Meta
-
Recent Posts
- What’s New for the 31st of May: A Science-Fiction Legend, Licorice, A Superhero Reborn, Russian Folk Music, and other goodies
- A Kinrowan Estate story: An Invitation
- What’s New for the 24th of May: All things Zelazny, Kasaugai Roasted Nuts, James Gunn’s Inside Science Fiction, early Doc Watson, new Cotton-Eyed Joe, Arvo Pärt, Philip Glass, Kronos Quartet, and more
- A Kinrowan Estate story: A Library and Its Librarian
- What’s New for the 17th of May: Giuseppe Verdi’s Messa da Requiem, “Bad Moon Rising” by Credence Clearwater Revival live, Max Barry’s Providence, Irvine’s The Life of Riley, Two Hellboy animated films, Trader Joe’s Organic Dark Chocolate PB&J and Other Tasty Matters
- A Global New Service story: Strange Libraries
- What’s New for the 10th of May: Music by smallpiper Kathryn Tickell, The Faeries’ Oracle, English folk music, A Golem Factory, Vietnamese Chocolate, and Other Neat Things
- A Kinrowan Estate story: Early Morning (A Letter to Ekentrina)
- What’s New for the 3rd of May: Swedish group Tummel live, Sherlock’s Little Sister, Picaresque Novels, a Nyckelharpa Orchestra (!) and Other Lively Matters
- A Kinrowan Estate story: A Cornish Breakfast
- What’s New for the 26th of April: Live Cornish Music, Ancient Egypt (or not), X-Men Again, Hamlets, Baroque Plus, a belated Easter Bunny, and more
- A Kinrowan Estate story: Booking Your Band
- What’s New for the 19th of April: Ailette De Bodard’s Xuya Universe, Mutants, A Fairport Boxset, A Trip Up the Thames, Dinosaurs, of a sort, and other neat stuff
- A Kinrowan Estate story: The Lord of The Forest
- What’s New for the 12th of April: Music from Aaron Copland, A History of Bananas, Roddy Doyle’s Two Pints and Other Matters
- A Kinrowan Estate story: Beef Pot Pie
- What’s New for the 5th of April: Amano dark chocolate bars, Terry Gilliam’s Fisher King, Béla Bartók, Ellen Kushner on Steeleye Span, Danish String Quartet Live and Other Matters
- A Kinrowan Estate story: Bad Wolf
- What’s New for the 29th of March: the first real Celtic Rock album, a Celtic history, Holy Molé chocolate, Ray Bradbury poetry, Silly Wizard live and Other Neat Stuff
- A Kinrowan Estate story: The Library Card Catalogue
Tag Archives: folk-rock
Teddy Thompson’s Heartbreaker Please
It’s hard to believe that this year marks the 20th anniversary of Teddy Thompson’s recording career. He’d been singing and playing guitar on mom Linda’s and dad Richard’s recordings since the mid ’90s when he released his self-titled debut (which … Continue reading
Posted in Music
Tagged Americana music, folk-rock
Comments Off on Teddy Thompson’s Heartbreaker Please
James Elkington’s Ever-Roving Eye
There’s no way James Elkington could have known about the trauma that we’d all be feeling in the midst of a pandemic when he tracked the 11 songs on his sophomore “solo” release Ever-Roving Eye. But somehow he put out … Continue reading
David Dondero’s The Filter Bubble Blues
The Cuyahoga River was the subject of scathing satire in the 1970s, when it was so polluted it actually caught fire where it passed through Cleveland, Ohio. That hasn’t happened again, yet. But David Dondero imagines it won’t be long … Continue reading
Posted in Music
Tagged Americana music, folk music, folk-rock
Comments Off on David Dondero’s The Filter Bubble Blues
Humbird’s Pharmakon
This new album by Humbird is promoted as “experimental.” At first blush, it sounds anything but. Humbird is a project of Minneapolis-based singer-songwriter (and pizza waitress) Siri Undlin, working with several other local musicians. As the album opens on an … Continue reading
Steeleye Span, Trinity Theatre & Arts Centre
