Now Playing on Festival Radio
Sunday, June 26, 2005
Now featuring Van Morrison, plus new Cowboy Junkies
This week's (June 26 through July 4) featured artist is Van Morrison. I think his new CD, Magic Time is great and we'll be featuring tracks from it, plus many of the classic tunes you know and love.
Cowboy Junkies: Early 21st Century Blues
Here's what it says on their website about the Cowboy Junkies motivation for their new CD: "By the middle of this past February (2005), we had been off the road for a few months, winter had her claws dug in deep, and it seemed like a good time to get together and play some music. An invitation was extended to our older brother John to come and sit in with his guitar. We decided to give our gathering a context: we were all to bring along two or three songs, written by others, and the themes of the songs had to relate to war, violence, fear, greed, ignorance, loss….We hoped to reach a critical mass of material that would reach out and touch a couple of hearts and souls. Our goal was to create our own small document of hope. Over the course of five days we sat in The Clubhouse and interpreted the words and melodies of others. We let the tape run while we played and did our best to channel those early 21st century blues…..."
What they ended up with was a pretty cohesive collection of mostly cover tunes, done in the Cowboy Junkies style. The centerpiece of the CD is a fantastic cover of Richie Havens' "Handouts in the Rain" as well as two Springsteen covers - "You're Missing" and "Brothers Under the Bridge". The CD goes back to the more acoustic and organic Junkies style with Margo Timmins' voice out front, rather than buried in the droning fuzz so prevalent on their two most recent studio CDs. For me that is welcome return to form. The only miss is a cover of John Lennon's "I Don't Want to be a Soldier" which is interrupted by a guest rap by someone credited as "Rebel." The Junkies close the CD with a nice, subdued take on U2's "One", which ends up sounding more like a whispered prayer than U2's overdramatic, anthemic lamentation.
Cowboy Junkies: Early 21st Century Blues
Here's what it says on their website about the Cowboy Junkies motivation for their new CD: "By the middle of this past February (2005), we had been off the road for a few months, winter had her claws dug in deep, and it seemed like a good time to get together and play some music. An invitation was extended to our older brother John to come and sit in with his guitar. We decided to give our gathering a context: we were all to bring along two or three songs, written by others, and the themes of the songs had to relate to war, violence, fear, greed, ignorance, loss….We hoped to reach a critical mass of material that would reach out and touch a couple of hearts and souls. Our goal was to create our own small document of hope. Over the course of five days we sat in The Clubhouse and interpreted the words and melodies of others. We let the tape run while we played and did our best to channel those early 21st century blues…..."
What they ended up with was a pretty cohesive collection of mostly cover tunes, done in the Cowboy Junkies style. The centerpiece of the CD is a fantastic cover of Richie Havens' "Handouts in the Rain" as well as two Springsteen covers - "You're Missing" and "Brothers Under the Bridge". The CD goes back to the more acoustic and organic Junkies style with Margo Timmins' voice out front, rather than buried in the droning fuzz so prevalent on their two most recent studio CDs. For me that is welcome return to form. The only miss is a cover of John Lennon's "I Don't Want to be a Soldier" which is interrupted by a guest rap by someone credited as "Rebel." The Junkies close the CD with a nice, subdued take on U2's "One", which ends up sounding more like a whispered prayer than U2's overdramatic, anthemic lamentation.
Thursday, June 16, 2005
Finally, New Adds
I haven't blogged new adds since April and that's too darned long. So here's at it.
Al Stewart: A Beach Full of Shells
When Al Stewart was big in 1977 I was 13. His sophisticated folk/pop didn't impress me then, and I sort of filed him away as the guy who did "Year of the Cat." Now i'm 40, and his music is a revelation. The new CD is superb, full of witty, historically-inspired songs. Highlights include "The Immelman Turn", a Fairport-esque tale of a barnstorming pilot, "Rain Barrel", a first-person narrative of an ambassador hiding during a coup, and "Royal Courtship", a tongue-in-cheek account of romance by proxy gone horribly wrong. In stores June 21 on Appleseed Records.
