Greg Cahill

writer/editor

Petaluma CA

An award-winning journalist with a background in both investigative reporting and arts coverage.

Greg Cahill

writer/editor

Petaluma CA

An award-winning journalist with a background in both investigative reporting and arts coverage.

Steely Dan: Northeast Corridor: Steely Dan Live!
This packs a punch. The core members of Steely Dan—singer and keyboardist Donald Fagen and multi-instrumentalist Walter Becker—were studio wizzes who seldom toured. Their only previous live album—the anemic Alive in America—dropped 25 years ago. So, despite the absence of Becker, who died shortly before this 2018 tour, Northeast Corridor arrived amid anticipation.
The Absolute Sound
Ten Best Rock Albums of 2021
It’s been a year of collaboration, surprises, and party albums. Who thought Neil Young would release a never-bootlegged gem from his bottomless archive? Or expected Lindsey Buckingham to bounce back after getting bounced from Fleetwood Mac? Or had a disco-drenched Bee Gees tribute from the Foo Fighters on their bingo card?
The Absolute Sound
Billy Bragg: The Million Things That Never Happened
On his first album of original material since 2013’s Tooth and Nail, British protest singer Billy Bragg takes a tender look at the impact of the pandemic. Recorded in December 2020, the new album is Bragg’s response to the alienation experienced by millions. The title track ponders the cost of putting personal and professional plans on hold while the melancholy piano ballad “Lonesome Ocean” addresses the isolation of the lengthy quarantine.
The Absolute Sound
Lucinda Williams: Southern Soul: From Memphis to Muscle Shoals & More
During the Covid-19 lockdown, blues-rock songstress Lucinda William presented a series of six streaming studio concerts that are being released as Lu’s Jukebox Series. The concerts, 76 songs in all, were recorded in October and December of 2020. On Vol. 2, Williams lends her Louisiana drawl to 10 of her favorite Southern soul hits and performs one original (“Still I Long for Your Kiss”)—the album is nicely packaged in a gatefold sleeve.
The Absolute Sound
Vinyl Power: Women Find Empowerment on the 'Gram
“Anytime I meet another female record collector on the Internet or in person, I immediately want to be their friend!”. says Erin O’Dell, a record collector, blogger, and factory worker from Red Lion, Pennsylvania. “I feel like we’re often overshadowed by the male perspective and designated as the ‘that’s nice, dear’ of couples in memes and forums.
The Absolute Sound
Soundtracks Series Vol. 3: Greg Cahill’s Top 10
The best soundtracks strike a personal note. Sure, the soundtracks overall must reflect the mood of the movie, but to stay in my collection, a soundtrack must reflect a time and place, or personify a relationship. Here are ten others that are woven into the fabric of my life. The ultimate road movie produced ten tracks custom-made for soul searching along America’s highways.
The Absolute Sound
Fiddler Louis Michot’s ‘Tiny Island’ Transports Listeners to a Magical Night of Traditional Cajun and Haitian Music
Hey, fellow string player! Did you know 99.9% of visitors to this site will scroll past this message without making a contribution? Many plan to pledge later, but then forget. So we're asking you to give $5 (or whatever you can afford) right now. When Grammy-winning Cajun fiddler Louis Michot—along with his band, Michot’s Melody Makers—launched his latest recording project, Tiny Island (Nouveau Electric Records), he chose an unorthodox setting—an actual tiny island in Prairie Des Femmes in Louisiana bayou country.
Strings
Review: Billy Bang’s ‘Lucky Man’ Is an Auditory Map of the Violinist’s Journey Back to Vietnam
His experience as a U.S. Army sergeant during the Vietnam War haunted jazz violinist Billy Bang throughout his adult life. As an 18-year-old draftee, Bang (born William Vincent Walker) served as a “tunnel rat,” entering the dangerous underground network of Viet Cong tunnels alone with just a flashlight and .45 automatic pistol to flush out the enemy.
Strings
Violinist Randall Goosby’s Debut Album ‘Roots’ Reignites Interest in Forgotten Works
For inspiration on his debut album, violinist Randall Goosby turned to his ancestors while offering a nod to the future. The result is the impressive Roots (Decca). The album also features works by George Gershwin and Antonín Dvořák, both of whom championed Black music. Strings caught up with Goosby, between his home in Memphis, Tennessee, and New York, where he studies at the Juilliard School with Perlman and Catherine Cho.
Strings
Fortunate Youth brings its mellow SoCal reggae sound to Petaluma
Ask Corey Draskovich to describe the message conveyed by the Fortunate Youth’s feel-good songs, and the vocalist sums it up in three words: peace, love and unity. “Our goal is to bring people together through our music and share some good times while doing so,” he said. That message resonates throughout the band’s latest album, “Good Times (Roll On),” and will undoubtedly carry through to its Mystic Theatre appearance on Wednesday, Nov. 17.
Petaluma Argus-Courier
New Joseph Spence Collection Is Full of Unreleased Folk Guitar Treasures
There have always been singer-songwriters whose vocals are an acquired taste: Bob Dylan, Joanna Newsom, and Leon Redbone come to mind. And then there’s Joseph Spence—the late Bahamian folk artist (1910–1984) possessed a gravelly, mumbling vocal style. But behind the idiosyncratic singing lay joy, a freewheeling and primitive fingerpicking style, and a unique blend of folk, blues, gospel, and calypso influences.
Acoustic Guitar
Unorthodox Trad Trio The Faux Paws Releases Energetic Self-Titled Debut Album
Call it a labor of love. It took ten years for brothers Andrew and Noah VanNorstrand, along with bandmate Chris Miller, to bring their first album to fruition. Other bands, and other commitments, got in the way, but this fall the unorthodox trio of fiddle, acoustic guitar, and saxophone finally released its eponymous debut, The Faux Paws.
Strings
A season of sound
What: “Brass & Strings,” a classical concert featuring members of the Sonoma County Philharmonic. Where: Cinnabar Theater, 3333 Petaluma Blvd. N., Petaluma (707) 763-8920. Information: Cinnabar Theater follows federal, state and county health guidelines for COVID-19 protection: Proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test within 48 hours will be required upon entering the premises, and masks are mandatory at all times throughout the theater.
Petaluma Argus-Courier
Am I Too Old to Learn Violin?
You saw a YouTube video of Anne-Sophie Mutter at age 14 playing Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64, and her achingly beautiful performance has inspired you to learn the violin. But you’re worried that string playing must be mastered in youth, that you’re too old. Don’t worry. “When there is a ‘knock on your door,’ never ignore it,” says violinist, recording artist, and educator Julie Lyonn Lieberman.
Strings
Pros & Cons of 5 Bluetooth Audio Solutions For Your Home Stereo & Beyond
During the pandemic, I found myself turning more frequently to streaming music services and looking for ways to get the most out of them. My daily pastimes included haunting online audiophile forums and purchasing way too many Bluetooth-enabled audio components. I was driven by a desire to move beyond a portable, monaural table-top Bluetooth speaker and to replace a temperamental—and discontinued—Apple Airport Express Wi-Fi station that I’d used for a decade to stream music from a MacBook Pro to a proper stereo equipped with high-end speakers.
Strings
Weaving Tales: Guy Clark’s latest release, ‘The Dark,’ deals with loss, love, and friendship.
Buy ‘The Essential Guy Clark,’ which contains both the ‘Old No. 1’ and ‘Texas Cookin’ ‘ albums. Weaving Tales: Guy Clark’s latest release, ‘The Dark,’ deals with loss, love, and friendship. “Growing up in West Texas, the first thing you get is a pocket knife and a whetstone,” says singer and songwriter Guy Clark in a soft, Southern drawl, sipping a morning cup of coffee during a phone interview as he explains his interest in guitar building.
North Bay Bohemian

