Is the Actor Happy? is an album by the American folk rock musician Vic Chesnutt, released in 1995.

Pitchfork called the album "not just arguably his finest release, but also his most extroverted ... His subject isn't just himself, but also his place among friends and amid the sprawl of the South." - Wikipedia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=118ACubJNY0&list=OLAK5uy_lgk1uvkSN1iLaAoQZkGrGKe_n3qRoUDlQ

#VicChesnutt #FolkMusic #Music #MichealStipe #AthensGeorgia

BATTLE OF MATEWAN

Today in Labor History May 18, 1920: The Battle of Matewan occurred in the town of Matewan, Mingo County, West Virginia. It started when the mine bosses fired miners for joining the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) and evicted them from their company housing. Sheriff Sid Hatfield supported the miners’ right to organize and tried to arrest the detectives. The detectives, in turn, tried to arrest Hatfield. Unbeknownst to the detectives, armed miners had surrounded them. No one knows who shot first, but when the smoke had cleared, there were 7 dead detectives, including Albert and Lee Felts, and 4 dead townspeople, including the mayor. The episode became known as the Matewan Massacre, and is depicted in John Sayles’ film Matewan. West Virginia bluegrass singer and labor activist Hazel Dickens sings the film's title track, "Fire in the Hole."

Mining was, and still is, one of the most dangerous and corrupt industries around. Owners typically forced the miners to live in company towns and purchase living necessities from their company stores at inflated prices. They paid the men in scrip, which was useless outside of the company towns. In the time leading up to the Battle of Matewan, miners in other parts of the country had won a 27% wage increase. The time was ripe for organizing southern Appalachia. The UMWA sent in their best organizers, including Mother Jones. 3,000 men signed union cards in the early spring of 1920. Yet, at the same time, vigilantes, detectives and goons were murdering miners in the region. And the company was evicting anyone who signed up. So, hundreds of miners and their families were living in the Stony Mountain Camp Tent Colony.

On August 1, 1921, surviving members of the Baldwin-Felts Detective Agency assassinated Sheriff Sid Hatfield, in broad daylight, on the steps of Welch County courthouse, as his wife watched in horror. As news of his death spread, miners began arming themselves, leading to the Battle of Blair Mountain. the largest armed insurrection since the Civil War, and the largest labor uprising in U.S. history. 10,000-15,000 coal miners battled 3,000 cops, private cops and vigilantes, who were backed by the coal bosses. Up to 100 miners died in the fighting, along with 10-30 Baldwin-Felts detectives and three national guards. Nearly 1,000 people were arrested. One million rounds were fired. And the government bombed striking coal miners by air, using homemade bombs and poison gas left over from World War I.

You can read my complete article on the Battle of Blair Mountain here: https://michaeldunnauthor.com/2024/04/14/the-battle-of-blair-mountain/

#workingclass #LaborHistory #matewan #miners #strike #union #massacre #film #motherjones #westvirginia #appalachia #privatepolice #detectives #hazeldickens #folk #folkmusic

A bit of a stretch, but do I know anyone who's familiar with traditional Irish, English, and/or old-time folk tunes? Trying to find the name of a few tunes that I still can't figure out even though I know I've heard them a million times before at old-time jams and contra dances and what not. I've been scouring @thesession with no luck!

The ones labeled "Tune 4", and "Tune 6" are still eluding me. Both are a medley so if you skip to half way through or so it will change and I'm trying to figure out both tunes (the second tune in "Tune 6" is "Waiting for Nancy" by Curt Bouterse, but the other three I'm unsure about).

https://archive.org/details/2026-05-12_trolley_barn_contra/10+Tune+4.flac

https://archive.org/details/2026-05-12_trolley_barn_contra/14+Tune+6.flac

EDIT: the embedded Internet Archive player sometimes picks the wrong tune. Best to click through.

Update: One found already! Post edited.

#OldTime #Bluegrass #FolkMusic #Contra #ContraDance #AskFedi

"New World Coming" that we cannot see

The folk songs of the 60s and 70s lulled into believing that peace, love, and harmony were just around the corner.

https://tiereddemocraticgovernance.org/blog_details.php?blog_cat_id=33&id=246

We needed to only sing the songs to make the world a better place.

#tiereddemocraticgovernance
#folkMusic

Playing live this Sunday at the Richard Jefferies Museum - we are pleased to welcome Jack and Izzy, the duo known as HUSHWING, to our gardens!

HUSHWING is a band rooted in a shared love for travel, the outdoors, and each other. With lyrical echoes of Bon Iver and Hozier, the cozy, intimate production style of Flyte, and the melodic warmth reminiscent of Eva Cassidy, HUSHWING crafts a delicate blend of folk, alternative-indie, and pop.

#Swindon #LiveMusic #music #musicians #FolkMusic

I am very pleased to learn that #MariBoine is on #Bandcamp.

Her crossover of traditional sami music, jazz, folk and perhaps even pop never fails to touch me.

https://mariboine.bandcamp.com/album/alva

#nielsotunes #music #musik #sami #folk #jazzmusic #samimusic #folkmusic #foremothers #vocals

If your #Monday has your down, and you need a mood elevator…then ten minutes of Canada’s Beaton Sisters fiddle fineness will surely do the trick. Starts slow but progresses into a rousing medley that will stir your soul and get your feet tapping. Guaranteed to lift spirits and provide a welcome surge of energy & motivation. What’s not to love? Enjoy…

https://youtu.be/xCSk5waVkxI?si=mim8hMmprqiFmyu2
#Music #MusicVideo #FolkMusic #CelticMusic #Fiddle #CapeBretonIsland

Viva Last Blues is the third studio album by Will Oldham. It was released under the moniker Palace Music on Drag City in 1995. The album features Oldham on vocals and guitar, and was recorded by Steve Albini.

Review by Peter J. D'Angelo

This incarnation of Palace, one of its more impressive, sees frontman Will Oldham turning out some of the strongest bleak country-rock in his career and taking the music in a few intriguing and even upbeat directions. With a great supporting cast that includes, among others, Sebadoh's Jason Loewenstein on drums and Oldham's brother Ned on bass, the group busts out laid-back twangy tunes that can really rock when the opportunity comes up. Most notably, tracks like "Work Hard/Play Hard" and the opening "More Brother Rides" are brimming with energy that may not overwhelm, but certainly provides a hefty backbone...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IE1FrrSYYKg&list=OLAK5uy_klp-P8LghUyPOdaF1vJGJRrb8GnnrDljQ

#WillOldham #SteveAlbini #DragCity #Music #PalaceMusic #FolkMusic

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/18/arts/music/marisa-anderson-unamerican-folk-music.html?smid=url-share

#Guitar #FolkMusic