512 [www.insiderecordings.com]
Studs Terkel died Friday:
23. Studs Terkel: Blessed Be The Nation (Where Have All The Flowers Gone -- The Songs of Pete Seeger), Appleseed 1024 [www.appleseedmusic.com]
24. Priscilla Herdman: Millworker (Forgotten Dreams), Flying Fish 70230 [www.priscillaherdman.com] (“Millworker” was written by James Taylor, based on a story in Terkel’s book “Working”)
Maybe?
25. Will Kimbrough: Wind Blowing Change (Americanitis), Daphne 0607 [www.willkimbrough.com]
26. Bob Dylan: The Times They Are A-Changin' (The Times They Are A-Changin'), Columbia CK 8905
25. Donal Hinely: Winds of Change (Blue State Boy), Scuffletown / Atom 1308 [www.donalhinely.com]
The Dreaded Folk Calendar
Maybe?
26. Mark Erelli: Hope Dies Last (Delivered), Signature Sounds 2014 [www.markerelli.com]
27. John McCutcheon: Hope Dies Last (This Fire), Appalsongs 2007 [www.folkmusic.com]
28. Tom May: Hope for One and All (Blue Roads, Red Wine), Waterbug [www.tommayfolk.com]
29. Eliza Gilkyson: Beautiful World (Beautiful World), Red House 212 [www.redhouserecords.com]
30. Butch Hancock: Brother Won't You Shake My Hand (War and Peace), Two Roads Records
31. Mark Erelli: Seeds of Peace (Hope & Other Casualties), Signature Sounds 1296 [www.signaturesounds.com]
32. Dirk Powell et al: Oui, On Peut (single download)
33. Maria Muldaur et al: Yes We Can Can (Yes We Can!), Telarc 83672 [www.telarc.com]
34. Butch Hancock: That Great Election Day (War and Peace), Two Roads Records
35. Paul Rishell and Annie Raines: It'll Be Me / I'll Be Looking for You (A Night in Woodstock), Mojo Rodeo [www.paulandannie.com]
36. Eliza Gilkyson et al: Peace Call (Land of Milk and Honey), Red House 174
2. Red Rock Rondo: Rocks on Fire (Zion Canyon Song Cycle), Steamboat Mountain [www.redrockrondo.com]
3. Todd Burge: Buffalo Skinned by All The Kings Men (My Lost and Found), self [www.toddburge.com]
4. Paul Rishell and Annie Raines (Vanilla Bean 11/8): I'm A Lover Not A Fighter (A Night in Woodstock), Mojo Rodeo [www.paulandannie.com]
5. A. J. Roach: Revelation (Revelation), Waterbug [www.RoachMusic.com]
6. Haynie & Samuel: Please Don't Blame It All on Texas (Here in America), Hard Pressed [www.haynieandsamuel.com]
7. Patriot Act: Back to Crawford Waltz (Farewell to The Thief! Volume IV), Running Scared [www.georgeandjulius.com]
8. Tony Rice: He Rode All the Way to Texas (Night Flyer), Rounder
I read "White House Memos on Wiretapping Sought" (Joan Lowy, AP, via truthout.org)
9. Chuck Brodsky: Dangerous Times (Color Came One Day), Waterbug [www.chuckbrodsky.com]
10. Cindy Kallet: Trying Times (Cindy Kallet 2), Folk-Legacy 98 [www.cindykallet.com]
11. Ellen Bukstel & Nick Annis: By My Silence (Daddy's Little Girl), self [www.ellenbukstel.com]
12. Scott Alarik: Finest Are The First to Go (All That Is True), self
13. Band of Hope: If They Come in The Morning (Rhythm & Reds), MusikFolk 512
14. Solas: Song of Choice (The Words That Remain), Shanachie 78023
15. Hardy & Massengill (The Folk Brothers): The Worst President Ever (Partners in Crime), Great Divide 1780 [www.thefolkbrothers.com]
16. Joni Mitchell: Strong and Wrong (Shine), HearMusic 30457
We're all worried about the economy -- have we forgotten that the wars continue?
