THE FIRST OF FIVE

There is no such thing as too much Mendelssohn.
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SONGS AND FILMS FROM BOTH SIDE NOW

Till’s is a story we can grasp, not of unnamed millions but of a single knowable martyr to racial hatred. The sadism of his killers, the horrific beating they inflicted on the boy still shock us today. The Till case also reminds us of our long history of racism in criminal justice, from policing all the way through trial and incarceration. His fate reminds us too that white supremacy was never just a set of ideas and opinions, but a charter for violence inflicted on living bodies.
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ANATOMY OF 55 MORE SONGS

Who would've ever guessed the inspiration behind Gladys Knight's soul-stirring Midnight Train to Georgia was '70s pinup queen Farrah Fawcett? T

WRITTEN FOR OTHERS by Paul Simon

“I spend more time writing music than writing words. The music always precedes the words. The words often come from the sound of the music and eventually evolve into coherent thoughts—or incoherent thoughts. Rhythm plays a crucial part in the lyric-making as well. It’s like a puzzle to find the right words to express what the music is saying.”

(EFE) FOLK IN FINE FETTLE

Having barely managed to catch our breath over the Christmas break, we're back on the road again towards the end of January for a packed run of industry conferences / showcases,starting withYour Roots Are Showing, Ireland's new conference, running from 22nd-26th January in Coolshannagh in Monaghan, Ireland. TheUK Americana Music Week in London runs from 24th-26th January and before that ends, Showcase Scotland kicks off in Glasgow, running from 25th-29th January.

JOY AT THE LOST AND FOUND for Emmylou

Like doing harmonies to go along with that lead, you’re making sure you’re not overshadowing, you’re just trying to partner with them so you have to be mindful of that. But ultimately, in any situation it’s about serving the song. So you just become other instruments, just like the lead guitar player, or pedal steel player. That’s just a wonderful experience.”

a news ARTicle for the coming weeks

Sidetracks And Detours will, of course, continue throughout 2023 to share with our readers any news we receive of visual arts and artists. If you have news you would like us to print on the genre please e-mail me at normanwarwick55@gmail.com.

ALL ACROSS AMERICANA: you´re gonna need a bigger bookshelf, book 1

With roots in Appalachia, the Mississippi Delta, New Orleans, the Piedmont, Memphis, and the prairies of Texas and the American West, the musical genre called Americana can prove difficult to define. Nevertheless, this burgeoning trend in American popular music continues to expand and develop, winning new audiences and engendering fresh, innovative artists at an exponential rate.

ANITICPATING ART IN THE NEW YEAR

In her most recent missive Fran St The Stoller was obviously delighted to announce the programme for their January to June 2023 classical music concert programme.

against all odds A BOX SET SERVES JUSTICE

Against The Odds captures that art in its totality. The sounds and images included here were lovingly curated from Chris Stein’s personal archive (including 100 tape reels), which sat in his barn in Woodstock, New York, for 20 years. Listeners should look before they leap to see how far they want to delve into the nitty gritty, but the attention to detail here is undeniable. As far as box sets go, Against the Odds is a textbook example of how to do justice to a band’s legacy.