November 2011
Instead Of Giving Out Candy...
…I am giving stern lectures on how to stabilize the economy to kids that ring my doorbell.
October 2011
A List Of Things I Don't Care About
…from reading people’s Facebook posts the past few days:
-the NBA
-celebrity divorces
-how many people are on the planet
-baseball
-anything ending in 4s
-snow in late October
-how drunk you were 3 nights before National Candy Night
-that new hip-hop song that is “THE BEST EV-AR!!!” (but actually sounds like everything else released this year)
-Steve Jobs’...
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My weekly podcast is up…it’s an hour of music and...
My Three Answers To The Man Bothering Me While I...
1. No
2. At least a few hours
3. You could let me punch you in the face
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My Review: The Drifters, "Up On The Roof" →
During the late 1950’s and the first half of the 1960’s, there were a massive number of groups that were perfecting the combined sound of the “doo-wop” vocal arrangement with a more pop-based r&b vocal. All across this era, many of the most memorable songs in the entire history of music were recorded, and there were few groups that had a larger catalog of such...
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My Review: Midnight Oil, "Power And The Passion" →
Going as far back as the earliest remnants of music in any form, it has been used as a vehicle for the expression of frustrations with the world as a whole, as well as a way to bring people together to create change. In the context of the past century, one can find countless examples of music being used to expose corruption, and there are few better avenues for protest than that of music. ...
Making S'mores On A Campfire
In someones backyard in Brooklyn…pretty standard…
Ladies & Gentlemen: Burnout
In the past 9 days, I’ve written nearly 100,000 words for my book, along with about 10,000 for my daily blog posts.
Add into that having to do notes and shoot 9 segments for my YouTube Channel (4 of which I have to re-shoot), and I think it’s safe to say that I am completely burned out.
I sat in front of my editing for the book for about 3 hours this morning, and the words just...
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My Review: Mobb Deep, "Shook Ones, Part II" →
Though many may not have looked that far back in history, the reality is that the differences in the music from the East Coast to the West Coast of the United States was apparent far before the media-created “coast wars” in hip-hop during the 1990’s. Looking all the way back to the jazz-era, there were massive contrasts in form, style, and content, and yet one can easily...
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So, uhhh…I sort of didn’t post much...
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My Review: James Chance, "Contort Yourself" →
While it almost goes without saying that music in itself is an art form, it is odd that many times, when music takes on a more “artsy” form, it is seen as being of lesser value or talent. That is to say, when an artist or band takes a more avant, completely original take on music, often heavily influenced by other art forms, there are claims that it is “too out...
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Book Preview #2
“There is no question that one of the most difficult undertakings one can attempt within the world of music is to set out as a solo performer after being a part of a successful band. To this end, one can argue that the larger the band in question may have been, the more tricky and unlikely it will be for any single member to find success on their own. With this in mind, it can be easily...
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My Review: The Ronettes, "Be My Baby" →
Though every era of music certainly had a number of important developments and fresh approaches, one can easily argue that throughout the 1960’s, musical creativity reached its apex, and nearly every sound in the years since can be directly linked to this time period. While most concentrate such statements on the latter half of that decade, it was during the early years of the...
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Dear Person Outside My Window,
Do you hear your child crying? I mean, I would hope so as he is sitting on the ground DIRECTLY next to your right leg. I can tell that you are not hearing impaired, as you’re having a conversation with the other gentleman that keeps looking down at the crying child in question from time to time. Also, even if you did have a hearing deficiency, the fact that I can hear the child’s...
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My Review: The Bobby Fuller Four, "I Fought The... →
Though it is not as blatantly clear in some genres, the reality is that the basis for most musical styles can be found well over a decade before it becomes part of the mainstream. It is during these early years that it is often disguised as another form of music, and yet once one gives the sound a new inspection, the seeds for later styles can be found. While many might wish to believe that...
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Met Some Friends At A Bar...
Thus far, the music has been nothing but Slayer, Metallica, Anthrax, and Megadeth.
I didn’t know such greatness in bar environments existed…
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My weekly podcast is up…it’s an hour of music and...
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My Review: Orbital, "The Girl With The Sun In Her... →
While “electronic music” has existed in some form or another all the way back to the 1940’s, it took a very long time for it to catch on within the mainstream in any meaningful way. Even as recently as the 1980’s, as a whole the electronic style was seen as a “lesser form” of music that was exclusively enjoyed by a relatively small group of people. ...
72,418 Words
written since Monday morning at 8am.
I am going to go outside for about 30 minutes now and see what I have missed on the other side of this door.
…then I will get back to work…
…26 days until my deadline.
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My Review: The Andrews Sisters, "Boogie Woogie... →
When one discusses the most famous and successful acts in the entire history of music, it is often forgotten than many artist who should be in such a conversation made their names in the 1940’s and 1950’s. However, in most cases when such a discussion occurs, any artist from the “pre-rock and roll” era are left out, though in some cases they easily out-performed later...
Book Preview #1
“Though one can find similar trends throughout almost every mainstream and underground sound in history, the fact of the matter is that it is often the imagery associated with the movement in question that can send a musical style completely off course. To put it more directly: posers have always ruined great music scenes.
While one can find this in every counter-culture style, it has...
The ONLY Problem With Bacon...
…is the fact that you always have to cook twice as much as you need…because you’re going to eat the other half while you’re cooking…
DAMN YOU, BACON!
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My Review: King Diamond, "Abigail" →
Throughout the course of music history, even long before it was a recorded commodity, the link between the art of musical creation and that of theatrical performance were closely linked. As far back in history as one can find, there are songs for both entertainment, as well as historical documentation, and yet one can argue that over the past century, much of the “theatrics”...
Dear Tumblr,
I have now been awake and writing for about 50 hours. I tried to sleep; but my brain would not shut off because it is well aware of how much more writing I have to do to complete my book on schedule (November 17).
I have decided that once I am through this next section, I am going to give my laptop to The Girlfriend and tell her I can’t have it back until I sleep at least 6 hours.
I have...
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My Review: The Mama's & The Papa's, "California... →
Though there may only be one or two in each generation, there are a handful of songs that were so perfectly crafted and fitting for their time, that they have gone on to completely represent and entire era of human history in their sound and style. Whether it is the absolutely perfectly orchestrated recordings of Fats Waller and the way that they vividly depict the “depression...
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My Review: Pere Ubu, "Non-Alignment Pact" →
While they are extremely few and far between, the handful of bands that have proven to make music that fits into no previously established category seem to go one of only two ways within the eyes of the general public. They are either quickly hailed as geniuses and visionaries of the “new sound,” or they are written off as “noise” and forced to fly under the radar...
Why Yes, It Is 3:43am
…and yes, I am STILL up writing…going on about 20 hours straight…my brain will likely give out before the sun comes up…
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I haven’t done an “audio extra”...
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My Review: Steppenwolf, "Born To Be Wild" →
Throughout the long history of recorded music, there are a handful of bands and songs that while are without question important to the progression of music, are often misconstrued as the decades pass. While it is rarely the result of something that the artist in question has done, the actual meaning and impact of a song can be altered by urban legends and simple miscalculations. However,...
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The Calendar On My Wall:
…just pointed out to me that one month from today, the final edit of my book is due…
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My weekly podcast is up…it’s an hour of music and...