Song of FireSong of FireMusic and musings - a journey exploring how music is fundamental to the universe. Using mp3s and photos, the writing blends travel, culture, personal stories, humor and reader dialog about the role of music in our lives. 
Articles
Portrait of Marie, improvising
2007-12-06 08:19:00 My husband and I had a daughter together. After a year, though, he abandoned us. I couldn?t get a job, became homeless. My daughter was taken from me. I went crazy, lived on the streets, hunted for food in garbage bins. More About: Marie , Fire , Portrait
The lyrics of Tori Amos
2007-12-06 00:34:00 Tori uses highly personal and idiosyncratic language in her lyrics that makes the songs often difficult to decipher and open to multiple interpretations. We don't always know exactly what she's talking about, but her choice of words and imagery convey an underlying emotional state that we understand. The ambiguity of meaning helps keep the songs interesting and engaging. A good example of the challenge of interpretation is "Caught A Lite Sneeze." More About: Lyrics , Tori Amos , Tori , Amos
Hancock?s Letters to Joni
2007-12-05 09:05:00 Before recording the Joni Mitchell songs that comprise 10 of the 12 tracks* on "River - The Joni Letters ," Herbie Hancock first gathered his fellow musicians and discussed the meaning of the lyrics, the environment of the lyrics in relation to the music. The music they crafted together is a hauntingly beautiful tribute to Joni's artistry.
Get a bang out of life
2007-12-02 06:21:00 One year ago, MeShell Ndegeocello released an EP with five songs representing a stylistic departure from the music for which she was known. She is an artist in the deepest sense and never stands still musically, continually challenging us and our preconceptions. One of those songs, "The Sloganeer: Paradise," is a high-energy, quasi-punk number with frenetic, restless drumming that opens with these words: More About: Islam , Life , Bang
Islamo-fascists are at it again
2007-12-01 09:43:00 magine you were robbed, and when you reported the crime to the police, they jailed you because robbery is against the law. And then sentenced you to the electric chair. More About: Fascists
The end of the major labels
2007-12-01 07:16:00 eMarketer predicts continued decreases in recorded music spending worldwide, with a 20% decline over the next four years. More About: Labels , Major
Name a teddy bear Muhammad - go to jail
2007-11-29 19:44:00 The Sudan ese government has jailed a British teacher who allowed a student to name a teddy bear "Muhammad ," accusing the teacher of insulting Islam and threatening her with up to 40 lashes and six months in prison. More About: Jail , Teddy Bear
The origins of music
2007-11-29 08:13:00 When did our ancestors first engage in creating music? More About: Music , Origin
The ?Hustle and Flow? of Music and Dreams
2007-11-28 08:11:00 If you're a creative individual and you're feeling frustrated, I recommend renting this DVD, and be sure to watch the extra features. It will remind you that you're not alone. More About: Music , Dreams , Hustle , Flow , Hustle and Flow
The year I turned eight was the year I became a Martian
2007-11-24 21:36:00 There are more galaxies in the visible universe than there are stars in a single galaxy such as our own Milky Way, which alone contains some one hundred billion stars. Even if there is only one planet with life in each galaxy, that would still leave trillions of planets with life. The year I turned eight was the year I became a Martian. My parents had just moved from a single-family house into a townhouse so my father, with his heart condition, would not be troubled with yard work. A family with a boy my age and a girl one year younger moved into the unit adjoining ours. Lenny was a slight boy with straight, black hair that draped his forehead and partly concealed his small, shrewd eyes. His sister Linda was shy and subdued in his shadow. The three of us quickly became best friends. Read the entire story… More About: Year
The year I turned eight was the year I became a Martian
2007-11-24 21:36:00 There are more galaxies in the visible universe than there are stars in a single galaxy such as our own Milky Way, which alone contains some one hundred billion stars. Even if there is only one planet with life in each galaxy, that would still leave trillions of planets with life. The year I turned eight ... More About: Year
Musicians are getting screwed
2007-11-24 19:58:00 Just about everyone knows how the major labels have screwed musicians over the decades. A gold record, selling 500,000 copies and grossing $7.5 million, nets the artist only $40,000 — which would be $10,000 each for a four-member band. Jazzy Jef, who co-wrote hits with Will Smith , recounts how, after winning a Grammy for a ... More About: Amazon , Joni Mitchell , About , Radiohead
Musicians are getting screwed
2007-11-24 19:58:00 Just about everyone knows how the major labels have screwed musicians over the decades. A gold record, selling 500,000 copies and grossing $7.5 million, nets the artist only $40,000 — which would be $10,000 each for a four-member band. Jazzy Jef, who co-wrote hits with Will Smith, recounts how, after winning a Grammy for a hit record, he went out to his car and cried because he only had $500 to his name. But even with the opportunities afforded by the Internet and inexpensive home production, musicians are still getting screwed. (more…) More About: Screwed , Musicians
Is live music dying?
