Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Garnet Rogers interviewed
Here's a November 2011 interview with Garnet Rogers (who is writing a book).
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Caroline Herring honored
Kim Ruehl elaborates on her appreciation of Caroline Herring's latest release.
Herring's release is also lauded by The Sojourners.
Herring's release is also lauded by The Sojourners.
Friday, December 21, 2012
John Rumsey's favorites of 2012
These selections are from John Rumsey, a KVMR (Nevada City, CA) DJ.
Top picks 2012 (from November 2011 to November 2012)
Top five 2012 (in order)
* Suzzy Bogguss "American Folk Songbook "
* Dave Gunning "No More Pennies"
* Kathy Mattea "Calling Me Home"
" Gathering Time "Red Apples and Gold"
* Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer "Little Blue Egg"
Next five (no order)
* Drew Nelson "Tilt A Whirl"
* Pesky J Nixon "Red Ducks"
* Coty Houge "When We Get To Shore"
* Mary Chapin Carpenter "Ashes and Roses"
* Iris Dement "Sing the Delta"
Honorable Mention
* Navigators "Soldiers and Sailors"
* Stray Birds "Stray Birds"
* Honey Dewdrops "Silver Lining"
* Chris LaVancher "Roadside Attractions"
* Grant Peeples "Prior Convictions"
Top picks 2012 (from November 2011 to November 2012)
Top five 2012 (in order)
* Suzzy Bogguss "American Folk Songbook "
* Dave Gunning "No More Pennies"
* Kathy Mattea "Calling Me Home"
" Gathering Time "Red Apples and Gold"
* Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer "Little Blue Egg"
Next five (no order)
* Drew Nelson "Tilt A Whirl"
* Pesky J Nixon "Red Ducks"
* Coty Houge "When We Get To Shore"
* Mary Chapin Carpenter "Ashes and Roses"
* Iris Dement "Sing the Delta"
Honorable Mention
* Navigators "Soldiers and Sailors"
* Stray Birds "Stray Birds"
* Honey Dewdrops "Silver Lining"
* Chris LaVancher "Roadside Attractions"
* Grant Peeples "Prior Convictions"
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Lauding Danny Schmidt
Danny Schmidt and his "Stained Glass" song receive a commendation at, of all places, this Louisiana State University (Southeastern Conference) football fan site.
Monday, December 17, 2012
John Platt's faves of 2012
From DJ John Platt:
Following my friend Rich Warren's example, here's an annotated list of my favorites of the past year, in alphabetical order:
* John Fullbright, *From the Ground Up*
The phenomenally talented 24-year-old Grammy nominee from Woody Guthrie's hometown of Okemah, OK, whose heroes are more likely Randy Newman and Tom Waits
* Penny Nichols, *Colors of the Sun: Penny Nichols Sings the Early Songs of Jackson Browne*
Best known recently as the founder of Summersongs, Penny was a close friend (and sometime lover) of Jackson Browne at the time he wrote classics like "These Days" and "Fountain of Sorrow"
* Joan Osborne, *Bring It On Home*
Joan can sing anything from folk to standards, but these blues and R&B covers are right in her wheelhouse
* Gretchen Peters, *Hello Cruel World*
A Grammy-nominated songwriter from Nashville who's been covered by the likes of Trisha Yearwood and Faith Hill, Gretchen released a very personal album that's stunning from start to finish
* Rodriguez, *Searching for Sugar Man*
The soundtrack of the heartwarming documentary about the Detroit singer who fell off the musical map but was rediscovered thanks to the passion of his South African fans
* The Twangtown Paramours, *The Promise of Friday Night*
A married musical couple from Nashville whose music is not so much twangy as "sophisticated Americana"
* Various Artists, *Chimes of Freedom*
The four-CD feast of Bob Dylan covers are by everyone Adele to Zee Avi, not to mention Billy Bragg, Sting, and Raphael Saadiq, compiled for Amnesty International's 50th anniversary
* Various Artists, *Joni Mitchell's "Blue"*
Some of New York's finest female folkies, collectively known as Chicks with Dip, do justice to Joni's deceptively tricky classics
* Various Artists, *Treme: Music from the HBO Original Series, Season 2*
Soulful performances from the series where the musical guest artists are as important as the excellent regular cast
* Loudon Wainwright III, *Older Than My Old Man*
The whole Wainwright clan assists Loudon in this chronicle about aging
which has songs both serious and satirical
Also Worthy:
