Category: music

Del Before Dre (Themes And Trends With Dante Ross)

Del the Funky Homosapien’s first album is called I Wish My Brother George Was Here. The George in the title is (at least indirectly) a reference to George Clinton.* The album itself  is brimming with Parliament samples, and if you figured it came after Dr. Dre’s The Chronic because of it’s sonic similarities, I’d understand … Continue reading Del Before Dre (Themes And Trends With Dante Ross) →

Sunday Music: Personal Journalist / Sage Francis

It didn’t age well. And that’s ok. It’s still got merits.  I have a series of Sage Francis quotes and references I repeat to myself regularly 20 years on. I’m not a college kid in a pre-social media era crafting AIM away messages anymore. All those bizarre curiosities have moved through and beyond subreddits by … Continue reading Sunday Music: Personal Journalist / Sage Francis →

Sunday Music: 1001 By Glitterer

Glitterer in Wilkes-Barre doing NEPA proud.

We saw Glitterer the other week and this song just stood out like crazy in the setlist to me: “1001” Shoegaze, at it’s best, combines melodic and harmonic tension and resolution. It usually requires the rhythm to be, sort of - plodding(?). Yeah, I’m not Wikipedia for this, but it’s the vibe I get. By … Continue reading Sunday Music: 1001 By Glitterer →

Be Careful What You Wish For (Jed McKenna, Agnes Callard, And Cypress Hill Edition)

“Be careful what you wish for, not because you’ll get it but because you’ll be turned into the thing that can get it.” Jed McKenna Agnes Callard explains the difference between the aspirational and the ambitious. Apply these to McKenna’s “wish” from the quote above. They have everything to do with our identities and the … Continue reading Be Careful What You Wish For (Jed McKenna, Agnes Callard, And Cypress Hill Edition) →

Sunday Music: Like Cold November Rain (Go Easy, Rider)

When your fiancé says “Let’s put some G N’ R on” you don’t argue. You embrace being 10 again, popping the cassette into the deck, and basking in the glory of using one’s illusions.  Whatever age you were when you heard “November Rain” (or especially when you first saw the video), it sticks with you.  … Continue reading Sunday Music: Like Cold November Rain (Go Easy, Rider) →

I Sing The Body Electric Relaxation

Walt Whitman first published Leaves of Grass in 1855 with 12 poems in it. He wrote, rewrote, and expanded it. Edition by edition. In the 1892 “deathbed” version, there are 400 entries.  Four. Hundred. Entries.  And Whitman evolved alongside his work, as evidenced by the updates. Each new edition came with new perspectives and reflections. … Continue reading I Sing The Body Electric Relaxation →

Sunday Music: Electric Relaxation (Tribe)

Is “Electric Relaxation” one of the greatest songs ever?  “Relax yourself girl please set-tle down” gets me going every time. Sexy as s***. And even if some of the lyrics are corny, they’re perfectly corny.  But for the non-music nerds, I have to clue you in on something else that's going on. Part of Q-Tip's … Continue reading Sunday Music: Electric Relaxation (Tribe) →

The Cuckoo (Hero’s Journey Alternates)

Joseph Campbell’s “hero’s journey” can work like a plug-and-play template. It’s a proven framework for creating tension and resolving conflict with plenty of main character development along the way. The artistic world is full of similar structures - one of my alternate favorites is a folk song format called “The Cuckoo.” Learning to spot any … Continue reading The Cuckoo (Hero’s Journey Alternates) →