Nathan Smith – Let It Rest, Let It Rise
Lovely and listenable. That’s my first reaction to this fantastic new CD from Toronto fiddler Nathan Smith. It’s a first studio album from Nathan, who grew up in northern Ontario, in North Bay, where he had French Canadian, classical, bluegrass, ...
Emilyn Stam and John David Williams – Honeywood
Of course, you’d like a trip to Europe, but there’s a pandemic on, tethering our wanderlust to places here at home. But we can conjure our wanderings in other ways, listening to this lovely music being one. This beautiful album, ...
I know it’s nice out, but you do NOT want ...
Festival Mémoire et Racines, the biggest and most loved folk festival in Québec, is, of course, not happening this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s sad, but inevitable, given that we all must physically distance ourselves. Live music with ...
Together Apart: Tony Oxford’s tribute to essential workers
I met singer and guitarist Tony Oxford on the docks in St. John’s, NL a couple of years ago. We were about to spend two weeks together on an expedition ship circumnavigating Newfoundland. Tony was one of the musicians in ...
Festival des Festivals Trad En Direct – Mar. 28 on ...
What a fun day to be surfing Facebook Live! An online folk festival was taking place all day and into the wee hours of the evening, featuring some of the most venerated and talented members of the Québecois folklore community, ...
Nathan Rogers – multiple performances on Facebook Live
This is just for a few laughs, he explained (no fundraising involved), but Nathan Rogers’ own peculiar brand of FUNraising just might be keeping some of us at least half sane in this era of self-isolation due to the Covid-19 pandemic. ...
How trad music aficionado Elizabeth Szekeres fell for Patrick Watson
It was last December. In my local record store, I was selecting new music to give to the young men in my family. “I don’t have it in stock,” said the middle-aged, long-haired record shop owner, “but you absolutely have ...
Rufus Wainwright – multiple streaming concerts on Facebook Live
Rufus Wainwright could perform in his bathrobe and still have me spellbou…. Oh wait! He IS in his bathrobe! Starting last week, Rufus began a series of at-home concerts broadcast as part of the #TogetherAtHome initiative. He is fundraising for ...
Alan Doyle – Mar. 21 and 22 on Facebook Live
Fourteen thousand dollars. That’s what Alan Doyle brought in for the Kids Help Phone during this weekend’s basement coronavirus concerts. I’d say that was pretty good going. We are all going a little stir crazy with what this pandemic is ...
Rhizome – Double Capture
This gorgeous CD, cloaked in its mysterious red cover, came across my desk a few weeks ago. I finally had time to listen and can honestly say, this is completely a winner. I have heard it multiple times, enjoying it ...