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Denise Dutton
Cat Eldridge
Jennifer Stevenson
Robert Tilendis
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Recent Posts
- What’s New for the 17th of September: WWII (and other) mysteries; jazz, Americana, Celtic music and more; Doc Martin; summer beer and ale
- A Kinrowan Estate story: My Library
- What’s New for the 3rd of September: Gary pens a short tribute to Jimmy Buffett, New jazz and Americana music, a grab bag of styles from the archives, books about English folk rock, books about breakfast and brunch, a black and white world, a panned comic, and more
- A Kinrowan Estate story: A Library and Its Librarian
- What’s New for the 20th of August: Some favorite mysteries; jazz, country, RT, and a musical grab bag; a hoedown, a big dragon, Hellboy, and of course ice cream!
- A Kinrowan Estate story: A Guest Lecturer
- What’s New for the 6th of August: Weird westerns and singing cowboys, Jane Lindskold and two from Patricia McKillip; ska, Spanish jazz, klezmer, and songs about fishing; Mary Poppins and lonely Vampires, Roman emperors and superheroes; and a couple of Oregon ales in a British style pub
- What’s New for the 3rd of September:
- A Kinrowan Estate story: Chasing Fireflies
- What’s New for the 23rd of July: Books by Roger Zelazny; Scottish music, SCOTS music, dance music and Asian Underground; chocolate-peanut butter cookies, rock poster art, and a little primal horror
- A Kinrowan Estate Story: A Theological Anthropologist
- What’s New for the 9th of July: All Sorts of Good Things
- A Kinrowan Estate story: Musical Ganeshas (A Letter to Svetlana)
- What’s New for the 25th of June: Steeleye Span edition
- A Kinrowan Estate story: Danse Macabre (A Letter to Anna)
- What’s New for the 11th of June: Space Opera, Folkmanis Rat in a Tin Can, Lots of folk rock – Steeleye Span, Orthodox Celts – Maddy Prior interview, some contradance and some bluegrass; a catty film review; Vess’s Ballads & Sagas; and some new Norwegian folk rock
- A Kinrowan Estate story: Reading Groups (A Letter to Anna)
- What’s New for the 28th of May: All Sorts of Interesting Reviews, Page and Plant’s ‘Kashmir’ and Kage’s Favourite Folk Song
- A Kinrowan Estate Story: The Green Lady
- What’s New for the 14 of May: Lots of live music plus some new jazz and country; urban fantasy, horror, and classic sf; new Oreos;
- A Kinrowan Estate story: The Calamity Janes
- What’s New for the 30th of April: Some new sf, old sf and con mysteries; lots of Celtic music and Willie Nelson’s birthday bash; a Hans Christian Andersen biopic; and lots of booze
- A Kinrowan Estate story: A Hidden Bookstore
- What’s New for the 16th of April: Matty Groves as done by Sandy Denny, Mushroom Hunting, Michael Kaluta, Shane McGowan, some books that touch on the American Pastime, Norwegian folk, a Swiss classical take on American music, The Weavers, Federal Music Project, and more
- A Kinrowan Estate story: Estate gossip (A Letter to Tessa)
- What’s New for the 2nd of April: Kaiju preservation, Francesca Lia Block; lots of Alan Moore; Celtic music, organ jazz trios, West Coast jazz, and meld of American exotica, minimalist jazz, and Middle Eastern modes
- A Kinrowan Estate story: The Wood
- What’s New for the 19th of March: Rough Guides, Brian Vaughan’s The Escapist, Douglas Adams considered, Pamela Dean’s favourite ballad, Woodie Guthrie, Turkish Coffee, A big review of books about music, Red Molly Live
- A Travel Abroad story: Moonshine
- What’s New for the 5th of March: Books about Celtic music, some sff and mysteries too; some Celtic music reviews; Mouse Guard, Two Fat Ladies, ice cream, and more
Category Archives: Music
Margo Cilker’ Valley of Heart’s Delight
I was among the reviewers and critics who fell head over heels for Margo Cilker’s 2021 debut Pohorylle. No sophomore slump here as Valley of Heart’s Delight marks a big step in fulfilling her early promise as a country folk … Continue reading
Viv & Riley’s Imaginary People
Vivian Leva and Riley Calcagno have made a delightful album that reflects the changes in their lives, moving from old-time and folk country in a more indie roots and folk-pop direction as they’ve moved from Portland, Oregon to Durham, North … Continue reading
Mark Turner Quartet’s Live at the Village Vanguard
Mark Turner is a highly respected saxophonist with countless credits to his name as a leader and player in others’ ensembles. This is his first live release as a leader, and he chose to do it in the most storied … Continue reading
Posted in Music
Tagged Jazz music
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The Handsome Family’s Hollow
It’s been a long wait for new music from Albuquerque’s The Handsome Family. Their previous release was 2016’s masterful and thematically coherent Unseen a strong collection of twang-filled Country & Southwestern gothic songs. At last comes their 11th studio album … Continue reading
The Handsome Family’s Honey Moon
The press release accompanying The Handsome Family’s eighth album, Honey Moon, makes much of the fact that 2009 marks Brett and Rennie Sparks’s 20th anniversary. Indeed the songs on this album all qualify as love songs, but then I believe … Continue reading
The Handsome Family’s Wilderness
“Can you imagine your own world suddenly made shining, weightless and stretching infinitely in all directions?” This is the question Rennie Sparks asks toward the end of her essay on woodpeckers, the first in her 70-page book Wilderness that accompanies … Continue reading
The Handsome Family’s Last Days of Wonder
The Handsome Family sound energized on Last Days of Wonder. This is their seventh studio album starting with 1995’s Odessa, in addition to which they have put out a live set and an EP of odds and ends, and contributed … Continue reading
Interview: The Handsome Family, Aug. 4, 2007
I knew that, for the most part, Rennie Sparks writes the lyrics and Brett Sparks the music for The Handsome Family’s songs, a sometimes surreal blend of dark humor, grim pathos and gritty murder tales. But I was curious about … Continue reading
Mike Jones, Penn Jillette and Jeff Hamilton’s Are You Sure You Three Guys Know What You’re Doing?
I may have known at some point that the world famous illusionist and humorist Penn Jillette was also a double bass player but if so, I’d forgotten that little fact until now. But here he is holding down the low … Continue reading
Posted in Music
Tagged Jazz music
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Commentary: RIP Jimmy Buffett
Well. I didn’t see this one coming. Mr. Margaritaville has transitioned to the Big Beach. I’m not a real Parrot Head, as the Buffett fanatics call themselves. I stopped following him in the mid-80s, when he started getting played on … Continue reading →