2007-11-19 06:56:00 We spent months preparing for the Gemini Soul tour, booking performances in Phoenix, Hollywood, Fresno, Santa Cruz and Orange County. We covered it all: a publicist, advertising, free ticket give-aways, flyers, posters, concert listings, postcards. We tried holding a charity benefit. We tried having an opening band. We tried free promotional concerts at colleges. We ... More About: Music , Live Music , Live , Radiohead , Dying
Is live music dying?
2007-11-19 06:56:00 We spent months preparing for the Gemini Soul tour, booking performances in Phoenix, Hollywood, Fresno, Santa Cruz and Orange County. We covered it all: a publicist, advertising, free ticket give-aways, flyers, posters, concert listings, postcards. We tried holding a charity benefit. We tried having an opening band. We tried free promotional concerts at colleges. We tried passing out free admission cards on the street. And still only a scattering of people came to each show. The people who did show up always raved about the music, as did the doormen, the bartenders, the club managers. “You’re the best band I’ve ever seen play here, and I’ve heard a lot of bands,” was a typical response. So where was everyone? (more…) More About: Music , Live Music , Live , Dying
Shopping for God
2007-11-14 06:16:00 Hey you, with the black and turquoise backpack — yeah, I’m talking to you! I’ve got three dozen brands of God here, and a hundred styles of shoe. Learn how to shoot a gun for Jesus; have more than wife; Be someone famous in a previous life. Let’s go shopping for God. I want a new one in a shiny wrapper. Shopping for God. Read the entire story…
Reflections - part 5
2007-11-14 06:16:00 Let?s go shopping for God. I want a new one in a shiny wrapper. Shopping for God. More About: Reflections , Part
Origins - part 3
2007-11-14 04:07:00 When did our ancestors first engage in creating music? The answer is not known. But music has been around a long time: musical instruments are among the oldest human-made artifacts discovered, far older than our forays into agriculture. The oldest known instrument is a Slovenian bone flute from around fifty thousand years ago. In all likelihood, percussion instruments were in existence long before that, which would be consistent with what has been found in hunter-gatherer societies, as well as with what has been observed among monkeys, which are known to beat on hollow logs in a manner that suggests call and response. Music making is found in the archaeological record of every culture throughout all eras. Read the entire story… More About: Part , Part 3 , Origin
Origins - part 3
2007-11-14 04:07:00 When did our ancestors first engage in creating music? Music has been around a long time: musical instruments are among the oldest human-made artifacts discovered. More About: Part , Part 3 , Origin
The Ride with the Stranger - 1
2007-11-13 22:41:00 A black, ?61 Chevy Impala convertible pulls up to the stop sign as I cross the street ? only it?s not the shiny, gleaming black of a well-kept classic car but a weathered, dingy black like ash. The car idles roughly as the driver, a gaunt-faced twenty-something with dark glasses and a black hooded sweatshirt, watches me pass in front. More About: Ride , Tran , Ranger
The Ride with the Stranger - 1
2007-11-13 22:41:00 A black, ‘61 Chevy Impala convertible pulls up to the stop sign as I cross the street — only it’s not the shiny, gleaming black of a well-kept classic car but a weathered, dingy black like ash. The car idles roughly as the driver, a gaunt-faced twenty-something with dark glasses and a black hooded sweatshirt, watches me pass in front. “Can I give you a ride?” he asks. “Well, uh, actually —“ He leans across the passenger seat and opens the door, which groans on its hinges. I hesitate, looking down the street ahead of me, then slip off my backpack and climb in, pulling the door shut. “I’m going about two miles down that way,” I point to the right. The car backfires as he accelerates and turns without signaling. Read the entire story… More About: Ride , Tran , Ranger
Reflections - part 1