* Ryan Adams*, *Ashes & Fire*
* Nels Andrews*, *Scrimshaw*
* Rani Arbo & Daisy Mayhem*, *Some Bright Morning*
* Barnstar!*, *C'Mon*
* Buskin & Batteau*, *Love Remembered/Love Forgot*
* Brandi Carlile*, *Bear Creek*
* Mary Chapin Carpenter*, *Ashes and Roses*
* Anna Dagmar*, *Satellite*
* Iris DeMent*, *Sing the Delta*
* Honor Finnegan*, *The Tiny Life*
* Benjamin Gibbard*, *Former Lives*
* Lucy Kaplansky*, *Reunion*
* The Lumineers*, *The Lumineers*
* Kathy Mattea*, *Calling Me Home*
* Pete Seeger & Lorre Wyatt*, *A More Perfect Union*
* Bruce Springsteen*, *Wrecking Ball*
* Various Artists**, Trouble in the Fields: An Artists' Tribute to
Nanci Griffith
Following my friend Rich Warren's example, here's an annotated list of my favorites of the past year, in alphabetical order:
* John Fullbright, *From the Ground Up*
The phenomenally talented 24-year-old Grammy nominee from Woody Guthrie's hometown of Okemah, OK, whose heroes are more likely Randy Newman and Tom Waits
* Penny Nichols, *Colors of the Sun: Penny Nichols Sings the Early Songs of Jackson Browne*
Best known recently as the founder of Summersongs, Penny was a close friend (and sometime lover) of Jackson Browne at the time he wrote classics like "These Days" and "Fountain of Sorrow"
* Joan Osborne, *Bring It On Home*
Joan can sing anything from folk to standards, but these blues and R&B covers are right in her wheelhouse
* Gretchen Peters, *Hello Cruel World*
A Grammy-nominated songwriter from Nashville who's been covered by the likes of Trisha Yearwood and Faith Hill, Gretchen released a very personal album that's stunning from start to finish
* Rodriguez, *Searching for Sugar Man*
The soundtrack of the heartwarming documentary about the Detroit singer who fell off the musical map but was rediscovered thanks to the passion of his South African fans
* The Twangtown Paramours, *The Promise of Friday Night*
A married musical couple from Nashville whose music is not so much twangy as "sophisticated Americana"
* Various Artists, *Chimes of Freedom*
The four-CD feast of Bob Dylan covers are by everyone Adele to Zee Avi, not to mention Billy Bragg, Sting, and Raphael Saadiq, compiled for Amnesty International's 50th anniversary
* Various Artists, *Joni Mitchell's "Blue"*
Some of New York's finest female folkies, collectively known as Chicks with Dip, do justice to Joni's deceptively tricky classics
* Various Artists, *Treme: Music from the HBO Original Series, Season 2*
Soulful performances from the series where the musical guest artists are as important as the excellent regular cast
* Loudon Wainwright III, *Older Than My Old Man*
The whole Wainwright clan assists Loudon in this chronicle about aging
which has songs both serious and satirical
Also Worthy:
* Ryan Adams*, *Ashes & Fire*
* Nels Andrews*, *Scrimshaw*
* Rani Arbo & Daisy Mayhem*, *Some Bright Morning*
* Barnstar!*, *C'Mon*
* Buskin & Batteau*, *Love Remembered/Love Forgot*
* Brandi Carlile*, *Bear Creek*
* Mary Chapin Carpenter*, *Ashes and Roses*
* Anna Dagmar*, *Satellite*
* Iris DeMent*, *Sing the Delta*
* Honor Finnegan*, *The Tiny Life*
* Benjamin Gibbard*, *Former Lives*
* Lucy Kaplansky*, *Reunion*
* The Lumineers*, *The Lumineers*
* Kathy Mattea*, *Calling Me Home*
* Pete Seeger & Lorre Wyatt*, *A More Perfect Union*
* Bruce Springsteen*, *Wrecking Ball*
* Various Artists**, Trouble in the Fields: An Artists' Tribute to
Nanci Griffith
Saturday, December 15, 2012
"Fairytale of New York"
Didn't know this: there's a campaign underway to get the song "Fairytale of New York" by the Pogues to a #1 ranking. A video of the song is at the link.
Friday, December 14, 2012
One more for John Gorka's best
Missed this one in earlier compiling the best of John Gorka.
He is skating on a river
That's been frozen since December
He's a soldier on a river off to war
And he just received his orders
They're in his pocket with his quarters
But they never cut his leave like this before
And his buddies know he's crazy
But They'll meet him by the bridge
And he has the light of more than half the moon
He skated nights when he was younger
Though he always knew the danger
But it seems so much is here and gone so soon
And the ice talks to the river
And the geese talk to themselves
Will they fly all night if there's no place to land?
