An Evening with the Dickel Brothers
It was 9:30 on a chilly Thursday night when our little trio finally found a parking space in the Richmond District. Already drunk, we wove quickly through the neighborhoods by foot. Finally we arrived at the Last Day Saloon, uneasy that we had not purchased tickets in advance for what was sure to be one of the highlights of this years San Francisco Blue Grass and Old Time Festival – the fabulous Dickel Brothers. Our fears of a sellout were quickly allayed, as was the sense of unease that having four quarts of Irish whiskey strapped to ones person tends to instill. We were home free, for now, anyway. After purchasing our tickets, we proceeded upstairs to catch the opening act, which, to our delight, turned out to be five perfectly agreeable old geezers calling themselves the Roadoilers. Their sound was pure old-school bluegrass, heavy on melody, light on lyrics. Their artful rendering of the Bill Monroe standard Uncle Penn, made for a memorable encore. Next up, we were subjected to the shrill vocal styling of The Stairwell Sisters. Don’t get the wrong idea, I am certain that the particular brand of old-time mountain music that the sisters are peddling is faithfully rendered. The problem for me was simply that the clog-happy cutsieness of their presentation was enough to make even the most dyed in the wool harmony junkie run gasping for the nearest fire exit. And that is exactly what we did.
We figured the most sensible course of action was to hole up in the alleyway outside the club and wait for the fervent toe tapping to subside. I had barely finished my first cigarette when a lanky figure dressed something akin to Tom Joad on his way to church approached our little assemblage. I recognized him at once as Stephen Dickel, banjo player of the headlining band. “Anyone know where a fellah can get a bottle of whiskey in this neighborhood?”, he asked plaintively. Jill shrugged, explaining that we were from the East Bay, and thus, had little idea where he might try. Jill, apparently sensing the desperation in his face, thrust a small flask of Bushmills into his hand. After a great deep swallow, he proceeded to explain his sad situation. “This goddamn hippy club issued only two drink tickets to each of us. How, for the love of Mary, do they expect us to play in this condition?
For almost 90 years, The Grand Ole Opry has withstood the test of time to become one of the tried and true traditions in country music. From the show's humble beginnings as an obscure radio program, to it's renowned place today as one of the premiere stages for music, The Grand Ole Opry has had an extremely colorful and interesting existence. Over the 88 years that have passed since the show's inception, The Grand Ole Opry has featured many talented performers. Those performers, along with social changes and economics, have all contributed to the growth and success of The Grand Ole Opry.
Although folk music played a big role in most of these artists’ performances, folk links back to the blues, and is similar...
...gers of the old folk music are referred to as “authentic”. The author uses the biographies and the personal experiences of true Appalachian folk musicians to portray what life in the Appalachians was like. The strong family values, the music, the legends.
Charles Ives is known in our day as the “Father of American Music,” but in his day, he was known just like everyone else- an ordinary man living his life. He was born in Danbury, Connecticut on October 20, 1894 (Stanley 1) to his mother, Sarah Hotchkiss Wilcox Ives and father, George White Ives (A Life With Music, Swafford 4). His father was renowned for being the Union’s youngest bandmaster and having the best band in the Army (The Man His Life, Swafford 1). Little Charles was influenced early in his life by his father who had libertarian ideas about music (Stanley 1). Although Danbury prided itself as “the most musical town in Connecticut”, the people did not give the musical profession respect or understanding (The Man His Life, Swafford 1). One day, his father commented on a stonemason’s off-key singing by saying, “Look into his face and hear the music of the ages. Do not pay too much attention to the sounds—for if you do you may miss the music. You won’t get a wild, heroic ride to heaven on pretty little sounds” (The Man His Life, Swafford 2). Thus was young Charles’ introduction to music.
Growing up on an Indian Reservation is a tough thing to do. Everyone is poor, and almost every adult is always drunk and unhappy. Junior’s own father suffers from alcoholism. His father will sometimes forget about Junior and never shows up to give him a ride home. Junior is then forced to walk or hitchhike all the way back to the Reservation. His father also constantly spends all of their money on alcohol, even during the holidays, “...Dad did what he always does when we don’t have enough money. He took what little money we did have and ran away to get drunk” (Alexie 150). Junior’s unfortunate understanding of alcoholism makes him see the world as an unfair place. He knows that he never wants to be like his father when he grows up. Alcohol also causes a lot of deaths in Junior’s life. His sister died in a terrible fire because she was too drunk to escape her burning RV. Junior is let out of school early because of his sister’s death. He has to wait for his father to come get him, and he laughs and he cannot stop laughing at the thought of his dad also dying on his way to pick Junior up, “...it’s not too comforting to learn that your sister was TOO FREAKING DRUNK to feel any pain when she BURNED TO DEATH! And for some reason, that thought made me laugh even harder, (Alexie 205). When he finally finds out about how his sister dies, he cannot help but laugh even more. Every Indian dies because of alcohol, and Junior finds it funny
From 1662 to 1795 China experienced the “High Qing”, a period in which the country prospered greatly under the rule of significant emperors such as Kangxi and Qianlong. It is regarded as a high point of Chinese civilization due to its transition from traditional to modern China. These emperors ruled over the large empire and China felt their influence for many years to come. The Manchu people ruled the vast empire of China during the Qing Dynasty in a pragmatic approach through the unification of their people using Han ideology combined with hands on tactics in the economy and government, which became a large contributor for their prosperity in the 18th century.
