Zine Review: Eefing Yodeling Throat Singing & Hollerin'

Eefing, Yodeling, Throat Singing & Hollerin’: A Musical Miscellany

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David Tighe

4804 Memorial Drive

NE Calgary Alberta

T2A 2R1 Canada

Beyond the realm of the bland banality that passes for pop music in western monoculture, there is a world of music to be rediscovered. David Tighe is an explorer of and journalist from the musical outback.

Eefing, Yodeling, Throat Singing & Hollerin’: A Musical Miscellany is a quarter sized zine that reads like a mini National Geographic for the about-to-be musically initiated. The zine starts with David’s being shown an lp by Billy Hutch, His Harmonica and Orchestra titled “Eefing Down Home”. This discovery leads to research on the vocal technique of eefing and its potential origins. Further musings revisit Throat Singing (I enjoyed the mention of Paul Pena and the documentary Genghis Blues) and then plunge into the natural history of yodeling.

Back in the day, Citizen Kafka and Pat Conte used to co-host the coolest radio show on the planet called The Secret Museum of the Airwaves, exploring seldom heard cultural pathways. David’s zine is like an abridged secret museum on paper. Can elephants play bagpipes? Is the Esperanto language alive and musical?  Was Hawaii the 49^th State?  Eefing, Yodeling, Throat Singing & Hollerin’: A Musical Miscellany presents astute writing, great surrealist artwork, discographies, and leaves this reader wishing some of the articles had been expanded upon. It is a laudable point of departure, and I hope David shares more of his explorations with us via zine form in the future. Highest recommendation – no hesitation.