MUSIC is not a GENRE

SUPPORT ME ON PATREON WATCH MUSIC is not a GENRE VIDEOS and MORE I was born in Philly. It will always be my first city love – hell, it’s right there in the name. I’ve been a New Yorker for over two decades. It will always be my favorite city. But for the 30 years in between, I was a proud resident of New Jersey, possibly the greatest state in the nation. Alright, some of that last statement may be...

SUPPORT ME ON PATREON WATCH MUSIC is not a GENRE VIDEOS and MORE A few years ago, I started a playlist called MY Christmas . It’s an offshoot of the Christmas CDs I’ve collected over the decades, which themselves were inspired by the very eclectic collection of Christmas vinyl & cassettes my dad plays every year. The playlist is my declaration of independence from standard Christmas mixes with all...

SUPPORT ME ON PATREON WATCH MUSIC is not a GENRE VIDEOS and MORE When I choose a podcast topic, I can usually get a handle on my angle with some research, listening & general contemplation. This week I’m gonna come right out and say I need some help. There are certain artists whose output is so dense & prolific that to try to summarize it in one podcast is overwhelming. Dylan comes to mind. Zappa....

SUPPORT ME ON PATREON WATCH MUSIC is not a GENRE VIDEOS and MORE It’s been a busy year. Lots of work & lots of changes. There’s not always time to stop & reflect. But that’s all about to change. I’ve been reviewing old episodes – actually listening to my own shite. I noticed more than once that I missed commenting on something, or maybe didn’t even know something at the time. I’m also reading view...

SUPPORT ME ON PATREON WATCH MUSIC is not a GENRE VIDEOS and MORE Tribute music has been around since forever. As soon as a style is old enough to be considered retro, someone cops it. If you’ve been following along with this here podcast, you know that I did an episode on this. I made a distinction between music that is a mere echo of the past – cashing in on nostalgia, and music that adopts & ada...

SUPPORT MUSIC IS NOT A GENRE ON PATREON WATCH MUSIC is not a GENRE VIDEOS and MORE I talk for an hour with Mike Indovina. Mike is a recording, mixing & mastering engineer, and an online educator who runs MasterYourMix.com, which focuses on helping musicians create professional quality recordings from their home studios. He's also a drummer, and author of the Amazon #1 selling book, The Mixing Mind...

SUPPORT MUSIC IS NOT A GENRE ON PATREON WATCH MUSIC is not a GENRE VIDEOS and MORE And now for something completely different from MUSIC is not a GENRE … an entire episode dedicated to a BOOK! This week I discuss Nolan Gasser’s Why You Like It: The Science and Culture of Musical Taste. Find a comfy seat, because it’s a big one. First of all, I LOVE that this book exists. I love that someone cares...

SUPPORT MUSIC IS NOT A GENRE ON PATREON WATCH MUSIC is not a GENRE VIDEOS and MORE I talk for more than an hour with Patrick Tape Fleming. Patrick is a musician, producer & recording engineer. He's cofounder of the bands Gloom Balloon & The Poison Control Center. His music has been featured in several industry publications, including Rolling Stone, Spin & Billboard. He's produced over 40 albums. P...

SUPPORT MUSIC IS NOT A GENRE ON PATREON WATCH MUSIC is not a GENRE VIDEOS and MORE You know the feeling when you’re listening to a song for the first time and it gets to a place - a climax, a drop after a breakdown, a soaring melody, shining harmonies, or a beat that you can’t ignore - that makes your body respond? You might feel butterflies or goosebumps or the need to move. It might stop you fro...

SUPPORT MUSIC IS NOT A GENRE ON PATREON WATCH MUSIC is not a GENRE VIDEOS and MORE Here's my interview with Paul Leschen. Paul is a musician, composer, piano karaoke expert, and founder of the song series Leschen Sessions & the band Kingship. He has cowritten and staged several musicals, among many other accomplishments.   For more on Paul, go here: http://www.leschenandsauter.com/ https://sidgold...

SUPPORT ME ON PATREON WATCH MUSIC is not a GENRE VIDEOS and MORE Everything in this country – and possibly the whole world – needs to be a competition. Think of growing number of TV shows that pit people’s talents against each other. The Voice, America’s Got Talent, etc. etc. Or hell, think of any entertainment awards show. The conventional wisdom is that conflict makes for a good story. And if yo...

SUPPORT MUSIC IS NOT A GENRE ON PATREON WATCH MUSIC is not a GENRE VIDEOS and MORE Here's my interview with David Dabbon. David is a veteran composer, songwriter, arranger, & orchestrator. He was also the Dance Music Arranger for Beetlejuice on Broadway, and an Emmy nominee for Outstanding Music & Lyrics for "Eat Shit Bob" on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.  For more on David, and to check out...

