Prairie Bohemian

"If anything, he was an anti-celebrity. He did not conform to society's ideal of a refined classical musician. He did not even conform to the rhinestone image of a country music star. Nor did he care to. He was not merely a bohemian; he was an ?ber-Bohemian." Until his death in 1982, Edmonton luthier and composer Frank Gay built guitars for several famous musicians, including country stars Johnny Cash, Don Gibson, Webb Pierce, and Hank Snow. He entranced listeners with his singular talent on guitar and lute, and was well known within the music industry. Very few recordings of his work exist, and the sparse accounts of his life and work raise more questions than they answer. In uncovering the story of this private yet charming and often troubled man, Trevor Harrison does a tremendous service to Canadian culture and western music history. Musicians and instrument makers, as well as those interested in western Canadian history or Edmonton's colourful past, will be fascinated by this biography of western Canadian luthier, musician, and guitar virtuoso Frank Gay.

Gay never recorded an album, never won a Juno. His music existed in the moment, appreciated by the few who were lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time. For the rest of us, those late-night jam sessions in a shack in an alley on the bad side of Edmonton never happened. We never got to hear him play the Cole Porter songs he loved with Carlos Montoya, never got to watch the ashes build dangerously on the end of his menthol cigarette. And when Frank Gay died, only the guitar players gently wept. — Shelley Youngblut Until his death in 1982, Edmonton luthier and guitarist Frank Gay built guitars for several famous musicians, including country stars Johnny Cash, Don Gibson, Webb Pierce, and Hank Snow. He captivated listeners with his singular talent on guitar and other instruments, and was well known within the music industry. Trevor Harrison’s detective work uncovers the story of this private, charming, and bohemian man, doing a tremendous service to Canadian culture and music history. Harrison pieces together Frank Gay’s life through interviews with people who knew him and saw him play. Very few recordings of him playing exist, and the sparse accounts of Gay’s life and work raise more questions than they answer. Musicians and instrument makers, as well as those interested in Canadian music or Edmonton’s colourful past, will be fascinated by this biography of western Canadian luthier, musician, and guitar virtuoso Frank Gay.

On any weekend in Texas, Czech polka music enlivens dance halls and drinking establishments as well as outdoor church picnics and festivals. The songs heard at these venues are the living music of an ethnic community created by immigrants who started arriving in Central Texas in the mid-nineteenth century from what is now the Czech Republic. Today, the members of this community speak English but their songs are still sung in Czech. Czech Songs in Texas includes sixty-one songs, mostly polkas and waltzes. The songs themselves are beloved heirlooms ranging from ceremonial music with origins in Moravian wedding traditions to exuberant polkas celebrating the pleasures of life. For each song, the book provides music notation and Czech lyrics with English translation. An essay explores the song’s European roots, its American evolution, and the meaning of its lyrics and lists notable performances and recordings. In addition to the songs and essays, Frances Barton provides a chapter on the role of music in the Texas Czech ethnic community, and John K. Novak surveys Czech folk and popular music in its European home. The book both documents a specific musical inheritance and serves as a handbook for learning about a culture through its songs. As folklorist and polka historian James P. Leary writes in his foreword, “Barton and Novak take us on a poetic, historical, and ethnographic excursion deep into a community’s expressive heartland. Their Czech Songs in Texas just might be the finest extant annotated anthology of any American immigrant/ethnic group's regional song tradition.”

In Global Bohemian, Fifi O’Neill shows how you can bring gypset style into your home, fusing the colorful, eccentric style of bohemian living with inspirations from far-flung places. Why settle for one style when you can indulge your love of several? Whether exuberant or subtle, eclectic or sophisticated, bohemian style welcomes a freethinking approach to decorating. Fifi O’Neill shows you how to combine originality, creative energy, whimsy, and a love of travel to create adventurous, authentic, and enchanting interiors. Find inspiration for making your home truly unique by mixing pieces with traditional style alongside finds from your travels. Whether you want to transform understated spaces by adding intriguing nomadic elements, incorporating tropical and beach motifs, or hints of glamour, Global Bohemian offers ample and affordable decorative options and celebrates self-expression, inspiration, passion, and personal flair.

Contributing authors illustrate the book's interdisciplinary focus, with representation from, among others, the fields of folklore, cultural history, historical archeology landscape architecture, and philosophy, heavily illustrated, the volume also features an introductory essay by editor Richard E. Meyer and an extensive annotated bibliography.

Malcolm Forsyth (1936–2011) was a musical legend: a much-loved composer, performer, teacher, and mentor. Reflections on Malcolm Forsyth presents a captivating and approachable portrait of one of Canada’s finest modern composers. Readers will discover both public and private sides to the man and gain fresh insights from critical assessments of a broad range of Forsyth’s compositions, his continuing popular appreciation, and his lasting influence on the next generation of musicians and music scholars. Drawing from the perspectives of leading scholars, composers, and musicians, as well as on those of family, friends, students, and colleagues, Reflections on Malcolm Forsyth honours the rich life and cultural significance of this exceptional creative mind. It is important reading for music students and researchers, professional performers, and anyone who loves contemporary music. Contributors: Tommy Banks, Allan Gordon Bell, Nora Bumanis, Robin Elliott, Amanda Forsyth, Valerie Forsyth, Allan Gilliland, Carl Hare, Mary I. Ingraham, Edward Jurkowski, Ryan McClelland, John McPherson, Fordyce C. (Duke) Pier, Roxane Prevost, Kathy Primos, Tanya Prochazka, Leonard Ratzlaff, Rayfield Rideout, Robert C. Rival, Julia Shaw, Dale Sorensen, Christopher Taylor