Must be some kind of zeitgeist thing but I’m noticing articles that complain about how works are art are over-explained in program guides. I really liked a piece by Alice O’Keefe (Information overload) which inspired me to wonder if we crits sometimes overdo it when we try to explain “difficult” art.  The answer is of course that we do sometimes instead of, as O’Keefe suggests, letting the work explain itself and connect with the audience.  Which isn’t to say that ANY kind of context should be tossed out the window but let’s not get carried away.  Another piece about classical music in the Philly Inquirer (Like exegesis with that?) echoes this idea as well as a hilarious piece at the Huffington Post (A gentle plea).

—Jason Gross

There’s an interesting article at CNN about a Brazilian dance music phenom called technobrega that actually thrives on piracy.  Rest assured that the RIAA doesn’t approve…

—Jason Gross

From a music mailing list:

the Bob Moog Memorial Foundation needs help preserving Moog’s warehouse of mildew damaged papers, instruments and tapes and is begging for donations to help move the materials to a safer storage location and to start restoring them.

See the Bob Moog foundation
Also see this photo site

Moog was the brilliant gent who remodeled the synthesizer so that it could be more easily used and become more accessible to musicians around the world.  He was also one of the world’s greatest theremin crafters and a helluva nice guy.  I had the pleasure to interview him at PSF here.

—Jason Gross

While I could go on about Sasha Frere-Jones’ white-indie-rock guilt piece in the New Yorker, I’d leave it to three smart scribes for a response.  First, is Margaret Wappler’s piece for the Los Angeles Times (Turning the beat around again) covering how dance music is indeed making a comeback in the indie world.  The other is Grace Brodie Cruz (of the great Playlist blog) who proclaimed: “Shocka: Rock Music Made By White People Is Surprisingly White.” Best of all is Carl Wilson’s article in Slate, where he not only parses out some worthwhile things in the article but he also nails what’s off-base or just plain wrong about it too and shifts the argument to class conflict.

Honestly, you’d think that SFJ would have stopped after calling Stephen Merritt a racist and then having to apologize (somewhat).  I was mad enough at him already for making Fiona Apple look bad.

—Jason Gross

There’s a 2006 documentary still making the rounds, deserving of your attention.  Bling covers the connection between many rappers’ obsession with diamonds and the inhumane conditions of the many workers who mine them in Africa (Kanye West’s “Diamonds in Sierra Leone” was also part of this wake-up call).  One true believer is now rapper/bling entrepreneur Paul Wall.  His website now has a blood diamonds statement where he promises not to help exploit these workers anymore.  In the film itself, he went to Sierra Leone and met some of the workers who didn’t even have shoes (he bought them some) and saw miners working naked in horrible conditions.

—Jason Gross

Add the Hook, Mo Pitkins and possibly Club Midway to the ever-expanding graveyard of NYC music clubs.  Also note that places like the Blender’s Gramercy Theatre, Irving Plaza and United Theatre have sporadic bookings at best this year (GT doesn’t even have a website or their own presale box office).  And yet articles from the New York Times crow that despite other recent club closings (i.e. CBGB’s, Fez, Brownies, Bottom Line, Sin-E), Gotham still has a “healthy” club scene.  What kind of club scene it is remains to be seen.  With ever-high rents here, only establishments that overcharge for drinks, increase their ticket prices and have to book acts that they’re reasonably sure will pack in audiences mean that there’s less and less chance for up and coming acts here and out of town to play here, much less get recognized.  There are still places like Ace of Clubs, Arlene’s and Pianos that do cater to these bands but I’m worried that they’re going to become endangered species.  The scary thing is that there isn’t a lot of support to keep clubs like these going- art grants for music usually go to classical or jazz projects, assuming that rock/pop is a commercial venture that takes care of itself.  What’s going to keep places like this going are support from fans who vote with their feet and their wallets.  Otherwise...?

—Jason Gross