Tag: Music
‘Forty-Four Hammers’ Is Part of a Rich History of Prison Work Songs
The call-and-response song was one of many that Black men sang as they toiled on Southern prison farms.
Somewhere I Belong (and it’s not in my head): a mixtape
A rock mixtape for crawling out of the rut: Linkin Park, Papa Roach, System of a Down, Avenged Sevenfold, and the stubborn desire to live the thing instead of performing a brand.
Slowly recovering
It's been a month since my bicycle crash. Unlike previous crashes this one affected my head more than my body. While my headaches have mostly subsided I still get lightheaded and tired lot. I can do stuff around the house, but I have to move really slow. My vision has not returned to normal either. It's hard to describe but I seem to have lost some peripheral sight and in general have some focus issues. Initially I thought my hearing had been affected but that turned out to be normal ear canal blockage which I was able to clean. This is all new territory for me. I know what to do if I break a bone or injure a muscle. I never had to deal with a head injury before. While I have been able to get some lite gardening done, I've mostly stayed off of the computer. But now we're looking at a few days of rain so I might try and get some development work done. We'll see how that goes. My mood has not been great. I've never been the best at dealing with adversity anyhow, but this one is a bit different. This accident coupled with my advancing age may well mean a major change to my future lifestyle. I have to accept that the long, remote, bicycle adventures I still dream about may not come to pass. Even my day to day riding may be at a different level. I can adjust and do what I can do. It could have been much worse. I am thankful that I can still look forward to spending time with my grandkids, family, and friends. I can still play guitar and work in my garden. Much to look forward to.
The San Quentin Prison Album That Should Have Been a Classic
Ike White’s “Changin’ Times” spans soul, rock, pop and jazz. On its 50th anniversary, it’s finally getting its due.
Playlist of the month: Ouch
I'm still in my recovery period - I'm not allowed to lift anything for another three weeks - but I am going to post a few, short blog posts again to get myself used to typing again. So, here's this month's playlist, which should give you an idea about how my recovery is going. Here's...
Music Monday – May 25, 2026 – “Reach Out To The Truth”
"Is it really necessary to talk about a Persona soundtrack? Do they need an introduction?" Well, yes, kinda. See, if you're not talking about Persona 5, then the soundtracks have never really cracked into the mainstream. Sure, people who played Persona 4 Golden (also known as the only reason to buy a PlayStation Vita) know...
Sodom & Gomorrah 🎧
My favorite part is highlighted in bold. Makes me laugh out loud every single time! La, la-la La, la-la la-la-la
“Close to Zero”
On May 29, 2024, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek tweeted something that sent shockwaves through the music community: “Today, with the cost of creating content being close to zero, people can share an incredible amount of content”. He later attempted to walk back the statement, calling his definition of “content” (yes, he called music “content”) “clumsy” and “very reductive”. But the damage was done, revealing just how disconnected the billionaire architect of modern music streaming is from the actual econ...
Music Monday – April 14, 2026 – “Someday the dream must end…”
"Listen to my story. This may be our last chance." The words that open Final Fantasy X are legendary, haunting every player who has ever stepped into Spira. But throughout the journey, you know how the story ends. You know where Tidus, Yuna, and the rest will end up. The game repeatedly tells you and...
Narrator voice
I saw this post from Ben Goldacre a while back about enabling people to make radio shows. So I built it.
Controversial Alanis Opinion 🎶
Anytime I'm in an Alanis mood (which is at least twice a month), I always start with songs off Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie - Can't Not and Would Not Come are two of my go-tos. While Jagged Little Pill is and always will be iconic and has some amazing tracks on it (literally all of them!), the writing on SFIJ is just so good. Listen to both albums, in their entirety. You won't regret it!