Harmonizin': "I'll make a good Gordon, Gordon."

Originally from:

Again, She Says: "I Bet That Feels Good."

Mirkwood

Okay, not really.

Palette. A Little More.

The Geese Are Flying

Conversely:

Harmonizin': A tune from old long since

The Trashcan Sinatras doing a cover of the old Steve Martin/Bernadette Peters song:

A canny hour at e'en

The Spot. It Is Hit.

Harmonizin': Lied gesungenes Blau

Still have Greg Kohs' Song Sung Blue on my mind, so here's the title track. Not sung by Lightning and Thunder, unfortunately, but by some other guy (who's pretty decent):



And here's the director's blog, where he talks about taking the film on the festival circuit. Again, beware of spoilers.

Just sayin'.

And for good measure, here's this, which is a bit out of synch:

Neon

Activate!

Palette. A Little.

Harmonizin': Song Sung Blue

So, the best narrative film at the Wisconsin Film Festival this year was, for me, Jeff Nichols' Shotgun Stories, which is screening at Ebertfest this week. If I'm still doing what I'm doing now a month from now, I'll probably try to find something to say about besides, "It's great!"



The best documentary, I think, was Greg Kohs' Song Sung Blue, a film about Lightning & Thunder, a Milwaukee singing duo. He (Lightning) did Neil Diamond. She (Thunder) did Patsy Cline. I wasn't living in this part of the country during their heyday, so I didn't know much about them prior to seeing it.



The film, shot over a number of years, follows them through the ups and downs of their career. It's utterly compelling and heartbreaking and harrowing and uplifting and, y'know, hits you in the way that few films do. It was this year's Life of Reilly.

So if you get a chance to see it, leap at it.



Brief interviews with the director, Greg Kohs, here and here.

The official site is here. Be careful, though, because there might be a few "spoilers" on the site, like in some of the audio interviews. ("Spoilers" in quotes because it's odd to talk about those in relation to a documentary.)

The closing credits song, performed by Tony Dekker of Great Lake Swimmers, can be played at the site here, though you should maybe wait til you see the film til you hear it. Maybe, maybe not.

Okay, definitely a small spoiler on this page, but it's worth it for the performance that plays while you're on the page.

Anyways, this is really, really something. So keep an eye out for it.

Promotional clips for the film:

Harmonizin': Puirt For What Ails Ya

In the midst of an empty and ambiguous phase. Kind of spare.

But nevermind.

Here's a little more Julie Fowlis, singing up a bit of puirt a beul, an old Scots Gaelic type of song. The term's translated as "mouth music." It is some stuff that is good.


She plays a mean whistle too.

That should bring a smile to anyone's face, for a little while at least.

Herr Mondschein

April Etc.

Harmonizin': Waulk like a Scotswoman

In a dank and tired mood, so gonna get my Scots on:




And this don't fit the mood, and I posted another version a while back, but it's kinda become my favorite Burns song, I think, for a mildly obvious reason, so...


And to go briefly with the beat that is up:


And then back down where I'm at again:


And to close out, and to give the gents their moment, a link to Dougie MacLean singing the "Scythe Song". First heard this playing on the radio one summer evening four, five years back. Back before my old man got sick. I always think of him when I hear this song, and I often think of this song when he's on my mind.

I dunno. To better days and a'that.

Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun

Around and Around Again

Everything's Perfectly ...

Around and Around

And so April 20th, 2008 slips on past ...

Wie lange kann er es upkeepen?