Fictional Folk Musician’s Memoir Folded in to a Forthcoming Novel

This forthcoming novel looks like it oughta be good. I’d never seen W.B. Belcher’s name before, but now have found him on the Web. He’s obviously folk music-inclined, as I saw posts there about Pete Seeger, Dave Van Ronk, and “Inside Lewyn Davis.” Dave Van Ronk

I know the agency that represents him, and they have many great clients, like historian of magic and arcana Jim Steinmeyer, whose Hiding the Elephant: How Magicians Invented the Impossible and Learned to Disappear, which I edited and published with him in 2003. Hiding the Elephant, Jim Steinmeyer

My Storify on the CMJ Music Marathon, an Illustrated Web Diary

Kick-off to a Great Week of Live Music in NYC w/Wilderness of Manitoba, HIGHS, and In-Flight Safety

Wilderness of ManitobaI kicked off this live music-intensive week on Monday night by going to hear Wilderness of Manitoba, a Toronto band that I first heard live in 2011, and whose sound I’d learned has continued to evolve. Earlier, when they toured for their 2010 album, “When You Left the Fire,” their sound was dominated by acoustic guitar and strings, with a hushed ambient quality almost reminiscent of the Windham Hill record label from the 1980s. Over the summer, I’d heard an interview on CBC Toronto’s afternoon radio show “Here and Now” by host Gill Deacon with longtime member, and lead guitarist, Will Whitwham who said for their new album they’d staked a new course—with lineup changes including a heavier rhythm section that leaves them more apt to rock out and jam than before. I heard “Leave Someone,” the single from “Between Colours,” their latest album, and really liked it. When I heard they were playing a free show at Rockwood Music Hall, it was an easy call to go hear them. They played a great set, and true to what I’d heard, the new rhythm players were a great addition—bassist Wes McClintock and drummer Tom Bona—as was vocalist Amanda Balsys. I enjoyed talking with Wes and Amanda after the show. Here are more pics, including the cover of their new album.


Tuesday night kicked off the annual CMJ music festival, and I really enjoyed my first live listen to HIGHS from Toronto, and In-Flight Safety, from Halifax. I had heard singles by both bands on CBC Radio 3—”Summer Dress” and “Animals,” respectively—and both bands played terrific, 35-minute sets, with buoyant tunes and good energy. Here are pics from both shows.

The Strumbellas, Spreading the Fun at Rockwood Music Hall

 Simon Ward & Darryl James of the Strumbellas
I loved the live set played by The Strumbellas Thursday night at Rockwood Music Hall. Big, buoyant songs played and sung with ensemble choruses amid loads of positive energy. Equally enjoyable was talking with the band afterwards, chatting with Darryl James (bass), Dave Ritter (keys), and Isabel Ritchie (violin). Rounding out the six-piece is Jon Hembrey (lead guitar), Jeremy Drury (drums), and Simon Ward (lead vocals, acoustic guitar, frontman). Like Derek Atkinson, lead singer of Loon Choir, another Ontario band I like a lot, Ward is a very expressive singer on stage, and interesting to watch, as you can’t be quite sure sort of swooping or expansive gesture he might strike next. The Strumbellas have been together several years, so far putting out a total of three albums. They won a Juno Award in 2014, for “We Still Move on Dance Floors,” their most recent release. Darryl told me that for a long time they only played in Toronto, which is home base, seizing every opportunity that they could find to play in front of people, but not touring much. Then, they began touring in Canada a couple years ago, with gigs in the US coming after that. All six members had a great time on stage, exuding a comfortability that put the good-sized weeknight crowd at ease and in the mood for fun. Here’s a video of one of my favorite songs of theirs, “Sailing,” followed by the rest of my pics and a Facebook post I put up right after the show.

Marking Photojournalist Ruth Gruber’s 103rd Birthday

As a longtime book editor, I’ve had the privilege of working with dozens of talented authors. Amid all these superb writers one sub-group stands out: authors in their 80s, 90s, or even older, in their 100s. This group has included Edward Robb Ellis (1911-1998), author of A Diary of Century: Tales by American’s Greatest Diarist. Here is a collection of posts I’ve written about him.A Diary of the Century, Edward Robb Ellis

Ahead of Time, Ruth GruberAnother of these remarkable authors is Ruth Gruber, also born in 1911, with whom I’ve published six books, including her memoir Ahead of Time: My Early Years as a Foreign Correspondent, also the title of a documentary about her. Ruth turned 103 this week, and is still going strong. This is a collection of posts I’ve written about her. Earlier this week, on the day of her 103rd birthday, I shared a post on Facebook, inviting friends to celebrate her birthday with me there, embedded below. You can join me in celebrating her amazing life and career here on her Facebook page.