Said the door guard to the noble warrior,
who was stern and swift to anger:
'From what hall came the keen man, young and tall,
smooth, bright and red-cheeked?'

 

To the door guard said dark-spoken Lugh, who did not shun combat,
'I'm a poet from Emain Abhlach of swans and yews.'

 

Translation from Tabhaas do Lugh, leannn Teamhra

 

28 July 2002

Grey here, filling in at the last minute for Jack Merry so that he can put the final flourishes on his book review for this issue. If he finishes it in time, you'll see it further down the page. If you don't, it's because Jack got distracted picking tunes to fiddle on Lammas Eve...

(Jack here. I did find a neat fiddle tune on a CD that'll review next week: 'Valse des Petites Jeunes Filles' which, in English, is 'The Waltz of the Little Girls'. It's a spritely tune full of summertime energy. Oh, you ask what the CD is? It's called Dance Owl Night, and the band's called -- appropriately -- The Barn Owl Dance Band! And I discovered that Anwir ap Evnessyen is a fiddler too. And what great tunes he has composed over the centuries!)

Yes, Lughnasa (or Lammastide) is fast approaching. As always, we at Green Man will be celebrating this feast for Lugh of the Long Hand in our usual way: lots of food, drink, and music. And perhaps a story or two told by Tim Hoke or one of our other aspiring storytellers.

Being as it's a feast of ingathering, as well as a feast of bread (lammas), it's a good time of year to eat fresh produce from the nearest farmers' market, perhaps even from Trader's Heaven, the legendary open-air marketplace in Bordertown. I'm also feeding Seamus III (my sourdough starter, now over a hundred years old. Really. Truly.) in preparation for making a few loaves of bread to take to the Feast. We'd love to see you there next Wednesday Eve, but if you can't make it, bake some fresh bread and see if you can't find a copy of Lammas Night by Katherine Kurtz, reviewed by Maria Nutick below.

Before you get to our reviews, here's a call to action from Kim Bates, our Music Review Editor. Kim is looking for a few good devotees of singer-songwriters (see our singer-songwriter review index to get an idea of what we're talking about) to join our team of crack reviewers. Anybody out there? If you think you can be one of the few, the proud, contact our Managing Editor, Asher Black.

(Cat has not yet returned from his vacation... Rumor has it that he's really in a back corner of the Green Man library curled up with that hardcover edition of the annotated Silverlock that he was looking for a few weeks ago.)

Grey Walker plies The Fisher King with tender but thorough fingers in this week's featured review. Her gentle tracing of the lines of the ancient legend and modern fairy tale, as they weave into and tangle with and embrace one another, wins her an Excellence in Writing Award.

Andrea S. Garrett reviews Familiars, an anthology of short stories edited by Denise Little.; She thought she might have gone a bit overboard with all the Web site links she includes, but we think she deserves an Excellence in Writing Award for the skillful way she weaves so many relevant URL's (eleven!) into her review.; Of course, the review is also informative and entertaining...

Jack Merry did finish his review, after all.; He read -- are you ready for this -- four different versions of the Robin Hood story and manages to link them all together in one Jack of a review!; You'll just have to read it to see how he manages it.; Two of the books he loved, one was a bit of work to get through, and one was a script.; Which was which?; Yep, you guessed it...' Read the review.'

Lars Nilsson manages to overcome his awe just enough to bring us a fairly balanced look at a biography, even though it's a biography of the pope...err, that is, Ashley Hutchings.; Lars says, 'Name a group you like and have followed over the years, and there is a fair chance that Mr. Hutchings was there to start it, or at least influence the starting of it.'; So, if you like music at all, you are basically obligated to read Lars' review of Ashley Hutchings: The Authorised Biography, and then to read the book itself.

Maria Nutick wrote late into the night to get her review of Katherine Kurtz's Lammas Night in before the deadline.; All so that you, dear readers, can find out why you should get this book by July 31, Lammas Eve, and have a timely and 'terribly well researched historical fantasy set in England during World War II' to read during Lammastide. 

Richard Condon was very, very disappointed by Where The Sky Meets The Seas by Celtic artists The McCalmans: 'I am sorry to be so negative about this CD, which I had expected to be an introduction to an interesting new musical experience.; Perhaps it is not representative of the group.; Certainly they seem to have been traumatized by the recent death of member Derek Moffat, now replaced by Quigg, and perhaps this explains some of the excessively low-key performances.; There is some good musicianship and some good singing, especially the harmony work, but a lot of the vocals have a dull edge to them and the songs are not all as strong as their subjects require.; Sadly, this CD does not make me want to rush out and buy up the McCalmans' back catalogue.'

Judith Gennett really likes Celtic artist Rowan's CD, Current: 'You could hardly say 'This isn't Kansas, Dorothy,' because this; little 4 member domestic Celtic band is from Lawrence, Kansas, via Wichita. You hardly think of Kansas as a hotbed of Celtic music, but look what's come out of Kansas City!' Another Celtic artist reviewed by Judith this week is Karen Matheson. Her Time To Fall CD is a less than fully satisfying affair. Read her review to see why this is so. Appalachian roots music is up next for this outstanding reviewer, as she also looks at Acie Cargill & The Stone In Shoes Band's In the Willow Garden: 'Acie Cargill grew up awash in traditional music. As a child, he learned at the knee of his grandmother Hattie May Cargill, the last of the Tyler family ballad singers from Kentucky. He learned to play banjo in the family way, mastering the rare 'Tyler drop-thumb technique.' In the past few years, he's released several CDs, one featuring amazing recordings made when he was but a young teenager. Two others were anthologies of various artists, one containing his grandmother's traditional songs; the second featuring down-home musicians performing Cargill's original country-style songs.'

Michelle Erica Green has a look at two CDs from Green Man fav Lisa Moscatiello of legendary New St. George fame, Innocent When You Dream and Second Avenue. Why, Michelle even throws in a look at two gigs by Lisa, one at Rockville, Maryland's famed Department of Recreation's Out To Lunch Wednesdays series and the other at Cedar Lane Unitarian Church Concert Series in nearby Bethesda. Savor this review, folks -- It's that good! And Lisa's yet another Celtic artist that gets reviewed this outing!

Tim Hoke survives his encounter with dragons in the guise of Dragon Reels by Roger Landes, noted Celtic artist. And what is a Dragon Reel? Read Tim's review as I'm not saying... (Green Man attracts both dragons and Celtic musicians in numbers too large to count. Ponder that over a mug of Dragon's Breath stout!)

