
As noted Sunday, I'm in Memphis over the holidays, staying right on Beale Street in the thick of the scene. Though I've pre-scripted these entries in the interest of truly taking some time off, by now, we're either on our way to or have already visited Graceland, so let's dive right into our usual Vacation Coverfolk celebration, wherein we feature the songs and songbooks of local musicians of influence in the regions where we travel. Ladies and Gentlemen: Elvis Presley, covered in folk. Love him or hate [...]

The Belle of Belfast City Calliope House

Being in and out this summer meant missing several opportunities to pay tribute to the fallen. Today, we remedy the situation. The biggest blow to the folkworld in recent weeks was the loss of Mike Seeger , who made his mark on folk music as a multi-talented folk instrumentalist and producer, and as an avid ethnomusicologist , forging a bridge between the old and the new through paths as varied as his co-discovery of his own housekeeper Elizabeth Cotten, his [...]
I've never seen the 80's teen flick Some Kind of Wonderful , one of several John Hughes put together in a very prolific and commercially successful period. But I am a fan of the soundtrack, which features several relatively obscure cuts by cult artists such as Flesh For Lulu , Pete Shelley and Stephen Duffy . I recently bought the original 1987 CD for just a couple of dollars. Here's some highlights: Lick The Tins - Can't Help Falling In Love The Apartments - The Shyest Time [...]

I'm almost tempted to call today's band a one-hit wonder, but that wouldn't be quite true, as their closest brush with the charts (in the UK at least) came when their version of Can't Help Falling In Love agonisingly stalled at number #42, in 1986. So they didn't technically manage a hit at all. How about a half-hit wonder ? That'll do. The song did at least hang around the lower reaches of the top 75 for eight weeks, which is longer than many actual pop 40 hits [...]