As I prepare to see the Detroit Symphony Orchestra perform all nine Beethoven symphonies during the next 2 weeks, I am reminded of the great stories behind the composition of Beethoven’s 3rd symphony (Eroica). Legend goes that Beethoven had originally composed the symphony in dedication to his political hero Napoleon and titled the piece Bonaparte. However, [...]

This was a great album by Yes that never got the attention it deserved. I was 13 when it came out, and I bought it for (1) my musical interest in Yes, and (2) the cover graphics. I thought the cover was cool. This album marked the return of Rick Wakeman to the band. Back [...]

Watch as he really gets going. This kid is amazing. Here is a drumcool.com post on Dylan, and a feature on Drum magazine. Then there’s this.

It is impossible to write while Ravel’s Boléro is playing in the background on Pandora. The rising crescendo drives me mad, so I have to stand, and then I find I need to move around. So today I made a coffee and Kahlua. It must be the obsessive repetitiveness that stops my mind dead in its tracks. [...]

Evelyn Glennie, a deaf Scot, is one of the most unique percussionists in the world. She put on an amazing TED talk and demonstration some years ago where she talked about how listening transcends just listening with the ear. She uses her body to “hear music” and make interpretations. She doesn’t learn music – she experiences [...]

Well, one post office in particular. This letter is from a long-time reader and correspondent, Jean Carbonneau, from Maine. Over the past few years, I have sent Jean some of my CDs that represent the spirit of anti-government airwaves, as I wrote about here. He writes: This is my favorite time of the year, and [...]

During this season, I always like to point out those great lyrics from the holiday television special, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Burl Ives, as a snowman, sings about subjective value: Silver and gold Silver and gold Ev’ryone wishes for silver and gold How do you measure it’s worth? Just by the pleasure it gives here on earth. The [...]

The Sleepy Man Banjo Boys started as a YouTube sensation, and then these teenage wonders played an appearance on TED in June 2012. This is the informal (short) bedroom version of Flint Hill Special.

One of the most obnoxious “takeovers” on modern radio is the assault on wonderful holiday Christmas music by the commercial stations that play the secular-pop junk ’round the clock, at Christmas time, until nausea sweeps the senses. I wrote this article in 2007: Christmas Music: A Postmortem Reflection, and I think it stands the test [...]

This is an amazing performance of Ravel’s Boléro by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. I sat in the front row (center) for this performance. Here’s a snippet from Wikipedia from one of my favorite books: Philosopher Allan Bloom commented in his 1987 bestseller The Closing of the American Mind, “Young people know that rock has the beat of sexual intercourse. That is [...]