Stephen Hunt is probably a little zoned out after tackling large chunks of the Robert Zimmerman... errrr... Bob Dylan oeuvre. The poor lad discovers that, while we had indeed reviewed oodles of books on Dylan, we had not a single bit of the master in recorded form, so he says, 'I could have just left it there (after all, there are those eleven books for you to read), protested that there are already enough Bob Dylan reviews in the world or pleaded, as I don't even own all the albums, that there'd be little point in attempting the task. Then again (a demonic inner voice kept whispering), it'd be a fine thing to listen to a stack of old records and impart a few pearls of what passes for wit and wisdom around here. Maybe just (!) the early 1960's would be the way forward. From here on in, it's up to you.' Stephen gets a well deserved Excellence in Writing Award for this review!

Peter Massey gets a well deserved Excellence in Writing Award for his look at Karen Savoca's All My Excuses CD. 'From the minute I put this album on, it grabbed my attention, and demanded listening to, all the way through. I had never before heard of Karen, which is not surprising, as there are hundreds of excellent female singers around these days. Many of them seem to be turning out some excellent work, but Karen is going to be head and shoulders above, because she has the ability to write superb songs, and has a voice to match. '

Big Earl Sellar finds Arto Lindsay's Invoke quite tasty: 'This latest offering from the legendary New York via South America's kronk king is another example of true artistry overshadowed by the mainstream banality. Lindsay's dynamic mix of uptown Rio and downtown (or is that underground?) NYC continues to startle and fascinate any listener who dares to listen.'

Gary Whitehouse says of CDs from Michele Green ( Ojo de Tiburon ) and Julie Murphy ( Lilac Tree ), 'The summer of 2002 sees the release of these two CDs by female singer-songwriters; one tries very hard to be authentic and rootsy, the other effortlessly achieves it.' Read his concise review to learn which made the grade in his book and which didn't!

Chris Woods wins an Excellence in Writing Award for Heart of England, Volume Two, the follow-up to a superb CD. Chris says you must have this CD: 'Many of the top names in English folk music have contributed a truly wonderful selection to this project. Not just live exclusive tracks but some unusual ones, the sorts of things you won't hear on their studio recordings. It's a stunning collection of music. If you like any of the artists and this style of contemporary English folk, then you will love this album. If you don't get to English folk venues and want to hear what you are missing, this is the album to play; it is a showcase of some of the best music around. There isn't a single track I would want to remove or that I'm tempted to skip and, after playing it solidly all week, my only regret is that it only plays for about 135 minutes, and there is no third or fourth disc. Believe me, your collection needs this album!'

Kim Bates enjoyed her first house concert in Toronto recently, given by uillean piper Martin Nolan.; If you're not familiar with the concept of house concerts, Kim will do a great job of enlightening you about them.

Maria Nutick's review of the Portland Scottish Highland Games in Portland, Oregon is so well-written that it transports you there immediately!; Find out whose music entranced her so much that she plunked down money for a CD, the definition of 'heavy athletics', and which foods she recommends for consumption (and for avoidance).; Maria earns an Excellence in Writing Award for this excellent description of her day at the Games.

Eric Eller confronts a pathos of exceptional beauty in the tragedy of Cyrano de Bergerac. His thoughtful and thought-provoking review earns him an Excellence in Writing Award, especially for his apt exposition of the film's theme.

Michelle Erica Green says not to 'come looking for familiar Arthurian legends in Quest for Camelot .' But if you'd like to find the intersection between the legend's setting, Dirty Harry, Apollo 13, and Wile E. Coyote, look for it in Michelle's delightfully elaborate review.

David Kidney dresses up for a brief but colorful romp with The Vikings . He who finishes with the most body parts wins... the girl... if she'll have him. Hey, these are Vikings! 'Cattle die, kinsmen die, all men are mortal. Words of praise will never perish nor a noble name'(The Havernal). Are you up to it?

Sainted Lugh! Seamus is bubbling over! I've got to go stir him down. Hope to see you Lammas Eve. If you make it, I'll have for you a slice of the best sourdough bread east of San Francisco. Seamus hasn't let me down yet.

Jack Merry here. Cat's on vacation this week, so I'm filling in for him.

One of our local might-be-sane scholars, who uses the Green Man library to research Arthurian lore (the man claims to be Merlin himself, and who am I to say he isn't) has solved the dilemma of the shape-shifting fey who got stuck in the form of a carnyx. Using a very old and thought to be useless Welsh incantation, he convinced the aughenfil -- a Welsh ogre -- to wake up. Grumbling loudly, that she did -- all eight feet tall of her! With her now-separate boar-headed carnyx in hand (it did look a lot like her), she grabbed several casks of Avalon Applejack and shouldered her way back to her domicile in Oberon's Wood. Her last words were, 'I'll see you at Mabon!' (Yes, I'm aware that Liath and Anwin were supposed to have returned her to her true nature.... And I suppose that they might have if they could have stopped arguing over what was the proper way to do it.) Marque, fey lutenist with Excalibur Rising, remarked that at least the Great Hall was more or less undamaged this time!

One form of magic that I really like is the 'net in general, and author-created Web sites in particular. We here at Green Man get a lot of fiction for review, which means that we end up reading authors who might not be familar to us. Oh, I could slip into the library and see what the reference section has to say about Robin McKinley, Jane Yolen, or Charles de Lint, but the entries on the those guys often don't catch the flavor of the person. And right now, I'm reading Robin McKinley's The Outlaws of Sherwood, which Firebird Books sent us to review. Not having read her before, I decided to see if she had an official Web site. She's does indeed, and 'tis a lovely affair! McKinley's website is one of the best I've ever encountered, a lovingly tended garden full of wonderful things. ( The Web site's excellent design is a credit to Vonda N. McIntyre, who designed it under the auspices of SWFA. Nice job, Vonda!) It's got the usual FAQ, it's got a superb bibliography, it's even got Robin discussing herself and her husband, Peter Dickinson, the noted author of terribly good books. And it's so charming that you'll be humming happily to yourself as you read it! Read first the essay called Robin McKinley: In Her Own Words , as it's easily the most interesting autobiographical piece I've ever read.

