EASY ED’S BROADSIDE: The Fraught Journey of ‘México-Americano’
In the American border town of Eagle Pass in the Rio Grande Valley, Rumel Fuentes was born in 1943. Attending the University of Texas in Austin in the ’60s, he was one of the Chicano movement's brightest singer-songwriters, using his music to speak out against injustice to his
Remembering David Berman, Who Memorialized Suffering Through Song
Wondering about the well-being of writers who put their darkness out there in the light, and share it with an audience, is a mystery with no sound resolution. David Berman, the late poet and songwriter of Silver Jews’ artful American music, touched many with his surreal words on love, loss,
THROUGH THE LENS: The Newport Folk Festival – The Highwomen, Dolly Parton, Our Native Daughters, and More
This week is a first for the Through the Lens column: the Newport Folk Festival. From Pete Seeger to Bob Dylan to Brandi Carlile, the festival has always been not just a showcase of the music that binds us, but also a platform for social change.
Women made big statements
Roots Music Becomes a Major Player in Video Games
Red Dead Redemption 2, the hit Western-inspired video game from Rockstar Games, is easily the most beautiful video game I’ve ever played. I stop to look at vast mountain vistas, then ride off to explore them on horseback. I ford storming rivers, worrying that I might lose my horse,
EASY ED'S BROADSIDE: Porter Wagoner in Black and White
Like a lot of other families back in the 1950s, we owned a black-and-white television that sat in our parlor in front of the old red couch. It had a tiny little screen built into a large walnut cabinet and it was where I watched my favorite cowboy and Western
Ian Ferguson Goes Underground for Well-Rounded Debut
July can be a sleeper month for new music, but you will regret it if you sleep on Ian Ferguson’s debut record, State of Gold. A greasy, soulful, psychedelic romp of an album, State of Gold is equal parts groovy and dreamy, with Ferguson’s singular vocals guiding us