With Elvis Presley serving as such a powerful cultural touchstone, it’s not surprising people have constantly reinterpreted his image to suit their own agendas. This is most readily seen in the realm of the Elvis impersonator (or “Elvis Tribute Artist,” […]
For over a decade, the Funk Brothers, a team of unsung studio musicians, provided the heartbeat to the Motown Sound. This new documentary is a love song, dedicated just to them. Early on, we’re told that from 1959-71, the Funk […]
As much as Burlington, Vermont, native Todd Thibaud has learned about creating fine rootsy pop, he also understands the value of just getting on with life regardless of its uncontrollable vagaries. Thibaud moved to Boston in 1987, ostensibly to gain […]
When Susanna Van Tassel moved to Central Texas from the Bay Area in 1995, she was greeted by Austin musicians the same way most every talented young artist who arrives in town is: with open arms. Not long after arriving […]
In the preface of the debut issue of the Ukulele Occasional, publisher Jason Verlinde ponders, “How does the UO hope to distinguish itself from all other ukulele magazines?” Such is the specialized nature of the magazine world these days, I […]
“Which Side Are You On?” was a labor-rallying cry of the 1930s that grew to become an anthem for workers around the world. It’s a song that comes to mind after reading Rainbow Quest: The Folk Music Revival And American […]
Only those of a certain age, raised by parents of a particular political persuasion, are apt to remember the folk singer Josh White. Even then, if one went on to listen to music seriously, his work was probably abandoned as […]
This book of photos and essays, packaged with a CD, arises from and benefits a project of undeniable worth — the Music Makers Relief Foundation and its work to nourish true-vine blues musicians. North Carolinian Tim Duffy has spent more […]
Dave “Snaker” Ray, best known for his work with the pioneering folk-blues trio Koerner, Ray & Glover, died November 28 of cancer. He was 59. Ray, Spider John Koerner and Tony Glover attended college together at the University of Minnesota […]
Lonnie Donegan, known as the father of 1950s British “skiffle” music which influenced the Beatles and others in the following decade, died November 3. He was 71. Donegan started out as a jazz musician but was intrigued by the American […]
