Buffy Sainte-Marie never falls behind. Her new album Power In The Blood, released when she’s 74, appears to coincide with the conclusion of Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission. In this June 2015 interview with Wendy Mesley on CBC’s The National … Continue reading
The bullfrogs are back, at least for this summer, and I found a musical mnemonic for their song in one of Beethoven’s symphonies. One morning each June for the past 15 years I have left the cottage around 4 a.m. … Continue reading
In a biography by Glenda Dawn Goss, Sibelius: A Composer’s Life and the Awakening of Finland (University of Chicago Press, 2009), I came across a startling early idea about the sound of cities. Jean Sibelius has been my favourite composer … Continue reading
This morning I had an exchange with a friend about my favourite Stan Rogers song, “The Lock Keeper”. Alan McLean commented that it addresses the “monk’s dilemma.” We may relate to life experience as a traveler or one who is … Continue reading
We all need people who inspire us, whether heroes, models, mentors or friends. During the WordCount Blogathon Speed River Journal will present a special Saturday feature profiling people I admire. These are all living people whose work relates directly or … Continue reading