Living wild. Old Man Crotchety is in a sentimental mood today. Sentimental, but not at all gloomy. Outside, it's sunny, and the air is autumn fresh. It is a bit breezy, though. So, here's a version of Wild Is The Wind by the wonderful blues-rock singer and guitarist, Joanne Shaw Taylor. https://open.spotify.com/track/3PWcYUrHSwfFubOB2NLdMH?si=8a5ec2f3f750418f A track from…Read more Wild Is The Wind
blues
Dragonfly
Here, in the Northern Hemisphere, it's early summer. A time when our gardens are full of insects, creeping across the lawns, buzzing through the air, pollinating the plants. And the most spectacular of all is the big, brightly-coloured dragonfly. The Welsh poet, W. H. Davies, was so impressed by a specimen of Odinata anisoptera that…Read more Dragonfly
Another Sweep of the Radar
Click the image for animation I love Spotify. Its collection of songs and instrumentals is vast. The Spotify app looks good, and it works beautifully well. It has even made a good stab at learning what I like. My only gripe is that its recommendations pull me towards the most popular artists (which almost invariably…Read more Another Sweep of the Radar
Livin’ In A Bubble
Do you ever feel trapped? Hemmed in by petty laws that curtail your freedom. Or confined within the boundaries of convention, your creative spirit stifled, denied the oxygen that gives life to the fire of original thought? If so, you will know how Medicine Head's songwriter felt when he wrote Livin' In A Bubble. You…Read more Livin’ In A Bubble
Soho Live at Ronnie Scotts
Peter Green It's deep midwinter here in the Northern Hemisphere. The days are short and the thermometer is hovering just above freezing - much too cold for this Old Man. Unsurprisingly, perhaps, this blogger has been a touch gloomy and lethargic for a couple of days. Am I suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder or is…Read more Soho Live at Ronnie Scotts
Lightning Blog
Crotchety Man is spoilt for choice and pushed for time this week, so this will be a lightning blog covering a very mixed bag of musical delights. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/30KeiOLVyhGOxkhIwhxkPd?si=1bff15e7d15b4b0e We start this Spotify playlist with a band I damned with faint praise in this post back in January 2020. But Rick Mitarotonda's Goose has a knack…Read more Lightning Blog
Radar Blips
My Release Radar this week included several interesting new pieces by not-so-new artists spanning a wide range of styles. I'm featuring them in another Spotify playlist this week. But before we get to that, I must pay tribute to Peter Green, who's death was announced yesterday. Rolling Stone placed the blues/rock guitarist born Peter Allen Greenbaum…Read more Radar Blips
New Release Pick & Mix
Today you can pick your own treats from an assortment of recent releases that tickled the Crotchety taste buds over the last week or so. Two of these songs came to my attention via Josh Gering's Fortnightly Playlist; the other three appeared on my Release Radar on Spotify. --- *** --- First up we have…Read more New Release Pick & Mix
Diving Duck Blues
Today I'm playing the race card. Today your colour is the most important thing in the world to me. If you are black, white, red or yellow you are my enemy. 'Cos today I got the blues. You see, I picked the duck with the blue ribbon in the annual duck race and no yellow-bellied…Read more Diving Duck Blues
Theme for an Imaginary Western
Sometimes it's easy to choose a track of the week. More often it's hard. This morning was shaping up to be one of those difficult days. The Crotchety Couple have had a few days in which nothing quite goes according to plan. On Monday we went to a Christmas Carnival. Going via my dad's it…Read more Theme for an Imaginary Western