17. Elana James: Hey Beautiful (single), promo [leslie@songlinesmusic.com]
18. Ensemble: Rise and Stand (Songs for Our Soldiers), Elthon [www.songsforoursoldiers.com]
19. Steve Earle: Rich Man's War (The Revolution Starts...Now), E-squared/Artemis
20. Eliza GIlkyson: Hiway 9 (Land of Milk and Honey), Red House 174 [www.redhouserecords.com]
21. Richard Thompson: 'Dad's Gonna Kill Me (Sweet Warrior), Shout Factory [www.richardthompson-music.com]
22. Jackson Browne: Lives in The Balance (Solo Acoustic Vol. 1), Inside Recordings 52512 [www.insiderecordings.com]
Studs Terkel died Friday:
23. Studs Terkel: Blessed Be The Nation (Where Have All The Flowers Gone -- The Songs of Pete Seeger), Appleseed 1024 [www.appleseedmusic.com]
24. Priscilla Herdman: Millworker (Forgotten Dreams), Flying Fish 70230 [www.priscillaherdman.com] (“Millworker” was written by James Taylor, based on a story in Terkel’s book “Working”)
Maybe?
25. Will Kimbrough: Wind Blowing Change (Americanitis), Daphne 0607 [www.willkimbrough.com]
26. Bob Dylan: The Times They Are A-Changin' (The Times They Are A-Changin'), Columbia CK 8905
25. Donal Hinely: Winds of Change (Blue State Boy), Scuffletown / Atom 1308 [www.donalhinely.com]
The Dreaded Folk Calendar
Maybe?
26. Mark Erelli: Hope Dies Last (Delivered), Signature Sounds 2014 [www.markerelli.com]
27. John McCutcheon: Hope Dies Last (This Fire), Appalsongs 2007 [www.folkmusic.com]
28. Tom May: Hope for One and All (Blue Roads, Red Wine), Waterbug [www.tommayfolk.com]
29. Eliza Gilkyson: Beautiful World (Beautiful World), Red House 212 [www.redhouserecords.com]
30. Butch Hancock: Brother Won't You Shake My Hand (War and Peace), Two Roads Records
31. Mark Erelli: Seeds of Peace (Hope & Other Casualties), Signature Sounds 1296 [www.signaturesounds.com]
32. Dirk Powell et al: Oui, On Peut (single download)
33. Maria Muldaur et al: Yes We Can Can (Yes We Can!), Telarc 83672 [www.telarc.com]
34. Butch Hancock: That Great Election Day (War and Peace), Two Roads Records
35. Paul Rishell and Annie Raines: It'll Be Me / I'll Be Looking for You (A Night in Woodstock), Mojo Rodeo [www.paulandannie.com]
36. Eliza Gilkyson et al: Peace Call (Land of Milk and Honey), Red House 174
Playing for Change
Watch this segment of Bill Moyers Journal for a hopeful story about music around the world:
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/10242008/watch3.html
You can also go to the Playing for Change website:
http://www.playingforchange.com/
It looks as if the DVD won't be available until early 2009, but I might be missing something on the website.
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/10242008/watch3.html
You can also go to the Playing for Change website:
http://www.playingforchange.com/
It looks as if the DVD won't be available until early 2009, but I might be missing something on the website.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Oct. 26, 2008 Playlist
1. Lynn Miles: Night Drive (Black Flowers Volume 1), self www.lynnmilesmusic.com
2. David Kleiner: Rooting for A Loser (The News That's Fit to Sing), self
3. Anais Mitchell & Rachel Ries: Come September (Country E.P.), Righteous Babe 058-D www.anaismitchell.com
4. Nels Andrews: Sunday Shoes (Off Track Betting), Ignatius Records 01 www.nelsandrews.com
5. Herdman / Hills / Mangsen: Goodbye to The Roses (At the Turning of The Year), Hand & Heart Music 2000 www.priscillaherdman.com
6. Leo Kretzner: Bold Orion (Bold Orion), Heartwood
Recorded interview with Scott Ainslie www.cattailmusic.com
7. Oil in My Vessel (Thunder's Mouth), Cattail 2008
8. Sugar Babe (live)
9. If Anybody Asks about Me (live)
10. I Should Get Over This (live)
11. Rice Goes Again in Vietnam (The Feral Crow), Cattail
12. It's Gonna Rain (live)
On Saturday night I came home from a concert to discover that a violent storm had toppled the top of a big old oak into my front yard, knocking out power and phone lines. I hate to think that the tree will have to be taken down, but I can’t see how it won’t rot without its top third. (Jeff from Connecticut Light and Power returned electricity to my house on Sunday, and Joe from AT&T hooked up the phone lines on Monday.)