A place to land is open water
And open water he can't use
When it's hard enough to find a place to stand
When the ice gives in beneath you
You know it changes how you dream
And you will never be the same again
He's going where there is no winter
The only ice is in his veins
He may kill someone who's face he'll never see
He always knew he'd be a soldier
Since his parents could remember
Now he's skating down this temporary road
He is skating on a river
That's been frozen since December
He's a soldier on a river off to war
He is skating on a river
That's been frozen since December
He's a soldier on a river off to war
And he just received his orders
They're in his pocket with his quarters
But they never cut his leave like this before
And his buddies know he's crazy
But They'll meet him by the bridge
And he has the light of more than half the moon
He skated nights when he was younger
Though he always knew the danger
But it seems so much is here and gone so soon
And the ice talks to the river
And the geese talk to themselves
Will they fly all night if there's no place to land?
A place to land is open water
And open water he can't use
When it's hard enough to find a place to stand
When the ice gives in beneath you
You know it changes how you dream
And you will never be the same again
He's going where there is no winter
The only ice is in his veins
He may kill someone who's face he'll never see
He always knew he'd be a soldier
Since his parents could remember
Now he's skating down this temporary road
He is skating on a river
That's been frozen since December
He's a soldier on a river off to war
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Rich Warren's take on the top 49
This is from Rich Warren back in July 2010 -- in alphabetical order, his 49 most significant singer-songwriters in the last 50 years:
1. Ben Bedford (Lincoln’s Man)
2. Eric Bogle (And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda)
3. Gordon Bok (Turning Toward the Morning)
4. Greg Brown (Rexroth’s Daughter / Ring Around the Moon)
5. Jonathan Byrd (The Ballad of Larry)
6. Dave Carter (Gentle Arms of Eden / When I Go)
7. Harry Chapin (Mr. Tanner)
8. Leonard Cohen (Suzanne)
9. Judy Collins (Albatross)
10. Iris DeMent (Our Town)
11. Kitty Donohoe (There Are No Words)
12. Bob Dylan (Blowin’ in the Wind)
13. Bob Franke (Hard Love)
14. Steve Goodman (City of New Orleans)
15. John Gorka (Love Is Our Cross to Bear / Temporary Road)
16. Diana Jones (Pony / Cracked and Broken)
17. Connie Kaldor (Grandmother’s Song)
18. James Keelaghan (Cold Missouri Waters)
19. Gordon Lightfoot (Ballad of the Yarmouth Castle / Canadian Railroad Trilogy)
20. Ewan MacColl (Joy of Living / First Time Ever I Saw Your Face)
21. Don McLean (American Pie / Vincent)
22. John McCutcheon (Christmas in the Trenches)
23. Suzanne McDermott (The 3 Dreams of J. Robert Oppenheimer)
24. David Mallett (The Garden Song)
25. Anais Mitchell (Two Kids / Before the Eyes of Story Telling Girls)
26. Joni Mitchell (Both Sides Now)
27. Pete Morton (Another Train)
28. Peter Mulvey (Rise)
29. Carrie Newcomer (There Is a Tree)
30. Phil Ochs (Crucifixion)
31. Kristina Olsen (Yellow Piper / Dangerous)
32. Tom Paxton (Ramblin’ Boy / Last Thing on My Mind)
33. Utah Phillips (Goodnight Loving Trail / Touch Me)
34. John Prine (Paradise / Hello in There)
35. Rich Prezioso of Small Potatoes (1,000 Candles, 1,000 Cranes)
36. Garnet Rogers (All That Is)
37. Stan Rogers (Mary Ellen Carter /Northwest Passage / House of Orange /
Barrett’s Privateers / Jeanie-C)
38. Pete Seeger (Turn, Turn, Turn / Waist Deep in the Big Muddy)
39. Danny Schmidt (Stained Glass)
40. Richard Shindell (Are You Happy Now / Reunion Hill)
41. Patrick Sky (Sometimes I Wonder)
42. Michael Smith (The Dutchman)
43. Ian Tyson (Ian & Sylvia) (Four Strong Winds)
44. Townes Van Zandt (Pancho & Lefty)
45. Jerry Jeff Walker (Mr. Bojangles)
46. Susan Werner (Barbed Wire Boys / May I Suggest)
47. Cheryl Wheeler (Arrow)
48. Dar Williams (February)
49. Robin & Linda Williams with Jerome Clark (Don’t Let Me Come Home a Stranger)
Monday, December 10, 2012
A Rodney Crowell look back
Rodney Crowell has a book out -- Chinaberry Sidewalks -- on his East Texas upbringing. Crowell also released a new CD back in June.
Saturday, December 8, 2012
A 2012 Top 10 list
Kim Ruehl and Linda Fahey offer their Top 10 Folk and Americana releases of 2012.
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
"Hallelujah" and Leonard Cohen
Here's a fascinating article on Leonard Cohen, focusing on Alan Light's book all about Cohen's song "Hallelujah."
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