Over-use of the word “community” can quickly turn the most open-hearted music lover into a cynic, especially those wary of corporate appropriation at every turn. Yet it’s hard to describe the people who attend the annual Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, TN as anything but a community. Big Ears attendees can’t wait to tell youContinue reading “2026 Big Ears Festival, March 26-29, 2026”
Tag Archives: Chad Taylor
2026 Big Ears Preview
Everyone has a different Big Ears. There are so many different choices to acknowledge when determining one’s path through the more than 250 individual performances that make up the festival. This has become apparent while covering Big Ears over the past few years and talking to the instantly new music nerd best friends that I’mContinue reading “2026 Big Ears Preview”
Flat Handed and on the Wing
Over the years, I’ve wondered why the bands Calexico and Brokeback both released a song called “Flat Handed and on the Wing.” Calexico’s version first appeared in 2000 on Travelall, a tour-only release. The Brokeback rendition came a few months later as the second track on their 2001 album Morse Code in the Modern Age:Continue reading “Flat Handed and on the Wing”