Or a glimpse into post-entertainment society (it's not pretty)

I'll never roll over Beethoven, and will always pay Tchaikovsky his dues. But I still seek inspiration from the popular culture that has surrounded me during my lifetime. Here are six of my pop culture heroes.

A few minutes after yesterday’s post I learned the sad news about Christine McVie. So the request I had just made for well…requests... became a bit moot. It appears a lot of us had the same thought. I promise I’ll pick something else from the request pile in the future. But for now, since I couldn’t decide on which song to pay tribute to Christine with, I’m including a few.

The start of Solid Sound

At the airport pasting a picture

An unpublished poem x2

My longest running bandmate, Jon Rauhouse, has been told he is no longer terminal with cancer. Jon hates to admit it, but he has a very positive core. In fact, he is one of the best humans I have ever known. He and Jen are my chosen family. Even hopped up on steroids he is magnificent.

Good morning from London! I am here for two weeks working on the musical. I have a feeling it will be very much like working in NYC where there is very little time to eat, let alone see things. That's ok though. I’ll shoehorn something in. Today will be meeting the UK cast and seeing the show with movement for the first time! I can’t wait. There will also be a lot of sitting in an empty room writing lyrics, which, in all honesty, is my favorite thing to do. No shade to the other elements or humans involved, they are pure gold, there’s just something about scratching away on your paper until you start a little fire on your page. That’s where it feels like inventing a crossword puzzle backward. What a thrill!

A poem and reflection on making sense in senseless times

On this Support page we address the most frequent questions and issues from subscribers to The Gathering of Spirits. Excellent service to our subscriber community is very important to me. I want to be available for questions and especially troubleshooting any issues.

Hello, from the other side

Loners, I’ve been thinking a lot about, “Pride.” A celebration of ourselves, a centering of our efforts. A reminder of how far we’ve come. And, always, a battle cry for what is still left to achieve. This year, I am terribly aware, of how much of our pride, we must also defend.

And I recorded it. Here's "Sailor's Song."

Some thoughts on a reborn format

Why I can't let go of "Into The Wild", and why perhaps you can't, either.

A couple years ago I saw that someone made a 1/18 diecast of arguably the last true Cadillac, the 1993-96 Fleetwood Brougham. I really wanted one, but it seemed no model shops had them. And there were a couple different ones, one ‘sealed’ with no cool opening features.

1997-03-31, Memorial Stadium, St. Johns, Newfoundland, Canada

2024-06-29, Jones Beach Theater, Wantagh, NY

a.k.a. Having spent 2023 doubling down on the ridiculousness of 2022, the genre currently sits in a rather uninspiring place.

a.k.a. In a time when the genre's classic sound is frequently written off as stodgy and unimaginative, it's worth noting that quality tracks can still be found—if you know where to look.

In 1993, I started a hardcore fanzine that tried to make sense of a scene in transition. In Part 1 of 2, I try to explain why I felt Anti-Matter was necessary then—and why it feels relevant again now.

To begin this anniversary month at Anti-Matter: An homage to the fanzine as a site of transformation and a brand new merch drop to celebrate this milestone.

It’s official. We are in the studio

An outtake from the North Hills sessions

I am posting this because people have asked me to. Emily Rose Marcus was born on December 10, 1969, in Alta Bates Hospital in Berkeley. It was a forceps delivery, and she came out with bruises on her face, yet she lived her life as a woman who prized beauty—in fashion, her own sense of style, furniture, art. Following her beloved uncle Dr. William E. Bernstein, she chose a death with dignity, and died on January 31, 2023, in her apartment in Oakland, where she had lived since 2007, after more than two years fighting against a terminal diagnosis of appendiceal cancer she had received in September 2020. Our hearts are broken.

April 2000

26 February, 2021.

"It’s just a hobby that’s got out of control."

Listen to Roger Nichols's long-awaited "Second Arrangement" cassette

Indexing the split seconds of pure bliss in the Becker-Fagen catalog

let them make their mistakes

Sondheim, Desire and Slob Dylan

Good morning. Today we’re listening to Arvo Pärt, an Estonian composer. Pärt grew up in northern Estonia, began to compose music in his early teens, and studied composition at the Tallinn Conservatory.

Good morning. We’ll be off Thursday and Friday. Today’s episode opens with a few ambient compositions on the lachrymose side, from William Basinski, zakè, and øjeRum. There are two excerpts from SUSS’s new album,

An essay about the darkest days of my creative life.

I'M BACK FROM LONDON!! My welcome home gift was the latest album from Camila Cabello and it unfortunately DID NOT come with a receipt so I'm unable to return it....

It might be him. It could be me. Maybe it's you, too.

Music for expedition and introspection, from aces here and gone.

On Weathervanes, death, love and listening like a mother

We gave you uptempo summer party jams - here's a mellower vibe for when it's too hot to move.

so far it doesn't hurt

A Quickie

The spiritual captain of the Outlaw Country Cruise went out in a blaze of raucous glory

Two hours of music on a Sunday, not just by local artists

S/O to DeWhatitdo for the ask. A quick conversation on how to find your own sound. Enjoy.

Found some interesting things playing with simming ITB vs OTB. Made a video on the process my findings and tossed ina couple extra sprinkles on drum processing also.

Thoughts on forgetting, plus new albums by Not Not Fun, Kevin Richard Martin, and K. Freund

A look back from summer’s rose-tinted perspective

Grand openings, overrated closure and love’s long tail

Let me sing you a song