Ian Worpole casts his eye over the latest CD offerings in the world of trad/folk music. Lots of great CDs this month, and by way of a preamble, I’ve been thinking lately about how the great fiddlers, accordion players and, well, all those instrumentalists who make up the sound that we know and love are often great teachers as well. This phenomenon, I believe, has become an … [Read more...] about Spread the Music!
Ian Warpole
The Pogues: They’re Back! (Almost)
By ian Worpole, Contributor
June / July 2007
June / July 2007
Ian Worpole never managed to be in the right place at the right time to catch The Pogues live, but there’s always next year, and in the meantime there’s the re-release of all of the band’s CDs. Back in the early ’80’s I’d been resident in America for a few years, and, as happens, was starting to lose touch with my old English roots a bit. Sure, I would go back and visit each … [Read more...] about The Pogues: They’re Back! (Almost)
New York City Redux
Music Columnist Ian Worpole chronicles his return to the Big Apple Having spent a rowdy ten years in a cheap loft in Tribeca, New York City (Cheap! It wasn’t quite yet an oxymoron twenty years ago), with two small children and an irate landlord, it was time to move north to Woodstock, a quaint hamlet known for its arts colony and a certain concert that took place in 1964. We … [Read more...] about New York City Redux
From Cork to Dublin: The New Wave
Ian Worpole looks at three albums by a fresh crop of Irish musicians A whole New Year, and a whole new crop of Irish rockers set to invade these shores. After 50-odd years of this modern stuff, the boundaries are naturally blurred between the Rock genres, with Soft Rock, Hard Rock, Folk Rock, Progressive Rock, Pop, Garage, Punk, Post-Punk, you get the picture. And when we talk … [Read more...] about From Cork to Dublin: The New Wave
Celtic Songbirds
Bringing to life the music we love Here’s a moderately interesting question: Do women lean towards male singers, and men towards women singers? Based on a sample poll of myself and my partner, the answer is a resounding yes, Van Morrison being the exception to the rule. Hence this month’s column, “Celtic Songbirds,” a glance at some of the best chanteuses out there. Of … [Read more...] about Celtic Songbirds