Excellent news out of South Africa: The long-awaited Shaka Ilembe is in production and slated for release in 2023. From Africa.com: MultiChoice and Bomb Productions are proud to announce that production on the epic drama series, Shaka Ilembe, has commenced and is currently filming in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, providing jobs for over … [Read more...] about Shaka Ilembe
Working The Trapline — Ancient Frontiers
From UT News: About 37,000 years ago, a mother mammoth and her calf met their end at the hands of human beings. Bones from the butchering site record how humans shaped pieces of their long bones into disposable blades to break down their carcasses, and rendered their fat over a fire. But a key detail sets this site apart from others from this … [Read more...] about Working The Trapline — Ancient Frontiers
‘Let Me Tell You A Story About A Spaniard Named Vasquez’
“Let me tell you a story about a Spaniard named Vasquez. A few weeks ago he staggers into a tavern in Port Royal. Takes a seat next to an English merchant captain. Vasquez, it turns out, is dying. Bleeding to death from a knife wound to the belly. The knife wound was courtesy of his former employer, La Casa del Contratación, in Seville.” — … [Read more...] about ‘Let Me Tell You A Story About A Spaniard Named Vasquez’
Firearms Of The Frontier Partisans — The Kalashnikov
When I was a frontier-obsessed youth I had a book that was full of non-fiction essays on American Indian topics. I can’t remember the title, but I remember one of the essays, titled Is Geronimo Alive & Well In The South Vietnamese Central Highlands? The thesis was that Americans faced the same kind of elusive guerrillas in Vietnam that we had … [Read more...] about Firearms Of The Frontier Partisans — The Kalashnikov
The Deal Goes Down — A Musical Interlude
It’s festival season and live music is back for real. It’s been a good summer so far for my band, The Anvil Blasters, and the Sisters Folk Festival is in the middle of a season of fantastic concerts. I’ve been tapped to emcee a show with Watchhouse (formerly Mandolin Orange). Marilyn called the Rising Appalachia show the “best summer vibes concert … [Read more...] about The Deal Goes Down — A Musical Interlude
Firearms of The Frontier Partisans — The Glorious Lee-Speed Rifle
The rifle is the iconic tool and weapon of the Frontier Partisan. Through many eras, that tool evolved to be both highly functional and aesthetically pleasing. One can readily appreciate the long, elegant lines of the classic American long rifle that breached the Appalachian divide in the hands of Long Hunters, or the heavy-duty gravitas … [Read more...] about Firearms of The Frontier Partisans — The Glorious Lee-Speed Rifle
Ridin’ That New Highway
My music hero committed another authorin’. Anybody who digs Dave’s work knows he’s a wordsmith of the highest order. He just announced the release date. His new book of poetry and prose, titled New Highway, will land September 20, and you can bet I’ll be raiding Paulina Springs Books for my copy — and probably some with which to … [Read more...] about Ridin’ That New Highway
Hot Chili Peppers In The Blistering Sun
Temperatures are expected to soar well over 100 degrees in Sisters Country over the next few days. I welcome the heat. We don’t get enough of it to complain about it, and, being in the high desert, we don’t get the crushing humidity that makes serious temperatures so miserable in other parts of the country. When it gets real hot, and … [Read more...] about Hot Chili Peppers In The Blistering Sun
You Don’t Messer Around With Jim
It’s just how things roll in our world of digital surveillance: You do one little post on the Espada Ancha, and suddenly it’s knives out. Long knives. Langes Messer. Suddenly every medievalist trader on the internet is trying to sell me a big ol’ hunting sword. There’s a few pirate cutlasses thrown in for good measure. Then this dude pops up, as … [Read more...] about You Don’t Messer Around With Jim
Working The Trapline — Outlaw Ballads
As Waylon Jennings sang: Ladies love outlaws like babies love stray dogs. He would know. Where d’ye think that big grin came from? It ain’t just the ladies, though. Seems that most folks have a fascination with outlaws — even though we really know that the outlaw bit ain’t all it’s cracked up to be when you strip away the romance. There’s … [Read more...] about Working The Trapline — Outlaw Ballads
