by guest blogger Corey DargelA few years ago, I was one of the featured composers/performers on the ASCAP Foundation's Thru The Walls concert series.  The initial plan, devised by curator Martha Mooke and members of the ASCAP Concert Music staff, was to have Marc Anthony Thompson (aka Chocolate Genius) M.C. the concert.  Unfortunately, that fell through shortly before the concert happened.What would happen if new-music concerts were M.C.-ed by artists who have their feet firmly planted … [Read more...]

by guest blogger Corey DargelI found this on breitbart.com:MILAN, Italy (AP) - First it was the film and the book. Now the next stop for Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" is opera. La Scala officials say the Italian composer Giorgio Battistelli has been commissioned to produce an opera on the international multiformat hit for the 2011 season at the Milan opera house.There's something perverse here, but I can't articulate what it is... … [Read more...]

by guest blogger Corey DargelThe late Robert Solomon was a professor of philosophy at the University of Texas.  He had a very fun cameo in the animated film Waking Life.  Solomon created a lecture series called Philosophy and the Intelligence of Emotions. One of the lectures was titled "Laughter and Music."Solomon argued that laughter has very little to do with what's funny and what's not funny.  Rather, he believed that laughter is a bonding mechanism; its primary purpose is to … [Read more...]

by guest blogger Corey DargelEric G. Wilson's polemical book, against happiness, is not as dismal or misanthropic as you might expect from its title.  It's less against happiness in general than it is against a certain kind of performed happiness or superficial happiness.  Wilson wants us to embrace melancholy as a means of experiencing beauty in the world.  After all, he argues, part of what makes something profoundly beautiful is knowing that it will eventually pass away.I'm … [Read more...]

by guest blogger, Corey DargelGreetings, everyone, and thank you to Molly for the invitation to drive this thing while she's away.  I'll shift into third gear immediately by raising an issue that has caused much internal conflict for me, as a composer/performer and especially as a writer of songs -- my desire to balance personal expression with multiplicity of meaning.  This conflict of mine was recently reinvigorated by a performance of Sean Griffin's piece, Buffalo '70, at the … [Read more...]

I know we just started this engine, but I'll be stepping away from my desk for the next two weeks. For the health and sanity of myself and my loved ones, I'll also be unplugging from the internet during this hiatus. While I'm off scrunching my toes in black sand, hunting gnomes, and trying not to think about checking my email, please enjoy the blog stylings of syncretic composer/performer/writer/audio engineer/romantic and all-round swell guy Corey Dargel, who has graciously agreed to play … [Read more...]

Speaking of gaps, the Wall Street Journal has just launched a "Journal Women" section with--wait for it--articles on springtime clothing sales and helpful tips on diet and exercise. And don't get me started on the cleavage primer. Seriously? Seriously? Though probably well intentioned, this ghetto section leaves me with a bad taste. FOX Sports suddenly looks almost progressive. … [Read more...]

I also have marveled at James Fallows' word count, particularly when I'm looking for the inspiration to generate both the quality and the quantity of typing that blogging seems to demand. So tonight I will play the "picture equals" card and cheat by drawing your attention to a video clip: Yes, yes, silly, ha-ha, but you might be willing to admit that there's a little bit of parity in here related to the broader implications of museum culture in the performing arts--and how audiences stop by … [Read more...]

I want to take some of the issues in my last post a little further, particularly jumping off a comment left by friend and colleague Ian Moss. He writes: To me, that freedom is the stereotype. No matter what, you're going to hear stuff that you don't hear every day, and that isn't limited by someone else's idea of what music is supposed to be. That's not very specific, but I think it captures the creative impulse that is shared by those who call themselves composers. And in response I am moved to … [Read more...]

My liberal arts education began, strangely enough, with a book that explored why stereotyping was necessary and good. The author's point (sorry--for the life of me I cannot remember his name or the title of the text) was not to encourage the blanket hatred of groups of people or the dismissal of new thoughts and ideas, but rather to suggest that without stereotypes, it would be impossible to function. Sure, we need to remain open to contradictions in our personally formed stereotypes … [Read more...]