SUPPORT ME ON PATREON WATCH MUSIC is not a GENRE VIDEOS and MORE FEATURED SONG: NICK – “Xylophone Ways” (from the album Your EP ) The voice is it for me. When it comes to any popular music, it’s the lead singer who makes or breaks it. The absolute best band or music powered by a vocalist I don’t click with may as well be telephone hold music. Two perfect examples: Some people can’t stand the Cure...

SUPPORT MUSIC IS NOT A GENRE ON PATREON WATCH MUSIC is not a GENRE VIDEOS and MORE Here's my interview with Leslie Goshko - comedian, musician, writer & host/creator of Sideshow Goshko Storytelling Series.   For more on Leslie, go here:  lesliegoshko.com  IG :@lesliegoshko This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://...

SUPPORT MUSIC IS NOT A GENRE ON PATREON WATCH MUSIC is not a GENRE VIDEOS and MORE There’s nothing that gets me going like a good Housemartins song. When you hear one of their mega hits on the radio, it takes you back to a time when… Okay you get it. Practically no one has heard of the Housemartins, the 1980s British jangle pop band whose biggest hit was an a cappella cover of the Isley, Jasper, I...

SUPPORT MUSIC IS NOT A GENRE ON PATREON WATCH MUSIC is not a GENRE VIDEOS and MORE In this interview edition, Nicky DeMatteo returns to answer your questions & mine.   For more on Nicky, go here: https://nickydematteo.bandcamp.com/ This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/musicisnotagenre/support Hosted...

SUPPORT MUSIC IS NOT A GENRE ON PATREON WATCH MUSIC is not a GENRE VIDEOS and MORE In a STUNNING reversal, interviewer becomes interviewee, thanks to the charming & insightful conversational talents of Cathryn Lynne.   This here's a talk in wherewhich Cathryn asks Nick a bunch of questions, and they keep jawing until you want more more more.   For more on Nick, go here: https://recarea.bandcamp.co...

SUPPORT MUSIC IS NOT A GENRE ON PATREON WATCH MUSIC is not a GENRE VIDEOS and MORE There’s a lot of great music. There’s even a lot of exceptional music. Just look at Rolling Stone’s recent 500 lists, and then think of all the albums & songs that WEREN’T included but could or should have been. Some of that music is judged to be great when it’s first released. Others weren’t seen as great until tim...

SUPPORT MUSIC IS NOT A GENRE ON PATREON WATCH MUSIC is not a GENRE VIDEOS and MORE Remember Roxette? Ace of Base? How about the Cardigans? Avicii? Robyn? Or maybe y’know… freakin’ ABBA?! What do they have in common? They’re all from Sweden. So are Icona Pop, Eagle-Eye Cherry, Peter Bjorn & John, Swedish House Mafia, AND this week’s spotlight band & my favorite Swedish export, the Hives. We here in...

SUPPORT MUSIC IS NOT A GENRE ON PATREON WATCH MUSIC is not a GENRE VIDEOS and MORE Some bands are just around. Every few years they tour & release albums, and we take them for granted. Most of those bands are either past their peak or never really had one. They're largely unnoticed & unacclaimed. But what happens when one of those bands is not only noticed & acclaimed, but has quietly created one...

SUPPORT MUSIC IS NOT A GENRE ON PATREON WATCH MUSIC is not a GENRE VIDEOS and MORE This podcast used to be something else. It started out in January 2016 as The Thursday Throwback Track (4T), a text & photo blog about my cassette collection. I had no idea at the time that it would be anything more. I stuck with it for well over three years, moving on to my vinyl collection, at which point it dawne...

SUPPORT ME ON PATREON WATCH MUSIC is not a GENRE VIDEOS and MORE When we find an artist we can’t live without, our emotions attach in ways that are different from everyone else. We might all share favorite songs or qualities or the overall passion, but each of us finds miniscule facets that no one else can feel. Our overall relationship with that artist is unique. This is as true for obscure artis...

SUPPORT MUSIC IS NOT A GENRE ON PATREON WATCH MUSIC is not a GENRE VIDEOS and MORE When we think of drummers, we imagine them on their throne behind the kit pounding away, maintaining the beat & structure of songs, and giving them energy they’d never have otherwise. We might see a mic off to the side for some backup vocals or the rare lead vocal. If a drummer comes out from the kit, it’s to take a...

SUPPORT MUSIC IS NOT A GENRE ON PATREON WATCH MUSIC is not a GENRE VIDEOS and MORE I love the whole idea of a music collective. It’s pretty much how musicians work anyway. We all bounce between projects and help out each other. We all influence and inspire each other. But very few musicians have had the guts to create an actual collective, and of those, Elephant 6 was by far the most innovative, s...

SUPPORT ME ON PATREON WATCH MUSIC is not a GENRE VIDEOS and MORE We can do this forever. Death is a constant. When a celebrity dies – especially too soon & especially one that created something we’re passionate about, we feel it & never forget it. You can go back as far as Franz Schubert & Frédéric Chopin for untimely deaths that shook the music world. Hell, you can go back way farther. Even if we...