The Singer To these ears, Johnny Cash’s singing style was basically the same for the vast majority of his recording… Read More
For some reason, the term ‘singer-songwriter’ seems to be frowned upon when the person being referred to works in the… Read More
‘The Mystery of the Green Street Underground’ is an enigmatic product. Is it an album or an EP? Is the… Read More
Great Guitar It’s rare to hear folk guitar played so that every string rings out clearly when a chord is… Read More
It’s tempting, when explaining to people who Neil Innes was, to immediately associate him with the world-famous English exports he… Read More
In nineteen eighty-three there were some kids I knew at school who were just starting to play what could loosely… Read More
After the high-octane experience of 150-odd people being served a three course meal, the fabulous pianist Adrean Farrugia started up… Read More
On March 30th 2019 I was at the Owls Club, Toronto, for the premier of the album Zombie Karaoke Santa… Read More
My First Time “The shit on the streets of our townComes in different shades of brownWhat I mean can be… Read More
Folk Club Atmosphere This event felt like an English folk club night. I haven’t been to a folk club in… Read More
Social Commentary in Song A song sometimes has a lyric with a discernible message. This message may be skilfully presented,… Read More
The Event Farewell Michael Holt. The singer-songwriter, classical pianist/composer and cultural activist had a great send off on June 30th.… Read More
Roger ‘Deke’ Leonard seemed to add an air of glamour to the Manband. He adopted the name of a character… Read More
What follows is a personal salute to Vi Subversa, via the biography of fellow anarchist Colin Ward. Back in 1945,… Read More
Parade (1986) It was hard for Prince to win over some sections of the music-listening public. He was part Jimi… Read More
George Harrison’s solo stuff seems to have been under-appreciated, despite the widespread affection for his personality. The music has great… Read More
The band, all two of them, were dressed in black, grown-up and focussed. The audience was largely, though not exclusively,… Read More
Harry Nilsson, Who he? During my first year as a Canadian resident I was a little dismayed to find that,… Read More
I didn’t go to see the singer-songwriter Colin Hay for the anecdotes. I think the first words he said as… Read More
A gorgeous new year to all beings from a sofa-bed in the west end of Toronto. My year in independent… Read More
BW and Gary Black, September 1995 Back in 1995 I used to be a regular at the Black Rooster open… Read More
A review of the CD ‘Big Mouth’ by Happy Joe: New Jersey’s premier shouter-songwriter Joe Canzano picks up where he… Read More
If anyone personifies the great work done by artists not receiving corporate support, it’s Al Lindsay. I’ve singled out the song Fly Away from 2009’s Shingle Street CD because it’s a good example of Al doing what he does best. There’s nothing flashy about the singing or the song but like a lot of great folk and blues it works on a sensual, pre-intellectual level.
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This is the second of three blogs which aim to provide alternative sources of music to what we are normally… Read More
This is the first of three blogs in which the aim is to provide alternative sources of music to that… Read More
It’s unusual, not to say unfashionable, to have certain audience members at a gig perform the duties of ‘light monitor’,… Read More
Sometimes it can be overwhelming to be confronted with the entire output of an artist you are not familiar with.… Read More
The next time I’m at a dinner party with the high and mighty, listening to the music they’ve just ‘discovered’… Read More
Recently I had an argument with a friend. I was describing a gig I attended where the music was original,… Read More
Earlier this evening I went to hear Al Lindsay play at Kesgrave Music Festival near Ipswich. One song into the… Read More