The Monday Morning Brew #82 plus: the quest for the musical soul of America
Our latest brew is an old timey/roots influenced music offering...a mingling of the new and old. Foot-stomping, swaying and plenty of foot shuffling. This ain't no Mouse Music...
Another new Monday Morning Brew playlist awaits. It’s been a while since I last made a roots playlist like this one. The last was probably in August 2023, after we shared news of the book ‘Arhoolie Records Down Home Music’, a visual storytelling celebration of American roots music through unseen and newly scanned photographs by Chris Strachwitz, the founder of the legendary Arhoolie Records, who passed away in 2023.
Before this, a great documentary came out called ‘This Ain’t No Mouse Music’ (watch it below), which gave a great insight into Chris’ outstanding work.
Description- Roots music icon Chris Strachwitz is a detective of deep American music - music that's the antithesis of the corporate "mouse music" dominating pop culture. Since 1960, he had been the guiding force behind legendary Arhoolie Records, bringing Cajun music out of Louisiana, Tex-Mex out of Texas, blues out of the country - and into the living rooms of Middle America. American music has never been the same. Born a German count, Strachwitz fled his homeland after WWII at 16. In the US, he discovered and shared a musical landscape that most Americans missed. He takes us on a hip-shaking stomp from Texas to New Orleans, Cajun country to Appalachia, as he continues his passionate quest for the musical soul of America.
In the documentary, Chris also makes reference to archivist Robert ‘Mack’ McCormick whose recordings featured on the superb 66-track Boxset Playing for the Man at the Door (Smithsonian Folkways, 2023), a review of which is further down the page.
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