It's Martin Luther King Day, and I've been thinking about social justice, even going so far as to try to explain the term to my eight year old in the car on the way to the dentist. But explaining why I teach in the inner city in the language of a third grader is easier said than done. Two generations after King, Kennedy, and so many unnamed others fell as martyrs to the civil rights movement, we live in a world of twice-removed injustices, deeper, more abstract, more slippery and subtle, harder to name, and harder [...]
Some odd confluence of touring schedules is bringing some amazing music, including a lengthy Sam Amidon set and several multi-generational performances at the Clearwater Folk Festival , to the greater Northeast region over the weekend. Whether you're in the NYC area or the wilds of upper New England, if you've got the wheels and the time to attend, either or all of the below come heavily recommended. Notice arrived just today that Sam Amdion will be performing in his hometown of Brattleboro, VT [...]
Favorite Folk Songs and Sleepytime Songs , the first two installments in the Peter Yarrow Songbook series, recently arrived in my house, and my children enjoyed them so much we've switched over to an all-folk format - at bedtime, at playtime, all day everyday by listener demand. It's validating to be asked to sing Golden Vanity to my child as she falls asleep, and a relief to put aside the Disney tunes and the circus polkas which generally fill the house. But Yarrow and his collaborators get [...]
Dear confused readers: yes, this is the second time I've posted this one. Despite what I believe to be full and explicit permission to share the songs referenced below -- permission received directly from each of the artists referenced herein, after in-person discussion over the summer -- sometime today, blogger axed the original version of this post. Though I'm not happy about it, I can't really blame blogger. However deplorable, the current, horrible, draconian copyright laws in the US are quite clear: under DMCA, any take-down complaint, regardless of legitimacy or origin, must [...]
Dear confused readers: yes, this is the second time I've posted this one. Despite what I believe to be full and explicit permission to share the songs referenced below - permission received directly from each of the artists referenced herein, after in-person discussion over the summer - sometime today, blogger axed the original version of this post. Though I'm not happy about it, I can't really blame blogger. However deplorable, the current, horrible, draconian copyright laws in the US are quite clear: under DMCA, any take-down complaint, regardless of legitimacy or origin, must [...]
Been thinking about Falcon Ridge Folk Festival this week. Some of this is seasonal -- there's an inevitable longing for summer, now that the world around us has changed from green to gold. But mostly I'm in the mood because this weekend marks the annual Crew Chiefs meeting, and that means 24 hours of househopping with dozens of dear and drunken friends, serious partying across state lines, and a sharing-and-strategy session to recreate the best damn place on earth with some pretty committed volunteers. It will be my [...]
Peter Siegel : Polka Dot Bathing Suit [ purchase ] Western Massachusetts local hero Peter Siegel made it as far as nationally syndicated roots radio show etown a few years ago after winning first place in our local radio station's singer-songwriter contest, but he's still firmly under the radar as far as name recognition goes. Happily, in this part of the world, a versatile stringman with a good sense of humor and a radical bent towards the same seventies ideals that still linger [...]
Cover Lay Down
Star Maker Machine
I’ll Just Leave This Here #161
Madden Miles Presents The Candace Bailey Beat Tape
REMIX SUNDAYS- May 27th, 2012
Potrait of The Day: Model "Sarah Jimenez"
