To lose both Pete Seeger and Shulamit Aloni in the same week: the world seems an especially cold and cruel place. Today, Pete Seeger died (NYT obituary and Performing Songwriter interview) at the age of 94. He was the Iron Man of American music. He outlasted almost all his contemporaries in longevity and his musical impact will certainly live into many … [Read more...]
“Inside Llewyn Davis” is NOT the Best Movie of the Year!
If you either love folk music (as I do), are a Coen Brothers devote (as I am), or just love great movies (as I do), I'm afraid I have some disappointing news: Inside Llewelyn Davis, which many of the trendy film critics are touting as either the best, or one of ten best films of the year, is not. Or let's say that if it's one of the ten best, the year has … [Read more...]
‘That’s How Every Empire Falls’
Way back in the dark ages when I first began writing this blog, I called it an mp3 blog and featured some of my favorite music from around the world. Those posts and songs are still here, though they've been subsumed under thousands of posts about the daily horrors of the Israeli Occupation. But in honor of the wonder, beauty and power of song, I'd like … [Read more...]
Kate & Anna McGarrigle: French-Canadian Folk Traditionalists
From Folk & Blues: An Encyclopedia, St. Martin's Press, 2001 KATE AND ANNA McGARRIGLE Vocal duo, songwriters, guitarists, pianists, accordionists, banjoists. Anna, born Montreal, Quebec, Canada, December 4, 1944. Kate, born Montreal, Quebec, Canada, February 6, 1946. Kate and Anna McGarrigle have not achieved the level of popularity and record … [Read more...]
