If Turlough O'Carolan had an electric guitar
author: Mr. Fishscales
Remember those Western movies and television shows from the 1950s? All the men wore neat, clean clothing and had clean shaven faces and called women "Ma'am" and tipped their hats. To me that is what a lot of modern arrangements of traditional music sound like: a sanitized view of the past.
Beginning in the late 60s and continuing to the present day we have begun to more consciously impose a contemporary sensibility on our ideas about the past. Fairport Convention imposed rock and roll conventions on British trad music. In the mid 70s the Bothy Band revived the aggression in Irish trad music. In the late 1980s and early 90s Cornelia's Dad brought the stripped down sonic force of punk to American trad music. It sounds real to me.
Read more...
Fantastic grungy punk-rock renditions of old traditionals
author: Wm. Josiah Erikson
This is their first CD, and my favorite. It's the hardest, I think, and the dirtiest. This is very hard to find, and I'm totally psyched that CD Baby had it. If you've never heard Cordelia's Dad, this is the best introduction to them, I think. Think heavy punk rock traditionals sung by one of the best singers you've ever heard, steeped in the tradition of shapenote (The lead singer worked heavily on the Cold Mountain soundtrack).
Read more...
Finally! What I've been seeking for years!
author: Little "T"
I have been searching high and low for this CD for a long time. I even went directly to Omnium Records to find it and all I got from them was Spine. (And a little note letting me know this CD wasn't available... yada yada yada) Thanks to both my friend Willow (I love ya Baby!)and CDBaby.com I got this most awesome CD in record time.
Now, about this PHENOMENAL CD!!! I can only say ... PEACEFULLY ENRAGING. It can take you to the highest highs and drop you to the lowest lows. It will rake your soul and put the pieces back together. Let it take you on a journey you will never forget.
Read more...