I was very sad to hear of the death the Scottish guitarist and singer Bert Jansch. He was a wonderful musician who influenced some of the best guitarists of the last 50 years. Musicians as diverse as Jimmy Page, Neil Young and Johnny Marr all acknowledged their debt to him. When many folk guitarists in… Continue reading Death of Bert Jansch – inspirational folk guitarist
Category: Blog
Times Past from JH – melodic, thoughtful songs
Singer songwriter John Hogan, who performs and records simply as JH, has a new album out called Times Past. As the name suggests, it looks to bygone days but more importantly, it explores the emotions conjured up by events from childhood and youth. It’s a very thoughtful album and the there’s always a feeling of… Continue reading Times Past from JH – melodic, thoughtful songs
How Ralph McTell twisted my fingers
I once had a bruising encounter with the legendary folk singer Ralph McTell. Ralph is a peaceful man but he twisted my fingers all over the place – all because of his classic song, The Streets of London. Ralph accompanies the song by picking out the melody on the guitar.
Online social forum for Irish traditional musicians
Tony Lawless is the founder of TradConnect which aims to connect musicians from all over the world who like to play Irish music. Connection has always been at the heart of music. Be it between the musician and the tune or the listener and the music. Irish music in particular has at its very heart… Continue reading Online social forum for Irish traditional musicians
Chasing the American Dream
Irish American singer Tara O’Grady wants to explore the American dream by recreating the trip her grandmother made across the US in a 1957 Chevrolet, after emigrating from her native Ireland. In this article, Tara explains the reasons for her sentimental journey. My Irish grandmother’s Chevy romance My grandmother only married my grandfather because he… Continue reading Chasing the American Dream