Category Archives: Music

THE PARTY’S OVER (a song for the end of an era)

According to dozens of experts surveyed by the Wall Street Journal (see here) we're heading into a recession that will be the worst in fifty years, with at least three consecutive quarters of less-than-zero growth. Millions of homeowners face foreclosure, trillions of dollars have been lost in the stock market, and we're going to seeContinue reading “THE PARTY’S OVER (a song for the end of an era)”

The Confessions of Cassandra

The Ojai Music Festival is known for its adventurous spirit, for its lust for risk — musically speaking. In turn, Libbey Bowl audiences are known for their patience, and often they are rewarded with the  unforgettable. When Steve Reich’s difficult "Four Organs" was premiered in New York in the early l970’s, a near-riot erupted. WhenContinue reading “The Confessions of Cassandra”

Genius Loves Company: Dawn Upshaw edition

My story on the Ojai Music Festival, to begin this evening, featuring the great Dawn Upshaw (here). …when asked how it felt to be proclaimed a genius to the world, Upshaw, speaking on the phone from her studio in New York, sounds ever-so-slightly embarrassed, insisting that “only the media” call it the genius grant, sayingContinue reading “Genius Loves Company: Dawn Upshaw edition”

A Day in the Life, 41 Years Later

For the first time ever, Paul McCartney performs what many consider perhaps the greatest rock song ever (here) at an anniversary concert for Sgt. Pepper’s in Liverpool. And thanks to the miracle of the Internet, you can see it too! Funny thing is, Paul flubs the lines he sung in the song, but gets John’sContinue reading “A Day in the Life, 41 Years Later”

On the Hood (until the end)

…new issue from the Department of Rock and Roll Will Never Die. It’s a band called Matt Mays and El Torpedo. hailing from Halifax, Nova Scotia… It all began without warningOn a strange winter’s morningThe sky turned redThe vibrations went deadWith these terrible songs on a rainy dayThe pressure just started to fallYour scene doesn’tContinue reading “On the Hood (until the end)”

The Devil Makes Three: Music to Drink By

Well, they’re a lot more than that, actually. Put their "Graveyard" in a mix and it stood up well to numerous other songs from much more famous bands. Wanted to go see them tonight in Ventura, but the preview I wrote about them seems to have helped sell out the place! Oh well. They’ll beContinue reading “The Devil Makes Three: Music to Drink By”

Neil Young Puts On No Airs

Nice piece in a UK paper on Neil Young at the Berlin Film Fest. The admiring reporter/critic brings out a number of details Young would call "innaresting" — such as the fact that Neil ordered his old pals Crosby, Stills, and Nash around on the last tour. He took that right since he released theContinue reading “Neil Young Puts On No Airs”