Tony Wighton contributed this review. Trinity Theatre / Arts Centre, Tunbridge Wells, England. 2nd October 1998…. The first UK gig of Steeleye Span since Maddy Prior left in October 1997. Well, having given the new album a good airing I … Continue reading
Posted in Music
Tagged folk, folk-rock, live music
Comments Off on Steeleye Span, Trinity Theatre & Arts Centre
Steeleye Span on The Reunion Tour
Being an ardent fan of the band for the past 35 years, a chance to go and see them again was just too good to pass up. My home is in Chester, which is only about 35 miles away from … Continue reading
Steeleye Span at the Daneside Theatre, Congleton
Chris Woods who is not related to anyone mentioned in this review This is one of those situations that throw into sharp relief the difficulties of writing live reviews. Lahri, one of our US reviewers, went to one of the … Continue reading
Posted in Music
Tagged folk, folk-rock, live music
Comments Off on Steeleye Span at the Daneside Theatre, Congleton
Steeleye Span at The Iron Horse Music Hall
Lahri Bond Penned this gig report. For many, this was the first chance to see the new Millennium version of a perennial favorite of the English folk-rock era. Steeleye Span has been through numerous changes in the last few years, … Continue reading
Posted in Music
Tagged folk, folk-rock, live music
Comments Off on Steeleye Span at The Iron Horse Music Hall
Steeleye Span’s Steeleye Span In Concert
Debbie Skolnik penned this review. Steeleye Span have released many albums over their 31 years of making music. Most of them are studio albums; only a handful of the official releases are live concert performances. One such album is 1994’s … Continue reading
Posted in Music
Tagged folk, folk-rock, live music
Comments Off on Steeleye Span’s Steeleye Span In Concert
Steeleye Span’s Live At A Distance
At first glance, it seemed like only a short while since the previous Steeleye Span double live CD Folk Rock Pioneers In Concert was released. But it was in fact more than two years ago, so the celebration of the … Continue reading
Posted in Music
Tagged folk, folk-rock, live music
Comments Off on Steeleye Span’s Live At A Distance
The Rails’ Cancel The Sun
“Save the planet, kill yourself … it’s the least that you could do,” The Rails sing, slightly tongue in cheek, on one of the standout tracks on their third release Cancel The Sun. It’s a lovely folk-rocker with shimmering electric … Continue reading
Posted in Music
Tagged English folk rock, folk-rock, music
Comments Off on The Rails’ Cancel The Sun
Jake Xerxes Fussell’s Out of Sight
Jake Xerxes Fussell’s previous recording What in the Natural World was one of my favorites of 2017, and on Out of Sight he has upped his game considerably. A native of the South and longtime student of its folk art … Continue reading
Posted in Music
Tagged Americana music, folk music, folk-rock
Comments Off on Jake Xerxes Fussell’s Out of Sight
Bert Jansch’s Just A Simple Soul
Bert Jansch was one of the most iconic and influential folk musicians to come out of the U.K. in the 1960s. It’s shocking that it’s taken until now for the release of a career retrospective, but very welcome indeed is … Continue reading
Posted in Music
Tagged English folk music, English folk rock, folk-rock
Comments Off on Bert Jansch’s Just A Simple Soul
John Prine’s The Tree of Forgiveness
John Prine is the folk singer America deserves. And needs. Since his debut self-titled album in 1971 he has been ministering to our malaise with his unique blend of humor and pathos, comedy, tragedy and tragicomedy that perfectly reflects and … Continue reading
Posted in Music
Tagged Americana music, folk music, folk-rock
Comments Off on John Prine’s The Tree of Forgiveness
Cowboy Junkies’ All That Reckoning
