Top Local Music News of 2008

Though Columbia, South Carolina is about as far from the center of the musical universe as one can get, the healthy local music scene here generated its share of interesting stories in 2008.
1. Closing of the Sheds: The twenty-plus year run of Columbia musician’s favorite practice space came to a close this year, though [...]

Another Hannah Miller to Discover

So if you’re anywhere near South Carolina you’ve probably heard Hannah Miller, the Columbia, SC musician who released her debut CD, Into the Black, last January. Well, while searching for something related to her, I found another musical Hannah Miller who’s also pretty entertaining.
This other Hannah Miller is from the United Kingdom, and has [...]

Ten Best Christmas Songs Ever

A purely subjective list, of course, but there are certain songs, and certain versions of songs, that I just have to hear at Christmas.
Bruce Springsteen, Santa Claus Is Coming To Town

The Drifters (Clyde McPhatter version), White Christmas

In the Bleak Midwinter (This one’s from Kiri Te Kanawa, gorgeous.)
[...]

My Two Biggest Musical Influences

Anytime someone comments on my wide taste in music, I point to a pair of television shows from my youth which exposed me to a great deal of music. On Saturdays, they were on at 7 and 8 pm, so as a family we typically watched them both…Hee Haw and the Lawrence Welk Show.
Before you [...]

Odetta’s Gone

The news of folk music legend Odetta’s death this week was bittersweet. At 77, she’d lived a full and important life, as much as any one of us could hope for. She had been invited to sing at the upcoming inaguration of Barak Obama, however, and though she lived to see his historic election she’ll [...]