This has been the longest four days at work that I can remember. It may have been a short work week, but that doesn't diminish the anticipation I feel for the coming weekend. On the other hand, the evenings this week have passed much too quickly. I have been busy transferring more records and enjoying the music while the house was filled with the aroma of apples and peaches baking in the kitchen. I've got a whole new batch of gems from Walt's cousin Wes' 78 collection converted to mp3s and a few from my own collection as [...]
Nothing signals the last days of summer like fresh picked apples. Many of the apples we picked last weekend are now baked into pies and in the freezer to brighten some cold winter evening. I'll be taking a break from peeling and slicing tonight to transfer a few more of the 78s that Walt's cousin Wes loaned us. Jim Lauderdale with the Clinch Mountain Boys - The Apples Are Just Turning Ripe.mp3 Bob Devlin - The Apple Picker's Reel.mp3
If you are having a hard time getting back into the daily grind after the long holiday weekend you're not alone. All day long my mind wandered to that relaxing island on the river. I have always admired the freedom represented by the hobo. The songs of Harry McClintock have been a regular part of my repertoire for many a year. Harry McClintock (October 8, 1882 - April 24, 1957), was a songwriter and union organizer. A lifelong Wobblie, as the Industrial Workers of the World were known, Harry is credited as the first person to record fellow [...]
I trust y'all had a good Labour/Labor Day weekend. If there is one thing I take away from each Labor Day, it is that working for a living sucks. We spent most of the weekend in the mountains of Virginia. Our youngest child, and only daughter, is beginning her senior year in high school today. She had arranged for visits to several colleges this past weekend and we made a family trip out of it. Of course, no trip through the Shenandoah Valley would be complete without several side trips to pick apples and peaches. We [...]
Pour yourself a congratulatory drink; you've made it through another work week. Here in the U.S. we're looking forward to a three day holiday weekend. Labor Day officially closes the summer vacation season. It also marks the beginning of the second festival season here in the South. I'm already getting geared up for the National Folk Festival which will be spending its third, and final, year in Richmond. On the Bus we usually like to close out the work week, or more appropriately start the weekend, with some up beat music. Let's get those [...]
One of the joys of searching through old 78 records is finding an artist that you weren't familiar with. It's even better when the music on the record is really good. Halfway through the first album of records from Walt and Wes I came across a record by Dee Stone with Ted Prillaman's Virginia Ramblers. Short side trip: It occurred to me that the younger riders on the Bus may not know what I mean by 'album' when talking about 78 rpm records. In the days of 78s, one would buy a bound album, similar to [...]
I've been going through the stacks of 78s from Walt and Wes and must say that I am envious of the collection. This past weekend the temperatures along the Piedmont Breaks in Virginia remained around 105°F (40°C) and while much of the country is floating in unwanted storm waters, we are experiencing another long drought. It was a good weekend to hold up in the air conditioning and transfer some of these 78s. I have always enjoyed the up-beat sound of the Delmore Brothers. They seldom resorted to the stereotypical themes so popular in country music at the [...]
Of all the harmonizing brother groups in country music, Alton and Rabon Delmore set the standard that all others have strived to equal. The Delmore brothers were born in Elkmont, Alabama and raised in poverty by tenant farmer parents. The Delmore Brothers combined country, gospel, and traditional Appalachian folk music (and in the 1940s, boogie) with their beautiful, soft harmonies. Although both were quite talented songwriters, the elder Alton wrote most of the duo's original material. They auditioned for WSM in 1932 and were soon appearing on the Grand Ole Opry. They stayed with the Opry through 1938 [...]
This summer has brought an extraordinary amount of water to places where it shouldn't be. Seemingly endless rains have sent rivers over their banks in the UK, Bangladesh, Romania, and now the American Midwest. As a canoeist and kayaker, rivers hold a special place in my life, one of awe, inspiration, and respect. Moving water has a tremendous amount of power. When uncontained by their banks rivers bring disruption at best and devastation in the worst of circumstances. Our hearts and thoughts are with those around the world affected by this year's extraordinary flooding. [...]
The ethnic group that had the most profound affect on the music of the Americas didn't come here by free will or choice. The language of music, especially folk music, interprets and communicates the daily lives of its people perhaps even more so than their literature. Music has always been used to pass on tradition, serve as an emotional outlet, and bring a community together. The music of a people is a direct reflection of their daily lives, struggles, joys, and shared values. The story of Africans in America has been accompanied by the most astounding soundtrack. [...]
