Wild Frontier Music

New Zealand-born author Garth Cartwright’s More Miles Than Money: Journeys Through American Music has been released in the United States. Cartwright describes the inspiration for the book in the Wall Street Journal: “Growing up in a torpid New Zealand suburb I devoured Mark Twain and Jack Kerouac’s adventures while developing an ear for US roots music. My American dream involved driving Route 66 and Highway 61, stopping off only to hear hot music in rowdy bars. The wild frontier, I assumed, awaited my arrival. Starting in San Francisco, I encountered much music and many characters, interviewed ancients who began performing in the 192s and those who carry the flame forward. Walt Whitman claimed his poems sang of America. With More Miles Than Money I attempt to continue this American song, sweet and sour, soulful and blue.” London-based Cartwright writes for The Guardian and The Sunday Times and is also the author of Princes Amongst Men: Journeys With Gypsy Musicians.