So there was this study which determined that there is a small fraction of the populace that derives no emotion from listening to music. The condition is called “anhedonia” and about five percent of the population is affected. For these people, music does not make them happy, they have noRead More

There are points during nearly all concerts where the emotions and internal language of the music can take over to express something that’s out of the grasp of mere words. You May Also Like: Reevaluating Bruce Springsteen’s ‘The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle’

Every once in a while I’m reminded, quite randomly, of the feeling I get when completely immersed in a piece of art. I don’t really keep track of the statistics or anything, but it feels like the phenomenon is spread equally You May Also Like: Guy Capecelatro III – HopeRead More

Dar Williams might be one of the few singer-songwriters around who could take the age-old fables surrounding Zeus and Aphrodite, and smartly connect them to our current state of affairs. You May Also Like: How Warren Zevon Found Drunken Brilliance With Hindu Love Gods Denny Zeitlin, with Buster Williams +Read More

Folk singer Dar Williams has an entry on my “Had To Sit In The Car After Arriving At Work To Get The Scoop On That Song!” list. Back in 1993, about 30 seconds before pulling into the parking lot, “When I Was A Boy” came on WERS, Emerson College radio.Read More

When it comes to music, and art in general, I’m driven by the “butterfly effect” as applied to aesthetics. My main purpose is to introduce people to what I like in the hope that their new found joy will in turn influence others You May Also Like: Forget What YouRead More

Levon Helm, the Grammy-winning co-founding member of the Band, is set to undergo an undisclosed medical procedure that will keep him from performing for at least a month. You May Also Like: How Levon Helm Turned ‘Dirt Farmer’ Into a Rootsy, Thrilling Comeback Walter Becker, “Medical Science [Demo]” (1994): SteelyRead More

Some people say that music and politics don’t mix. That songwriters should stay out of it. That they’re abusing their celebrity in order to push a message. That they should just shut up. You May Also Like: No related posts.

One day back in 1996, I was on my way to work and heard this terrific song … about a kid playing in the backyard? Refusing to wear a shirt? Huh?! You May Also Like: Joe Jackson’s Rain underscored a complete modern-era return to form