My blogroll-ed friend Ted Reinert badgered me into going to this show and I’m glad he did. I had seen the Arcade Fire and their awesome openers Spoon twice each and didn’t expect much from either this time around. Both bands put on better shows than I thought were possible. UPDATE: After many, many posts [...]
Posts Tagged ‘Music’
Sounds of ‘The Suburbs’
Posted in More Intelligent Life, tagged Arcade Fire, Minnesota, Music, Spoon, Washington DC on August 11, 2010 |
Writers Talk About Working the Hyper-Local Beat
Posted in PBS MediaShift, tagged Journalists, Media, Music, Pay, Washington DC on July 23, 2010 |
This is my second piece for PBS MediaShift, which is again looking at new opportunities for journalists. Although the quotes I got were much less explosive than in the previous piece, I still managed to work in a great anecdote about dropping inappropriate Sarah Palin references into blog posts to drive traffic. In my first [...]
Keep Jazz Real
Posted in More Intelligent Life, tagged Music, Washington DC on January 11, 2010 |
According to the National Endowment for the Arts, in 2008 jazz fans were less numerous and much older than ever before. Stuffy, stodgy jazz aficionados couldn’t figure out why. I explain. In his lament for the state of jazz, Terry Teachout began by noting that in 1987 Congress passed a measure honouring jazz as “a [...]
Regina Spektor’s Raucous Piano Recital
Posted in More Intelligent Life, tagged Music, Washington DC on November 9, 2009 |
I would like to thank both Sue Kim for bringing me to this show and Ted Reinert for giving me a couple Regina Spektor albums–good times, good tunes. By the time I spotted an exuberant couple swing-dancing in the wide carpeted isles of the Daughters of the American Revolution ballroom, I’d already quit trying [...]
We’re Number 37: Singing for Health Care Reform
Posted in Mother Jones, tagged Activism, Health Care, Music on September 21, 2009 |
Singer/songwritter Paul Hipp has put out a little YouTube ditty in mock-celebration of the US’ thirty-seventh place ranking in the World Health Organization’s most recent ranking of health care systems around the world. Like the best Dylan tracks, this one is more about the message than the music (i.e., Hipp’s got a terrible voice). Give [...]
Shedding Tears for Record Stores, Too
Posted in More Intelligent Life, tagged Music on September 3, 2009 | 1 Comment »
This is in response to a series of posts on MIL about the demise of the album. It was originally an impassioned email to my editor that ended up, well, like this: The album’s grave-dancers would deny it, but I believe the album is music in its finest form. No one can resist the power [...]
“Heavy Rotation”: Soundtracks That Changed Lives
Posted in More Intelligent Life, tagged Literature, Music on July 28, 2009 | 1 Comment »
This is a personal post entwined with a book review inspired by a radio interview. In other words, it was a good excuse to write about the Beastie Boys and score a free collection of essays that I was interested in reading. Next up is packing for the move to DC into what I hope [...]
The Death of a Pop Star… and a Pitch
Posted in Hiar Learning, tagged Music, Scandal on July 2, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
I was on deadline the day Michael died so although I, like many other writers and music lovers, immediately felt compelled to write something—to sort through my tangle of emotions—I had to put it aside and wrap up the piece I was working on (which is still sitting languishing in editing purgatory, mind you). The [...]
Making the Most of Earth Day
Posted in More Intelligent Life, tagged Environment, Foreign Policy, Music, Politics, Washington DC on April 22, 2009 |
There’s a green itch I’ve been needing to scratch and the confluence of Earth Day, The Flaming Lips and environmental calamity provided all the material I needed for a satisfying post. There’s more in the works so stay tuned… On April 22nd 1970 some 20m Americans joined Senator Gaylord Nelson’s call to celebrate the first [...]
