Tag Archive: Bert Jansch


YAIR YONA – A NEW ROSE

“I have now heard – but am powerless to describe – reggae elevator music”. So wrote David Foster Wallace about his experiences aboard a Caribbean cruise liner in his marvellous essay ‘ A supposedly fun thing I’ll never do again’ .

Another first for DFW was noted : “I have heard people in deck chairs say in all earnestness that it’s the humidity rather than the heat”.

 Israeli acoustic guitarist Yair Yona chose the title for the track It’s Not The Heat (It’s The Humidity) based on his experience of living in Tel Aviv.

I discovered Yona’s music by chance after reading his open letter to Jack Rose written on his Small Town Romance blog which for me remains the best tribute about the late great man.

Continue reading

BODUF SONGS:CHASING SHADOWS

Mat Sweet, aka Boduf Songs, has just released a new collection of morbid tunes via the Kranky label called ‘How Shadows Chase The Balance’- a fascinating un-light journey into a nightmarish world of dread, death and despair. Needless to say that Mat is no party animal!

The record is great for reasons I explain in my review over at Whisperin’ & Hollerin’.

I talked briefly Mat in February 2007 after a gig in Ravenna, Italy where he played support to the lovely Josephine Foster (reviewed at last f.m) .

The interview is part of a now longstanding personal project to write a book about the strange mutations of what is loosely branded as ‘Folk Music’ yet dwells in a kingdom apart from the homely traditions normally associated with that genre term.

Until such time as my magnum opus sees the light of day, it seems timely to publish Mat’s illuminating replies to my queries: Continue reading

leaf

The delicate charm of Rob St John’s ‘Tipping In’ EP shows that inspiration of New Weird America is far from being just a stateside phenomenon.This is a magical record which I had no hesitation in giving a 10 star rating in my Whisperin’ & Hollerin’ review.

Three tracks and less than 15 minutes left me wanting to hear more and also made me curious to find out more about the man behind the sound.

Rob very kindly agreed to answer some questions.

So if you want to know why Jack Johnson sucks, how musical dots can connect Godspeed You Black Emperor with Bert Jansch or simply need a hearty veggie meal in Edinburgh, read on …….

Continue reading