Cowboy Junkies’ latest release marks the 30th anniversary of the Canadian folk-rockers’ breakthrough album The Trinity Session. All That Reckoning, all these years later, still is built around Margo Timmins’ hushed vocals, but this one seethes with a barely suppressed … Continue reading
Posted in Music
Tagged Americana music, folk-rock
Comments Off on Cowboy Junkies’ All That Reckoning
Dana Sipos’ Trick of the Light
If like me you appreciate deeply rooted folk music that’s recorded with the sort of post-modern studio wizardry that enhances that music’s moods and meanings, then you owe it to yourself to check out Dana Sipos’ Trick of the Light. … Continue reading
Posted in Music
Tagged Americana music, folk music, folk-rock
Comments Off on Dana Sipos’ Trick of the Light
Ryley Walker’s Deafman Glance
I’ve been listening to Chicago-based folk-rocker Ryley Walker maturing his music since his first full-length All Kinds of You came out on Thompkins Square in 2014. He gained critical acclaim for his second Primrose Green the following year, with its … Continue reading
Beatrice Deer’s My All To You
Beatrice Deer is a singer-songwriter from Nunavik, the icy region of Quebec north of the 55th parallel and home to Quebec’s Inuit people. My All to You is her fifth record since she left her tiny hometown of Quaqtaq for … Continue reading
Posted in Music
Tagged folk music, folk-rock, traditional music, world music
Comments Off on Beatrice Deer’s My All To You
Fairport Convention’s Fairport unConventional
I have chosen a somewhat unconventional way to review this collection, partly because of the title but mainly because there is just so much stuff in this box that it demands consideration. Geez! It cost almost $30 to mail it … Continue reading
Posted in Music
Tagged folk-rock, traditional
Comments Off on Fairport Convention’s Fairport unConventional
Wûtas’ Eponymous Debut Album
“Wûtas” (pronounced “wuotas”) is an Alemannic word denoting the Wild Hunt. (Alemannic is either a group of discrete languages or a group of dialects, depending on which school of linguistics is your favorite, spoken mainly in southern Germany, Austria, parts … Continue reading
Tagged folk-rock, medieval music, traditional music
Comments Off on Wûtas’ Eponymous Debut Album
Jolie Holland and Samantha Parton’s Wildflower Blues
I’ve been a big fan and follower of Jolie Holland since her home-recorded debut Catalpa came out of left field in 2003, but this little gem sneaked under my radar. If you missed it, too, when it came out quietly … Continue reading
Posted in Music
Tagged Americana music, blues music, folk-rock
Comments Off on Jolie Holland and Samantha Parton’s Wildflower Blues
Gun Outfit’s Out of Range
Out of Range is the fifth full-length record by the Los Angeles-based Gun Outfit. They refer to the sound of their music as “Western expanse,” and that’s as good a description as any. Musically it’s a guitar-laden melange of cosmic … Continue reading
Posted in Music
Tagged Americana music, folk-rock, rock and roll
Comments Off on Gun Outfit’s Out of Range
The Weather Station’s self-titled album
Toronto-based musician Tamara Lindeman records and performs as The Weather Station. This self-titled album is her fourth release under that name, and it’s a bold, self-confident report back from the baffling frontiers of adulthood, relationships, independence, dependence and life in … Continue reading
TRADarrr’s Cautionary Tales; Further Tales of Love! Death! And Treachery!
Let me sum it up: TRADarrr’s debut album is one of the best first albums I have ever heard from anyone. But is it really a debut album? Three of the five members on that album (PJ Wright on guitars, … Continue reading
Posted in Music
Tagged English traditional music, folk music, folk-rock
Comments Off on TRADarrr’s Cautionary Tales; Further Tales of Love! Death! And Treachery!
