Music and the Middle Schooler

As a teacher of middle school students I’m always interested in students tastes in music. It is no surprise to me that my school has its share of Jonas Brothers t-shirts on the backs of many middle school girls and that is the level of musical interest I expect. But there are some students who surprise me with their interest in Nirvana and one student in particular who has a deep admiration for Aerosmith and Steven Tyler. He draws pictures of him all the time and gives them to me to hang on my wall, which I graciously do. Read more

Interview with Hey Now Morris Fader

Alex Sacco and Brooks Milgate make up the two-man piano/drums duo known as Hey Now, Morris Fader. Hailing from just outside Worcester, the pair is busy preparing for the release of their second album, Ride The Fader, which will be released on November 7.

Sacco and Milgate began their musical journey in December 2005, while playing at The Mill St. Brew in Southbridge. It was at this point they decided to try something unique, thus forming a duo that substituted guitar for piano. After spending over a year working on their debut album, Bang the Bass, Turn up the Treble was released in June 2007 on Buckwad Records. Read more

Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs by Chuck Klosterman

Chuck Klosterman is not just a writer for Spin Magazine; he’s a writer unlike any other. He somehow manages to combine his extreme intelligence and sarcastic humor in order to over-analyze just about every aspect of the world we live in. Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs is a book about… well, nothing really. It’s not directed towards any specific plot or subject. It’s basically a collaboration of Klosterman’s assorted thoughts as it relates to music, television, technology and society today.

When I first started reading the book, I wasn’t exactly sure how I felt about Klosterman’s obscure view of the world, until I came across the “When Harry Met Sally” discussion on page 9, where Klosterman states that, “Every relationship in fundamentally a power struggle, and the individual in power in whoever likes the other person less.” I have to admit, this quote is not hilarious because it’s funny; it’s hilarious because it’s true. From there on, I was intrigued. Read more

ENIGMA - Seven Lives Many Faces

As the driving force behind German band ENIGMA, Micheal Cretu has spent the majority of his 18 year long career as a recording artist creating some of the most culturally diverse music on the planet. But its not without avail. With more than 40 million albums sold worldwide, 50 number one chart positions, and 100 platinum sales around the world, ENIGMA is Germanys most successful export in the last 20 years. ENIGMA has always had a by the wayside reputation.

For music as spiritually diverse and unique, its almost a shame to see a flower growing up from proud and strong from the concrete, only to get ran over by a school of rush hour traffic. Read more

New York Romance: Songs That Remind Me Most of The Glorious City

I have an interesting relationship with the five boroughs that lie within New York City. All five of them have drastic differences that separate them from each other, and the stories I hold from each borough are vastly different, as well. I’m fond of the Queens region because I’m technically a Queens baby (for only a month before moving to the Suburbs of Long Island, but that could be overlooked). The Brooklyn area holds a special place in my heart after endless thrifting trips, aimless bouts of roaming around nameless neighborhoods after crossing the Brooklyn Bridge and discovering that I could fall in love with the red velvet cake from the Cake Man. Read more

Weezer Performs at Madison Square Garden – NYC - 9/24/08

The crowd was buzzing last night as the last song fizzled out from the speakers of Angels and Airwaves and the vertical light stands made you feel you were in the Millennium Falcon, traveling through hyperspace. Afterwards, as the stagehands worked on adjusting the sound systems and tuning up the instruments, Weezer fans trickled in and out of the stands. Most of the fan regalia sported a red t-shirt that read “weezer” in white lettering, advertising their newest record. The fans were mostly in their early twenties, enjoying the cool fall air in NYC. Read more