There’s a tired refrain that surfaces whenever a musician speaks out on social issues: “Stick to music.” It’s dismissive rhetoric that treats artists as court jesters: valued for entertainment, but expected to remain silent on matters of consequence. This view fundamentally misunderstands both the role of art in society and the responsibilities of citizenship. Musicians […]
We’ve never been busier doing nothing. The average person now spends over two hours daily on social media, thumbs flicking through an endless cascade of content; and yet when asked what they saw, they often can’t remember. This isn’t the lazy afternoon nap our ancestors might have enjoyed. It’s something stranger and more insidious: a […]
The Hero’s Journey is one of the essential literary forms of movies and stories. When we think about it, we think of Star Wars, Lord of the Rings or any other great story! The Hero’s Journey has 12 steps, and was brilliantly laid out by Joseph Campbell. But instead of looking at a likely one, […]
Here’s a list of useful information about some open mics in NYC. This list is a work-in-progress. Feel free to comment and fill in the blank info. NYC OPEN MICS Name Average # of performers Day Sign-up time Starts Average set time House Piano or Keyboard How spots are chosen Location Cover Sidewalk Cafe 50 […]
Hi guys! I wanted to explain one of poetry’s most common metered forms, ballad verse. It was very popular with music. Ballad verse is usually in in quatrains, meaning that each stanza is four line. The meter is a line of iambic tetrameter followed by a line of iambic trimeter (4 units, then 3). Let’s […]
The British Invasion of the United States music market began when the Beatles performed live on the Ed Sullivan Show on February 9, 1964. According to American Songwriter, nearly 60 percent of US television viewers were watching. The British Invasion changed the global music market. Artists began writing their own songs. Music became more melodic, […]
DREW MAZUR 