13. Tamarack: Plant A Tree (Tree), Tree Canada Foundation http://tamarack.cjb.net
14. James Gordon & Sons: Another Silver Maple Comes Down (Nine Green Bottles), Borealis 182 www.borealisrecords.com
15. Tamarack: The Trees Came Back (Tree), Tree Canada Foundation http://tamarack.cjb.net
How we learn to be one of us and not one of them:
16. Chuck McCabe: Partisan Polka (Creatures of Habit), Woodshed www.chuck-mccabe.com
17. Johnny Walker: President Who Looks Like Me (American Standard), self www.johnnywalkercomedy.com
18. Greg Brown: I Want My Country Back (In the Hills of California), Red House www.redhouserecords.com
19. Susan Werner: My Strange Nation (single), self www.susanwerner.com
20. Mark Erelli: Hope Dies Last (Delivered), Signature Sounds 2014 www.signaturesounds.com
The Dreaded Folk Calendar, over selections from Pat Donohue's "Freewayman" www.patdonohue.com
21. Maria Muldaur and friends: Yes We Can, Can (Yes We Can!), Telarc 83672 www.telarc.com
22. Dirk Powell and multitudes: Oui, On Peut (single download)
23. The Foremen: What Did You Do on Election Day? (Who's Left?), Reprise 46246
24. Eileen McGann: Too Stupid for Democracy (Journeys), Dragonwing 113 www.eileenmcgann.com
25. Ken Waldman: Suffering Democracy / (private single), self www.kenwaldman.com
26. Norah Jones: My Dear Country (Not Too Late), EMI / Blue Note 74516
27. Fruit of Labor Singing Ensemble: Election Blues (Farewell to The Thief! Volume IV), Running Scared www.georgeandjulius.com
28. Peggy Seeger: Goodbye to George (Crazy Quilt), self www.pegseeger.com
29. Roy Zimmerman: The Man, The Myth, The McCain (Thanks for The Support), Metaphor www.royzimmerman.com
30. Capitol Steps: Obama Meets Osama (Campaign and Suffering), self www.capsteps.com
31. Roy Zimmerman: Eine Kleine Barackmusik (Thanks for The Support), self
32. Capitol Steps: McCain's Campaign (Campaign and Suffering) self
33. Tom Paxton: Sarah Palin (download), self www.tompaxton.com
34. Eliza Gilkyson and friends: Peace Call (Land of Milk and Honey), Red House 174 www.redhouserecords.com
2. David Kleiner: Rooting for A Loser (The News That's Fit to Sing), self
3. Anais Mitchell & Rachel Ries: Come September (Country E.P.), Righteous Babe 058-D www.anaismitchell.com
4. Nels Andrews: Sunday Shoes (Off Track Betting), Ignatius Records 01 www.nelsandrews.com
5. Herdman / Hills / Mangsen: Goodbye to The Roses (At the Turning of The Year), Hand & Heart Music 2000 www.priscillaherdman.com
6. Leo Kretzner: Bold Orion (Bold Orion), Heartwood
Recorded interview with Scott Ainslie www.cattailmusic.com
7. Oil in My Vessel (Thunder's Mouth), Cattail 2008
8. Sugar Babe (live)
9. If Anybody Asks about Me (live)
10. I Should Get Over This (live)
11. Rice Goes Again in Vietnam (The Feral Crow), Cattail
12. It's Gonna Rain (live)
On Saturday night I came home from a concert to discover that a violent storm had toppled the top of a big old oak into my front yard, knocking out power and phone lines. I hate to think that the tree will have to be taken down, but I can’t see how it won’t rot without its top third. (Jeff from Connecticut Light and Power returned electricity to my house on Sunday, and Joe from AT&T hooked up the phone lines on Monday.)
