I’ve said many times this last year that quarantine was time we didn’t know we needed–almost as if God put humanity as a whole in time out. (“Go to your room and think about what you’ve done…”) As a society, we’ve been forced to pause and reckon with many of our institutional shortcomings (for example,Continue reading “time we didn’t know we needed”
Category Archives: music
stuck
Austin Kleon recently posted a great interview with Paul Simon, where he tells Dick Cavett how he wrote “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” There are many things at play here (art as theft, input influencing output, accessing the unconscious), but the thing that speaks to me most is the idea of being “stuck.” “Everywhere I wentContinue reading “stuck”
changing your tune
I’ve been a Bayside fan long enough to follow them through quite a few changes. While so many of their contemporaries have fallen by the wayside and disappeared from my music collection, I’ve stuck with Bayside because they’ve managed to grow alongside me, both musically and as individuals. With recent discussions about cancel culture andContinue reading “changing your tune”
Obama on cultural appropriation
I just finished listening to Renegades: Born in the USA, a series of conversations between Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen, with topics ranging from race and gender to the myth of the road to fatherhood. As far as podcasts go, it counts among my favorites. There are a million and one things that struck me,Continue reading “Obama on cultural appropriation”
the joy of not doing
A few years back, I decided to put myself on the hook and record music to send out with my Christmas cards. The first record came right after moving to California. I was alone in a strange city and only had my guitar to keep me company. The result was a few covers of songsContinue reading “the joy of not doing”
songs for myself
I always wanted to be in a band, but I was convinced it was impossible. I didn’t pick up a guitar until I was eighteen and wasn’t proficient enough to play with other people until I was twenty. By then, the one thing driving me get better was playing with the band at the EpiscopalContinue reading “songs for myself”
the promise of the road
In a recent episode of The Moment with Brian Koppelman, a listener writes in to ask, “At the end of “Thunder Road,” does Mary get in the car?” I love Brian’s answer: The promise that the character’s making is that there’s salvation in the road, there’s salvation in the American Dream of getting in yourContinue reading “the promise of the road”
inflection points
I’ve had a variety of creative pursuits: writing, drawing, music, photography. I’ve dabbled in a lot. But very few creative endeavors were much more than hobbies. It seems there’s always a roadblock when pursuing something creative, that hump that require practice to overcome. It’s the obstacle that separates the amateurs from the professionals. If you’reContinue reading “inflection points”
“nobody wants authenticity”
When discussing art or music, there’s always a lot of talk about authenticity, a word used to describe something that orbits the truth. The problem is, the word itself has been corrupted. Artists and creative people spend so much time chasing the idea of authenticity, they make the mistake of conflating truth with reality. NoneContinue reading ““nobody wants authenticity””
listening for spring
I started listening to New Found Glory in 2007. It was springtime when I picked up a copy of Sticks and Stones at a garage sale and after a winter spent nursing a broken heart, this was exactly the music I needed to bring me back to life. New Found Glory became my soundtrack forContinue reading “listening for spring”
