Folkerie

My mom’s music was what I grew up listening to. Records of the more popular folk and country “with a dose of rock” artists like Loggins and Messina, Dan Fogelberg, Jim Croce, and John Denver were played in family get-togethers. And by high school, the term “country rock” for me was synonymous to the Eagles. It wasn’t until 2007 that I came across The Flying Burrito Brothers and by sheer luck nonetheless. But let’s talk about an English band called Starsailor first. I have their first two albums, which were distributed in the Philippines in early 2000s, although no one else seemed to know them. Imagine my surprise when I got hold of their Love is Here Live DVD , a rarity (in my case) which features a full-length live concert. Two of the tracks were covers: one is an acoustic solo performance of a combo, Born To Be With You/Rocket Man ; the other one is that of Hot Burrito #2 , a Burrito Brothers original. Finally! So to make the long story short, I read about The Flying Burrito Brothe...

At the fifth floor of San Pedro Hospital’s Medical Arts Building in Davao City, one quaint little office has been especially set aside for the use of the Dominican Sisters of the Trinity’s Center for Justice & Peace Community Extension Services . This Center is a project of the Dominican Sisters of Davao to help the unprivileged and those experiencing injustices. One of their programs is to provide Alternative Education to children who cannot afford to go to school. Some of these scholars eventually go to college and are supported by the program and their sponsors. To add to their allowances, Sr. Anabella del Castillo, O.P., the Center’s founder, other volunteers, and the scholars themselves craft hand-made products to sell. These include cards for all occasions (Birthdays, Christmas, Thank You Notes, Well Wishes, among others), beaded and crocheted accessories as well as sewed items. The beauty of the hand-crafted cards lies not only in their designs, but also in the materials use...

by Lorie Ann Lisa Hannigan is the millennium’s new Joni Mitchell. Well, that’s how I’d like to put it because these female artists are both my favorites. I will be telling about them in more details, maybe later. But, for now, let me introduce to you dear readers, especially fellow folkniks, these two folk artists–one a Canadian, and the other an Irish. Before we’ll talk about their music, let’s have an overview of their basic information and sense of fashion. Joni or Roberta Joan Anderson by birth started as an artist with folk music in 1964. Now 68 year-old, she was born in Fort Macleod, Alberta, Canada. A musician, singer, songwriter and painter in one, Joni plays guitar, piano dulcimer, ukulele and auto-harp. Aside from folk-rock and folk-jazz, she also composed plain jazz and pop music. Check out Joni’s fashion with these I lifted from other sites. When I grow old, I would wear folk… Lisa Margaret Hannigan, 31, is an Irish indie folk singer and musician who lives in Kilcloon, Cou...

Kadayawan is a month-long annual festival in Davao City. This event serves as a thanksgiving for the bountiful harvest as well as a way to honor Davao’s cultural heritage. The photos in this gallery are from the Indak-indak sa Kadalanan (Street Dancing) and a tribe from Bukidnon performing a traditional song. For more information, please visit Kadayawan sa Dabaw Festival’s Official Website . Photos by Julienne

There’s a folk movie coming and it’s from highly awarded siblings. Here’s three reasons to watch Inside Llewyn Davis : It’s the Coen brothers and they’re tackling folk music. The movie, which is about a singer-songwriter navigating New York’s folk music scene in the 60s, is currently set to be released early next year. Although highly unlikely, a proper cinematic showing in the Philippines would be very much appreciated by moi and company. Awesomely versatile actor Oscar Isaac will be playing the title character , Llewyn Davis, loosely based on 60s folk musician Dave Van Ronk. From what I’ve seen of Isaac’s previous performances — as charismatic St. Joseph in the Nativity Story, evil King John in Robin Hood, and a scene-stealing antagonist in Sucker Punch — I couldn’t ask for a better lead. By the way, he’s also in the Bourne Legacy, which I still have to watch. All music performances in the movie are played live , not pre-recorded. Just like the new Les Miserables, eh? Looks like we...