Stephen Hunt has agreed to be our first Assistant Music Editor. You've been reading Stephen's excellent music reviews for some time now, so you can see clearly why we need his expertise and his devotion to the folk genre.; Given the volume of CD's that we receive and review each year, we are especially pleased to be adding this position, and Stephen to our editorial staff.

Our feature book review this week is a new review of an old Green Man Review favorite, Bone Dance by Emma Bull.; Maria Nutick speaks for many of us when she says, 'So many fantasy stories over the years have prompted readers to want to learn archery, or sorcery, how to ride a horse or how to wield a sword; Bone Dance made me want to learn how to be a better person. Thank you, Emma.'

Maria gives us our other feature review. She went to the opening of the just-released;Reign of Fire. She has a few words that will be of interest, especially since we just managed to get rid of our dragon. If it shows up in your neck of the woods, you'll want to be prepared.

Michelle Erica Green reviews Richard Zimler's second novel, The Angelic Darkness.; She asks, 'Is the universe a place of miraculous coincidence and kindness, or a horrific vortex where human cruelty outweighs the ravages of nature?'; Read Michelle's review to see how Zimler attempts to answer this most ancient of questions.

Liz Milner waded through Liam Clancy's (of Clancy Brothers fame) autobiography, The Mountain of the Women.; She found it to be, for the most part, an insipid ramble about an unaware life.; '[Clancy] may have shared a mistress with Bob Dylan, but never seemed to have shared an idea with him....; To paraphrase Dorthy Parker's famous description of Los Angeles, 'There's no 'there' there.' While Clancy's book has some poignant moments and some interesting anecdotes it lacks focus and slides into mindless name dropping.'; You must read Liz's review for her description of the one hilarious section of the book, however!

Maria Nutick came across The Frog Prince: A Fairy Tale for Consenting Adults by Stephen Mitchell the other day in a book store and snapped it up.; She's glad she did.; 'I highly recommend The Frog Prince to anyone who wants a wonderful new look at an old tale. As I always say, a change of perspective is key. And as Mitchell says, 'Happily ever after doesn't begin with Once upon a time. It begins with Now.' '

Matthew Winslow feels so refreshed after his vacation that he has turned in the next installment of his bi-weekly column, The Book of Tales, a week early!; For those of you who missed last week's opening article (and if you did, you'll find it on the same page, underneath this week's article), The Book of Tales is a column covering short fiction in formats that normally don't reach GMR for review -- magazines, certain anthologies, and so on.; This week, Matthew gives us a tantalizing overview of the August 2002 issue of Realms of Fantasy, which he praises as 'stunning, part eye-candy and part tough meat.'

Kim Bates took a few hours off from her job as Music Editor to catch Barachois on July 6.; 'I'd seen Barachois a number of years ago at the Winnipeg Folk Festival, where the band were quite popular. In fact, at that time I bought a Barachois album, but have never been able to bring it home, because my nieces refuse to part with it -- yet another casualty of exposing the very young to great folk music, I guess. I was looking forward to a show filled with 'found' musical instruments like saws and sledge hammers, sly jokes about the antics of 'uppity' women from PEI, and general good natured mayhem -- and I was not disappointed.'

Michelle Erica Green missed Moonfire at the Potomac Celtic Festival, but she managed to track them down in Hagerstown, Maryland, on July 14.; She's delighted she found them.; 'My children, who generally get restless after twenty minutes of this type of music, sat still throughout and were bouncing along with the jig at the end.'; Any parents among our readers will know that this is high praise, indeed!; Read the rest of Michelle's Excellence in Writing Award-winning review to find out for yourself why children and adults alike will enjoy every moment of a Moonfire performance.

Gary Whitehouse enthuses about BeauSoleil, 'They're among the acts that I can count on one hand, those that I'll always go see when they're in the neighborhood, because they always put on a good show.'; Gary's review of BeauSoleil's July 11 'concert-in-a-park' makes the reasons for his enthusiasm abundantly clear!

Is Asher Black in love?; You'd think so, to read the way he caressingly describes Niamh Parsons' album Heart's Desire.; Are you ready for a taste?; 'If you haven't thought lately of a long, slow, open-mouthed kiss, you will when you see the cover of the CD....; On the back of the case, notice it'll say 'File under Celtic/Ireland.' Yes. But file it under beauty. This one is lovely enough to deserve a category of its own.'; Does anyone besides me need a cold shower after that?; Dare to read the rest of the review?

Jennifer Byrne found Ronan O Snodaigh's album Tip Toe to be 'a joy -- definitely one of my finds of the year.'; The multi-talented O Snodaigh fills the album with density of sound, simplicity of melody, and philosophicality of lyric (ok, so philosophicality isn't a word...it should be!).; Some of it seems to have rubbed off on Jennifer, too, as her review is quite, well, lyrical...

David Kidney had never heard of Mostly Autumn before listening to them for this week's omnibus review of their albums Heroes Never Die and Music Inspired by the Lord of the Rings, and their DVD The Story So Far....; What did he think?; Well, you'll need to read his whole review to find out, of course, but here's a sample:; 'Powerplay magazine described Mostly Autumn as being 'most likely the best band you've never heard!' They could be right.'

Peter Massey does not think so highly of Enoch Train's album, Set Sail.; Quite the contrary.; His review opens with:; 'I gave this album to a friend to listen to, mainly because, apart from the first track, I was not really keen on it. I wanted to be sure it wasn't just me that it left bored. On purpose, I didn't give him the sleeve notes, because I wanted to know what he thought of the music -- which, after all, is what you buy an album for. His immediate comment was, 'The best thing about this album is there are only 10 tracks on it.' My sentiments exactly.'

Pat Simmonds brings us two reviews this week.; Of Bob McNeill's self-published album, Covenant, he says, 'This is truly a; marvelous effort. The songs are beautiful and unusual, the playing is relaxed and comfortable, the tones are superb and one has the uncanny feeling that the performer is in the room with you.'; Pat liked Calasaig's third album, Near & Far, as well.; 'This bands great asset is that they have three front line singers, two blokes and a lass that harmonise effortlessly and have a wide range of songs and styles between them.'; Pat suggests that you should not only listen to Near & Far, you should also catch Calasaig live, if you can.; Thanks, Pat, for two reviews that'll have us running to rummage through the local music store bins.

