Category Music

Folksinger Beaches and Pop Star Piers

October 15, 2012 · by · in Film/TV, Music, Philosophy, Theatre, Writing · 2 Comments

Imagine, if you will, the arts as a body of water. We all like swimming in the water.  An ocean is powerful, complex, soothing, fun, all at once or separately.  A lake is serene, nostalgic, mysterious, refreshing.  A river is thrilling, utilitarian, healing, dangerous.  The arts function in as many contradictory or complimentary ways as […]

Black Watch and the Power of Music

October 1, 2012 · by · in Criticism, Music, Theatre · 2 Comments

I recently saw international theatre hit Black Watch, at Shakespeare Theatre in D.C.  For those unfamiliar, it’s a play about the famed Scottish infantry battalion with centuries of history.  It’s presented non-realistically, jumping around from scenes of a sextet of Black Watch soldiers in a pool hall in Scotland being interviewed by an avatar of […]

Why Is There No Entry-Level Artist Job?

September 17, 2012 · by · in Film/TV, Future and Technology, Music, Theatre, Writing · 8 Comments

Why does our society not pay artists until they master their craft? If you’re a computer programmer, there is a career path for you.  You go to school, you learn how to program, you go to work in an entry-level position and as you gain experience and credentials as a programmer, you get paid more […]

Once the Smartphones Have Freed the Music

September 14, 2012 · by · in Fiction, Future and Technology, Music · 2 Comments

You go out for the night with a couple good friends.  You have no specific plan, but you all like music, and the city is filled with music. You all go to the bar and venue district.  You grab a drink.  The smartbar reads your phone semi-remotely (in your pocket) and charges you directly for […]

The Black Cat and the Facebook Event Formula

March 5, 2012 · by · in Current Events, Life, Music, Personal Experiences · 1 Comment

My band (that I play drums in) played at the Black Cat this past Saturday.  It was pretty cool.  It’s always a little unreal being the guest of a well-run and high-profile venue — whether as a theatre artist or a musician.  I wonder if it ever ceases to be unreal, if one is lucky enough […]