Category Archives: Music

Casey Neill at the Mission Theater, Portland, Oregon

When I was offered the chance to see Casey Neill & the Norway Rats at the beautiful Mission Theater Pub in Portland, Oregon, I jumped at the chance. Seeing anything at the Mission is a fantastic experience, and Casey Neill’s … Continue reading

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Richmond Fontaine’s Thirteen Cities

The Portland, Oregon, band Richmond Fontaine makes a distinctive brand of alt-country noir music. With Thirteen Cities (their eighth studio release in addition to two live albums) they’ve teamed up with a bunch of Tucson, Arizona, regulars to produce a … Continue reading

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Richard Thompson’s Sweet Warrior

Sweet Warrior is Richard Thompson’s best set of songs this millennium. I like it best, anyway, of his studio releases since 1999’s Mock Tudor. Starting with that album, all of RT’s recent releases have been “theme,” if not actual “concept” … Continue reading

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Rev Hammer’s Freeborn John Live (CD/DVD)

Each year, I get to listen to literally hundreds of folk music CDs and every now and then along comes a real gem. This is one of them! I remember back in the ’70s getting my hands on a vinyl … Continue reading

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Steven Bernstein’s Millennial Territory Orchestra’s MTO Vol. I

Steven Bernstein is deeply involved in New York’s downtown jazz scene. His other combo, Sex Mob, is better known, but this Millennial Territory Orchestra is getting some national media attention as well, because nobody else is doing anything like it. … Continue reading

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Charlie Louvin’s Charlie Louvin

The Louvin Brothers were among the most influential of country singing acts in the 1950s and ’60s — particularly on their peers and succeeding generations of musicians. Charlie and Ira’s pioneering work in the close harmony style of country and … Continue reading

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Habbadám’s Bornholmsk Folkemusik and Sussie Nielsen’s Pigens Morgen

In spite of Do You Know the Lollipops being the first LP I ever bought, I have never really taken an interest in Danish music. My excuse for that Lollipops album is that I was only 12 at the time, … Continue reading

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Tom Waits’ Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards

Tom Waits is one of the great poets and showmen of our time. If you don’t believe me, spend some time with his utterly splendid three-disc set Orphans. For about 30 years now, Waits has been honing his craft. Starting … Continue reading

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Various artists’ Music from Montenegro

Music from Montenegro is a single-disc collection that showcases the variety of Montenegro’s folk music styles, with 28 tracks covering nearly 76 minutes. Variety is the key word here, and the musical variety echoes Montenegro’s ethnic and geographic diversity. With … Continue reading

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Hoven Droven’s Jumping At The Cedar

The Nordic Roots Festival, formerly held every autumn at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis, has featured many renowned acts in the new Nordic folk genre. The Swedish band Hoven Droven, who combine the Swedish fiddling tradition with punk and … Continue reading

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