Hey, Everyone! Not as long a collection, this time, as I’m knee-deep in dissertation. Even so, I’m sure you’ll find a little something to help get you over the “peek of the week” (as a former English teacher of mine used to call it). Come and have a look, won’t you?
Other Stuff You Might Like: La Blogotheque
Many of the sites I’ve featured in the “Other Stuff You Might Like” series have a common thread: excellent, impromptu concerts by established and upcoming musicians. We’ve looked at Luxury Wafers, Black Cab Sessions, They Shoot Music – Don’t They, and NPR Music. (And I’m sure to get around to Daytrotter before too long…) Now, from France, we’ve got the excellent blog La Blogotheque, and its excellent Take-Away Shows (or, if you prefer, Les Concerts à Emporter). The site’s catalog of artists is truly amazing, as are the performances, and so I invite you to come have a look…
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Things I Should’ve Mentioned…
Hey, everyone! Lots of stuff for you, this week. As you might have noticed, I’m steadily working my way through the mailbag. There’s lots more great stuff in there, which I hope you’ll see in the next few days. The really good, slightly-longer-term news is that my dissertation now has a planned submission date. So, one day – in the not-too-distant future – I’ll be able to spend lots more time developing some of these tidbits into articles. But until that day comes, I leave you with the best of this week’s bookmarks…
Recommended: The Wailin’ Jennys
My friend Julie first introduced me to The Wailin’ Jennys, and I’m really grateful to her for that. The Jennys are from Winnipeg, and have influences from Bluegrass, Country, and Traditional Scots-Irish tunes. In a lot of ways, perhaps, it’s both apt and misleading to say that the Jennys are a sort of countrified Indigo Girls. But I think that the emphasis on vocal harmonies, and attention to craft, make it a moderately-successful analogy. In any case, their sound features big, goosebump-inducing harmonies, and their performances (as you can see below) are both commanding and gentle. Not the usual combination, to be sure, and one that is well worth embracing…
New Music: Folk Music For What Lies Ahead
Just what is folk music? Is it soft-spoken, intimate confessions poured out over an acoustic guitar? Is it “We Shall Overcome,” sung on the National Mall? Is it ever playful? Joyful? Does it do something other than teach? Can it be “pop?” Clearly, the answers to these questions are subjective, but at their core is a common notion: “Folk” music is “apart” from other music. There is something different about the folk singer – that mythic figure of storytelling and poetic wisdom. But is that really true?
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