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KNOPFLER KRONIKLES PART 5: MASON AND DIXON DRAW THE LINE

When Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon arrived in Philadelphia in November 1763, no one would have recognized them apart from the other passengers on the ship. However, after their five-year stay in the American colonies, their names are forever remembered with the border that separates Pennsylvania from Maryland and the other surrounding states. Most importantly for scientists and geographers around the country and world, when Mason and Dixon were surveying the line, they measured the first degree of latitude in North American and made the first scientific gravity measurements recorded across the Atlantic Ocean.

SUCCESSES AT SxSW TEXAS 2023

SXSW is as big or small as you make it, and there’s always something happening worth seeing. We had four people with diverse tastes covering the music at this year’s SXSW—though I think at least three of us had Swedish indie-rock quartet Girl Scout in our favorites. But below are our personal picks. That many of these are from High Noon at High Noon—the Paste showcase presented by Ilegal Mezcal—is mostly due to our initial booking of the bands we most wanted to see going in, and the fact that we all spent a lot of time there. Here, in alphabetical order, are our favorite acts from SXSW 2023.

MORE REASONS TO LOVE SHANIA TWAIN

While the singer recently gave fans a look into her life’s story with a new Netflix documentary, we over here at American Songwriter wanted to look back at her discography for ourselves. Though Twain has no shortage of record-shattering hits, let’s look at just a few of the tracks that didn’t soar up the charts – though are just as deserving of a spot on your playlist.
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THE WEEKEND WALKABOUT (volume 3) Pass It On

Last weekend, when I sent details of my Hot Biscuits mix-cloud programme for the week I also included details of a couple of jazz albums that had caught my attention of new albums by emerging artists that might attract a few of  Sidetracks And Detours´readers as well as my radio audience. I was pleased to see that Norm had published a piece about these albums immediately on receipt, and had also e mailed  Dominic, who had provided me with that information. Dominic immediately responded to Norm and thanked him and offered to include Sidetracks and Detours on all his mailing lists in future. This is how synergies are formed, and audiences are built !

ONE BOURBON, ONE SCOTCH, ONE BEER

Spanning several decades of the American experience, One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer tells three tales of Hooker's storied life through the perspective of those who lived within his massive orbit, weaving textured and interpretative stories that rise to the lofty creative heights of his music and fall to the gritty reality of trying to thrive in several unforgiving eras.
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JEFF TWEEDY TALKING

A conversation confirmed Crowell and Tweedy were a mutual admiration society, and Tweedy suggested Crowell should come to Chicago sometime and do some recording at the Loft, Wilco's Windy City rehearsal space and private studio. Crowell took Tweedy up on the offer, and the result was 2023's The Chicago Sessions.

THE MUSIC OF GORDON LIGHTFOOT

“If there was a Mount Rushmore in Canada, Gordon would be on it,” the Canadian musician Tom Cochrane said in a 2019 documentary about Mr. Lightfoot, “If You Could Read My Mind.” Geddy Lee, the lead singer of the Canadian rock band Rush, called him “our poet laureate.”

Country a part of AMERICANA family

The daughter of classical musicians, Zonn (right) grew up in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, with a passion for playing the violin. By age ten, she had discovered bluegrass music and competed in her first fiddle contest against fellow Urbana resident Alison Krauss. Now lifelong friends, the two musicians frequently competed and collaborated in their early years.

Knopfler Kronikles  part 4: SAILING TO PHILADELPHIA

I think we can safely assume that Discover Music hold Knopfler in the same high regard as a poet as does our reader Peter Pearson, who fired the starting pistol at me to ensure I set off, accompanied only by the loneliness of the long-distance runner, in pursuit of all things Knopfler-esque.
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THE WEEKEND WALKABOUT (2) edited by Norman Warwick

Welcome to volume two of our new supplement, in which we take a gentle Weekend Walkabout. We play lost andf found with the pieces that have escaped us in daily posts of the previous week and alert you to upcoming events you might have forgotten about.