Today in History: Birth of Rembrandt van Rijn.
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn was born July 15th 1606 in Leiden during The Dutch Golden Age (1585-1702) where the Dutch Republic was the most prosperous nation in Europe. It led […]
On my stereo this week: Iron & Wine, London Grammar & Paul Kelly.
Iron & Wine – Call It Dreaming. I first discovered Sam Beam back in 2007 and for a while drifted back and forth revisiting some of Iron & Wine releases […]
Cinemas Greatest Scenes: The Death of Sergeant Elias.
When I saw first the movie poster for Platoon in 1986, with Sgt. Elias’ arms raised in the air, I was gobsmacked by its graphic nature but at the same time […]
Today in History: The death of Roman Emperor Hadrian.
Relatively early in the complex state that was the Roman Empire, a man named Hadrian (Publius Aelius Hadrianus), became the fourteenth Emperor of Rome. He inherited a healthy empire from […]
Quick Music Reviews: Dorothy – 28 Days In The Valley.
Dorothy – 28 Days In The Valley (ROC Nation Records) In 2014, Rolling Stone called Dorothy “a swamp-rock stomp electrified by the caterwaul of lead singer Dorothy Martin.” Whatever the […]
Cinemas Greatest Scenes: The Grapes of Wrath – I’ll Be There speech.
John Ford’s own understanding and fondness of the American people and their history is no more evident than in his masterpiece The Grapes of Wrath. It is one of the […]
On my stereo this week: Pearl Jam’s “I Am Mine”.
I vividly remember how Pearl Jam almost broke up, reeling from sadness, anger maybe even guilt, when a concert tragedy literally shook them to their core at Roskilde, in 2000. […]
The Song That Saved America: Composer Trevor Kowalski on “The Battle Cry of Freedom”.
We are thrilled to have Trevor Kowalski, an American composer, pianist, arranger and songwriter, here today to talk about one of the most important songs in United States history called The […]
A selected film-by-film history of Warner Bros. Pictures: The Public Enemy (1931).
It was during the early years of the Great Depression, a time when Americans were cynical and jaded about their future and a place where infamous gangsters like Al Capone, […]
Historical paintings: Battle of Kosovo of 1389 by Adam Stefanović.
There were two significant battles in the Ottoman conquest of the Serbian state in the fourteenth century. The first of these was the Battle of Maritsa that took place in […]
Today in History: Birth of Erich Maria Remarque.
On June 22nd, 1898, Erich Maria Remarque was born in the city of Osnabruck, in the federal state of Lower-Saxony, in Germany. He is the famed author of the classic […]
A selected film-by-film history of Warner Bros. Pictures: The Jazz Singer (1927).
It was in the early days of cinema that four brothers, Harry, Albert, Sam and Jack Warner arrived in Hollywood with big dreams of making it in the motion pictures […]
On my stereo this week: Tori Amos, Angus & Julia Stone and Neil Young.
Tori Amos – Reindeer King (2017). There is something always so familiar about Tori Amos that keep me coming back to her over the years and that is her unwavering […]
Quick Music Reviews: Missy Higgins – ‘Solastalgia’.
Missy Higgins – Solastalgia (EMI). There are some artists who have difficulty switching between genres or they simply just often choose to stay in a particular niche because it’s most […]
Today in History: The end of the Falklands War.
History tells us that Britain has ruled the Falklands more or less uninterrupted since 1833, and its claims to it remained somewhat undisputed until the early 1940s, when a succession […]
Daring to be different: Interview with Imogen Clark.
Imogen Clark just wont sit still! As an eight year old, she took her first cautious steps as a budding musician. By fifteen, she grew to love country music, despite […]
