The untold story of Johnny Cash, protest singer and Native American activist, and his feud with the music industry
By Antonino D'Ambrosio Nov 8, 2009
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Bowerbirds make restless lullabies about the joy of holding hands among the squirrels and the poison ivy
By Heather Havrilesky
July 21, 2009
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A conversation about disco, snap peas and rock 'n' roll (plus a special performance for the bunnies).
May 26, 2009
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The author of "It Still Moves" discusses her road trip through America's musical past and future -- and why we still yearn for the music of yore.
By Judy Berman
September 2, 2008
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We're working together but she's so flaky it feels like she's working against me.
By Cary Tennis
April 17, 2008
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Why the dark and madly poetic Destroyer is my favorite rock band in ages.
By Kevin Berger
March 31, 2008
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Quintessential American music.
July 4, 2007
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A Zeppelin-esque riff anchors this simple but effective song.
June 20, 2007
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Dylanisms and rusticisms abound on this modern folk song.
June 14, 2007
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One country legend pays tribute to another.
June 11, 2007
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The spirit of folk was everywhere this year, with a slew of tribute albums to various new hybrid forms -- from freak-folk to folk-punk and beyond.
By Andrew Marcus
December 30, 2006
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Greil Marcus and Sean Wilentz discuss their amazing new anthology of writing about the American ballad -- and wonder whether Republicans sing better songs of passion and murder than Democrats do.
By Charles Taylor
November 17, 2004
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Sure, critics make fun of him. But sensitive-guy singer-songwriter John Mayer has put the soul back in folk and the sex back in vanilla.
By Keith Harris
October 28, 2003
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English singer-songwriter Thea Gilmore, at just 23, is the genuine heiress to the Bob Dylan-Leonard Cohen-Tom Waits legacy of dark, brilliant indie folk-rock.
By David Bowman
September 29, 2003
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Christopher Guest and his "Best in Show" cohorts are back, mocking the survivors of '60s folk music in this work of sideways comic genius.
By Stephanie Zacharek
April 16, 2003
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Two new books make it clear why Bob Dylan had to ditch the phony, self-righteous Greenwich Village folk scene.
By Allen Barra
May 14, 2001
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Broadside published songs by writers who wanted to change the world -- including a young Bob Dylan. A five-CD set marches through the great folk mag's past.
By Ira Robbins
September 19, 2000
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Woody Guthrie's "Dust Bowl Ballads" drew the road map for Bob Dylan and Ramblin' Jack. A reissue recaptures the parched glory.
By David Hill
July 27, 2000
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The English folkie left behind three perfect records when he died of an overdose in 1974. It took a recent Volkswagen commercial for them to find an audience.
By Douglas Wolk
June 19, 2000
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Mystic and record collector Harry Smith knew life was cruel, yet his folk "Anthology" promised a way to "see America changed by music."
By Andy Battaglia and Rennie Sparks
June 14, 2000
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English folkie David Gray is a star in the U.K. Can some electronic blips and an endorsement from Dave Matthews win him an audience in the States?
By Joe Heim
March 30, 2000
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Zen cowboy Jimmie Dale Gilmore expresses the beauty of sadness and the perfection of sorrow.
By David Cantwell
March 9, 2000
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"Guarapero: Lost Blues 2" collects Will Oldham's stream-of-consciousness rants and odd tales of sexual dysfunction.
By Seth Mnookin
February 25, 2000
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Forget the solipsistic neurotica of Fiona Apple. On "To the Teeth" righteous babe Ani DiFranco feels the funk and represents Buffalo, N.Y.
By Michelle Goldberg
November 17, 1999
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Guitarist and "All Things Considered" commentator Adrian Legg tells funny stories, but his guitar playing is no laughing matter.
By Seth Mnookin
October 28, 1999