The article discusses the need for these early Chicago saloons as a neighborhood commune for those men who labor long hours only to come home to poverty and despair of a desolate household. Melendy focuses on the mental, physiological, and moral nature of these workingmen. He points out that this saloon culture allows it’s patrons to develop these traits by interacting with their peers—others facing the same despair. These establishments are described as the “workingman’s school. He is both scholar and teacher” (Melendy pg. 78). Patrons gather at the bar, around tables and in the next room amongst games of pool, cards, and darts to discuss political and social problems, sporting news, and other neighborhood gossip. Here men, native and immigrant, exchange opinions and views of patriotism, brotherhood, and lessons in civil government. Melendy describes this atmosphere as cosmopolitan, and articulates that these businesses advertise this issue in their names. For example one of the downtown saloons was entitled “Everybody’s Exchange.” The saloon’s customers experienced a buffet of nationalities upon which was not so for those of poverty in previous decades. Saloons also served as disguises of corruption as Melendy illustrates by declaring “...
McPherson, Ian. “The Salt of the Earth: 1955-1960 R&B-Derived Rock & Roll.” Time Is On Our
Rytell, David. “Music Worthy of a Riot.” David Rytell’s Home Page. 1989. Web. 17 September 2011.
Interview footage of her colleagues, fellow musicians, and friends such as Annie Ross, Buck Clayton, Mal Waldron, and Harry “Sweets” Edison look back on their years of friendship and experiences with the woman they affectionately call “Lady”. Their anecdotes, fond memories, and descriptive way of describing Holiday’s unique talent and style, show the Lady that they knew and loved. The film also makes interesting use of photographs and orignal recordings of Holiday, along with movie footage of different eras. With the use of these devices, we get a feel for what Holiday’s music meant for the audience it reached. The black and white footage from the thirties of groups of people merrily swing dancing, paired with a bumptious, and swingin’ number Billie Holiday performed with Count Basie called “Swing Me Count”, makes one wonder what it might have been like to actually be there. To wildly swing dance to the live vocals of Billie Holiday must have been an amazing experience, as this film demonstrates.
In his discussion, Ziglar reflects back on the valuable element of “networking” for enhancing a salesperson’s “center of influence” (Ziglar 1991, 1-14). Of course, “low self-esteem, rejection,” and a loss of “confidence” can all act as barriers for expanding one’s sales “influence” (Ziglar 1991, 1-14). However, Ziglar explains how these obstacles can be overcome through acquiring “accomplishment feedback” (Ziglar 1991, 1-14). Unfortunately, this is easier said than done as most sales managers are not very informative to new
Museums around the world are taking fashion from the catwalks into galleries. Although fashion cannot be displayed in a frame it can tell a story behind a certain period of time just like art does. Nowadays fashion is considered wearable art and a way of expression for many people around the world. Emphasis, embellishments and shape are key elements that every fashion designer takes into account when producing a new piece of art work. Haute Couture is constructed by hand, made from high-quality, expensive, often unusual fabrics and sewn with attention to detail and finished by experienced and capable sewers, often using time-consuming, hand-executed
The Banjo Lesson by Henry Tanner is one of his most famous works. The message to the viewer somewhat speaks for itself. Tanner’s work displays a lesson on how the black race broke ground from just being known as entertainers, now being known as an artist in the 19th century to a broad range of important roles in society today. One of Tanner’s painting called /is something I can absolutely relate to, because as a child, I was taught in the same manner with my uncle. The Banjo Lesson was painted in 1893 with Tanner using size and placement as a technique to emphasize the figures of the old man who is teaching the little boy how to play the banjo.
To summarize, fashion is just another outlet through which we can view our ever changing world. It is just as important as literature, cinema, and other means of creative expression that document history. However, fashion plays an even bigger role than most other art forms because it can shape the identity of a generation. Similarly, the clothes you wear can tell a story about who you are and your part in shaping a culture. In history class we often view historical events and facts so objectively that we forget that the people we read about had their own colorful culture as we do. Observing fashion and fashion history, ultimately, breathe life into the past and help us to understand how we operate as a society.
On April 10, 2017, I attended the Auburn Guitar Ensemble concert. The program consisted of eight different performances: three Inventions by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), Variations on a Theme of G.F. Handel arranged by Mauro Giuliani (1781-1829), Tango en Skai by Roland Dyens (1955-2016), Summa by Arco Pärt (b.1935), Going Dutch by John Duarte (1919-2004), Sakura, Variations on a Japanese Folksong arranged by Auburn’s Joseph Ikner, Cuban Landscape with Rain by Leo Brower (b.1939), and Kashmir by Led Zeppelin.