Dennis

273 posts

Inspiration

A few years ago, a friend introduced me to the wonders of Audible. After a lifetime during which undiagnosed dyslexia led me to shun reading as an unpleasant chore, I now revel in the wonders of literature.  I listen to all sort of books – fiction, history, biography, memoir – and have discovered that books are so much more than diversions from the turmoil of living.  Books provide peepholes through which I better understand myself […]

Mobile Music Makes way in Boston

Sunday, September 18th through Tuesday the 20th, a unique vehicle will bring music to the Greater Boston area.  The Music Haul, a 17-foot U-haul truck which mechanically converts into a fully functioning stage with the touch of a button, will be touring Boston with concerts scheduled in the South End, Dorchester, and Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park. Later stops include performances at Harvard Square and the State House. Writing for the Boston Globe, Malcom Gay reports […]

Local Brew Events’ 6th annual Fiddle ‘n Folk Fest!

On September 10 from 11:00 am – 5:00 pm, Local Brew Events’ 6th annual Fiddle n Folk Fest will take place in Haines Park, Barrington RI (near Cove Haven Marina). Featuring more than 10 acts such as: Cowboy and Lady, French Roast, Bay Spring Folk, Old Fiddlers Club of RI, as well as storytelling by Len Cabral, food trucks, craft vendors, dancing, and kids activities, it’s bound to be a rousing event. Join the all-levels fiddle […]

Does Music help you Concentrate?

  Music is wonderful. It can make us feel almost any emotion. It can make us dance, make us cry, and it can even help us stay focused, but what is it about music that keeps us focused on everyday tasks, like driving, reading, or writing? As a new article on theguardian.com by Dean Burnett explains, the brain has two attention systems: a conscious, and unconscious one. The conscious attention system focuses on our current […]

Scary Music Influences our Thoughts about Sharks

You know the song, it starts out slow, daa-na….daa-na, then increases in pace, da-na..da-na..da-na.  At this point you know what’s coming.  A great big shark is making it’s way straight towards you! What started as a background music to get your blood pumping for thriller movies like Jaws has jumped from the big screen to the small.  Scary, ominous music is more often than not featured alongside sharks in nature documentaries and according to a […]

Music Makes Beer Taste Better!

Looking for a new trick to make beer taste better? Good news! According to a new study published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, music can actually influence the way an individual perceives the taste of beer. So, the next time you are getting a self serve beer, don’t be afraid to get a little more lost in the music than normal. A team of researchers from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and KU Leuven were […]

New Chamber Orchestra Opportunity for New Learners!

We have recently learned that the http://northfloridatpo.com/planning-studies/tip/ Moses Brown School in Providence RI is forming a community orchestra! The school is looking for adult players who are learning violin, viola, cello, or double bass at the beginner or intermediate levels. You can read more about this exciting opportunity, including the rehearsal schedule, contact information, and download the registration form by clicking the following link: HERE.

How our Culture Impacts our Music Taste

  What determines our taste in music?  Is it something predetermined, born within us?  Or does it have more to do with how we are raised?  This discussion of nature vs. nurture is not new among scientists, and past studies have found evidence suggesting that nature has some role to play. However, a new study published by the Nature Journal of Science suggests that the music we are exposed to in our culture while we […]

Rock ‘n’ Roll ‘n’ Politics

A new exhibit titled “Louder than Words: Rock, Power, and Politics” is on display at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland Ohio. The exhibit, “features bands and artifacts – everything from instruments and sheet music to clothing – that documents American history through the tunes we rock out to. The exhibit is free all week while approximately 40 events take place at the Hall across four days during the Republican National Convention.” According to […]

When Music Gives You Chills

  You’re sitting in a comfy chair, eyes closed, completely engulfed in listening to a favorite piece of music when it hits you, chills that run up your spine and across your skin.  This reaction, known as frisson, only occurs in about a half to two-thirds of the population according to an article published by Jason Daley on The Smithsonian website on June 20th. According to the article, past research has shown that dopamine “floods […]

The Best Part of Waking Up…

Is music in your ears! According to a new study by Spotify and Ipsos one of the best motivators to get out of bed on a Monday morning is the thought of listening to your favorite music. After polling 3,005 people across the globe, Ipsos found that Mondays are the mornings where people feel the least motivated to get up and out. While coffee unsurprisingly took first place as the biggest Monday no prescription needed […]

Music Therapy at Boston Children’s Hospital

What started as a volunteer program utilizing Berklee College Students in 1996 at the Boston Children’s Hospital has evolved into a program with four certified music professionals working 130 hours a week, all in the hopes of easing child patients anxieties and helping them cope with their illnesses. Melissa Bailey writing for the Boston Globe recently published an article focusing on the program and it’s impact on the hospital and its patients.  Bailey interviewed Joanna […]

BRT Summer Solstice Festival

Don’t miss out on the Blackstone River Theater’s Summer Solstice Festival next weekend at Diamond Hill Park in Cumberland! Stop by for a day of music, food, and celebration! Featuring performances by: Atwater-Donnelly prednisone alternatives allergies Trio • Barrule (from Isle of Man) • Mari Black Trio The John Doyle Band • Eastern Medicine Singers • Girsa The Gnomes • Low Lily • Pendragon • Tir Na Nog Irish Dance The Vox Hunters with Torrin […]

