as had been obvious by the laughter during the performance the audience had enjoyed themselves and were taking happy memories home with them and it is possible that members of this somewhat non-traditional audience for this genre of muisc might well return for more.
There is no such thing as too much Mendelssohn.
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.
Who would’ve ever guessed the inspiration behind Gladys Knight’s soul-stirring Midnight Train to Georgia was ’70s pinup queen Farrah Fawcett? T
“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.”
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.
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.”
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.
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.
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.