The Clumsy Lovers: Smart Kid
I've been on the Clumsy Lovers bandwagon for a couple years, and many people should join me after hearing this CD. It's full of the smart folk/pop/Bluegrass/traditional genre-hopping blend that they've honed over the last ten years of touring North America. It's good stuff. It's out now. And if you need to hear them, they're featured artist of the week this week.
The Bills: Let 'em Run
Probably the first album with an ode to free-range chickens. This is a great acoustic combo Cd, with tight vocal harmonies and clever, well-played arrangements. I particularly like their take on "Stardust." It's no wonder they were nominated for a Juno.
John Prine: Fair and Square
Classic John Prine. Stands up against anything he's ever done.
Bruce Springsteen: Devils and Dust
This doesn't hold up as well against his other "folk" efforts. Nebraska and The Ghost of Tom Joad are both much better albums. The title cut is particularly good.
Jeff Black: Tin Lilly
Jeff Black has a great voice and knows how to craft a great song. In many ways, he's like Greg Trooper, writing hits for other people while his own work struggles in reltive obscurity. I hope this CD finds the audience it deserves. If you like Trooper or Marc Cohn, you'll dig Jeff Black. This CD will be out later this summer (July or August) and then Black will be Featured Artist of the Week.
Carrie Newcomer: Regulars and Refugees
Newcomer has always been a student of character, and on this concept album she presents a series of characterizations drawn from the fictional "Betty's Diner" from her recent best of compilation of the same name. Mostly it works, though sometimes it seems stretched (in particular the song from the point of view of a dog). Overll, it's ambitious and full of heart. On Philo Records with and August release date.
Tracy Grammer: Flower of Avalon
A superb tribute to the legacy of Dave Carter by his partner, featuring top-flight folk/pop production by John Jennings (Mary-Chapin Carpenter) and lots of special guests. Tracy Grammer seems to sing better with each passing album, and she has great material to work with here, including 9 previously unreleased songs by Dave Carter and a reworking of "The Loughlin Boy"
Other New Adds
Blue Highway: Marbletown
David Ross MacDonald: selftitled
Alison Brown: Stolen Moments
Corey Harris: Daily Bread
Bevel Jenny: Above the Clouds
Patricia Vonne: Guitars and Castanets
Kate MacLeod and the Pancakes: Breakfast
Aly Bain and Phil Cunningham: Best of
Robert Earl Keen: What I Really Mean
ThaMuseMeant: Silver Seed
Vic Sadot: Broadsides and Retrospectives
Van Morrison: Magic Time
Emiliana Torrini: Fisherman's Daughter
Smithfield Fair: Swept Away
Neko Case: The Tigers Have Spoken
Francis Dunnery: The Gulley Flats Boys
Girlyman: Little Star
Randy Auxier: Spirit Guide
Malcolm Holcombe: I Never Heard You Knocking
The Weepies: Happiness
Davy Cowan: Fragile People
The Levellers: Truth and Lies
I've been blurbed: I got a copy of the new Jackie Frost CD, Calliope in the mail last week. Since I already had a copy, I was kind of surprised until I saw that my review from the FolkBlog was featured on the accompanying one-pager. So, I gave it to my girlfriend, who digs it and who played it for her dad, who also digs it. So, we have some viral marketing going on here. Just spreading the wealth.
Feverishly Ripping Like a Maniac: I have been thinking about the switch to higher bandwidth for a while, but I really did it on the spur of the moment as my pre-paid broadcasting package expired. I've been ripping to 128K mbps since some time last year, but before that I ripped everything straight to 32k. As a result, you are getting the best of what I've received and purchased recently, but I have a lot of re-ripping to do to provide you, my adoring public, with the depth and variety that you have come to expect. So, I'm feverishly ripping CDs like a maniac, a few each day, and I'll catch up soon.