Trump is Not Queen’s Champion, My Friend

The Rolling Stone reports this week that Queen guitarist Brian May, “has issued a stern statement denouncing the usage” of the band’s famous anthem, “We Are the Champions” by Donald Trump.  The track played while Trump walked onstage after his final victory in the Republican Primaries Tuesday night. After receiving, “an avalanche of complaints,” May came forward on his website to denounce Trump’s use of the song and confirm that permission was never sought nor […]

Bernanza! The Bernie Sanders Music Festival

This summer in Omaha Nebraska, Bernie Sanders fans will gather at Sokol Park for a three day celebration of Bernie, music, art, and more!  Planned, and paid for out-of-pocket, by Kris Love and Keila Castillo, two “now broke” friends, 100% of the proceeds from the festival (up to 10,000 dollars, “the max allowed due to FEC regulations”) will go to the Bernie Sanders campaign. According to the festivals website: “There will be headliners as well […]

Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Double Bass Player Dies Onstage

Jane Little, of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra died Sunday, May 15th, doing what she loved best, playing her double-bass and making music onstage. Little began playing with the Symphony in 1945 when she was just 16 years old.  In February she was awarded a Guinness World Record  after reaching her 71st anniversary with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.  She was 87 years old at the time of her death. You can read more of Little’s story […]

An Icelandic Treasure; The Music of Ólafur Arnalds

The year was 2010 and a conversation about movie soundtracks and classical music prompted my friend to ask the question, “Have you ever heard of Ólafur Arnalds?” I hadn’t. Nor would I realize how thankful to my friend I would be for mentioning him until I later opened up the link she sent me to the official music video of Arnalds’ song Ljósið. Hard to pronounce, but not hard to listen to, I was immediately […]

Why Does Repetition Work in the Music We Love?

Repetition.  It’s a tool used to memorize, hone skills, and make lasting impressions.  In many cases though, repetition causes fatigue or boredom, so why does the technique work so well in the world of music? Author Tom Service writing for The Guardian wanted to know why.  In his article, Stuck on Repeat: Why we love Repetition in Music he states that not only does repetition within a song work for us, it also explains why […]

365 Prince Illustrations serve as a Lasting Tribute

(AP) – Local Pawtucket Rhode Island artist Rebekah Major has gained recent attention for a project started last March titled “365 Days of Prince.” The project came to light after the shocking death of music icon Prince last week.  When speaking to the Associated Press, Major said she started the project to “improve as an artist” and that Prince resonated with her because his music, canadian rx prescription drugstore, Canadian Drugstore cheapest prices for cialis […]

Music Helps Babies Unlock Language Learning

A new study from the University of Washington reports that music, “…may help babies learn a language better, in part by helping them learn to detect important rhythms.” According to the study, the ability to recognize and predict patterns and rhythms in music can translate to predicting the patterns and rhythms in speech as well, even in babies only nine months old. A child’s development can be helped along in various ways, music is one […]

Punk Rock Legends; A Stroll through Ramones History in Queens

Alex Vadukul of the New York Times recently took a tour through Queens alongside Mickey Leigh, the younger brother of Ramone’s front man Joey Ramone.  Visiting sites such as the pair’s childhood homes, Forest Hill High School, which all of the band members attended, and the band’s “primitive rehearsal space,” a basement where Leigh recalls, “…opening this door and getting hit by the smell and sound of the Ramones,” Vadukul was sure to hit all […]

Brace Yourselves, New Game of Thrones Music is Coming

April has arrived and with it comes season six of HBO’s wildly popular Game of Thrones. The new season is set to premier on April 24th and while fans theorize about the twists and turns of the upcoming plot, music fans wait to hear what composer Ramin Djawadi will bring to the table this time around. But without access to HBO programming, you won’t be able to experience any of the series; with the service […]

Lake Street Dive returns to Boston

Boston-born band Lake Street Dive returned to the city to play a sold-out show at the House of Blues last Wednesday!     ” ‘We owe a lot of gratitude to this city,” Price said near the end of the set, before listing off local venues Lake Street Dive had played in during its journey to major-label status: now-closed spots like “the bubble tea place on Boylston” and the Cambridge bar All Asia, intimate rooms […]

Why are musicians “selling out”?

At the South by Southwest (SXSW) conference, panelists discussed ‘How did this song get in that https://rifleman.org.uk/dev/blog/index.php?=cialis-20mg-canada commercial?” More and more musicians are selling their music to advertising companies, a practice that used to be branded as “selling out.”     In an interview with NPR’s Audie Cornish, Michael Paoletta, a panelist, remarked that “Sometimes when the music is right, you don’t need words at all.” Read more about why music is so essential to advertising and […]

The Ramones’ self-titled 1976 album to be reissued this summer!