About

Greg Cahill

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Freelance writer and editor with marketing background: Contributor to the Absolute Sound; Lift.co (a Canadian cannabis publication); Strings magazine; No Depression (Americana music journal); Suiteness online city guides; Gannett News Service; AlterNet Wire Service; North Bay Bohemian; Listen!; Boston Phoenix; SF Chronicle; Argus-Courier; SF Examiner; Marin IJ; Pacific Sun; Detroit Metro Times; Tucson Weekly; Dallas Observer; Point Reyes Light; R&D Review, a national education policy monthly; and many others.

Former editor of Acoustic Guitar, Strings and Ukulele magazines, as well as the String Letter Publishing editorial director supervising staff and freelance pool responsible for print and digital publications, instructional material, books, video sessions, and other projects.

Organized and managed digital content-planning group to create editorial strategy and social-media best practices for String Letter Publishing; Developed online editorial campaigns, effectively increasing Acoustic Guitar magazine's followers from 100,000 to 500,000+ on Facebook; ensured online content was web-optimized to increase clicks; Managed social-media content for Acoustic Guitar magazine across all social-media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)

Former editor of the Sonoma County Independent. Founding editor of the North Bay Bohemian.

Tech Writing certificate from Santa Rosa Junior College.

Co-recipient of the 2000 Lincoln Steffens Award for Investigative Journalism from Sonoma State University and several state and national reporting and editing awards.

AWARDS 2008 WPA, nominee, Best Music Magazine (consumer); 2006 and 2004 WPA, winner, Best Music Magazine (consumer); 2000 Lincoln Steffens Award for investigative reporting; 1995 CNPA awards for editorial comment and feature writing; 1994 CNPA award for investigative reporting and special section editor; 1993 CNPA award for sports reporting; 1992 National Newspaper Asso. award for agriculture and resources reporting.

EDUCATION BA, Journalism, San Francisco State University.