Video: Gail Langstroth — In the beginning
. in the beginning wind shadow struggle stone I first visited the City of Culture, Santiago de Compostela, Spain, in March of 2011. Despite the grey and damp of … Continue reading
Audio: “Moon Dancer” by Cherokee flute player Mark Hicks
There are many stories about how different Native American peoples invented the flute. In one tale, woodpeckers pecked holes in hollow branches while searching for termites; when the wind blew … Continue reading
Audio: “Santa” by Lightnin’ Hopkins
Sam John Hopkins (1912 – 1982), better known as Lightnin’ Hopkins, was an American country blues singer, songwriter, guitarist, and occasional pianist from Houston, Texas. Musicologist Robert “Mack” McCormick opined that … Continue reading
Jose Padua: On the Cool Blue Steel of Sound in 1965 or ’66
I must have been eight or nine sitting on the long bench with the soft black cushions at the Filipino barber shop on the edge of Chinatown, watching the old … Continue reading
Video: Ella Mae Morse – Money Honey (1953)
— Ella Mae Morse (1924-1999), one of the first rock ‘n roll singers, was born in Mansfield, Texas. She was hired as a singer by Jimmy Dorsey when she was 14 years … Continue reading
Video: Slim Forsythe and Friends
— Slim Forsythe’s country-western band has a strong following in Pittsburgh, and it’s starting to catch on nationally. People love his original mix of nostalgia, heartbreak, and humor. Sure, it’s … Continue reading
Video: Nina Simone on Shock (animated short)
This newly created video by the film studio Blank on Blank animates a 1968 interview with the singer-songwriter and civil rights activist Nina Simone. Taken from a radio show hosted … Continue reading
Audio: Tom Waits — “The Heart of Saturday Night” (full album)
1. New Coat of Paint 2. San Diego Serenade 3. Semi Suite 4. Shiver Me Timbers 5. Diamonds on My Windshield 6. (Looking for) The Heart of Saturday Night 7. … Continue reading
Video: Pablo Picasso paints on glass
— In this short video, Pablo Picasso paints on glass at his studio in the village of Vallauris, on the French Riviera. It’s from the 1950 film Visite à Picasso by … Continue reading
Audio: What Ancient Greek Music Actually Sounded Like
Between 750 BC and 400 BC, the Ancient Greeks composed songs meant to be accompanied by the lyre, reed-pipes, and various percussion instruments. More than 2,000 years later, modern scholars … Continue reading
Video: How to be Alone
A video by fiimmaker Andrea Dorfman and poet/singer/songwriter Tanya Davis. Davis wrote the poem and performed in the video which Dorfman directed, shot, animated by hand and edited. The video was … Continue reading
Video: Everlast — Letters Home from the Garden of Stone
A moving song from Everest’s album “Love, War, and the Ghost of Whitey Ford.”
Video: Julia Lee sings “Don’t Come Too Soon”
— In this song, the Queen of the Dirty Blues warns us, “You gotta let your sweet meat cook a long long time.” Julia Lee (October 31, 1902 – December … Continue reading
Video: David Byrne — How Architecture Helped Music Evolve
As his career grew, David Byrne went from playing CBGB to Carnegie Hall. He asks: Does the venue make the music? From outdoor drumming to Wagnerian operas to arena rock, … Continue reading