In 1976, The Ramones released their self-titled first album. Although the record was not a success at first, it “became the founding document of punk rock.”     On the occasion of the album’s 40th anniversary, Rhino Records is reissuing an expanded album this summer! In addition, there will be an exhibition entitled “Hey! Ho! Pharmacy Canada, overseas pharmacy no prescription prednisone no script canada https://makeandfable.com/2016/06/buy-prednisone-online-canadian-pharmacy-prednisone-over-the-counter-usa/ Reputable Canadian Online Pharmacies, prednisone purchase online Pharmacy Co Uk […]

Michelle Obama delivers the keynote address at SXSW

First Lady Michelle Obama gave https://light.utoronto.ca/uncategorized/metformin-without-prescription/ the keynote address at the annual South by Southwest conference and festival in Austin, Texas on Wednesday. She talked about the Let Girls Learn initiative and participated in a panel with Missy Elliott, Diane Warren, Sophia Bush and Queen Latifah.     Read some interesting commentary on the event at NPR.  

Hamilton at the White House!

Obama invited the cast of Hamilton to sing “Alexander Hamilton” and “My Shot” at the White House on Monday! The event was live streamed and is now available to watch here.     In his remarks before the performance, Obama stated, “…And in the Hamilton that Lin-Manuel and his incredible cast and crew bring to prednisone no prescription life, a man who is just like his country – young, scrappy, and hungry – we recognize the improbable […]

George Martin, The 5th Beatle

George Martin, known as “the 5th Beatle” for his influential role in the production of The Beatles’ original albums, died this past Tuesday at the age of 90. Bob Boilen of NPR writes, “George Martin’s skills as an arranger are on all of The Beatles albums: the strings on “Yesterday,” a trumpet Reputable Canadian Online Pharmacies, International Drugstore online brand viagra https://www.smallpieces.com/kids/ Nz Online Pharmacy, i want to buy viagra The Canadian Drugstore on “Penny Lane” […]

Marble machine!

Martin Molin, a Swedish musician, spent over a year creating this music box that operates on 2,000 marbles! Danny Lewis for the Smithsonian writes, “The Wintergartan Marble Machine works by sending thousands of steel marbles around a circuit, albeit an enormously complex one. As Molin turns a crank, the marbles begin to roll down chutes leading them to different keys on a vibraphone. That’s not the only instrument built into the machine, though. By flipping […]

Music on the campaign trail

How do Clinton, Sanders, Trump, Rubio, and Cruz brand themselves through music? They have each chosen very different musical aesthetics for their campaign theme songs. The https://www.gibraltarport.com/node/803 tunes reflect their personal stories…and their marketing strategies.     Read about which songs candidates have chosen and why in this article from The Guardian.  

The Oscar for Best Original Song

The Oscars are tonight! Curious about the nominees for best original song? Here’s the list: “Earned It” from Fifty Shades of Grey “Manta Ray” from Racing Extinction “Simple Song #3” from Youth “Til It Happens to http://gawow.com/folio/blog/index.php?=order-kamagra-online/ You” from The Hunting Ground “Writings on the Wall” from Spectre     Watch trailers and read more here!    

From DJ to Hit

Who’s writing and performing those catchy basslines on today’s top hits in rap? DJ Dahi. Read NPR’s article here.     Dahi has a lot to say about the music industry: “I was really inspired by watching the [2015] MTV Video canadian drugs online prescription, pills online canada purchase lasix deliver london generic lasix without prescription Www Drug Store Com, buy lasix 100mg no prescription online pharmacy no prior prescription Music Awards show —Kanye’s acceptance speech […]

Boston Symphony Orchestra wins Grammy under music director Andris Nelsons!

The Boston Symphony Orchestra won a Grammy for their Deutsche Grammaphon recording entitled “Shostakovich: Under Stalin’s Shadow.” This is the first recording the BSO has made under this label, and the first grammy win for music director Andris Nelsons!     Nelsons had lovely words to say about the honor, “Firstly I’m very proud of the Boston Symphony Orchestra…All of the wonderful musicians, of course, but also the management team, the board, the supporters, and […]

What do New Yorkers have to say about love?

Listen to NPR’s Valentine’s Day podcast about love in New York City. “You’d think people would be shy and private, but the love was overwhelming. One after another, New Yorkers took a seat and told us about what made them fall in love, the love they lost, and the love they’ll never forget.”     Music: Selena – Dreaming of You, Los Cenzontles & Andre Thierry – La Luna Y Las Estrellas, Sigur Rós – […]

The voice of a strange bird

Barbara Hannigan, one of the most talented sopranos living today, was described by members of the Berlin Philharmonic as “…a strange bird that we’ve never heard before.”     A champion of new classical music, Hannigan has performed over 80 world premieres. The Berlin https://www.newyorkbanners.com/wp-content.php?=cheap-propecia-online Philharmonic’s Simon Rattle says of Hannigan, “She’s fearless and she has technique and brains to burn. So, we’re just lucky to have her on the same planet at the same […]

Dudamel at halftime!

LA Times reporter Mark Swed writes “…in this divided country of ours, one of the big divides is the phony distinction between pop culture and, for want of a better word, classical.”     Dudamel is conducting his Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA) tonight during the Super Bowl halftime show, a move that will hopefully help bridge the gap between “high” and “low art,” and that will shine a light on the need for more music […]