Music and Movie Making in Alabama
Sorry to have been incommunicado since Thanksgiving. This time I was overwhelmed by the holiday madness and computer problems (my three year old monitor died). But now all is well, and I am looking forward to an exciting 2008 on Swampland.
Today I am posting a feature on blues musician Billy C Farlow, and in January I plan to publish a piece on former Alabama governor Don Siegelman. Be sure to watch for a special on 60 Minutes coming up next month about Siegelman's case and a questionable brand of justice in Alabama.
Speaking of Swampland, I hope all of you have read the piece Way Down South with John Sayles by James Calemine. It is awesome. Sayles' movie The Honeydrippers will premiere in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, at the Bama Theater on February 4, 2008. I hope to be there for the debut.
Last night we celebrated the Winter Solstice on Elk River with our usual revelry.
Some of you recall my mentioning that no occasion goes uncelebrated on ER. The changing of the seasons gives us an opportunity to gather on the river bank around a blazing fire and to cheer the sun along its course with libations, drumming, and song. In June we forgo the bonfire as the river is high and the weather is usually warm, but we honor the sun with a fire pit.
Happy Winter Solstice and Merry Christmas to all.
---Penne J. Laubenthal
Related Dispatches
- Still More of The Defining Moments in Southern Rock History
- An Ongoing Journey To the Heart of Southern Culture
- An Afternoon with Old Friends
- Listen to The GRITZ Radio Hour Online This Weekend
- Alabama Poet Diann Blakely
Comments
michaelbuffalo says...
Glad you got a new monitor! Oddly enough, my big 24 inch monitor passed away last week after 8 years of faithful service. I landed a flat panel at Staples for only $179, with a $50 rebate! My desk is SO MUCH MORE uncluttered. The big one must have weighed in at 75 pounds! Thanks for your comments about my health! I am feeling mucho better, and as soon as I get all of the infection out of my right leg, I will feel like a new man. Can't wait to see "The Honeydrippers." I just got the soundtrack and it is awesome. Keep up the good work!