The cover art for The Land, the Sea, the Air How many band leaders are also professional circus performers? Not many, I imagine. I only know of one: Katrina "Tree" Stewart is both a trapeze artist and the founder of the prog and symphonic rock band, The Emerald Dawn. The band's latest album, The Land,…Read more The Land, the Sea, the Air
rock
Desert Electric
'Queen Victoria' agaves in the "Desert Electric" sound & light show, Phoenix, 2018. The Jazz Club in my village withered on the vine, but a couple of residents meet for a Listening Pleasure session once a month or so. The topic this month is 'Fruit'. A few songs came to mind immediately, a few more…Read more Desert Electric
My Halo at Half-Light
An angel's halo shines brightly at all times, but a saint's is only faintly visible in the half-light of dusk or dawn. Perhaps that is why snakefarm's recordings have gone largely unnoticed since it was formed in 1999. Or perhaps Anna Domino and Michel Delory are only kidding when they use the title of their…Read more My Halo at Half-Light
Mail Order Quarks
This Quark is far too handsome to be on mail order, I think. What the skibidi is this? An American band called French TV offering Star Trek characters by mail order? No, it's just a tongue-in-cheek title for a 10-minute musical composition constructed in the Zappa mould. It's one of those slightly zany flights of…Read more Mail Order Quarks
Clouds
Today's entry in these pages comes from Curiosity Corner™. It was prompted by Burning Shed's pre-order notification1 of a 3-CD package containing all three albums by the 'proto-prog' band Clouds. The blogger's curiosity whiskers twitched, and the typing fingers became suddenly restless. What, I wondered, is 'proto-prog' and who was this band? Quick as a…Read more Clouds
Son of Glen
Jakko M Jakszyk had an unusual upbringing. His mother was an Irish singer, Peggy Curran; his father an American airman that Peggy has always refused to identify. The baby was born in London and named Michael Lee Curran. At the age of 18 months, Michael was adopted by a refugee couple who met and settled…Read more Son of Glen
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
A Romantic’s Guide to King Crimson
My first encounter with King Crimson was at a free concert in Hyde Park, London, in 1969. They were the only band to make enough noise to fill the open arena, and they stole the show, playing In the Court of the Crimson King, 21st Century Schizoid Man and Epitaph. I have been a fan…Read more A Romantic’s Guide to King Crimson
Truce <3
In these burdened days of climate change and political upheaval, the divisions between us grow ever deeper. Misogyny and racism fuel social media; armed conflicts break out around the world. Death and devastation spread across the globe. And, in the midst of it all, the voice of truce is but a whisper in the deep…Read more Truce ❤
The Price of Love
The Price of Love was written by Don and Phil Everly (The Everly Brothers), and released as a single in 1965. It reached no. 2 on the official UK pop chart. There have been several other versions of the song, too - notably, one by Bryan Ferry included on his 1976 album, Let's Stick Together.…Read more The Price of Love
Crotchety Man 