13. Tamarack: Plant A Tree (Tree), Tree Canada Foundation http://tamarack.cjb.net
14. James Gordon & Sons: Another Silver Maple Comes Down (Nine Green Bottles), Borealis 182 www.borealisrecords.com
15. Tamarack: The Trees Came Back (Tree), Tree Canada Foundation http://tamarack.cjb.net
How we learn to be one of us and not one of them:
16. Chuck McCabe: Partisan Polka (Creatures of Habit), Woodshed www.chuck-mccabe.com
17. Johnny Walker: President Who Looks Like Me (American Standard), self www.johnnywalkercomedy.com
18. Greg Brown: I Want My Country Back (In the Hills of California), Red House www.redhouserecords.com
19. Susan Werner: My Strange Nation (single), self www.susanwerner.com
20. Mark Erelli: Hope Dies Last (Delivered), Signature Sounds 2014 www.signaturesounds.com
The Dreaded Folk Calendar, over selections from Pat Donohue's "Freewayman" www.patdonohue.com
21. Maria Muldaur and friends: Yes We Can, Can (Yes We Can!), Telarc 83672 www.telarc.com
22. Dirk Powell and multitudes: Oui, On Peut (single download)
23. The Foremen: What Did You Do on Election Day? (Who's Left?), Reprise 46246
24. Eileen McGann: Too Stupid for Democracy (Journeys), Dragonwing 113 www.eileenmcgann.com
25. Ken Waldman: Suffering Democracy / (private single), self www.kenwaldman.com
26. Norah Jones: My Dear Country (Not Too Late), EMI / Blue Note 74516
27. Fruit of Labor Singing Ensemble: Election Blues (Farewell to The Thief! Volume IV), Running Scared www.georgeandjulius.com
28. Peggy Seeger: Goodbye to George (Crazy Quilt), self www.pegseeger.com
29. Roy Zimmerman: The Man, The Myth, The McCain (Thanks for The Support), Metaphor www.royzimmerman.com
30. Capitol Steps: Obama Meets Osama (Campaign and Suffering), self www.capsteps.com
31. Roy Zimmerman: Eine Kleine Barackmusik (Thanks for The Support), self
32. Capitol Steps: McCain's Campaign (Campaign and Suffering) self
33. Tom Paxton: Sarah Palin (download), self www.tompaxton.com
34. Eliza Gilkyson and friends: Peace Call (Land of Milk and Honey), Red House 174 www.redhouserecords.com
Friday, October 24, 2008
a couple of photos from Croatia
Susan Campbell was kind enough to post some pics on her blog:
http://blogs.courant.com/susan_campbell/2008/10/more-pictures-of-which-to-be-j.html
http://blogs.courant.com/susan_campbell/2008/10/more-pictures-of-which-to-be-j.html
Sunday, October 19, 2008
10/19/08 Playlist
1. Al Stewart: Shah of Shahs (Sparks of Ancient Light), Appleseed 1112
2. Christine Lavin: More Than 1,000,000 Americans (I Don't Make This Stuff Up -- I Just Make It Rhyme), Yellow Tail www.christinelavin.com
3. Steve Earle: City of Immigrants (Washington Square Serenade), New West promo www.newwestrecords.com
4. Laura Love: Passin' (NeGrass), Octoroon Biography www.LauraLove.com
5. David Stoddard: The Company Says (Get Off My Lawn), self www.davestoddard.com
6. The Refugees: Save the Best for Last (Unbound), Wabuho www.therefugeesmusic.com
7. Gino LoRicco: Ancient Fields (Ancient Fields & City Streets), self www.digstatiion.com
8. Gretchen Peters: American Tune (Trio), Purple Crayon www.gretchenpeters.com
