I was recently on an arts panel judging musical acts that ranged from one of the best-known orchestras in the world to a protest folksinger and all points in between. I can’t mention the names because the process is still in progress. On the panel were classical musicians, scholars and academics, one world music expert,…
Month: July 2006
Reviews & Commentary
WEATHER SUCKS, BUT THE SUN IS OUT AND ALL IS GOOD!
I know it’s not a Katrina hurricane or San Francisco earthquake, but the weather we’ve been getting in the Philadelphia area this summer simply blows. We got flooded out two weeks ago with torrential downpours that caused us to lose power twice. The aforementioned hurricane-force storm that whipped through caused us to lose power again…
Reviews & Commentary
Echoes is Turned Off
Don’t panic! Echoes is still here, but for the third time in two weeks our power has gone out. A vicious storm with hurricane strength winds whipped through our area Tuesday night (July 18) and took out power lines across several counties, putting 500,000 homes in the dark, including Echoes. Jeff Towne was mixing out…
Reviews & Commentary
Pink Floyd’s Syd Barrett Leaves the Planet
Pink Floyd’s Syd Barrett leaves the planet although some would say he was never quite on it. He died this past weekend on July 7, of that most earthly disease, cancer. Syd Barrett was a founding member of Pink Floyd and the principal architect of it’s early sound on the album, Piper at the Gates…
Reviews & Commentary
Micheáll Ó Domhnaill of Nightnoise and The Bothy Band Passes
I just received the sad news from Jeff Johnson that Micheáll Ó Domhnaill, the guitarist and composer with The Bothy Band and Nightnoise passed this weekend after suffering from a heart attack. He was only 54. I first heard Micheáll in the 1970s when The Bothy Band was among a host of groups kick-starting a…
CD of the Month
Banco de Gaia & Farewell Ferengistan
We’ve selected our July CD of the Month and it’s by veteran English artist Banco de Gaia, the nom de plume of Toby Marks. You can read my review of Farewell Ferengistan here and listen to the show tonight (tomorrow in Philly). Toby uses a lot of sample CDs on this album, something to which…
Reviews & Commentary
A Different Kind of July 4th Celebration: Ambient Americana
What do Ry Cooder, Steve Roach, Kaki King, Gustavo Santaolalla and Mark O’Connor have in common? A distinctly American sound, no matter how far afield they fly or what country they fly in from. Some of you may have already heard our American Landscapes show, and the rest should enjoy it on July 4th. I…