2007-11-12 22:42:00 A small, ceramic Jesus painted in egg-shell pastels of sky blue, cream and pink stood on my nightstand. He carried a lamb around his neck, and that image of compassion represented everything that I knew about God. More About: Reflections , Water , Part
Reflections - part 1
2007-11-12 22:42:00 My family was nominally Christian. Mom had been raised Protestant and spent a year at a Catholic boarding school; Dad had been raised Lutheran but was an avid reader of tracts by mystical groups likes the Rosicrucians. My sisters both attended a Methodist church as young girls. Perhaps exhausted by this efflorescence of beliefs, by the time I was born my parents had lost interest in organized religion. But a small, ceramic Jesus painted in egg-shell pastels of sky blue, cream and pink stood on my nightstand. He carried a lamb around his neck, and that image of compassion represented everything that I knew about God. Read the entire story… More About: Reflections , Part
The Chocolate Factory
2007-11-12 20:58:00 Waiting outside of an old brick building in Berkeley, I heard a voice calling my name, but I couldn’t determine its source and looked around in confusion. “Over here!” Marielle called, and I turned to see her waving an arm and crossing the street in snug jeans, a black taffeta blouse and high heels. Despite always being the picture of style, she had that rare ability to shift comfortably from elegance to earthiness, and as a result, I once jokingly told her, she was a man magnet, trailing men like iron filings. “Beautiful as usual,” I greeted her with a hug. “Are you ready for our tour?” “I’m always ready for chocolate.” She closed her eyes and inhaled the scent of warm chocolate emanating from the factory. Read the entire story… More About: Factory , Chocolate
The Chocolate Factory
2007-11-12 20:58:00 ?I?m always ready for chocolate.? She closed her eyes and inhaled the scent of warm chocolate emanating from the factory. More About: Factory , Chocolate
Origins - part 2
2007-11-12 08:26:00 My earliest memory is of my maternal grandmother holding me in her arms while we sit on the porch of a cabin at June Lake. Crickets as numerous as stars serve as chorus for her lullaby. The rhythm of her rocking lulls me, the steady pendulum motion marking time. More About: Fire , Part , Grammy , Origin
Origins - part 2
2007-11-12 08:26:00 My earliest memory is of my maternal grandmother holding me in her arms while we sit on the porch of a cabin at June Lake. Crickets as numerous as stars serve as chorus for her lullaby. The rhythm of her rocking lulls me, the steady pendulum motion marking time. Grammy never had any formal music training, but picking out tunes by ear came naturally to her as she grew up on her family’s Nebraska farm. There was always music in our house. My mother would reach for her ukulele, tuning it according to the mnemonic phrase someone had taught her: My dog has fleas. Grammy would sit down at the piano, singing in her old-time falsetto, and together they would play songs like “Bill Bailey,” “Filipino Baby,” and “Bicycle Built for Two.” After each song Grammy would attempt to leave the piano bench, but my mother would plead, “Ma, just one more,” until at last Grammy had exhausted both her repertoire and her stamina, and she would hoist herself up with one hand on the piano, h... More About: Part , Origin
Origins - part 1
2007-11-12 04:12:00 Music is the motion of the universe, each atom singing its story. More About: Part , Origin
Origins - part 1
More articles from this author:2007-11-12 04:12:00 In the beginning there came a flash of light, an immense explosion of energy that created all matter and sent particles streaming in every direction. Almost immediately, the particles began spinning and singing their strange harmonies: pops and hums and whirrings and whistlings, white noise, pink noise, clicks and drones. Over time, the particles aggregated into atoms, which aggregated into stars and planets, and then galaxies; the sounds became the steady beat of a rotating pulsar and the piccolo glissando of particles streaming through the atmosphere of Jupiter. Music is the motion of the universe, each atom singing its story. Read the entire story… More About: Part , Origin 1, 2, 3 |
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