The Shins are back again after a five-year absence with a second single from Heartworms, “Name For You”. The new album produced by frontman James Mercer, is out March 10th and available for preorder. Some people (your author, for instance) who love vaguely gruesome, trip-inducing tattoo art might spring for the slightly overpriced, but charming lithograph poster….
An Urban Tribe Called Quest
Tomorrow alternative hip hop legends A Tribe Called Quest will release their sixth and final album, We got it from here… Thank You 4 Your service, featuring guests Kendrick Lamar, Jack White, Elton John, André 3000, Anderson .Paak, and Busta Rhymes. After thirty years and a shift to an increasingly neotribalist society, is A Tribe…
The Basics of Modernism
The following is a transcript (written by me) of a presentation of modernism (focusing on modernist texts and further research) to students at Northeastern University in Massachusetts. The included section is an introduction that, read alone, can provide a good preliminary overview of the wide-reaching, unifying theories of modernism as it applies to art, literature,…
ZZ Top Live Without Guest Gregg Allman: Confronting and Celebrating Aging in Live Music
I read a review of a Paul McCartney show recently that opened with a rather morbid reminder that he won’t be around forever. I wondered if Paul McCartney really deserved such a sobering introduction but in retrospect, I think I needed the reality check on celebrity aging before venturing out to the Blue Hills Bank…
A Great New Binge Watch To “Get Down” With
Combined efforts from Baz Luhrmann, Nas, Grandmaster Flash, and more have brought a small but powerful piece of old-school hip hop to Netflix in a neat little package called ‘The Get Down’. The plot explores landscapes of hip hop, disco, graffiti, and politics in the late 1970’s Bronx, with a clear figurehead in each parallel plot and Ezekiel “Zeke” Figuero at the crux of it all.
Ernie Ball’s String Theory Blog: Great Content and Frankly, A Touching Marketing Campaign
In a sea of collectors items and custom boutique mods, the lowest common denominator for all guitarists: the string. They are the true life force of the instrument. While not all of us have experience switching out our pickups or customizing a speaker cab, a rite of passage for every new guitarist is choosing…
New Release: Pierce Fulton’s “Make Me Blue”
The fresh and playful “Make Me Blue” stands out in Pierce Fulton’s current repertoire of in-your-face dance music, and puts him on the map for more alternative fans who still like to get down to a fun electronic groove. This new track is an alternating string of sparsely yet elegantly filled swathes of vast sonic…
Best of Summer NAMM 2016
The ever-expanding world of music products offers everything from the lowest-level entry point to the music industry to the pinnacle of musical luxury, true works of playable art. The unique physicality of music making knows no greater celebration than the NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) show. To share just a few items that made…
Easy Polyrhythm and Polymeter
I’ve had a lot of confusing conversations about polyrhythms and polymeters because they’re so difficult to hear. Stumbling over the verbiage doesn’t help. Here’s a very simple explanation of each, and if you find yourself wishing for background info on rhyhtm and meter, click here. Where are polyrhythms and polymeters found? These are techniques that…
Glossary: Rhythm and Meter
Introducing the Attunement Glossary. In an effort to make theory more accessible and less daunting to everyone, I’ve started a Glossary page to reference theory I mention in blog posts, or just feel like sharing. Any time I update the Glossary, I’ll post the same content as a blog post, to make it known that…
Paul Simon’s Spiritually Schizophrenic Stranger to Stranger: A Listening Guide
Paul Simon’s new concept album Stranger To Stranger is a complex juxtaposition of styles and influences in a musical discussion of the differences between organized western religion, group spirituality, and untamed mysticism. Simon brings us on a schizophrenic tour of musical traditions and cultural references namely from the old American South, Brazil, and Africa. Here…
8 Practice Exercises for Any Kind of Music
Edit 06/13/16 1:20 PM: Added #7, now 8 total There are endless ways to practice a piece and they all depend on your own playing style and learning strengths. But if you hit a wall, it’s useful to have a repertoire of practice tricks. The following are some tips I’ve picked up in lessons that…
Attunement 