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there’s a thing in (particularly 20th century) folk music where artists across decades cover the same songs over and over and over again. i think it’s a beautiful museum of distinct times in history and i find it so interesting to see how artists have adapted the same songs to apply to the modern world and themselves as musicians. everyone and their mother (exaggeratedly) has made some version of the song “in the pines,” from lead belly to the kossoy sisters to joan baez to dolly parton to nirvana—and they’re all so wildly and beautifully different. the differences in lyrics and even melody are a clear representation to me of music as an oral tradition, and i think it is so fascinating and amazing to truly think about the ways in which humans share and change art over time. i love people.
4d ago
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i made a playlist of some heavy hitters. sometimes you can just tell an artist covers a song and you know that it's because, in a different universe, they would have written it themselves. sometimes they take a bad/mediocre song and you realize that it pretty was good all along. sometimes someone will sing a song and you can hear the reverence in their voice and it makes you love the music with them. its incredible really. i like the idea of sharing in the act of creation like that. favs on the playlist are stevie wonder, lianne la havas and michael cera palin
May 4, 2024
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SEE: the staple singers doing buffalo springfield's "for what it's worth," linda ronstadt doing warren zevon's "carmelita," the brothers johnson doing shuggie otis' "strawberry letter 23." basically constantly re-contextualizing what other people were recording and turning regular songs into full-blown standards. why does no one do this anymore... i blame that tiny desk!
Apr 2, 2024
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normally im an original recording purist but sometimes different covers just hit the way they need to. this is a nina simone "i shall be released" spring, sorry the band & bob
Jun 10, 2024
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if u have an iphone it’s so refreshing to redo and customize the home screen every once in a while. even if you never use it it’s like a cutesy little gallery of images you can curate- mine is just pictures of musicians and artwork i like and photos of my cats. its like organizing pictures on a wall but pocket sized
4d ago
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i went to see the new broadway production of cabaret this saturday on a complete whim (knowing next to nothing about the show) and i have not been able to stop thinking about it since. what a fun and entertaining yet deeply distressing experience— the intentional, immersive atmosphere brought me (almost blindly…) into the story. i found myself entranced in the hypnotizing world of the kit kat club, then immediately brought out of it by certain impactful moments; the feeling that i was a part of the show in a way made these moments hit me hard, and at times i felt my stomach drop as i was faced with nauseating reality. it can be so easy to move on with your life as though issues affecting others don’t affect you. as my friend lewin put it, it takes effort and a conscious choice not to become evil. if you don’t actively think in opposition to something, you are as good as enabling it— and i intend to treat my own moral views and opinions with more intentionality going forward.
not to mention, i saw this performance immediately after attending a protest against the current trump regime, and the themes of complicity in 1930s germany felt all too relevant to the politics of today. in all, a striking and upsetting, yet somehow incredibly entertaining, show that i feel will stick with me for a while. also, a very queer show. beautiful.
Apr 10, 2025