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Folk

Film

Finally, a Title and Some Details on Coen Bros’ ’60s Folk Movie

By Judy Berman on

It seems like ages ago (although it was only earlier this summer) that we learned the Coen Brothers were making a movie about New York City’s 1960s folk-music scene partially based on Dave Van Ronk‘s memoir, The Mayor of MacDougal Street. Since then, we’ve been waiting for some more details… Read More

Daily Dose

Daily Dose Pick: Gabby Young & Other Animals

By Doug Levy on

Theatrical performer Gabby Young weaves together gypsy punk, folk, jazz, indie rock, burlesque, and over-the-top fashion with her eight-piece cabaret band, Other Animals.

On stage, the troupe revels in spectacle with an exuberance that comes through just as strongly on record. Named after the album’s most affecting track, Gabby Young & Other Animals’ debut, We’re All in This Together, has just received the deluxe-reissue treatment, bringing it the attention it has deserved since it first fell into the hands of a lucky few. … Read More

Books

Daily Dose Pick: Harry Smith

By Tanja M. Laden on

Based on a 2001 symposium at the Getty Research Institute, Harry Smith: The Avant-Garde in the American Vernacular surveys the artist’s influence on American film, music, and the visual arts.

Featuring color reproductions of Smith’s images, as well as essays by scholars, friends, and colleagues, the book explores the life of the 20th-century Renaissance man best known for his definitive Anthology of American Folk Music — a six-record compilation of commercial songs from 1926-1932 that helped facilitate the folk revival of the ’60s. The multifaceted mystic also achieved cult-hero status in the world of cinema for his experimental films, and received critical praise for his rare, freeform abstract paintings. … Read More

Daily Dose

Daily Dose Pick: Lisa Mitchell

By Doug Levy on

At only 19, Australian singer-songwriter Lisa Mitchell has served up Wonder, a folk-pop gem of a debut album that completely belies her youth.

Inviting comparisons to fellow Aussie Lenka, as well as Icelandic songstress Emiliana Torrini, Mitchell mines the quirkier side of pop music on Wonder, creating whimsical compositions hung from the catchiest of hooks.

Given the authenticity of the songs and her unassuming persona, the fact that Mitchell was a finalist on Australian Idol at the age of 16 stands out far more as an aberration than a cause for suspicion. … Read More