Vogel Gryff; Help After L.A. Wildfires; Acoustic Guitar Songs

It's time again for Vogel Gryff! Don't let this be the year that you forget all about it until you hear cannon-firing on the Rhine or get stuck in a crowd on the Mittlere Brücke. Starting around 10:30 am, the Wilde Maa will raft down the river before joining the Vogel Gryff and the Leu, for an afternoon of dancing through Kleinbasel. The tradition traces to Basel's medieval guilds and is a must-see if you sneak out of work for a while on Monday morning, 27th January. 

If the drums of Vogel Gryff have you needing more to beat on, head to the Historisches Museum's Musikmuseum to see and play instruments built by South Tyrolean artist Max Castlunger. Castlunger has made drums and gongs out of oil barrels, tree trunks, PVC pipes, and more. The show is on through June. 

All the cold and crowds of the new year can be overhwelming, and they might make you want to hide in a hole. But wouldn't a hole be more comfortable with some warm cheese? You can have both at the St. Beatus Caves on Lake Thun. Twice a month in the cold season, you can enjoy an all-you-can-eat raclette dinner inside a cozy cave. 

In news from friends of The English Show abroad, David and Daniel Landau, a.k.a. the Brothers Landau, are an American cello-guitar duo known for catchy indie pop with sibling harmonies. They've been guests on show and are great people and great musicians. They lost their childhood home in the recent Los Angeles wildfires – the whole neighbourhood is in ashes. If you can help out in any way, they have a fundraising page here on fundrazr.

Our music theme was all about acoustic guitar songs, including, of course, a Brothers Landau track. We played:

Fleetwood Mac - Never Going Back Again

First Aid Kit - Wolf

Bob Dylan - The Times They Are A-Changin'

The Brothers Landau - All We Know

Myles Smith - Nice To Meet You (Acoustic)

P!nk - What About Us (Acoustic)

Mumford & Sons - I Will Wait

Paramore - The Only Exception