The sincerest form of flattery
The past two weeks I’ve been (trying) to write about Kraftwerk. German band. They play instruments; flutes, keyboards, fake drums, robots. They make beautiful music, really the only way to put it, beautiful music. Really it is a singular body of work, modern music that you can listen to over and over. As with other … Continue reading
U2 in East Lansing (before and after)
Somewhere, right now, Bono is in East Lansing — Me, to my family when I arrived in EL on June 25th. Thing I most remember was Bono climbing around on the lighting equipment like an Irish monkey. -– Chris, my longtime record store friend who was in attendance when U2 last played East Lansing on … Continue reading
Kraftwerk: the early days
When we look back at Kraftwerk it is easy to have no knowledge of the early days of the band, before they really were “Kraftwerk.” Springing from the formative West Germany in the 60s Ralf Hutter and Florian Schnieder worked together as far back as 1967. Their first band was called Organization and released a … Continue reading
Kraftwerk
Last week I trawled through the YouTube and found a few clips that in no way shed a wide light on the subgenre of music that folks like me call, Krautrock. I left off clips from one band, a band that I assume anybody who hears the term Krautrock would think of: Kraftwerk. Kraftwerk, in … Continue reading
Krautrock YouTube sampler
Hello again. I’ve been gone, now I’m back. (No that’s not a Morrissey song lyric nor is it a mission statement.) In-between coming to grips with the end of my teaching year and a strange newfound interest in planting seeds in the ground and watching them grow, music has felt very far from my mind. … Continue reading
Fare thee well
Music is molecular. You hear a song, listen to a song, feel a song and you are forever changed. Who and what you were before hearing the song are not the same who and what you are after hearing a song. Music sticks to memories, to associations, to every facet of your life. Times, places, … Continue reading
Top ten sexy music videos for hipsters & delinquents
You’ve seen Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game.” You’ve seen Christina Aguilera’s “Dirrty.” I have too. And they’re peachy—along with Prince’s “Gett Off,” which is also swell—but for my favorite saucy music video eye candy, I prefer something a little more left-of-center. Perhaps you do too. Perhaps you’d be interested to see some hot people in drag … Continue reading
Jack and the Duke
I first started listening to Jazz in 1993. Feels like a lifetime ago. I remember what I started listening to and the artists I chose to begin with. I can tell you that one of the artists I listened to was NOT Duke Ellington. I can’t explain why I didn’t start with Duke. As I … Continue reading
The home of the strange
I know that being an adult and missing home is unspeakably lame. Which is why I’m writing about it. If we’re being honest, and I hope that by now we are, lately I’ve been as homesick as a tween at straight camp. It’s a strange experience, feeling transplanted. The midwest is terribly different from east … Continue reading
Record Store Day
Fuck Record Store Day. Yeah, I said it. Tomorrow is Record Store Day, one of the phoniest events since Sweetest Day. The “event” was created in 2007 as a “celebration of the unique culture surrounding over 700 independently owned record stores in the USA.” The concept and the idea behind this event really make me … Continue reading
