Welcome! I am glad you’re here.
Along the Music Road is a space where you will find insights, conversation, and stories about music, the artists who create it, and places which inspire and frame it -- for the most part music of Ireland, Scotland, Canada, and varieties of Americana and folk music.
At times you will also find excursions in to other sorts of music, classical or the many sorts of music made by First Nations, for example.
One of the benefits of music, any sort of music, it that it can be both solitary and communal.
Another benefit is that music can inspire your own creativity, whether you make music or listen.
Those are just two of the reasons music matters in these times of change. That is especially thue of the sorts of music which will anchor our conversation here Along the Music Road.
From time to time you will also hear about travel, landscape, books, and other subjects, all seen through the lens of the arts, creativity, and music.
Who am I and why might you listen to me?
I’ve been writing about music -- those genres mentioned above — for several decades now and listening longer than that.
Perhaps you’ve come across my work in National Geographic Traveler, Acoustic Guitar, Strings, Symphony, Perceptive Travel, Wandering Educators, the folk music magazine DLinen, or elsewhere.
You might have read an essay or chapter I’ve written for Ireland and the Americas, Seas and Seaways. American Counterculture, or other popular or academic reference works.
Perhaps you’re a longtime or recent follower of my ideas at the site Music Road. As you may think from the name of this project, the two are connected in focus. I may at times point you to articles in the long running archive of work there.
There’s more to explore, different readers to reach, and more value to add for those of you who are already familiar with my work. Those are among the reasons I’ve begun this project.
If you are reading this paragraph you among the early visitors to the site. As time goes on I will be building up the archive, learning my way around features of the Substack platform to enhance our shared journey here, and settling into a rhythm of when you will hear from me.
Meanwhile here are links to several pieces of my work which have been published elsewhere, to give an idea of the sort of things you may find here in future.
Music for Shifting Times: the backstory at Wandering Educators. This story includes links to all the stories so far in this long running series, oldest first, newest toward the bottom of the page.
Aine Minogue: In the Name of Stillness a piece about an album from Irish born New England resident composer and harp player Minogue, at Music Road
Autumn road trip soundtrack: 6 albums to explore with music from Canada, Scotland, US west coast bluegrass, and more, at Perceptive Travel
Thank you for stopping by. I hope you will choose to subscribe and to check back as our journey Along the Music Road continues.
and a bit of information from Substack central, too:
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