It was the best of times; it was the worst of times-a time
to kill, a time to heal, a time of war, a time of peace-a time to be reminded
of the greatness of Dylan's catalogue of songs, the songs that have earned him
the title of "poet laureate of rock and roll," and a time to wonder whether his
recent persona of rocker at the keyboards really does those songs justice.
It was the best of Dylan; it was the worst of Dylan. But
first the bad news: for those who remember Bob as the guitar-slinging,
harmonica blowing troubadour of times past (extending all the way into the
90's-which is the last time I had seen a live performance) that Dylan is long
gone. He has a great five-piece band, including two first rate guitarists, but
at no time during the show did Bob himself pick up the instrument that defines
both the folk and rock troubadour of his early and middle periods.
The
California Traditional Music Society (CTMS) is pleased to announce that Lisa
Richardson has accepted the position of Executive Director of the
organization. CTMS is dedicated to the support and dissemination of the
traditional music, dance and art of Southern California's
diverse communities. Its programs include production of festivals and
other public events, community education, and services to artists. "Lisa
is well known and deeply respected within the folk arts community," says Board
president Ron Milberger. "She brings to CTMS a depth of experience in
arts administration and production and music education which perfectly
compliment our mission. The Board of CTMS is extremely pleased that Lisa
has agreed to join with us in forging the future direction and growth of the
organization."
Prepare yourself for a wild ride with WICKED TINKERS. Pioneers of the growing Tribal Celtic movement, Wicked Tinkers have been playing haunting, heart-pounding bagpipes and irresistible, tribal drums as a professional band since 1995 and for many years before that at parties, renaissance faires and on various street corners. With the addition several years back of the mesmerizing drone of the Australian didgeridoo and bronze-age Irish horn the magic was complete. Sit back and be transported to an earlier time in Scotland and Ireland when battle cries filled the air and strange, unheard-of creatures roamed the night. Or better yet, get on your feet and let your body move to ancient rhythms and forgotten sounds.
Saturday, September 6, 2008 - Levitt Pavilion at MacArthur Park - 7:30pm
Sunday, September 7, 2008 - Magnolia Patio at Aliso Creek Inn - 4:00pm
Bearfoot has never been your typical band. In September of
1999, 6 teenagers assembled in Anchorage,
Alaska to form Bearfoot
Bluegrass. Two months later they were performing for 20,000 people at the
National FFA convention in Kentucky.
No one was more amazed at their success than the band members themselves.
Originally, the band was a project of Belle Mickelson,
director of the Cordova, Alaska Music Camp. Each of the band members, Angela
Oudean, Annalisa Tornfelt, Kate Hamre, Malani O'Toole, Jason Norris and Mike
Mickelson were selected from the Anchorage
and Cordova music campers as musical representatives.
The WICKED TINKERS have
donated a few copies of the new CD RANT for FolkWorks
members (FRIEND level or higher.)
If you have not
yet selected your CD Premium, you may select this now….and those of you have not
yet become supporters at that level..now is your
chance! Read the review
here ... and get the CD as a premium for becoming a FRIEND of
FolkWorks.
As our byline says: We are the source for Folk/Traditional Music, Dance and Storytelling and other related Folk Arts in the greater Los Angeles area. In the tradition of our print publication which was printed from January 2000 to July 2007, we continue to release our columns bi-monthly. (For those of you interested, you can view the archives in PDF format.
We are a 501(c)(3) organization that is supported by our members (this could be you) and a handful of advertisers who are important and relevant to our readers. We treasure our writers and editors, all of whom are volunteers and hope you like what you find in these pages.
You can show your support by becoming a member. (see the Join FolkWorks button on the side). Your contribution is tax deductible as allowed by law.
Thank you all for the encouragement you have given us over the years.
A BAND BY ANY OTHER NAME: WOULD IT SOUND AS SWEET?
By Dennis Roger Reed
At some point in your musical career, you may decide that
playing with others is fun and worthwhile. You'll form or join a band. Unless
the living room is going to be your only venue, you'll have to have a band
name. This may be the hardest part of being in a group. Seriously, folks take
band names very seriously. For the generations of Beatles/Rolling Stones or Sex
Pistols/Clash, band names meant something. They were witty, or intriguing.
Maybe there are two ways of getting to the essence of the
blues. You could be born along the Mississippi,
under a bad sign, and wind up standing at those crossroads with your guitar
named Lucille. Then again, you could have dedicated your life to studying the
music and playing with the musicians who generated the groundwork of the genre
and thereby got under the skin of the subject. Well, Bernie Pearl isn't a
denizen of the delta and as far as we know he didn't sell his soul to the devil
to get him farther up the road. What he did do was commune with the blues and
with many a bluesman to get to the heart of what it is and all about. True, the
blues come from the African American experience, the diaspora of people who
lived a life under duress and then developed a sound and lyric that reflected
not only the hardship of the day, but also the comedy and error of love, work, and
faith. However, communing with another's art form is also part of the American
experience. And it's been said many times that the blues is a state of mind. If
that's true then Bernie Pearl has had the blues on his mind and in his
fret-full fingers.
