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Knopfler Kronicles Part 7: THOMAS PYNCHON AND MASON & DIXON

The meticulously researched novel is a sprawling postmodernist saga recounting the lives and careers of the English astronomer Charles Mason and his partner, the surveyor Jeremiah Dixon, the surveyors of the Mason–Dixon line, during the birth of the American Republic

BRILLIANCE EVEN AS BEATLES BREAK

This documentary concludes with a thrilling eight song roof-top musical performance that has now become iconic. It’s the first time it’s been shown in its entirety and is The Beatles last live performance as a group. For anyone who loves the band, it’ll likely be something you’ll watch over and over again. It’s also a beautiful reminder that when The Beatles come together, no band has ever been better.
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EH UP VERA, THE WIFE´S BACK

They are all over Lanzarote: When we first came to live here, five years ago now, they somehow seemed to be telling us not to come too close, as they stood in spiky clusters by the roadside. These long, four-metre stalks tilt at a 45 degree angle on hillsides; in their sparse little clusters they are the closest the island gets to a forest.
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THE WEEKEND WALKABOUT: Pass It On (volume 4)

come walk with us,... from ireland to Lanzarote, to Reading and North to Hot (Manchester) Biscuits to rapping, brainstorming . Join with folk on the move.

JOHN PRINE: biography

the book takes readers on an evocative journey through John Prine's Chicago.

ORCHESTRA OF CANARIES CHAMBER MUSIC HEARD IN CAVES

every time I visit Jameos del Agua I skip down the marvellous outside stair way to walk beside the pool and up a slight incline to the entrance to the theatre, (or, perhaps more correctly, mouth of the cave !) and as I step over the threshold into this natural phenomenon of a theatre I am always so overwhelmed by its grandeur that for a few moments I forget that in a couple of hours time I will be heading back up that outdoor stairway, a slow, tired and wary old man.
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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 !