The 2016 election season has been ugly so far, and it will probably only get worse in the coming months… My biggest pet peeve could be boiled down to essentially this: people are not serious enough about local elections, and…
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Jan 1 2016
Parallels Between Fringe Songwriters and Old School Weed Dealers
I sometimes look for insights from other businesses with parallels to the art market of fringe songwriting. Beyond general characteristics shared by all capital-based businesses – managing margins, staying profitable, building towards some kind of measurable growth – the operational…
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Aug 5 2015
An Appreciation for the Beach Boys
I like the music of the Beach Boys. Brian Wilson's unabashed Pop compositions are more than mere formula songs by enlarge (even the early stuff). The music invokes a simplicity that betrays its technical and emotional complexity. Done well, the…Read more
Jul 2 2015
Music is Imperfect
Automation can serve music, but it can't correct it. Music has no correctable qualities. The air/ lilt/ light/ space adding color and vibrancy to sound are the gates by which the body and mind gain consciousness of the composition from…Read more
May 3 2015
Pour Some Sugar On Me
Def Leppard, after years of directing ladies to pour sugar on them, are as determined as ever to own the situation.
Sadly, dousing your lover in sugar is still well outside of societal norms despite the best efforts of Def…Read more
Sadly, dousing your lover in sugar is still well outside of societal norms despite the best efforts of Def…Read more
Feb 25 2015
Boy Bands – Fuck No!
Remember NSYNC? Wow, they were really in sync. Streamlined. Uniform. They were painting by numbers and staying within the lines. Step – 2-3-4; but dazzling, no? Just kidding. All boy bands suck. Not just a little bit, but very much…
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Jan 17 2015
Motivational Slogans Pretty Much Suck
US culture places a high premium on feeling good. How about feeling how you feel and being true to that? There is something "ugly American" about the proliferation of motivational sloganeering along paths of self-realization. Less talk, more do. At…Read more
Jan 6 2015
Music Talk on the Subject of Swag
The conversation used to be music-related when I'd talk with management types about how my music fits into the big picture. Lately, it’s been more about what kind of branded merchandise we can sell down the road - shoes, ties…Read more
Jul 17 2014
American Underground/ Outsider Rock in the 1980s (Part 2): Punk Rock
What is Punk…? I’d say political-action: (MC5, Clash, Black Flag, Gang of Four, etc.), and jamming the status quo: (Sex Pistols, FEAR, Dead Kennedys, etc.). I’d call it a vibrant energy beyond the mainstream capable of linking memorable characters along…Read more
Jul 9 2014
Out of Body Experiences
I’ve had two very real out of body experiences in my lifetime, both set to music. The first one was in high school. I slept in my parent’s basement, had a room there, and I’d keep the radio on and…Read more
Apr 23 2014
Chris Kluwe - Ex NFL Punter Loses Job After Publicly Supporting Gay Marriage
I listened to an interesting podcast this morning w/ ex-NFL punter Chris Kluwe, who lost his job (not so coincidentally) after offering public support for marriage equality. Kluwe was ahead of the curve in the NFL in this regard. He…Read more
Feb 6 2014
American Underground/ Outsider Rock in the 1980s (Part 1): In Hindsight
Nirvana… (oh, well, whatever), Nevermind.
Twenty-some years ago, Nirvana released the Nevermind album. It went to the top of the charts and turned the band into global stars. In hindsight, it seems like a watershed moment in music, a point…Read more
Twenty-some years ago, Nirvana released the Nevermind album. It went to the top of the charts and turned the band into global stars. In hindsight, it seems like a watershed moment in music, a point…Read more