9. Fruit of Labor Singing Ensemble: Election Blues (Farewell to the Thief! Volume IV), Running Scared www.georgeandjulius.com
10. Kate Campbell: Looking for Jesus (Save the Day), Large River Records www.katecampbell.com
11. Jed Marum: Banjos We Have Heard on High (Ain't No Goin' Back), promo www.bostonroadrecords.com
12. Rita Hosking: Tall White Horse (Are You Ready?), self www.ritahosking.com
13. Notorious: Gelem, Gelem / Aoleanul de La Petresti (Elkins), Black Socks Press www.notoriousfolk.com
14. Tony Rice: John Wilkes Boothe (Night Flyer), Rounder 11619
Johnny Walker live in the studio www.johnnywalkercomedy.com
15. Chevron Song
16. President Who Looks Like Me (American Standard), self
17. Guantanamo
18. Take It Off
19. Illegal People
20. Robert Bobby: Lipstick on A Pig (single), self
21. Cindy Kallet & Grey Larsen: October Song (Cross the Water), Sleepy Creek www.kalletlarsen.com
22. Hugh Blumenfeld: Sweet October (Mozart's Money), Prime CD www.hughblumenfeld.com
23. Jonatha Brooke (Infinity Hall 10/25): My Sweet and Bitter Bowl (The Works), Bad Dog 60808
24. Steve Gillette & Cindy Mangsen (Roaring Brook 10/25): When The First Leaves Fall (A Sense of Place), Redwing 5409 www.redwingmusic.com
25. Steve & Cindy: The Kid with The Comic Book (Being There), Compass Rose www.compassrosemusic.com
The Dreaded Folk Calendar over selections from Roger Williams's "Resophonic Retrospective" www.rogerreso.com
This week there was a rally against rape on the UConn campus where two rapes were committed last month:
26. Malvina Reynolds: The Judge Said (Ear to The Ground -- Topical Songs 1960-1978), Smithsonian Folkways 40124
Lies in the campaigns:
27. Larry Cordle & Lonesome Standard Time: I’m A Lie (Took Down and Put Up), Lonesome Day 011 www.lonesomeday.com
28. The WMDs with Christine Lavin: The Liar Sleeps Tonight (Happy Dance of The Xenophobe), Yellow Tail 10022 www.yellowtailrecords.com
29. Chuck Brodsky: Liar Liar, Pants on Fire (Tulips for Lunch), Waterbug www.chuckbrodsky.com
30. Yikes McGee: The Liar (Yikes McGee), self www.yikesmcgee.com
31. Jay Mankita: They Lied (Dogs Are Watching Us), self http://jaymankita.com
from Farewell to The Thief! Volume IV, Running Scared www.georgeandjulius.com
32. The Seattle Labor Chorus: Oil for The World
33. Patriot Act: Back to Crawford Waltz
34. Utah Phillips: What We Need
35. Grayson Capps & The Stumpknockers: Guitar (Rott-N-Roll), Hyena 9368 [www.hyenarecords.com]
36. Eliza Gilkyson et al: Peace Call (Land of Milk and Honey), Red House 174
2. Christine Lavin: More Than 1,000,000 Americans (I Don't Make This Stuff Up -- I Just Make It Rhyme), Yellow Tail www.christinelavin.com
3. Steve Earle: City of Immigrants (Washington Square Serenade), New West promo www.newwestrecords.com
4. Laura Love: Passin' (NeGrass), Octoroon Biography www.LauraLove.com
5. David Stoddard: The Company Says (Get Off My Lawn), self www.davestoddard.com
6. The Refugees: Save the Best for Last (Unbound), Wabuho www.therefugeesmusic.com
7. Gino LoRicco: Ancient Fields (Ancient Fields & City Streets), self www.digstatiion.com