Gary Whitehouse can spin an omnibus review like nobody's business.; This time, he looks at albums by; Eric Nicolas and Tom Leary.; 'The ability of musicians to market themselves on the Web is, as demonstrated by Eric Nicolas and Thomas Leary, a mixed blessing,' he warns in his opening paragraph.; You'll have to read the rest of his Excellence in Writing Award-winning review to find out which of these two singer-songwriters Gary feels blessed to have heard, and which was a wash.

Kate Brown tracks Odysseus through Oh Brother Where Art Thou? in her review of a film that is concerned as much with proper attention to one's hair as with the journey. Are you a Dapper Dan man? Either way, look in on the plotline of this video, with Kate's enthusiastic review.

Rachel Brown basks in the sensuality of The Bride With White Hair. Looking for something a little different in hell-on fantasy? Want 'women raised by wolves, incestuous Siamese twin magicians commanding armies of twisted cultists, heart-stopping beauty and bloody warfare?' You've come to the right place. Rachel will show you in with this delicious review.

Michelle Erica Green wonders why Mulan is such a neglected Disney film and yet so wonderful. Ever found that the qualities that make someone's behavior scandalous are precisely the things you admire about the person? Ever found yourself compelled to go beyond one duty in serving another? These themes are conjoined in a film that Michelle explores with passion and detail.

David Kidney visits Gosford Park, a Robert Altman film. David explains just what that means, too. If you've admired Altman since before M*A*S*H, or if you could be convinced to admire his work, read David's excellent review of Gosford Park as a guide.

Maria Nutick gives us the cheese with Masters of the Universe, and examples of what happens when fantasy goes horribly wrong. Maria's finely crafted review takes an Excellence in Writing Award for being at least as much fun as teasing a 'stripped-down, greased-up, thong-wearing muscleman'.

Kimberlee Rettberg finds a monstrosity in the sci-fi version of Beowulf . What happens when you pit the child of a god against the mother of a monster (in a seaweed bra)? Sound like Beowulf? Read Kimberlee's review to sort it all out.

I'm off now to listen to a CD-R of Christy Morre's first recording, Paddy on the Road, that's in the Green Man library. It's interesting to hear a recording that the artist is reputed to hate so much that he personally destroyed any copies he found of it! And after I finish listening to that recording, I'll settle into one of the library's chairs and finish reading Robin McKinley's The Outlaws of Sherwood. But first a cup of freshly-brewed St. Helena coffee would do nicely...

 

14th of July 2002

'We all have forests in our minds.; Forests unexplored, unending.
Each of us gets lost in the forest, every night, alone.'
--from 'Vaster than Empires, and More Slow' by Ursula K. Le Guin

 

You're back? I thought you were still in the the Library... Oh, you want to know what happened to the thousand-year-old carnyx no one claimed? Well, that's an interesting story... I heard it from Marque, one of the fey lutenists from Excalibur Rising, the thrash Celtic band who played at the Changing of The Courts ceremony. She says she heard that the carnyx is really a shapeshifting fey.; Hopefully, he or she (or it) will soon remember who it (or he or she) is, since the instrument can't be removed from the Great Hall without harming the fey while it's in this form. (Marque thinks that he-she-it might have drunk too much Mad River mead, and... errr, forgotten itself.); Anwir and Liath have put aside, for the moment, their considerable differences to work on a remembering spell.; And sweet Mab, let them succeed--the carnyx is making boar-like snorting sounds and its eyes are pulsing red!

We've got something a little different for you this time out. Matthew Winslow offers his first issue of a bi-weekly column called 'The Book of Tales.'; Matthew noticed that, outside of anthologies or single-author collections, we get fairly little coverage of shorter fiction in our fair magazine.; His first attempt to remedy that lack covers the August 2002 issue of the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, wherein he found an assortment of stories to give you, dear readers, the scoop about.; Bravo, Matthew!

I would be remiss if I didn't tell you about a new folk and folk-rock festival taking place 26 - 28th July, which is definitely worth getting excited about. Senior Reviewer Stephen Hunt is particularly excited, as it's taking place right on his doorstep in South-East Cornwall! The festival line-up features several Green Man favourites including The Albion Band, John Kirkpatrick, Vikki Clayton, Lindisfarne, Gordon Giltrap and Julie Felix. If all of that fine music isn't enough, the festival runs concurrently with a pet show (!) and a huge beer festival! Click here for further details, and take the opportunity to see a Green Man staffer happy in his work (he'll be only too happy to help you with the real ales, but bring your own pets.)

Peter Massey gives us one of two featured reviews this week -- a look at the career of Steeleye Span, the deservedly legendary British folk/trad/rock group. Peter says 'When the editor asked me to write a career retrospective about Steeleye Span, it was like someone giving me the keys to his Ferrari with a full tank of petrol and being told to enjoy myself. We are talking here about someone who has been an ardent fan of the band since they started back in 1970. Someone who would have given his right leg to have played in Steeleye Span and possibly his left leg to have played in Fairport Convention.' Read Peter's engaging review for all the details! (And Peter Knight's website had this announcement this week: 'As you know there have been plans to reform a classic Steeleye Span line-up. Talks have been going on for sometime between myself and Park Records, Maddy Prior, Bob Johnson, Rick Kemp and Liam Genockey and I can now tell you that we will be touring in December this year. We will be performing the classic songs that you have voted for on Park's web site and we will be recording these songs for a new album that will be on sale during the tour. There will be around fifteen concerts in all and I will post all the details as soon as possible. The first concert to be confirmed is Salisbury City Hall on December 17th. 2004 will be the 35th anniversary of the band and the plan is to tour during that year with a new studio album. Between now and then we will be working on new material. Very exciting. On a personal note I would like to say that I am delighted that this has all come together at last, and I am looking forward to playing with, and hearing this great line-up. I will keep you informed of all developments. A huge thanks to all of you for your wonderful support, patience and optimism.'

Maria Nutick does a lot of film reviews... a lot of reviews in general. In her featured omnibus review of two DVD's this edition, she puts out a thumb with The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and gives a `thumbs up' to Life, the Universe, and Douglas Adams, the latter narrated by Neil Gaiman (!). Who could refuse the cosmic nexus of Neil Gaiman and Douglas Adams? And this is a model of what we look for in a review. The writing is technically flawless, the review thorough, and the whole is interesting. What more could we want? This is the type of review that wins an Excellence in Writing Award.;

Christine Doiron plowed valiantly through The Curse of Arkady by Emily Drake.; She regrets, however, to admit, 'when I closed the book for the final, exasperated time, I found myself asking 'So, what was The Curse of Arkady, anyway?'; Her review explains her frustration eloquently.

