Category Archives: Music

The Whisky Priests’ Think Positive, and Bloody Well Live!

The Whisky Priests were formed in 1985 by twins Gary and Glenn Miller. Since then they have released a multitude of records and toured extensively in both the UK and in the rest of Europe. Think Positive is their latest … Continue reading

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Darrell Scott, Danny Thompson & Kenny Malone’s Live in NC

Take three musicians, each one a virtuoso on his instrument, plus one of them who is no mean singer; record them live in a couple of great sessions entertaining an audience. The adrenalin starts to pump and brings out that … Continue reading

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Verlon Thompson’s Live at the Iveys

Verlon Thompson is perhaps best known as the guy who stands next to Guy. Clark, that is. They’re partners. They write songs together, tour together, and when they play guitars together, it’s extraordinary. But Verlon — and I think it’s … Continue reading

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Verlon Thompson’s everywhere … yet

Verlon Thompson is a guitar player. One hell of a guitar player. He and his pal, Guy Clark, travel ’round the world playing their brand of warm country music to fans hither, thither and, well, maybe not yon. They’ve been … Continue reading

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Various artists’ One Night in Texas: The Next Waltz’s Tribute to the Red Headed Stranger

Willie Nelson marked his 90th birthday on April 29, 2023. Almost exactly a year before that, a big ol’ crew of singers and players got together in Willie’s backyard in Luck, Texas, and performed a bunch of songs in his … Continue reading

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Brìghde Chaimbeul’s Carry Them With Us

Brìghde (BREE-cha) Chaimbeul’s second album Carry Them With Us is a masterful, exhilarating melange of traditional and modern music for the Scottish smallpipes. It’s definitely not for the traditionalists among piping fans, but what Chaimbeul is doing with Scottish smallpipe … Continue reading

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Natural Information Society’s Since Time Is Gravity

I hadn’t experienced Natural Information Society before this release, but Since Time Is Gravity is something like the seventh release by this ensemble that has been the project of composer and multi-instrumentalist Joshua Abrams for 15 years. It shares some … Continue reading

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Knut Buen & Sigmund Groven’s Kjenslevev

I’m a big fan of modern Norwegian folk music and jazz, but I’m not very familiar with strictly traditional Norwegian folk music. On the basis of this generous album of modern Norwegian folk songs done in the traditional style, I’d … Continue reading

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Jim Brown’s The Weavers: Wasn’t That a Time!

Studs Terkel claims that the main contribution of The Weavers was that they introduced into American popular music the authentic folk songs of America, something that had never been done before. Harry Reasoner sees them as a unifying factor between … Continue reading

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Julie Fowlis’s Mar a Tha Mo Chridhe, Emily Smith’s A Day Like Today, various artists’ Scottish Women, and various artists’ Celtic Woman

The female voice has long had a role in Irish and Scottish music. Some of the great ballad singers such as Margaret Barry and Jeannie Robertson have come from these twin traditions. This selection concentrates for the most part on … Continue reading

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