8. Gretchen Peters: American Tune (Trio), Purple Crayon www.gretchenpeters.com
9. Fruit of Labor Singing Ensemble: Election Blues (Farewell to the Thief! Volume IV), Running Scared www.georgeandjulius.com
10. Kate Campbell: Looking for Jesus (Save the Day), Large River Records www.katecampbell.com
11. Jed Marum: Banjos We Have Heard on High (Ain't No Goin' Back), promo www.bostonroadrecords.com
12. Rita Hosking: Tall White Horse (Are You Ready?), self www.ritahosking.com
13. Notorious: Gelem, Gelem / Aoleanul de La Petresti (Elkins), Black Socks Press www.notoriousfolk.com
14. Tony Rice: John Wilkes Boothe (Night Flyer), Rounder 11619
Johnny Walker live in the studio www.johnnywalkercomedy.com
15. Chevron Song
16. President Who Looks Like Me (American Standard), self
17. Guantanamo
18. Take It Off
19. Illegal People
20. Robert Bobby: Lipstick on A Pig (single), self
21. Cindy Kallet & Grey Larsen: October Song (Cross the Water), Sleepy Creek www.kalletlarsen.com
22. Hugh Blumenfeld: Sweet October (Mozart's Money), Prime CD www.hughblumenfeld.com
23. Jonatha Brooke (Infinity Hall 10/25): My Sweet and Bitter Bowl (The Works), Bad Dog 60808
24. Steve Gillette & Cindy Mangsen (Roaring Brook 10/25): When The First Leaves Fall (A Sense of Place), Redwing 5409 www.redwingmusic.com
25. Steve & Cindy: The Kid with The Comic Book (Being There), Compass Rose www.compassrosemusic.com
The Dreaded Folk Calendar over selections from Roger Williams's "Resophonic Retrospective" www.rogerreso.com
This week there was a rally against rape on the UConn campus where two rapes were committed last month:
26. Malvina Reynolds: The Judge Said (Ear to The Ground -- Topical Songs 1960-1978), Smithsonian Folkways 40124
Lies in the campaigns:
27. Larry Cordle & Lonesome Standard Time: I’m A Lie (Took Down and Put Up), Lonesome Day 011 www.lonesomeday.com
28. The WMDs with Christine Lavin: The Liar Sleeps Tonight (Happy Dance of The Xenophobe), Yellow Tail 10022 www.yellowtailrecords.com
29. Chuck Brodsky: Liar Liar, Pants on Fire (Tulips for Lunch), Waterbug www.chuckbrodsky.com
30. Yikes McGee: The Liar (Yikes McGee), self www.yikesmcgee.com
31. Jay Mankita: They Lied (Dogs Are Watching Us), self http://jaymankita.com
from Farewell to The Thief! Volume IV, Running Scared www.georgeandjulius.com
32. The Seattle Labor Chorus: Oil for The World
33. Patriot Act: Back to Crawford Waltz
34. Utah Phillips: What We Need
35. Grayson Capps & The Stumpknockers: Guitar (Rott-N-Roll), Hyena 9368 [www.hyenarecords.com]
36. Eliza Gilkyson et al: Peace Call (Land of Milk and Honey), Red House 174
Monday, October 13, 2008
10/12/08 Playlist
1. Willie Nelson: When I've Sung My Last Hillbilly Song (One Hell of A Ride -- Sampler), Columbia / Legacy
2. Maria Muldaur et al: We Shall Be Free (Yes We Can!), Telarc
3. Gurf Morlix: Food, Water, Shelter & Love (Diamonds to Dust), Blue Corn Music 0701 www.gurfmorlix.com
4. Anne Hills: My America (Mission Street Project -- Make Levees), Hudson Harding www.hudsonharding.com
5. Terence Martin: Who's Breathing All The Air (Even Trade), Good Dog 006 www.martinsongs.com
