Tag: music

RILEY’S MIX TAPE (AKA PLAYLIST)

February 5, 2016
Fiction, Music, Personal

Music was an essential part of my teenage experience. When I liked somebody, I made them a mix tape of songs that would [hopefully] make my feelings obvious so I didn’t have to admit them. When someone broke my heart, I made a mix tape of breakup songs. When I graduated, I made a mix tape of...

Epic Reads: 6 Things You Didn’t Know About Me

January 27, 2016
Film, Music, Personal, Video

The superbly fun crew at Epic Reads made a video about the 6 Things You Don’t Know About Me. Inside: the history of my hair, plus my teenage screen kiss.

Black Market Hearts

February 18, 2014
Music

UNUSUAL BLUES Let’s get this straight right off the bat: I am not a blues fan. Or, at least, I didn’t think I was. And, to make things worse, I experienced Mark Wein’s new blues record, Black Market Hearts, under the worst conditions possible: in my dying car stereo after enduring nine hours of threshold-of-pain...

Already Home (Demo)

August 13, 2013
Music

Sometimes when I set my iPhone to shuffle, old songwriting demos come up. Usually I skip them–but when this one came up during my morning drive, I was compelled to listen. Musicians often relate touring to going to war: the squalid living conditions, the long absence from loved ones, the constant...

Lotte Kestner: Live In Some Dude’s Living Room

August 6, 2013
Music

Sad music heals. Teenagers’ bodies grow impossibly fast and, as a result, they are constantly vacillating between states of damage and repair, not unlike muscles after a workout. Imagine what’s happening to their souls. My body may have stopped growing, but my soul is still that tormented teenager,...

Top Ten Tuesday: Angst, Shame and Silliness

November 20, 2012
Music

Maxeen The Top 10 Bands You Ought To Be Ashamed You Don’t Know (Or Know Better): Part 3 This week, I’m excited to introduce (or re-introduce) you to three pop/rock/alternative acts that keep me reaching to crank up the volume every time they come up on shuffle. #9 The Verve Pipe The first...