Departments

‘Everything is Worth Writing About’: John McCutcheon Honors Woody Guthrie

It's only fitting that a folk veteran of John McCutcheon's stature should honor Woody Guthrie's 100th birthday with a new album of Woody songs, This Land: Woody Guthrie's America. McCutcheon, whose first album was released in 1975, studied with some of the folk music greats…

‘I Try To Write a Terrific Song’Hal David: In His Own Words

Departments

‘I Try To Write a Terrific Song’<br />Hal David: In His Own Words

Saluting the magnificent artistry of the late HAL DAVID, who, with and apart from Burt Bacharach, spoke volumes about the human condition in his captivating, unforgettable lyrics—truly a voice for all time.

Talking Animals

When Orcas Go Postal: The Gravest Show On Earth

Duncan Strauss talks with author DAVID KIRBY about Death At SeaWorld: Shamu and the Dark Side of Killer Whales in Captivity, his riveting exposé of SeaWorld’s disturbing treatment of killer whales, one of which killed its trainer Dawn Brancheau (shown here).

Deep Roots Theater

SUNRISE – 1927

DEEP ROOTS THEATER: Now Playing--'Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans,' F.W. Murnau's silent classic from 1927, with extra added attraction 'Sinkin' n the Bathtub,' the first Looney Tunes cartoon, starring Bosko and Honey (1930).

Pleasures Of Music

The Passionate Style

Italian composer, gambist, and singer Claudio Giovanni Monteverdi is often regarded as revolutionary in that his work marked the transition from the Renaissance style of music to that of the Baroque period. He developed two individual styles of composition--the heritage of Renaissance polyphony and the…

Nature's Temple

Doubtful Lake

NATURES TEMPLE: One of the great women of 20th Century American letters chronicles her extraordinary hike in 1918 from Doubtful Lake to the Cascade Mountains. From her book Tenting To-Night.

A Charles Dickens Bicentennial Moment

Charles Dickens & Music

The latest installment of James T. Lightwood’s 1912 study, Charles Dickens And Music with Chapter VI: Songs and Some Singers. Continuing our year-long bicentennial salute to the great author.

Classical Perspectives

Of Lute Duets and East Meets West, From Elizabethan England to Modern Japan

‘…an air of warmth and accessibility…' Casual pronouncements are made every so often that the lute songs of Elizabethan England were the pop music of their day. The lutenist is said to be the 16th-century version of the guitar hero--a solitary character who played in courts…

Border Crossings

The Brass Heard ’round the World

Serbia's Boban i Marko Markovic Orkestar Brings Its Dancefloor-Packing Best on Golden Horns Boban Markovic and his son, prized protégé Marko, have managed the nigh-impossible: Leaping from a deeply rooted Roma (Gypsy) scene in Serbia, they have ignited hip club dancefloors, innovating effortlessly and integrating everything…

The Blogging Farmer

Los Grobo — A Farming Model of the Future?

The second largest grain producer in Latin America generates revenue of about $550 million USD per year, produces or handles more than 2.6 million tons of grain per year, farms more than 617,000 acres every year, employs 900 staff people, 5000 farmers, and 4000 supply-chain…