6. Catie Curtis: Sing (Sweet Life), Compass 4491 www.catiecurtis.com
7. Donal Hinely: Winds of Change (Blue State Boy), Scuffletown Records www.donalhinely.com
8. Rose Laughlin: Cold Rain and Snow (The Chicago Sessions), Ramblin' Rose www.roselaughlin.com
On my flight home from Europe I caught my first cold in a couple of years:
9. Herdman / Hills / Mangsen: The Druggist (At the Turning of The Year), Hand and Heart Music www.priscillaherdman.com
10. Austin Lounge Lizards: The Drugs I Need (single)
It’s still autumn:
11. Anne Hills: When the Frost Is on The Pumpkin (Ef You Don't Watch Out), Collective Works 0504 www.collectiveworks.com
12. John McCutcheon: Colors (Autumnsongs), Rounder Kids 8037
I haven’t had much time to listen to the CDs I bought in Croatia, but the first two songs are a beginning:
13 & 14. Intrade: Intrade San Popi & Da Mi Se Vratit (Dvadeset Godina Klape), Scardona www.scardona.hr
…and the serendipity of seeing this song on this new CD struck me – I drove past a road sign for Sarajevo two weeks ago:
15. East of Shirley: A Thousand Sarajevos (A Thousand Sarajevos), self www.eastofshirley.com
Gretchen Peters’ song was used to introduce Sarah Palin at a rally; Peters found that to be highly ironic, considering the song is about an abused woman. Peters is offering her song as a download at her site, and all proceeds from its sale during the election season will go to Planned Parenthood:
16. Gretchen Peters: Independence Day (download), self www.gretchenpeters.com
17. Roy Zimmerman: Sarah Pale in Comparison (single), self www.royzimmerman.com
18. David Ippolito: Don't Know Sarah (download), self www.thatguitarman.com
I had some “Nobel Prize for Pete Seeger” bumper stickers to give away:
19 & 20. Pete Seeger: Or Else! (One A-These Days) & Waist Deep in The Big Muddy (At 89), Appleseed 1113
Connecticut’s state Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage by a 4-3 vote on Friday:
21. Roy Zimmerman: Defenders of Marriage (Faulty Intelligence), Metaphor www.royzimmerman.com
Today is the tenth anniversary of the killing of Matthew Shepard in Wyoming:
22. Hugh Blumenfeld: Laramie (Mr. Jekyll & Dr. Hyde), self www.hughblumenfeld.com
I read the "Nigerian letter" from "Minister of Treasury Paulson"
23. John McCutcheon: It's the Economy, Stupid (Hail to The Chief!), Appalseed www.folkmusic.com
24. Tom Paxton: I Am Changing My Name to Chrysler (Politics Live), Flying Fish 70486
25. David Ippolito: Where'dat Money Go (Common Ground), self www.thatguitarman.com
26. James McMurtry: Can't Make It Here Any More (radio edit / download), self www.jamesmcmurtry.com
The Dreaded Folk Calendar over selections by Ben Broderick (sampler)
Foodshare's holding its 11th Annual Empty Bowls Project on Sat 10/18 at MCC at 11am:
27. Rory McLeod: Hunger Is The Best Sauce (Mouth to Mouth), Talkative www.rorymcleod.com
28. Tom Paxton: Feed the Children (Up & Up), Mountain Railroad 52792
29. Phil Lee: 3 Faces in The Window (Songbook Americana), Shanachie
Gideon Freudmann’s wife Gloria Kelman died Thursday, an other victim of breast cancer. I just needed to hear some of Gideon’s beautiful music.