Cat Eldridge has no air conditioning and was, therefore, far too hot this past week to do much of anything besides read and write.; All the better for us, as the result was three reviews!; In his review of the Dream Park trilogy by Larry Niven and Steven Barnes, he says, 'Gaming in many forms has been part of the fandom community for decades now, so it's not surprising that one of the best-known authors in the science fiction field would decide to do a series built upon the idea of gaming taken to a new level.'; Sound intriguing?; Cat assures us that it is!; He also found the short story anthology Once upon a Crime to provide him with enough chills to get through several sweaty nights.; 'Now, if you're looking for upbeat tales to read by the fireplace while sipping tea, do be warned that not all of these tales end happily ever after. Some end very, very badly. Better keep the doors closed, the windows bolted, and the lights on high!' Read Cat's review to see why you should try these fairy tales turned mystery stories for yourself. And, finally, we have a series about Repairman Jack, a hard-boiled PI who tangles with nasty Asian monsters, strange cults, and technology that could destroy the world.; Cat claims, 'If you like a fast-paced action series with a complex protagonist and a touch of horror, you can't go wrong reading these novels.'

Eric Eller brings us a review of Katherine Kurtz's new short story anthology, Deryni Tales.; Kurtz is one of a rare breed:; authors who actually encourage their fans to write stories in their imagined worlds.; Are the results worth it?; According to Eric... yes.; 'The stories are uniformly well-written, with perspectives different from Kurtz's, while remaining consistent with the overall Deryni mythos.'; The rest of Eric's review will give you a tantalizing taste of what you can find in this collection of stories by fans.

Liz Milner's review of Loyal Jones' Minstrel of the Appalachians: The Story of Bascom Lamar Lunsford is an excellent example of knowledgeable, well-researched criticism.; Liz even contacted the Library of Congress Folklorist to check on one of the book's claims!; And (to my private delight) she actually notices and comments on the physical appearance of the book:; 'This book has some of the most ugly typography I've seen since mimeographing became obsolete.'; How's that for a visceral detail?; Can't you just picture it?; Obviously, Liz deserves an Excellence in Writing Award for her diligence and keen eye.

Maria Nutick got her share of shivers from The Darker Side: Generations of Horror, an anthology of -- you guessed it -- horror stories.; 'While ordinarily I would never recommend an anthology based on only three stories, I can hardly help but do so in this case.; While most of the book is sadly bland, the three good stories are so good that I encourage lovers of horror to pick up this collection.'; You'll have to read the rest of Maria's review to see which three stories she liked so much...

Tabatha Yeatts found The Staircase, by Ann Rinaldi, 'fascinating and richly textured.'; Read her review to see how Rinaldi combines the legend of Jesse James, a young girl's experience at a convent school, and the true story of the staircase of the Chapel of Loretto, into 'a fun and touching brew,' good especially for readers from ten to fourteen.

Gary Whitehouse went to one of the best urban-block-parties-cum-folk-festivals around, the Northwest Folklife Festival, and he did it just for you, our readers -- well, and for the contradancing, too.; And the spoons-and-bones workshop, and the fourteen-member bandura ensemble...; Read his review, and you'll see why he snared another Excellence in Writing Award.

Jennifer Byrne finds much to like in Moffou, from African artist Salif Keita: 'The moffou is a simple wind instrument, native to the people of the Sahel region of West Africa. It is the accessibility of the moffou, its authentically African nature, that drew Salif Keita to adopt the name for two of his very latest ventures -- this, the new album, and his new nightclub in Bamako, opened with the intention of promoting the music of his homeland. After the electric shock of albums such as Papa, Moffou is something of a homecoming, a chance for Keita to breathe. Its return to roots approach results in a body of work that is earthy, punchy and honest.'

Richard Condon really, truly loves Jez Lowe and the Bad Pennies' Honesty Box CD: 'This is a CD deeply imprinted by the history and culture of the north-east of England, Northumberland and Durham, the region centred on the rivers Tyne and Tees. It is not exactly folk music in the way that, in an earlier generation, the songs and tunes of Newcastle-on-Tyne's High Level Ranters were. Jez Lowe himself wrote all the songs and most of them have too much lyrical sophistication and/or tunes or rhythms too fancy to pass for traditional music, even if there are a few that come close...' Richard picks up an Excellence in Writing Award for this tastefully written review!

Eric Eller says of two Italian CDs, Lucilla Galeazzi's Lunario and Radicanto's Terra Arsa that 'Understanding a singer's language is not necessary to appreciate good music. A great album stands on its own regardless of the listener's linguistic ability. Strong, moving singing can tap in to the listener's heart through any language barriers. By capturing the listener's hearts, traditional musicians can sustain their native musical styles through audiences outside of their homelands.'

Robert Gould, an Irishman who joins Green Man with this edition, has a great review of Scottish trad artist Jack Beck's O Lassie, Lassie CD. He says: '...this CD took me by surprise. It is everything I thought I was not in to.' Read his review to hwy this fusion loving reviewer was enchanted by this strictly trad musician!

Big Earl Sellar is back with a look at the second CD from Hayseed Dixie, A Hillbilly Tribute To AC/DC! Yes, AC/DC. He notes with a heavy heart that 'the boys in Hayseed Dixie transcend the obvious yucks with their amazing musical prowess. I've wanted to start a band like this for a decade, but the Dixies play it better than I could ever achieve, sigh...' However, the new CD, This Side, from Bluegrassers Nickle Creek did not please our discriminating reviewer: 'Ever notice how some discs don't age too well? Like that crucial disc from when you were 18 that sounds so trite today? And ever notice how some discs wear thin rather quickly? So before I start, I take back every single thing I said about Nickel Creek's debut disc. After a year of very occasional replays, whatever sparked my eagerness at the time of my review sounds like another group trying to milk Alison Krauss' surprise popularity in mainstream country radio. Now with that off my back, This Side is even worse.'

Chris Woods is intrigued by the name Mary Jane: 'It's a name with so many associations: a children's rhyme, the slang name of a well known recreational chemical, a character in Spiderman, a cartoon character and the little girl who wouldn't eat her Rice Pudding...' Is To the Prettiest One more than a pretty name? Indeed he says they are: 'Naughty but nice seems to be the defining characteristic, and that's quite a fitting description of the band and their material. It isn't traditionally played folk music, it pushes against the boundaries of contemporary folk rock with a somewhat psychedelic quality. There are some quite rocky-sounding guitar work and rhythms. Yet, at the same time, there is an underlying respect for tradition, and the band clearly know a lot about traditional music.'