Samuel de Champlain founded the first permanent French colony in the Americas at Quebec in 1608. While French explorers did venture west, the French were not nearly as ambitious as the English or Spanish, as it would be another sixty years before they expanded south. In 1673 Luis Joliet and Jacques Marquette explored along the northern and central Mississippi River. They were followed by Robert Cavalier de LaSalle who continued to sail the entire length of the great river to the Gulf of Mexico. LaSalle claimed the entire territory for France, and named it Louisiana in honor of King Louis [...]
Unlike the English, Spanish, French and Dutch, the Germans never came to the Americas as explorers or as large sponsored companies to exploit the natural resources. Perhaps even more than the Puritans, the first German immigrants came to flee religious persecution in their homeland. William Penn traveled throughout Germany in 1682 inviting members of persecuted sects to come to Philadelphia, where they could worship freely. Many Lutheran, Menonite, and other Protestant sects had endured a lifetime of struggle during the Thirty Years War (1619-1648). The Rhenish Palatinate area of Germany was once again ravaged by war when Louis XIV sent [...]
Hola! Today the Bus is headed south, to the lands once inhabited by the great societies of the Aztec, Maya, Tlaxcala, and Toltec. The first Europeans to explore the vast interior landscape of the American continents were the Spanish conquistadores. At one time Spain controlled nearly half of North America and had almost complete control of Central and South America. New Spain (now Mexico) was colonized around 1521. Spanish missionaries taught Western style music to the natives as a way of attracting them to Christianity. Native Mexicans took and affinity to the new music and were composing European [...]
It is often said that "America is a country of immigrants", I would like to add that "The proof is in the music." The first European settlers to these shores brought with them the music of their homeland for comfort and entertainment. The music of the earliest settlements was identical to that of the settlers' origin. The Spanish music in St. Augustine, English in Jamestown, and French in Charlesbourg-Royal was one of the common threads that helped hold the new communities together. It wasn't long before the number of settlements increased. Soon the Dutch built a [...]
The weekend is at hand! I have been letting the news, the stock market, and the SOBs I work for get me down lately. Let's put all of the week's bad news behind us and head for the hills for some toe tappin' good Old Time music. I can't think of any better way to shake the blues, than with some good ol' mountain fiddle. I believe I'll head for a cool mountain stream this weekend to set the world right again. Hold on to that jug, while I turn this Bus around. [...]
The credit problem seems to be a larger problem than first thought. The stock market sank again yesterday, and as I write this the Korean market is down a record 7% for the day. It looks like we've got a long, rough ride ahead. We've been down this road before. I was adopted and raised by my maternal grandparents, who lived through the Great Depression. The hard times of the Depression affected all of those who lived through it. Like many who survived the difficult times of the Depression, my grandparents remained frugal throughout their lives and never [...]
Mid-week. We'll soon be over the hump and on the downhill slide toward the weekend! This has been a rough week so far, and it's still young. The stock market has continued its downward spiral, the Chinese are exporting their toxic waste as toothpaste and children's toys , there is talk of reinstating the draft, and the president's "Brain" is packing up and going home. It seems to be the season for nonsense. The Simon Sisters (Lucy & Carly) - Winken, Blinken and Nod.mp3 [...]
During the Gilded Age of the late 1800s the cities of the Northeast dealt with a tremendous influx of immigrants. The newcomers arrived by ships from Europe, but they also came from the rural South. They came for the opportunities and promise of a better life in the new textile mills, factories, and steel mills. For some of the youngest, the big cities held neither promise nor opportunity. The orphanages and poor houses of cities like New York and Boston were overcrowded with "foundlings" and "street urchins". Some where truly orphaned by the death of one or both [...]
"Not only was it recorded in a train-car, but it features a song in tribute to John Hartford." That's how Luke Powers introduced me to his new, semi-autobiographical CD, appropriately entitled Picture Book . With Picture Book , Luke Powers offers glimpses into coming of age and living in the South. As a songwriter, Luke Powers has that rare ability to draw the listener into the story, whether it's a song of adolescent first kisses in the graveyard, lifelong friendships, or the yearning to return to a childhood home. During the day, Luke [...]
Whoa! It's Friday! It snuck up on me this week. I've been so busy, I must have lost track of the days. For the first weekend in as long as I can remember, I have no plans. As much as I love getting out and catching a concert, taking a road trip, or paddling a cool mountain stream, once in awhile a quiet weekend at home is just what the doctor ordered. I've picked a few fun tunes to leave you with. Y'all have a good weekend! Don Reno & [...]
Old Blue Bus
Azealia Banks - '1991' [Listen]
Metric Debuts Album via Synthetica Hide+Seek, Tickets On Sale Now For Fall Tour