30 - 32. Gideon Freudmann: Home, Banjo Dreams, Old Haunt (Sonic Surf), Octagon 208 www.cellobop.com
33. Notorious: Henry Reed's Breakdown (Elkins), Black Socks 27 www.notoriousfolk.com
34. Hugh Blumenfeld: Shadow Government (Mr Jekyll & Dr. Hyde), self
35. Kate Campbell: Save the Day (Save the Day), Large River 4106
36. Maria Dunn: You Can’t Take That Away (The Peddler), self www.mariadunn.com
37. Eliza Gilkyson et al: Peace Call (Land of Milk and Honey), Red House 174
2. Maria Muldaur et al: We Shall Be Free (Yes We Can!), Telarc
3. Gurf Morlix: Food, Water, Shelter & Love (Diamonds to Dust), Blue Corn Music 0701 www.gurfmorlix.com
4. Anne Hills: My America (Mission Street Project -- Make Levees), Hudson Harding www.hudsonharding.com
5. Terence Martin: Who's Breathing All The Air (Even Trade), Good Dog 006 www.martinsongs.com
6. Catie Curtis: Sing (Sweet Life), Compass 4491 www.catiecurtis.com
7. Donal Hinely: Winds of Change (Blue State Boy), Scuffletown Records www.donalhinely.com
8. Rose Laughlin: Cold Rain and Snow (The Chicago Sessions), Ramblin' Rose www.roselaughlin.com
On my flight home from Europe I caught my first cold in a couple of years:
9. Herdman / Hills / Mangsen: The Druggist (At the Turning of The Year), Hand and Heart Music www.priscillaherdman.com
10. Austin Lounge Lizards: The Drugs I Need (single)
It’s still autumn:
11. Anne Hills: When the Frost Is on The Pumpkin (Ef You Don't Watch Out), Collective Works 0504 www.collectiveworks.com
12. John McCutcheon: Colors (Autumnsongs), Rounder Kids 8037
I haven’t had much time to listen to the CDs I bought in Croatia, but the first two songs are a beginning:
13 & 14. Intrade: Intrade San Popi & Da Mi Se Vratit (Dvadeset Godina Klape), Scardona www.scardona.hr
…and the serendipity of seeing this song on this new CD struck me – I drove past a road sign for Sarajevo two weeks ago:
15. East of Shirley: A Thousand Sarajevos (A Thousand Sarajevos), self www.eastofshirley.com
Gretchen Peters’ song was used to introduce Sarah Palin at a rally; Peters found that to be highly ironic, considering the song is about an abused woman. Peters is offering her song as a download at her site, and all proceeds from its sale during the election season will go to Planned Parenthood:
16. Gretchen Peters: Independence Day (download), self www.gretchenpeters.com
17. Roy Zimmerman: Sarah Pale in Comparison (single), self www.royzimmerman.com
18. David Ippolito: Don't Know Sarah (download), self www.thatguitarman.com
I had some “Nobel Prize for Pete Seeger” bumper stickers to give away:
19 & 20. Pete Seeger: Or Else! (One A-These Days) & Waist Deep in The Big Muddy (At 89), Appleseed 1113
Connecticut’s state Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage by a 4-3 vote on Friday:
21. Roy Zimmerman: Defenders of Marriage (Faulty Intelligence), Metaphor www.royzimmerman.com
Today is the tenth anniversary of the killing of Matthew Shepard in Wyoming:
22. Hugh Blumenfeld: Laramie (Mr. Jekyll & Dr. Hyde), self www.hughblumenfeld.com
I read the "Nigerian letter" from "Minister of Treasury Paulson"
23. John McCutcheon: It's the Economy, Stupid (Hail to The Chief!), Appalseed www.folkmusic.com
24. Tom Paxton: I Am Changing My Name to Chrysler (Politics Live), Flying Fish 70486
25. David Ippolito: Where'dat Money Go (Common Ground), self www.thatguitarman.com
26. James McMurtry: Can't Make It Here Any More (radio edit / download), self www.jamesmcmurtry.com
The Dreaded Folk Calendar over selections by Ben Broderick (sampler)
Foodshare's holding its 11th Annual Empty Bowls Project on Sat 10/18 at MCC at 11am:
27. Rory McLeod: Hunger Is The Best Sauce (Mouth to Mouth), Talkative www.rorymcleod.com
28. Tom Paxton: Feed the Children (Up & Up), Mountain Railroad 52792
29. Phil Lee: 3 Faces in The Window (Songbook Americana), Shanachie
Gideon Freudmann’s wife Gloria Kelman died Thursday, an other victim of breast cancer. I just needed to hear some of Gideon’s beautiful music.
30 - 32. Gideon Freudmann: Home, Banjo Dreams, Old Haunt (Sonic Surf), Octagon 208 www.cellobop.com
33. Notorious: Henry Reed's Breakdown (Elkins), Black Socks 27 www.notoriousfolk.com
34. Hugh Blumenfeld: Shadow Government (Mr Jekyll & Dr. Hyde), self
35. Kate Campbell: Save the Day (Save the Day), Large River 4106
36. Maria Dunn: You Can’t Take That Away (The Peddler), self www.mariadunn.com
37. Eliza Gilkyson et al: Peace Call (Land of Milk and Honey), Red House 174
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