Kate Brown storms The Keep ;with a review of this `unforgivably poor horror flick'. Kate explains why you'll want this video only if you're looking for some sleep... perhaps fitful sleep.

Michelle Erica Green ponders The Miracle, a film she says `will stick with you for weeks after you've seen it, making you think you can smell the sea or hear the first few notes of a jazz solo in the most unlikely places.' ;Delicious! In an omnibus review this week, Michelle observes that `In the past twenty years, three films showcasing some of Hollywood's finest actors, have borrowed the same unlikely source material: Choderlos de Laclos'1782 novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses. These films are Dangerous Liaisons , Valmont, and Cruel Intentions. If you've only seen one or two of these films, you'll want to read Michelle's interpretive essay for a look at the others.

Tim Hoke knows that if you liked Basil Rathbone as the most memorable Sherlock Holmes, you'll probably enjoy him as the villain of; The Court Jester . If you've always wondered what else Rathbone has done, read Tim's nostalgic and informative review. He picked up this video at the local library. We're encouraging him to give it back, eventually.

David Kidney looks at two DVD's from Classic Rock Productions, `a new label from the United Kingdom dedicated to keeping the world up to date with a series of progressive rock bands whose names will be familiar to readers of a certain age.' If you are indeed of a certain age, read David's intimate omnibus review of Steve Howe and Fairport Convention:Cropredy Festival 2001, for something new and something familiar as well. You may want to pull out your old Yes albums after this.

A lot of people asked me last week if some of our writers work for the Seelie Enquirer or the On the Border news service. Of course not! However, I can understand how someone might arrive at this supposition, as both of the 'respectable' media outlets covering the activities of the two Courts have lifted material from this zine. We, on the other hand, would never, ever indulge in creating stories that were not true... Well, almost never...

7th of July 2002

 

'I like libraries. It makes me feel comfortable and secure to have walls of words, beautiful and wise, all around me. I always feel better when I can see that there is something to hold back the shadows.' -- RogerZelazny

Liath, or Leaf, as I affectionately call her -- she favors various hues of green in her fashion choices -- has been quite busy cataloging some of the rarer items in the Library. She tells me that she found a copy of Midsummer, an album recorded live on Midsummer's Eve some decades ago at a jam session with Eddi and The Fey, as well as Mercedes Lackey's Tempest Rising, a novel featuring Tempest, the Celtic band. She even says, with a rather gleeful tone, that we have a copy of J. Michael Straczynski's Grimjack screenplay! (She cataloged that one in the same manner as The War for The Oaks screenplay.) Perhaps the most interesting find by her was the seelie box recording of some obscure English playwright named Will reading from 'A Midsummer's Night Dream'. If you want to see these items, you'll have to visit the Green Man offices; she says she won't ever let them leave the Library! (Don't worry -- there are lots of comfortable Morris chairs there, and the ever-so-perfect air conditioning keeps it just right even on the worst summer day! ); And since only she has the keys that unlock the doors to the Library, it's safe to say they won't disappear behind her back some night....Now if she could just find that hardcover edition of Silverlock by John Myers Myers that Jack says he acquired for us some years back so I could read it... In the meantime, I'll go back to reading Tea with the Black Dragon by R. A. MacAvoy, a novel of Chinese dragons, love, and other cool things.

Our deepest appreciation to Neil Gaiman in his weblog for providing a link to our review of Another Way to Travel by Cats Laughing, the best folk rock band that you (possibly) have never heard of. Well, some of you haven't heard of it, but if the orders for Cats Laughing CD-Rs are any indication, a lot of you have!

And our even deeper appreciation to Tim Hoke, who gets promoted to Senior Writer this week after two years of a steady stream of clear, thoughtful reviews.; He's got an award-winning gig review this week that you'll want to read, naturally.

Debbie Skolnik, our Editor-At-Large, has agreed to be also our Live Performances Editor, bringing a wealth of experience to the job. Thank you, Debbie. Maria Nutick is our newest Proofreader. She's been turning out scrupulously proofed, and damned fine reviews, for some time. Congratulations, Maria.

Grey Walker, our new Book Editor, does all kinds of things, many of them all at once and with such modesty as to make them each look easier than they are... This week she has demonstrated particular virtuosity not only in editing more book reviews than we've seen since two Mondays fell on one week and the Moon lost her daughter, but also singular cleverness in writing a tantalizing Book Section and other parts of this edition. Grey more than deserves the Excellence in Editing award she is receiving for her heroic accomplishment.

Cat Eldridge's review of Kage Baker's The Company series will make Baker wish he'd around when they were writing the jacket blurbs for the books!; According to Cat, this is science fiction with a fey twist.; You want a taste of his Excellence in Writing Award winning review ?; Try this:; 'The Company series consists, to date, of four delightful novels that detail the serio-comic (with a very dark edge) adventures of the immortal cyborgs of Dr. Zeus, Inc., a for-profit company that has existed for millennia, giving eternal life to mortals and sending them on historic salvage missions -- such as salvaging the contents of the Alexandrian library. Did I mention yet that they quite literally get drunk on high-octane chocolate? Or that they have an almost pathological fascination with the Golden Age of Hollywood? And that they act a lot like the Fey do in terms of dealing with mortals?' Of course, now you want to go and read the rest of the review, so I'll leave you to it!

Patrick O'Donnell has our other featured review -- a look at the commercially released recordings of that American roots band, the;Grateful Dead Patrick was, by his admission, never a true Deadhead, but he's a true fan of great music. Read his Excellence in Writing Award winning review to see why the music never really stopped!

