Ed's Journal
journalcontent
May 2010,
Well, spring was as beautiful as ever in Austin, with wildflowers in
profusion and luminous green colors as the trees and shrubs awoka from
"winter." Sadly, however, spring was also as short as usual and it's
already in the mid 90's in May.
I'm ready for cooler weather, and will almost certainly be enjoying
that several times between now and October....I say almost certainly,
because there's always a slight chance that the damned Icelandic
volcano with the unpronounceable name will scupper plans for
transatlantic trips. All going well, I'll be leading the annual
Folksong Tour of Scotland from June 13-23, with a large group this
year, 37. New England-based Irishman Robbie O'Connell has also asked me
to help out with a tour group he is taking from the Boston area to
Scotland in September. All that, plus some vacation time in August to
visit my older daughter in Amsterdam, teaching at the Swannanoa
Gathering in NC and the Rocky Mountain Fiddle Camp in CO, and going to
festivals in Houston, Los Angeles, Pleasanton CA, Grandfather Mountain
NC, Edinboro PA, Lancaster PA and La Veta CO ....means my dog will
probably bark at me when I'm home in Austin.
The good news of late is that, as of June 13, my
Sunday evening radio show on KUT, Across the Water, will be expanding
to become a two hour show instead of just one. Apparently, response to
the show has been very positive; so I'll now have time to delve deeper
into whatever theme I'm following on a given show. It'll be from 6-8pm
Sundays (Central Time) and can be heard live anywhere on the web at KUT.org (click on Listen Live).
Every other Sunday, I'll continue to host Sunday Folkways from 2-4pm,
sharing duties with Tom Pittman. The request line is 512-471 2345. If I
don't answer, I'm either harassed by the new log system or I'm on the
road and the show is pre-recorded.
The worst news recently in Austin is that the
University of Texas Union has slated the Cactus Cafe for closure in
August.Their first argument was that it would save them $66,000 a year;
but as
the Union has just okayed an $11 million refurbishment, that was no
defense for closing what is the best room I've ever played in over the
years. Throughout its existence, the Cactus has presented everyone from
Townes van Zandt and the Flatlanders to Richard Thompson and the
Battlefield Band.....truly a historically vital venue for some of the
very best music I've ever heard. However, UT argues that it attracted
mainly non-student audiences and the Union should just be for student
use....as if a University should distance itself from the community in
which it exists. Try applying that argument to the football stadium or
the concert hall on campus!. Anyway, within a week of the bad news,
25,000 people had signed into the "Save the Cactus" Facebook page; and
we are still holding out a slim hope that UT might (for a change)
actually listen to public opinion....otherwise, they are indulging in a
real shoot-yourself-in-the-foot exercise. The latest news is that the
Cafe will almost certainly stay open, if under different control, maybe
even with a lot more input from KUT.
Whatever happens, I'd hate to imagine that my
concert there with Brian McNeill in early June might be our last in
such a hallowed place.
Great gigs in spring have included the Bugle Boy club in La Grange -
what a lovely venue to play in....and they don't sell Lite
beer!!....just good beers, great coffee and smoothies. Then there was
an intimate concert in the barn behind Fiddler's Green Music Store,
here in Austin...as comfy a venue as I've seen.....and of course there
was St Patrick's Day - 4 bars in 12 hours; but a joy to play with Rich
Brotherton.
"Across the Water" features the folk
music of Scotland, Ireland and England along with its connections to
music in this country. We passed our first anniversary in March, and it's always indeed
heart-warming to receive so many calls from listeners welcoming a new,
mainly- Celtic show. The show often has themes, from "the Irish
Experience in America," and "The songs of Brian McNeill," to "songs
about birds" or "Transatlantic Connections - song versions from both
sides of the ocean."
Like all other KUT shows, "Across the Water" can be heard online at KUT.org - click
on Listen Live. I'm sorry; but for copyright reasons, the show will not
be archived for later listening. However, I do have all the shows on
CD; so if you are desperate to hear a particular issue, contact me.
** Please remember to support your local non-commercial radio station.
You will not hear folk music on commercial stations; only on GOOD
non-commercial radio which is not consumed by the need to keep
shareholders happy by playing lowest-common-denominator music.
You can also help with promotion by requesting your local station to
play tracks by performers you like (hint hint, nudge nudge).
This summer's tour to Scotland is slated for June 13-23, with a
few changes in itinerary : we'll go back to 3 nights in the Borders to
allow folks to settle in more and to see more of my favorite area, and
later will visit Aberdeenshire for the first time, with Tam Spiers
leading us around the most song-rich region in Scotland. Instead of
Plockton and Skye (wonderful as they may be) we'll go to Oban
for 2 nights, with a day spent visiting the islands of Mull and Iona,
before heading back towards Edinburgh via Glencoe. For the first
time, the tour was sold out just after Thanksgiving; so either the
economy
isn't as bad I heard or those who have been on the tour before have
been spreading a very good word. If you are
still interested in joining the tour in 2011, let me know and I will be
happy to put you on the list.
NEW CD
My most recent CD, Lyrics of Gold (Songs written or collected by Robert Burns) has been selling like warm cakes. Of course, I've recorded several
Burns songs on earlier CD's and have included those tracks on the new
one; but there are also a couple of tracks from John Taylor's first recording and 8 new tracks.
Burns wrote, collected
or refurbished over 300 songs in his short lifetime and is truly
Scotland's greatest songwriter/folklorist as well as the national poet.
One of his great skills was to fit words to existing fiddle tunes; so
the fiddle of Brian McNeill is strongly featured on the recording,
and we also had E.J.Jones add some of his wonderful whistle and
smallpipes, plus some great vocals from Karine Polwart. This also may
be the first time a pedal steel guitar (Marty Muse) has been used to
accompany a Burns song! Mainly,
however, it's the instrumental and engineering
skills of Rich Brotherton that come through - I cannot imagine
recording without this amazing musician.
There's an order form you can download from the Home page of this website. Also, as with all my
recordings, this CD will be available for purchase or individual track
downloads from http://cdbaby.com/cd/edmiller6
Its been brought to my attention that there are several songs I've performed
that have been "captured" on video and posted on U-Tube. The Broom of
the Cowdenknowes (with lots of lovely pics from the Scottish Borders)
is at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=qs71_yzkFvg
and A Bottle of the Best is at : www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJ9Fj8-IXwg&NR=1
(This is listed as
"funny Irish drinking song"..... however, it is about Scotch whisky and
written by Jack Foley from Scotland and sung by myself - enough hints
about the song's nationality, one would think....)
My
favorite, however, is of Scooter Muse, Jil Chambless and I doing The
Spanish Lady at last November's Austin Celtic Festival. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cqqr-OXxcHc&feature=related
a' the best, Ed
.......................................................................................................................................
CD ORDERING
There is a order form in this web site for ordering all 7 CD's by mail using
a check, money order or credit card. 5 CD's, however, are
available from CDBaby.com or PayPlay.fm where you can also download individual tracks
from iTunes :
Never Frae My Mind : http://cdbaby.com/cd/edmiller4
http://payplay.fm/edmiller4
Generations of Change
:http://cdbaby.com/cd/edmiller3
http://payplay.fm/edmiller3
Many's the Fine Tale : http://cdbaby.com/cd/edmiller2
http://payplay.fm/edmiller2
Lowlander
: : http://cdbaby.com/cd/edmiller
http://payplay.fm/edmiller
The Edinburgh Rambler : http://cdbaby.com/cd/edmiller5
|