Anna Tivel’s Small Believer
Anna Tivel, whose Heroes Waking Up rose to the top of my best-of list in 2016, has a new record out already this year, and Small Believers lives up to the high mark set by that record. Portland’s Anna Tivel … Continue reading
Posted in Music
Tagged Americana music, folk music, folk-rock
Comments Off on Anna Tivel’s Small Believer
Deer Tick’s Deer Tick Vol. 1 & Deer Tick Vol. 2
In the chorus of “Only Love,” midway through the acoustic, folky Deer Tick Vol. 1, Deer Tick front man John McCauley sings, “It’s only love, so don’t be afraid, it will let you down but not today … it won’t … Continue reading
Posted in Music
Tagged Americana music, folk-rock, rock and roll
Comments Off on Deer Tick’s Deer Tick Vol. 1 & Deer Tick Vol. 2
A Consumer´s Guide to Fairport Convention
Preliminary Note: This guide deals only with the official studio and live albums released by Fairport Convention. No samplers, collections or unofficial live albums are mentioned. The albums are graded as follows: (****) = A classic. Should be in everyone´s … Continue reading
Tagged English traditional music, folk, folk-rock, traditional music
Comments Off on A Consumer´s Guide to Fairport Convention
Cory Branan’s Adios
The best thing about Cory Branan is his now-they’re-funny, now-they’re-sad lyrics. No, wait, the best thing is the way the tune always works just right with the lyrics, and it’s always catchy as hell. No, wait, the best thing is … Continue reading
Posted in Music
Tagged Americana music, folk-rock, rock and roll
Comments Off on Cory Branan’s Adios
Ani Cordero’s Querido Mundo
Ani Cordero is a Puerto Rican-American singer, songwriter and musician (and a Latin American music researcher) living in New York. I became a fan of her eponymous alt-Latin indie-rock band in the early 2000s, which led me to the Mexican … Continue reading
Posted in Music
Tagged folk-rock, Latin music, world music
Comments Off on Ani Cordero’s Querido Mundo
The DeSoto Caucus’s 4
The DeSoto Caucus released their second and third albums within 11 months of each other, in 2013 and 2014. I first caught up with them on their third, self-titled album, which I liked a lot. This Danish quartet took a … Continue reading
Posted in Music
Tagged Americana music, folk-rock, rock and roll
Comments Off on The DeSoto Caucus’s 4
Michael Chapman’s 50
I’m a little embarrassed to say that Michael Chapman’s new album 50 is my first exposure to this nonpariel British guitarist, singer and songwriter. After all, he gets name-checked alongside such greats as Richard Thompson, Bert Jansch and Davy Graham, … Continue reading
Ryley Walker’s Golden Sings That Have Been Sung
Ryley Walker’s Golden Sings That Have Been Sung is a logical follow-up to his critically acclaimed 2015 album Primrose Green. The earlier release was noted for its almost spookily faithful homage to 1960s English folk-rock, particularly early Van Morrison. While … Continue reading
William Tyler’s Modern Country
Guitarist William Tyler’s Modern Country was one of my favorite drive-time listens of the summer of 2016. I was so busy enjoying it, I didn’t get around to writing about it until now! First, about the title. It’s amazing how … Continue reading
Posted in Music
Tagged Americana music, folk-rock, music
Comments Off on William Tyler’s Modern Country
Strangelings’ Season of the Witch
The Electric sitar: Not just for George Harrison tunes. Okay, I’m in love. Electric sitar! Bliss! No, seriously. Not hyperbole: it’s love. I’m replaying one of my happiest discoveries in a season of catch-as-catch-can, the Strangelings CD, Season of the Witch. … Continue reading
Y La Bamba’s Ojos del Sol
Lyrically, musically and thematically complex, Ojos del Sol represents a leap of creative faith by Luz Elena Mendoza, the Portland, Oregon-based singer-songwriter who leads Y La Bamba. Her previous efforts, including 2012’s Court the Storm have combined the rhythms, sounds … Continue reading
Various artists’ Refugee
We fled our homes from flames of war you rained in on our shores And now you’d sooner let us drown than open up your doors. For a life is only worth the dirt upon which it is born And … Continue reading
Posted in Music
Tagged English folk music, folk-rock, Scottish music
Comments Off on
Various artists’ Refugee
Anna Tivel’s Heroes Waking Up
Anna Tivel sings her songs of world-weariness and hope in a voice that sounds a lot younger than her words. The Northwest-raised Tivel currently calls Portland home, but she’s spent a lot of time on the road and with her … Continue reading