Al Stewart: A Beach Full of Shells
When Al Stewart was big in 1977 I was 13. His sophisticated folk/pop didn't impress me then, and I sort of filed him away as the guy who did "Year of the Cat." Now i'm 40, and his music is a revelation. The new CD is superb, full of witty, historically-inspired songs. Highlights include "The Immelman Turn", a Fairport-esque tale of a barnstorming pilot, "Rain Barrel", a first-person narrative of an ambassador hiding during a coup, and "Royal Courtship", a tongue-in-cheek account of romance by proxy gone horribly wrong. In stores June 21 on Appleseed Records.
The Clumsy Lovers: Smart Kid
I've been on the Clumsy Lovers bandwagon for a couple years, and many people should join me after hearing this CD. It's full of the smart folk/pop/Bluegrass/traditional genre-hopping blend that they've honed over the last ten years of touring North America. It's good stuff. It's out now. And if you need to hear them, they're featured artist of the week this week.
The Bills: Let 'em Run
Probably the first album with an ode to free-range chickens. This is a great acoustic combo Cd, with tight vocal harmonies and clever, well-played arrangements. I particularly like their take on "Stardust." It's no wonder they were nominated for a Juno.
John Prine: Fair and Square
Classic John Prine. Stands up against anything he's ever done.
Bruce Springsteen: Devils and Dust
This doesn't hold up as well against his other "folk" efforts. Nebraska and The Ghost of Tom Joad are both much better albums. The title cut is particularly good.
Jeff Black: Tin Lilly
Jeff Black has a great voice and knows how to craft a great song. In many ways, he's like Greg Trooper, writing hits for other people while his own work struggles in reltive obscurity. I hope this CD finds the audience it deserves. If you like Trooper or Marc Cohn, you'll dig Jeff Black. This CD will be out later this summer (July or August) and then Black will be Featured Artist of the Week.
Carrie Newcomer: Regulars and Refugees
Newcomer has always been a student of character, and on this concept album she presents a series of characterizations drawn from the fictional "Betty's Diner" from her recent best of compilation of the same name. Mostly it works, though sometimes it seems stretched (in particular the song from the point of view of a dog). Overll, it's ambitious and full of heart. On Philo Records with and August release date.
Tracy Grammer: Flower of Avalon
A superb tribute to the legacy of Dave Carter by his partner, featuring top-flight folk/pop production by John Jennings (Mary-Chapin Carpenter) and lots of special guests. Tracy Grammer seems to sing better with each passing album, and she has great material to work with here, including 9 previously unreleased songs by Dave Carter and a reworking of "The Loughlin Boy"
Other New Adds
Blue Highway: Marbletown
David Ross MacDonald: selftitled
Alison Brown: Stolen Moments
Corey Harris: Daily Bread
Bevel Jenny: Above the Clouds
Patricia Vonne: Guitars and Castanets
Kate MacLeod and the Pancakes: Breakfast
Aly Bain and Phil Cunningham: Best of
Robert Earl Keen: What I Really Mean
ThaMuseMeant: Silver Seed
Vic Sadot: Broadsides and Retrospectives
Van Morrison: Magic Time
Emiliana Torrini: Fisherman's Daughter
Smithfield Fair: Swept Away
Neko Case: The Tigers Have Spoken
Francis Dunnery: The Gulley Flats Boys
Girlyman: Little Star
Randy Auxier: Spirit Guide
Malcolm Holcombe: I Never Heard You Knocking
The Weepies: Happiness
Davy Cowan: Fragile People
The Levellers: Truth and Lies
I've been blurbed: I got a copy of the new Jackie Frost CD, Calliope in the mail last week. Since I already had a copy, I was kind of surprised until I saw that my review from the FolkBlog was featured on the accompanying one-pager. So, I gave it to my girlfriend, who digs it and who played it for her dad, who also digs it. So, we have some viral marketing going on here. Just spreading the wealth.
