Tis’ the season…of Advent
Advent may not have as many well-known carols as Christmas, but there are lovely seasonal tunes to explore nonetheless.
All posts filed under: Saturday Soundtrack
Semi-regular Saturday updates – to break out of the more serious posts on other days of the week – on musical events, musicians and bands that catch my ear. Think of Paul Krugman’s “Friday Night Music” blog posts…without the PhD in Economics (not to mention the Nobel Prize).
Dreams and escape: An evening of music with Andrew Bearden Brown
A special edition Soundtrack for the premier of Andrew Bearden Brown’s lovely “Dream & Escape” program.
Women sing Waits
Tom Waits, one of our generation’s great songwriters, as interpreted by some talented female musicians.
Doc Watson’s Deep River Blues
The line from Doc Watson includes prestigious musicians and basement buskers. Here’s a tune they all love.
Traditional base, new directions with Solas
A dive into why Solas is my favorite Irish band, even if they are on indefinite hiatus.
The aching, soulful, and optimistic music of Gillian Welch and David Rawlings
Two musicians who “discover a new emotional urgency in songs about the slow, challenging, beautiful heat of living.”
Roots music for ghosts, goblins, and other things that go bump in the night
The really grim and scary songs for Halloween were all hiding out in the roots music bin.
Paradise lost
Music is a language that helps us process loss. We have needed that language too often in 2020.
The Steel Wheels
I first became aware of The Steel Wheels somewhere around 2008. I had picked up a CD of the Shenandoah Valley-based band on one of our Thanksgiving trips to Staunton and was introduced to and intrigued by the unique voice and careful songcraft of lead singer and songwriter Trent Wagler. But it was at Merlefest in 2012 that the band pushed their way into the front part of my brain, and, I suspect, the brains of thousands of other music fans as well. After one of the main acts wrapped up their show, as I wrote at the time, a number of attendees were exiting the main stage area on the first night of the festival. Suddenly, The Steel Wheels began singing their powerful Rain in the Valley on a small side stage. And like bees flowing to honey, those leaving stopped, turned around, and were glued to their seats through a spirited 30-minute set. As expected, later TSW shows throughout the weekend were packed, as word spread fast. And just like that, they quickly …
Mark O’Connor improvising toward democracy
A look at the prolific and jaw-dropping talent of Mark O’Connor.
MORE TO COME... 