From the monthly archives:

December 2009

Mike Portnoy Comments On Sudden Passing Of Avenged Sevenfold Drummmer

December 31, 2009

When the news hit the airwaves about the sudden passing of Avenged Sevenfold’s drummer, James “The Rev” Sullivan, Viola and I were in the middle of traveling back home to Chicago. I’ve become a fan of the band in the past few years, so when I was catching up on news late last night [...]

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The Gift of Music

December 30, 2009

Pluto once said, “Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything.”
I am convinced there is nothing more precious than giving the gift of music to a loved one …and I don’t mean CD’s or MP3’s [...]

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Slipknot’s ‘Snuff’ – A Cool Short Film

December 21, 2009

Viola and I have been out and about this holidays season.  Needless to say, the past week or so hasn’t been very productive for us.  However, this was partially because were working diligently on the post we published yesterday.  In the process of catching up on email, I was informed about the new film by [...]

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For The Classical Music Fan – A List of Unique Masterworks

December 20, 2009

The following post was co-written with Contrapuntist.
If you’re a classical music aficionado who is looking for something different, how about trying some progressive rock and metal music? Now before you run away screaming, give me a moment to explain. As mentioned in a previous post, both Contrapuntist and I are metalheads and classically trained [...]

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Alec Baldwin Is The Voice For New York Philharmonic

December 15, 2009

Who knew Alec Baldwin was such a classical music fan?  I sure didn’t, but I stumbled onto an interesting article from the New York Times about Baldwin serving as the official announcer of the New York Philharmonic’s weekly radio broadcasts.  At a time when major symphony orchestras are struggling for survival, could a partnership with [...]

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A Little Untraditional Hanukkah Music

December 10, 2009

Tomorrow is the first night of Hanukkah, so I thought I’d share some untraditional  Hanukkah music videos with you.
First up is indie-rock band The LeeVees singing “How Do You Spell Channukkahh” from their album Hanukkah Rocks. There are 8 million different ways to spell this word, and nobody really knows which is the right one:

Next [...]

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“You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught to Hate” Part 2 – Exploring Racism in the Musicals West Side Story, Hairspray, and Ragtime

December 9, 2009

This is the second of a two-part series exploring racism in musicals. The first post included Finian’s Rainbow, Showboat, South Pacific, and the King and I. This post will discuss West Side Story, Hairspray, and Ragtime.
West Side Story
West Side Story premiered on September 26, 1957, with music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. [...]

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Remembering Dimebag Darrell: Five Years Later, It Still Hurts

December 8, 2009

Knowing full well that every other metal blogger was going to be writing about the five year anniversary, there probably isn’t anything I am going to say that hasn’t already been said today or in previous years.  However, the more the day went by, the more I couldn’t let today end without saying what is [...]

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Beijing Punk: Documentary About Underground Punk Scene In China

December 7, 2009

Is the next generation of punk peculating in underground Beijing, China?  A new documentary, Beijing Punk , takes a closer look at emergence of punk in China.  I would have never guessed that punk would even be allowed into China considering the current political establishment.  Is this another sign that China is embracing western culture?  [...]

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Dream Theater Makes The Best McDonald’s Ad

December 6, 2009

Most people that know me well, understand I don’t eat McDonald’s.  I just don’t.  I haven’t been a fan since I was kid. I prefer Wendy’s, especially the Spicy Chicken. <mouth is now watering thinking about the sandwich by the way>
Jordan Rudess (from Dream Theater) has his own YouTube channel and regularly uploads DT’s whereabouts, [...]

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