The Hush of Early Mornings and PHOX
When I moved into my little Durham bungalow last year, it was with the express purpose of playing my stereo whenever I damn well pleased....
The Low Notes
In the range of sounds, I far prefer the low notes. Drop an octave from middle C and something about that majestic resonance pangs in...
Lone Wolf (Act I and II)
There was a time when I wasn’t so good at being alone. During the start of my PhD program (over a decade ago now), I...
All That Jazz
I used to be embarrassed about my introduction to jazz and soul, for mine was a strange passageway: romantic comedies. Although I don’t remember it...
The Summery Sweetness of Eaux Claires
Rare are the times when a moment is so perfect you recognize it while it’s happening. Usually that kind of appreciation happens after the fact,...
Burnout By Any Other Name…
It’s never a good sign when the art that most enlivens you begins to feel draining, when staring at the wall feels more restful than...
Movement & Location
People move for all kinds of reasons—a job, a relationship, to be closer to family. Sometimes it’s just a matter of changing scenery or finally...
The Ephemerality of Streaming
This is going to sound like a daft thing to complain about considering the endless amount of music that now exists at our fingertips, but...
On Cringeworthy Listening Histories
I often succumb to the obstructive instinct of curation. It’s one of my fatal flaws, and it’s only gotten worse with social media and the...
Long Walks with Waxahatchee
At the start of the pandemic, somewhere around mid-March, I started taking long walks after work. With routines not just interrupted but in complete tatters,...