Asher Black thinks Jumper , by Steven Gould, is a poorly-written book.; But he doesn't trash it.; Instead, he examines the book in detail and thoughtfully critiques it.; For example, he says the book is 'marred by the character's constant standing outside of himself in ways that force the reader to stand outside as well. If the intent was for the reader to identify with Davy, this device certainly undermines it.... again leading to the question of whether in fact the author ever identified with this character.... at least, as a child.'; Asher earns an Excellence in Writing Award for this amusing and yet carefully critical review.;

Kate Brown brings us reviews of three books by Will Shetterly this week.; Of Cats Have No Lord she says, 'With its marvellous Hollywood-style dueling and its consistent light banter, this is a fun pocket book.'; Its sequel, The Tangled Lands , is 'intricately detailed and explaining the lack of detail in Cats Have No Lord. The characters are diverse and interesting, switching roles with little or no notice.';; In Witch Blood , 'Rifkin Wanderer is an old man with a story. As he is making to leave the comfort of his daughter's home and take again to the road, Feschiani stops him, demanding that he put on paper the record of his youthful adventures, hoping to keep him from wandering again in his golden years. And so Rifkin remembers and writes his memoir.'; Three concise reviews of three entertaining books.; Thanks, Kate.

Andrea S. Garrett's review takes us into darker territory.; Who among us has never heard the words, 'Double, double, toil and trouble....'? The Third Witch tells the story of Macbeth from the point of view of Gillyflower, a young witch with a thirst for vengeance.; What happens when that thirst is quenched, but at the cost of everyone who comes in contact with the accursed king?; Read Andrea's review to get just a taste of the complex nature of this question.; Then read the book.

Judith Gennett is a fiddler.; She's also a fine reviewer, which makes her the ideal choice to review Fiddling for Norway , Chris Goertzen's book about the development of -- and competition between -- 'normal' and Hardanger fiddling in Norway.; Judith has gleefully discovered and sampled (on her fiddle, 'Old Lucifer') the 127 tunes transcribed at the back of the book.; 'Most people,' she says, 'only read a book on Norwegian fiddle contests once, unless they're trying to pass prelims, but they will return to a tune book over and over.'; Hup!

Michelle Erica Green provides an indepth review of a serious novel.; The Last Kabbalist of Lisbon by Richard Zimler is part history, part mystery, part adventure, part mysticism.; In the final analysis, it is 'a profound meditation on the source of sin. Does evil reside in word or deed, and is there any difference?; 'Books are created from holy letters...just as angels are,' explains one of Zimler's mystics. 'An angel is nothing but a book given heavenly form.' Within such a belief system, a demon can kill, even though the mystics teach that demons are only metaphors. Words determine who will live, who will die.'; You'll want to read this powerful book after Michelle's review has introduced it to you.

Michael M. Jones has convinced me to go out and find Never After by Rebecca Lickiss and read it immediately.; Read this quote from his review and you'll be convinced, too.; 'Never After is successful on numerous levels. Not only is it clever and entertaining, managing to convey a feeling of chaos and confusion rather like that of a British sitcom, full of sly self-awareness (even the witch acknowledges that folk tales have to follow certain rules, but they can be bent out of alignment), but it's genuinely good-natured. Even the bad guys in this tale act more out of enlightened self-interest than any true malice. More importantly, no one just sits around and waits for rescue; the potential princesses are stubborn and independent enough to effect their own rescues, however many times it's required of them. The wizards are powerful, but not infallible, the prince is heroic but not the One True Hero of the Story.'

Sarah Meador's review this week has put another book on my 'must read at once' list.; 'For those who are still clever enough to know that the monsters could invade -- and after all, we only know they haven't yet -- Joan Aiken offers a battle plan in The Cockatrice Boys .'; I need this battle plan.; Don't you?

Jack Merry throws two bits onto our growing review pile.; First up is his review of Larry Niven's Rainbow Mars , which Jack claims is science fiction with a definite, defiant fantasy tang.; 'Larry Niven has stated many times that he firmly believes that time travel is logically impossible -- an utter and complete fantasy. So when retrieval specialist Svetz heads back from polluted future Earth in search of extinct animals, he tends to sideslip into fantastic, fictional worlds.... It appears that either Svetz, who hates time travel, or his machine generate a reality straight out of the imagination every time he trips. Ouch.'; Jack next tempts us with Double Feature , which, in addition to a luscious collection of short fiction and essays by Emma Bull and Will Shetterly, contains 'a charming introduction by Patrick & Teresa Nielsen Hayden, editors at Tor Books, and separate bibliographies & biographies for both Will and Emma. All in all, a gobsmacking fine production! Go buy it, grab a cold beverage, and settle in for quite a few hours of fine reading!'; I think we will, Jack.

Maria Nutick has teasingly been referred to as the Queen of Mean around the GMR water cooler.; Of course it's not true, but Maria does write a righteous negative review on occasion.; Take a look at her wonderfully scathing review of The Sight by David Clement-Davies, and you'll see what I mean.; A quick sample?; All right, try this:; 'We meet a wolf with an inferiority complex, a wolf with a guilty conscience, a depressed wolf, a wolf frustrated by infertility, a wolf falsely accused of child abuse and murder: these wolves don't need a Messiah, they need a therapist.'

Matthew Winslow opens his review this week by telling us, 'Jane Yolen, in a cover blurb for The Garden Behind the Moon , declares Howard Pyle to be 'one of the late nineteenth-century writers who helped invent the fairy tale.' There's not much more one can say than that.'; Actually, Matthew has a great deal more to say about this book, but he agrees with Yolen.; 'The telling of the story is rich and beautiful and deep. I'm always on the lookout for good fairy tale books to give to my kids, and I'm happy to say that this one is going up the stairs to their bookshelves -- just as soon as I get done reading it again.'

Rebecca Wright finishes off our passel of book reviews with her review of Being Pagan: Druids, Wiccans and Witches Today , by Ellen Evert Hopman and Lawrence Bond.; Filled with 'a wonderful collection of interviews from the 1990s with some of the most recognizable figures in the pagan community,' it should be, Rebecca insists, 'required reading for any student of modern paganism today.'

Asher Black really likes Celtic, so he got a really offbeat one to review: The Fairies by an Hungarian (!) Celtic group called M.É.Z.; Asher says that 'there are enough good songs on this disc to showcase the talent of this Hungarian Celtic group. Get the CD, and someone please get these guys on tour in my neck of the world. You'll have fun, you'll be moved, you'll be impressed, and you'll get to taste the fairy. What else could you want?';Our reviewer, who fell in love this week with Nordic music after getting a dozen or so Northside CDs from our goodies pile, also loved Ande Somby and Rosynka, Boknakaran's moja pa tvoja which he notes ''is named (and I'll quote from the liner notes here) for 'a greeting in Russian-Norwegian, a pidgin language spoken in the Pomor trade along the coast of Northern Norway about 1750-1920.' It is most appropriate as a title for the concert and CD, since the songs include such themes as 'Russian-Norwegian fraternity in a Karelian village by the sweet sea' and styles range from Yoik to 'verses in Russian and Sami, inspired by [originally]...Norwegian lyrics'. Cool! Very cool!

