It's raining something fierce this afternoon, and there is a long list of things I'm supposed to be working on. But my computer seems to be giving me a psychosomatic headache, so I've been procrastinating with a serious intensity. First, there was the pizza making,then the furniture assembling, and then, finally, the pumpkin carving. I've notice lately that I crave creative activity that results in a material object as opposed to an intellectual product. I suspect this may be a reaction to the … [Read more...]

Not sure if the content of my love life is Top 40 hit song material, but for Corey's sake, I certainly hope so. Get the back story here. Or skip the fine print and just watch the video. … [Read more...]

(This hallelujah chorus courtesy roving reporter Brian Sacawa.) … [Read more...]

Last night, during a long and winding conversation about music, genre, emotional vs. intellectual processing and cross-derivatives of the two, etc., we wondered aloud about the ways we use music in our personal lives as opposed to the professional. How can you love this? How can you not? Do you pay more attention to the music or the lyrical content? Oh, really, well that explains it!--You know, that sort of thing.Later on, we specifically spoke about how we use it to decorate the fantasy space … [Read more...]

A holiday handgun promo?!? Because nothing says "I love you, Grandpa" quite like a couple of new clips. Seriously, people, seriously. I know we're all supposed to be getting into the shopping mood early this year for the good of the tanking American economy and all, but this ad (thanks for ruining my breakfast, junk email!!) just makes a person ill. I was feeling pretty dispirited, and then I got to thinking about an interview I did the other day with Robert Elmes, the director of Galapagos Art … [Read more...]

Mind the Gap has received it's first question! I've offered my 2, now it's your turn. Dear Mind the Gap, I really love new music, but a few things about it have me stumped. Non-profit groups like Bang on a Can, Alarm Will Sound, Anti-Social Music, and others celebrate an unprecedented musical diversity. All this suggests an "anything goes" culture--communities without boundaries, etc. My questions: How does an inclusive atmosphere affect the educational status claimed by groups in order to … [Read more...]

Which, if you're going to sit in a basement, is totally how I'd recommend going about it. (They've got enough gear down there for at least three more band members. I was hoping they'd let me stay.) Matmos (a.k.a. M. C. Schmidt and Drew Daniel) invited me over to their house for a chat about music and, in 2.0 fashion, I brought along a camera and a production crew to document the occasion. We talked about why pop is like junk food, why iTunes is like porn, and why Björk is a star. We also … [Read more...]