Music
Against the Grain of Unconventionality
By Sergei TcherepninAmerican composer David Del Tredici, often referred to as “the father of Neo-Romanticism,” writes music that is full of sentiment and humor. A masterful orchestrator and a wizard at setting music to text, he composes with a clarity of ideas, both musical and social. His music is at times subtle and refined, at others blatantly over-the-top.
Limping with the Stooges in Washington Heights
By Todd SimmonsJust when I thought I’d finally turned the corner in my post-foot-surgery convalescence, I developed a staphylococcus aureus infection. You might know this as a “staph” infection.
Battles: Biting the Master’s Hand
By Paula CrossfieldUnlike in the 1950s, when the mere chance to be in a musician’s presence was enough to draw a crowd, I go to live shows for inspiration in exchange for my eardrums and spectatordom—something more than just hearing a band’s album played louder.
Newer, Weirder America:
By Katy HenriksenWhile the media are busy hyping the latest addition to the freak folk movement, P. G. Six continues to churn out carefully wacky quasi-folk-infused musical experimentations that are not so easily classified. Slightly Sorry is the one-man band’s fourth studio album and the first to be released on Drag City.
Time, Loss, and the Blues
By Peter WatrousThe voices of the children float through the music, the way light moves through a dense copse of trees at midday. The singer, John Lee Ziegler, is working through his repertoire, accompanied during a few tunes by Rufus Jones on spoons.