Richard Condon, who's been absent from Green Man for far too long, reviews Villains , the new release from the Saw Doctors. Richard notes that 'the Saw Doctors fall a little between two stools. An all-male Irish band, they have neither the universal popular rock appeal of U2 or, in an earlier period, the Boomtown Rats, nor do they enjoy the specialist following of contemporary folk groups such as Dervish, De Dannan, Altan and the like. Since their humble beginnings in Tuam, county Galway in the late 1980s, the band has developed a 'punk folk' style sometimes reminiscent of the Pogues but a little less extreme, a little less daring.'

Judith Gennett got Bill Hicks' The Perfect Gig the way that we get so, so many CDs at Green Man. Let her tell the story of how this CD came to her and what The CD is: ''I assure you there is nothing Yuppie on this album,' Bill Hicks assured me when he sent this album. Hicks lives alternately in Ocracoke and Siler City, NC and truly has that Carolina twang. He's played fiddle with The Red Clay Ramblers, The Fuzzy Mountain String Band, and more recently with the David Childers band and with his wife Libby, doubling in 'real life' as a stone mason. But there is no fiddle on this album, it is rather an album of self-composed good old boy folk, just Hick's twang and an electro-guitar, live at a bar in Chapel Hill. Actually, a couple of tracks were recorded on a computer in a room of undisclosed character, mostly those on acoustic guitar.' Judith, who's vacationing right now in Iceland, gives us a glowing review of Arctic Paradise: Contemporary Finnish Folk Music 2001-2002 , a must collection, according to her, for anyone interested in Nordic music! Why so? Read her review and you'll know why!

Lars Nilsson digs René Lacaille & Bob Brozman's Digdig . Really. Truly. Read his unique review to see why he groks Digdig .

Gary Whitehouse found quite a bit to like in Eliseo Parra's Viva Quien Sabe Querer CD. He exclaims 'Eliseo Parra is dedicated to preserving and bringing forward the various strains that make up Iberian music, and he does it admirably in this intriguing and compelling CD. Spain hasn't yet made much of a splash on the World Music scene, at least in the U.S., but Viva Quien Sabe Querer is just the type of recording that could change that situation.' Gary also look at two offbeat Nordic CDs that intrigued him: Johanson & Johanson's Nordic Interlude and Johanson & Vennad's Globus Diei . How offbeat? Oh, let's have him tell you: 'The Johanson family of Talinn, Estonia, have been making music for more than two decades. In the tradition of singer-songwriters the world over, they combine traditional material with their own songs and tunes, often using poems from their own and other lands as lyrics. The nucleus of the group are brothers Jaak and Mart Johanson, who both play guitar and sing. They are occasionally joined by brother Ants and sister Kart and, on Globus Diei, by other musicians as well. Too, they frequently frame their songs with recordings of the world around them: sounds of nature, particularly birds, and people in public or semi-public places like bus stations, pubs and w aiting rooms. Some of the recordings were made by Jaak Johanson, and some are sampled from existing sources.' Gary garners an Excellence in Writing award for the iva Quien Sabe Querer review!

Tim Hoke earns an Excellence in Writing Award for his tantalizing, exuberant-but-spare review of Red Priest , whose motto is, 'Just when you thought it was safe to go to a Baroque concert...'; Tim's review evokes his June 28 experience so well that you'll almost think you were there!; ' 'The Witches Dance' was punctuated by hisses, screeches, and cackles while, on 'Fairy Dance', the violin and cello were played with sticks instead of bows. For a Purcell piece where two instruments follow each other, the interpretation was literal; Bishop followed Adams across the stage and into the midst of the audience. Not a note was lost....'; Read this review and then check Red Priest's Web site (Tim's provided the link) to find out when they will be performing near you.

David Kidney and a friend traveled 3000 miles to see Richard Thompson in Denver on June 24 (All right, maybe not 3000...).; Was it worth it?; You bet!; As David says, 'My friend Bart couldn't keep from expressing absolute awe at the way Thompson played the guitar. 'He sounds like a whole band!' he declared, 'You'd swear there was a bass player with him.'; But Danny Thompson was nowhere to be seen...this was Richard Thompson solo. Sound amazing? According to David's review, it was.

Lars Nilsson just spent four days in Skagen, Denmark, to bring us one of the festival reviews that you look forward to in GMR every year.; What does he have to say about the Skagen Festival ?; 'On the positive side, there was some very good music, with a large selection to choose from. But also there was a lot lacking in information [about the groups] and too many people drinking too much and talking through performances in a way that spoiled the pleasure for others. I would not mind going again, but I would do it to catch certain performers more than for the festival itself.'; Read Lars' thorough (as always) review to find out which performers he managed to catch at Skagen, which ones he liked, and why.

Want to be a staff reviewer? If there's a video or film that's not in our indices or master list that you think should be, why not write us an audition review of it? Send it to Asher Black , our video editor. Something with folklore or mythological or fairy tale elements is what we like. Ask Asher for details on formatting.

Michelle Erica Green doesn't color within the lines. If the filmmaker is pointing ahead, you can bet she's also looking behind him. The result this week is a searching review of Ever After: A Cinderella Story , written with detail and particular insight, winning hands down an Excellence in Writing Award for her layered and thoughtful look at the video.

For those of you who inquired about the fate of the not-so-quietly snoring dragon in the Great Hall -- you know, the one who indulged a bit too much -- Anwir ap Evnessyen had some advice earlier this week that helped solve the problem. He said, 'If you are interested, the dragon currently inhabiting the Great Hall is named Drysi, and referring to her in the masculine is hardly likely to improve her temper. Mayhap I can persuade the lady to leave. Have you any sheep we can offer? A hungry dragon is a testy dragon, you know.' She settled for a whole, still-living boar from Oberon's Wood and has left the Great Hall for her under-the-hill home. But the carnyx has not yet been claimed.; Which I find rather odd....

Oh!; Are you still here?; Good.; I almost forgot to mention that those of you interested in Flogging Molly might like to check out an interview they did with NPR recently.; Our thanks to Andrea S. Garrett, reviewer and librarian extraordinaire, for finding the link for us...

Last Updated, 30 July 2002, 6:45pm CST, ab