Feverishly Ripping Like a Maniac: I have been thinking about the switch to higher bandwidth for a while, but I really did it on the spur of the moment as my pre-paid broadcasting package expired. I've been ripping to 128K mbps since some time last year, but before that I ripped everything straight to 32k. As a result, you are getting the best of what I've received and purchased recently, but I have a lot of re-ripping to do to provide you, my adoring public, with the depth and variety that you have come to expect. So, I'm feverishly ripping CDs like a maniac, a few each day, and I'll catch up soon.
Labels: New Adds
Sunday, June 12, 2005
Online Folk Festival Upgraded!
The Online Folk Festival now sounds better than ever - we've increased our stream quality from 32k to spiffy 64k Mp3Pro to give you a better listening experience.
Sunday, June 05, 2005
On the Fiddle with the Levellers This Week
This week (June 5-12), the Online Folk Festival goes "on the fiddle" with the Levellers as Featured Artist of the Week. Anarchist English folk/punk by a band named after a 17th century English political movement never sounded so good.
The Levellers have been huge in the UK since the early '90s and yet have had little more than a cup of coffee in the US, which is a darned shame because they can do everything from fiddle folk to blazing rock anthems and have even dabbled in technofolk. They have a great new album out, Truth and Lies, that continues the return to form of their previous album, Green Blade Rising.
Oh, and choosing The Levellers as Featured Artist of the Week is what separates the Online Folk Festival from the rest of the folk radio world, as many folk radio DJs would not believe that more than a few early songs from The Levellers would even be appropriate for a folk radio show.
The Levellers have been huge in the UK since the early '90s and yet have had little more than a cup of coffee in the US, which is a darned shame because they can do everything from fiddle folk to blazing rock anthems and have even dabbled in technofolk. They have a great new album out, Truth and Lies, that continues the return to form of their previous album, Green Blade Rising.
Oh, and choosing The Levellers as Featured Artist of the Week is what separates the Online Folk Festival from the rest of the folk radio world, as many folk radio DJs would not believe that more than a few early songs from The Levellers would even be appropriate for a folk radio show.
Wednesday, June 01, 2005
Folk Singer/Songwriter Kip White Dies in Mountaineering Accident
Colorado singer/songwriter Kip White died Monday in the Maroon Bells wilderness near Aspen, Colorado from a fall taken while mountaineering with his son, Jordan. According to reports, the pair fell nearly 400 feet. Jordan survived and hiked out to get help, but Kip was killed. Both were experienced climbers.
More details, including a 2 minute video story from Channel 9 News in Denver, can be found here.
White, a native of Texas, released several albums of folky guitar-oriented singer/songwriter CDs. I did not ever meet Kip White, but we did exchange several emails after he submitted his most recent CD to the Online Folk Festival for airplay. His songs reveal a person of great perception and humor.
In addition to wearing a singer/songwriter hat, White was the founder of an engineering firm in Lakewood, Colorado, as well as a pilot. He is survived by his wife of 25 years, Luann, his son Jordan, and a high-school aged daughter, Aubrey.
A more detailed biography of Kip White and information on his music can be found at his website.
More details, including a 2 minute video story from Channel 9 News in Denver, can be found here.
White, a native of Texas, released several albums of folky guitar-oriented singer/songwriter CDs. I did not ever meet Kip White, but we did exchange several emails after he submitted his most recent CD to the Online Folk Festival for airplay. His songs reveal a person of great perception and humor.
In addition to wearing a singer/songwriter hat, White was the founder of an engineering firm in Lakewood, Colorado, as well as a pilot. He is survived by his wife of 25 years, Luann, his son Jordan, and a high-school aged daughter, Aubrey.
A more detailed biography of Kip White and information on his music can be found at his website.
