The Intro Riff: A Lost Art?

There are a few songs which most of us can identify within the first few seconds, and will be able to do so to the grave.

Love it or loathe it, the intro riff to Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” is one of these. So is the opening to Aerosmith’s “Walk This [...]

Read Full Post »

Not all here today

Today I’m guest posting over at CougarMicrobes.com for the first, but hopefully not only time.
So there’s not much to see here, but I will share the recipe for the rhubarb pear crisp which went over so very well, rather than letting it languish in the comments on an older post. There should also be a [...]

Read Full Post »

Of science, magic and miracle

(Inspired by questions posed by Catastrophe Jones in her LiveJournal, and adapted from my subsequent comments.)

We live in a world very much a victim of its own societal norms, often ostracizing or punishing those who deviate from the same. And yet, we understand so little about the brain hardware and psyche software that surely any [...]

Read Full Post »

Why we listen to music

I’ve been thinking a lot about music – what I like, and what I like about it. (BTW, thanks to all of those who left suggestions on my post earlier this month! Still open to more if anyone cares to drop them in there.) I started writing up some thoughts on that, which were then [...]

Read Full Post »

More ‘group’ than ’super’, really

When I heard that a supergroup named Tinted Windows had been put together from members of Smashing Pumpkins, Fountains Of Wayne, Cheap Trick and Hanson – and WASN’T part of some dorky VH-1 show – I figured it could be great, or could suck, but would at least be interesting.
Way to be wrong on all [...]

Read Full Post »

New music suggestions?

OK, blogosphere. This is where you can help me out. Because for all of Pandora’s excellence, you guys are probably better. And to anyone who’s browsing in from AlphaInventions, please stop in and let me know your thoughts too.
I have recently been lamenting something of a gap in our iTunes library, which prompted me to [...]

Read Full Post »

Great Moments in Parenting

Parenting isn’t easy. Some days you just feel adrift in a sea of tantrums and teething and stanky diapers, with no end in sight.
But there are also moments when you realize it’s all worth it.

Read Full Post »

My taste in music is so two years ago.

Back in 2006 I reviewed the Decemberists’ album The Crane Wife. Then and now, a bloody amazing album, but the vocal riff from “Yankee Bayonet” has been firmly embedded in my head for about two weeks now.
Before this, my default “earworm” was the Hush Sound’s “We Intertwined”, before that was Catchpenny’s “All These Questions”, and [...]

Read Full Post »

8 Ways We Traumatize Our Offspring

While it is no surprise to me that the lyrics to many kiddie songs are both insipid and inane, I had not given a great deal of thought to very much of the content. Some of the sentiments and concepts expressed are extremely odd, and some are just plain scary to contemplate.
As such, I present [...]

Read Full Post »

More about music

Lately I can’t seem to stop thinking about music.
This is not all that surprising; music has played a central role in my life for a long time now. I have listened to it. I have played it. I have written it. On multiple instruments, in many genres, for countless reasons.
I have frequently expressed the desire [...]

Read Full Post »