The Yuletide Report From the Chairman of the Board
Revised and updated, this appraisal of Frank Sinatra's Christmas recordings as an art form unto themselves was first published in TheBluegrassSpecial.com in 2008.
David McGee
The Mythic Weight Of Phil Spector’s Christmas Gift: A Semicentennial Reflection
November 22, 1963, was a horrible day for the nation, and for PHIL SPECTOR, a personal disaster as well, as his ambitious Christmas album arrived and was promptly forgotten. A semicentennial look back ensues.
John Bradshaw Knows What Makes Our Cats Tick (And Purr, For That Matter)
What makes cats tick? International cat expert and best selling author JOHN BRADSHAW offers his theories in this new book, CAT SENSE, and talks felines with our DUNCAN STRAUSS.
The Game of Love
BEFORE THE WORLD WAS MADE
Brennen Leigh & Noel McKay
B&N
In a world festering with male-female duos, Austin’s Brennen Leigh & Noel McKay have some clear advantages over the competition. For starters, their dress is a bit retro (on the cover, a clean-cut Mad Men look for…
Beyond the So-Called First Thanksgiving: 5 Children’s Books That Set the Record Straight
Five new books offer young readers a more nuanced, and accurate, account of the so-called First Thanksgiving. While Thanksgiving is a good time to grab people’s attention about Wampanoag-European interactions, it does not need to frame the story.
An Impromptu Requiem for a Slain President
Upon hearing the news from Dallas on November 22, 1963, the BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, conducted by ERICH LEINSDORF, offered an impromptu requiem for a slain President.
The Power of a Song
GHANDI's inspiring Salt March of 1930 provides the inspiration for a powerful new album by CHANDRIKA KRISHNAMURTHY TANDON, who reimagines the 241-mile trek, which led to India's independence, for a new generation. Interview and review follow.
Union Avenue Communiqué
THE HOWLIN' BROTHERS went to Memphis's legendary SUN STUDIOS and cut an impressive six-song EP as a stopgap between their acclaimed debut album, released earlier this year, and their new CD, due in Feb. 2014.
Ingrid Godon’s Emotionally Resonant Art
The 7 Imp spotlight is on SYLVIE NEEMAN's book SOMETHING BIG and its emotionally resonant art by INGRID GODON.
Cowboys, Blues and Cowboy Blues
GARY ALLEGRETTO and IAN ESPINOZA have teamed up on a debut CD of cowboy love songs, cowboy blues, tall tales of legendary characters, love ballads and even Delta blues-style originals.