With Douglas Heselgrave Last fall, I spoke with Beth Orton just before her appearance at a small nightclub in Vancouver. At that time, she’d just finished recording ‘Sugaring Season’ with Tucker Martine in Oregon and was doing a limited tour […]
‘The Living Room Sessions Volume 2’ Review by Doug Heselgrave Taking the plastic covering off of ‘The Living Room Sessions Volume 2’ CD was like opening those Christmas presents so painstakingly wrapped by my grandmother just days before she died […]
Talking about opening up the songbook, Woody and jazz, Mermaid Avenue Blare and the House of Earth By Douglas HeselgravePart One: “We Brought the Protest Inside” DH: I wanted to ask you about some of the recording projects you’ve been […]
Talking about tornadoes, Washington and 100 years of Woody By Douglas Heselgrave One hundred and one years after his birth, the spirit of Woody Guthrie still looms large in the North American psyche. Gentle, lyrical and humorous one minute, tightly […]
As a west coast Canadian, bluegrass has always seemed like an exotic musical form. When I hear it, I think of mountains, forests, rivers, and a rural lifestyle that has long past and gone. Artists like Ralph Stanley and the […]
I have to confess that I’ve been absolutely side swiped by ‘Love Has Come For You.’ I guess that’s what happens sometimes when your expectations are low. I also have to confess that I’ve never been a fan of Steve […]
If you judged Mali by its music, you could be forgiven for thinking that it was the most peaceful and happy place on earth. A few months ago, I reviewed Ballake Sissoko’s meditative and beautiful, ‘At Peace’ whose heartbreaking kora […]
It’s the day after Super Sunday and along with the coma inducing deep fried snacks, there was the equally (spiritually) unhealthy half time musical entertainment to contend with. Whatever the value for artists in terms of exposure, Super Sunday half […]
Mali’s broken heart strings played for the world to hear During the worst days of the region’s civil war, a lone cello player named Vedran Smailovic offered his music to the chill morning air as families, commuters and hungry people […]
Better late than never. An official live set from Miles Davis’ ‘lost band’ “I took the band out on the road; Wayne, Dave, Chick, and Jack DeJohnette were now my working band. Man, I wish this band had been recorded […]
