Van Dyke Parks is a man of two identities. To the mainstream, he's a supporting player who wrote lyrics for the Beach Boys' legendarily abandoned, and recently resurrected, 1966 album Smile and has played on/arranged/produced the albums of such superstars as Randy Newman and Bonnie Raitt. To adventurous listeners, the 68-year-old singer-songwriter is a superstar in his own right, one who creates music theatre for the home stereo via his own albums, such as his… more »
They're the beneficiaries of a rather unlikely tribute album and a primary inspiration and/or influence for numerous contemporary string bands, from the high-profile Carolina Chocolate Drops to Geoff Muldaur's one-off collaborators the Texas Sheiks. No doubt about it, the Mississippi Sheiks are happening these days. But then, they always have been - at least to the extent that's possible for musicians who thrived in the first half of the 1930s.
When they formed around Jackson, Mississippi,… more »
There's a moment when a piece of summer fruit is perfectly ripe, and as sweet and fragrant as it's ever going to be, with just the slightest note of what's going to become decay. There's an emotional state that's very much like that, joy that's more profound because it's connected to sadness. The Chills 'songwriter Martin Phillipps was once a great evoker of that sort of emotion, and his band's 1990 marvel Submarine Bells embodies… more »
