June 2011
1 post
14 tags
In praise of ordinary life
Two friends entered the mansion of a successful business associate. Friend One turned to Friend Two and said: “Wow, this place is amazing! Look at all the stuff this guy has.” To which Friend Two replied: “Yeah, but I have something he’ll never have.” Friend One: “Really? What’s that?” Friend Two: “Enough.” I’m probably fairly typical as an American in that I am hard-wired to believe that...
May 2011
2 posts
14 tags
Prayer Flags (9/11 healing song)
The day after the attack, my downtown New York City neighborhood was a locked-down war zone, smelling of molten metal, tears and devastation, and preternaturally quiet. And, plastered on every available surface were handmade flyers announced those missing after the September 11 attack, posted overnight by desperate loved ones. Pizzeria windows, mailboxes, bus stops, delis—all had become instant...
10 tags
Where does music come from?
It doesn’t come from anywhere. It’s already there. Every song that has ever, is ever, and will ever be written exists already - there are only 12 notes, after all (at least in Western music). I’ve always believed that all possible music - and for that matter poetry, literature, art - is already living and hovering “out there” (as well as “in here”)… just as all colors exist...
April 2011
2 posts
12 tags
Easter
In the dark night of the soul Our broken hearts you can make whole - Eliza Gilkyson (“Requiem”) Balayer, balayer, balayer Les blessures de mon passé Tout parait beau, tout parait léger Comme si le monde allait changer - Henri Dikongé (“C’est la vie”) I am not religious. I long ago abandoned Catholicism. And I am not one to abandon one set of rules for another, no matter how incense-scented and...
March 2011
2 posts
16 tags
What is the value of music?
Simple. It’s love.
I make music because I love it. Because I have to. (Though I have to be smart about what a project may cost, I just don’t — can’t — think about ROI. Art and net profit are forever uncoupled in my mind.)
The act of creation is complete. It is a choice — or rather, a decision.
So having produced my work (in this case, a wonderful new EP) what’s it “worth” in the marketplace? In...