Posted in Music
Tagged Americana music, folk music, folk-rock
Comments Off on Anna Tivel’s Heroes Waking Up
Chris Eckman’s Harney County
Some parts of Harney County, Oregon, are among my favorite places on this planet. They include Steens Mountain, the Alvord Desert, and the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, which lately has been in the news around the country because it was … Continue reading
Calexico’s Edge of the Sun
Calexico’s Edge of the Sun is packed full of the kind of music that made me a longtime fan of the Tucson band. To me it’s one of Calexico’s more successful albums in quite a while. The songs have strong … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged folk-rock, indie, Latin music
Comments Off on Calexico’s Edge of the Sun
The Decemberists’ What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World
The Decemberists have emerged from a more than three-year hiatus with a strong set of indie-rock songs for adults, What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World. Even with a January release, it’s sure to be on a lot of … Continue reading
Thompson’s Family
Fans of Richard and Linda Thompson have been waiting for them to record together again since they broke up more than 30 years ago. I suppose a reunion of sorts became inevitable when two of their offspring, Teddy and Kami, … Continue reading
Richard Thompson’s Acoustic Classics
Richard Thompson’s style and competence as a solo performance have evolved a lot in just the past 20 years, and even more since he broke up with his former wife and singing partner Linda Thompson and set out on his … Continue reading
Posted in Music
Tagged English folk rock, folk-rock, Richard Thompson
Comments Off on Richard Thompson’s Acoustic Classics
The Horse’s Ha’s Waterdrawn
Waterdrawn from The Horse’s Ha seems like a good companion piece to Anais Mitchell’s 2012 Child Ballads. Most of the songs and the entire spirit of this project are drawn from the same well as those old Anglo-American ballads with … Continue reading
Sam Amidon’s Bright Sunny South
Sam Amidon is a Vermont native formerly active in the New England folk scene, now based in London. Bright Sunny South is his fourth full-length release but his first on a major label. In addition to his solo work, he … Continue reading
Richard Thompson’s Electric
Electric which someone calculates to be Richard Thompson’s 40th release, features the English folk-rock icon in a power trio setting, with plenty of power provided by drummer Michael Jerome and bassist Taras Prodaniuk, both of whom have been playing with … Continue reading
Posted in Music
Tagged English folk rock, folk-rock, Richard Thompson
Comments Off on Richard Thompson’s Electric
Richard Thompson’s Strict Tempo!
Lately, every time Richard Thompson issues a new recording, a spate of interviews appears in print and online media, conducted by writers of varying familiarity with his extensive oeuvre. Inevitably, one of more of them will ask him about his … Continue reading
Posted in Music
Tagged English folk rock, folk-rock, Richard Thompson
Comments Off on Richard Thompson’s Strict Tempo!
Fairport Convention’s 4Play 76/79
A not uncommon response when Fairport Convention is mentioned is to think of a band with regular line-up changes. However, that was really only the case in the first couple of decades of their existence. The remaining two and a … Continue reading
Bowerbirds’ The Clearing
The Clearing is a fully realized artistic vision of Beth Tacular and Phil Moore, the young North Carolina couple who perform as Bowerbirds. It’s their third album, and it’s a mature, emotionally charged work that reflects some of the travails … Continue reading
Richard Thompson Band’s Live At Celtic Connections (DVD)
The most recent incarnation of the Richard Thompson Band started its run with a string of nine or 10 shows along the West Coast of the U.S. in February of 2010. They played a set of 13 new songs that … Continue reading
Posted in Film, Music
Tagged folk-rock, Richard Thompson
Comments Off on Richard Thompson Band’s Live At Celtic Connections (DVD)
Richard & Linda Thompson’s Shoot Out The Lights (Deluxe Edition)
What is left to be said about Richard & Linda Thompson’s swan song and masterpiece Shoot Out The Lights? It has garnered all kinds of honors in the nearly 30 years since its 1982 release, landing on more “best of” … Continue reading
Posted in Music
Tagged English folk rock, folk-rock, Richard Thompson
Comments Off on Richard & Linda Thompson’s Shoot Out The Lights (Deluxe Edition)