sarahillis's blog

Yes, it's that time of year again: time to tell spooky stories and listen to haunting songs in honour of Halloween on Mushroom FM's Folk and Celtic music show! We'll learn about All Soul's Night, demon lovers, restless ghosts, and encounters with elves, fairies and other strange beings. IN short, we'll have a fun time! We'll be drawing greatly on the ballads collected some hundred years ago by Francis Child. They're often long, are filled with a healthy dose of spook, and are simply fascinating. The show won't be live this week, but I'll be with you--of course--in spirit.

Hello! Sara Hillis here to tell you about this week's fast approaching edition of Come by the Hills, Mushroom FM's Folk and Celtic music show. Along with our usual mix of interesting music which spans many decades and continents, I'm going to be featuring some of the work of Folk Singer and musician Mary McCaslin, who passed away this week. To be completely honest, I did not know that I had ever heard her music before today, but as it turns out, one of my very favourite songs was written by her.

Hello! Sara Hillis here to tell you about this week's upcoming episode of Come by the Hills, the Folk and Celtic music show on Mushroom FM. Aside from our usual three hours of great Folk and Celtic music, we've got some songs by Loretta Lynn in the Roots genre from later in her life. it'll be a fun time as always, so come along and join me!

Catch Come by the Hills live on Saturday at 2:00 PM Eastern, or check out the replay on Tuesday at 5:00 AM Eastern. However and whenever you listen, enjoy!

Hello! Sara Hillis here to tell you that once again, we have an encore presentation of Come by the Hills for you this week. This time, it's a repeat of last year's live show celebrating Canadian Thanksgiving from October 9, 2021. We've got lots of John Barleycorn for you, songs about being thankful, and a whole lot more. I'm doing this because I have the rare ability to attend thanksgiving meals this year with both sections of my family, and I can't wait! Also, this week has been more than a bit hectic with various things happening around here.

Today, we lost a true treasure of Country music in Loretta Lynn. With a career spanning many decades and a talent for telling complicated stories in a simple and relatable way, she was the undisputed Queen of Country. So, on Sara Smiles for two entire hours, on Wednesday, October 5, I'll be honouring her life and work with songs and stories about her life and also her impact on my own life. As I grew up in a primarily Country-influenced household, Loretta's music simply became a part of my DNA.

Hello! Sara Hillis here to tell you what's coming up on this week's edition of Come by the Hills, Mushroom FM's Folk and Celtic music show. As I'm off on a trip this weekend, I've decided to revisit an episode from last year. On the occasion of the thirtieth anniversary of her breakthrough album, The Visit, Canadian singer and composer Loreena McKennitt released a box set called The Visit, the Definitive Edition.

Hello again! Sara Hilis here to tell you about this week's edition of Come by the Hills. We're live again this week, and we've got songs about the return of autumn to the Northern Hemisphere, songs about winds and rains in honour of Feona, now causing havoc to the east coast of Canada, and songs about that urge for going. There's even more than this of course, so I hope you can join me! If you can't do so because of the big storm, then please stay safe!

Hello! Sara Hillis here to tell you about this week's episode of Come by the Hills, Mushroom FM's Folk and Celtic music show. This time, I'll be paying tribute in song and story to my dear friend Shannon Smith, who passed away only a few weeks after her 40th birthday on September 16th, 2017. So, on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of her death, I'll be sharing songs she enjoyed as well as a bit of her own voice. We've also got a request to fulfill, so it's an action-packed show this week.

Hello! Sara Hillis here once again to tell you about this week's episode of Come by the Hills, Mushroom FM's Folk and Celtic music show. We are witnessing a moment in history with the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the accession of King Charles III. I wanted to do at least a little something to pay tribute to this moment, and whether you're a royalist or not, I think you'll enjoy the selection of songs about kings and queens of all kinds that I have for you this time around.

Hello! Sara Hillis here to tell you about this week's all new edition of Come by the Hills, Mushroom FM's Folk and Celtic music show! This week, it's all about work and workers, the people who love them, and the consequences of doing certain jobs. It's Labour Day Weekend here in North America, and as I try to do every year, I found several songs for you about people who hold various occupations and the ups and downs of these lives. Of course, there is a wee bit of unionizing in there too, as the unions have traditionally been a preoccupation of the modern Folk movement.