An old English song, an old American song. The song has haunted me since I was kid, falling in love with the melody. It was used extensively in the soundtrack to Scrooge, the good version with Alstair Sim. Our version is a bit different. Just what the hell did young William do to piss off […]
O’ Shenandoah
THE HISTORY OF THE OHIO RIVER VALLEY is of course, tied to rivers. Not just the Ohio, but a plethora of smaller rivers flow into it, bring with them the stories and songs of the regions the rivers meander through. The Ohio was the river that brought the songs to mass popularity. Shenandoah’s lyrics come from […]
Listen To The Mockingbird
THIS IS THE ONE SONG with a direct connection to Carmi, Illinois’ bicentennial. Which was the reason we were recording folk songs to begin with. In the booklet for Carmi’s sesquicentennial, the author, J. Robert Smith referred to the song being sung in Carmi’s parlors, accompanied by the pump organ. The music was written by a […]
Haunted Plymouth: The macabre history of Plymouth, Mass., where Pilgrim and native American spirits haunt side by side
Haunted Plymouth has been known as America’s hometown over more than four centuries, and its history stretches back even further than that. Ghosts and hauntings seem to attach themselves to locations over time … houses, buildings of all sorts, even woods and entire towns. Plymouth has seen its share of real life horror stories, and […]
Monkshood: A deadly poison and essential ingredient in witch’s flying ointments comes back in the witch’s garden
Monkshood is one of the more deadly plants in the witch’s garden. It was also one of the plants closely associated with the witch’s flying ointment. A look at this diabolical botanical, and how it differs from its cousin, the legendary wolfsbane.
Dame Alice Kyteler of Kilkenny, Ireland: A poisoner? Quite likely. A witch? Perhaps. A fighter? Absolutely.
DAME ALICE KYTELER was the culprit in the first successful witch trial in Ireland, if you can consider having an unfortunate woman burned at the stake successful. Alice however didn’t burn. She escaped the flames, leaving her maid servant Petronella de Meath to become the first Irish victim of the witch hunts. A wildcat of […]
