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Setting the Intention… Years ago I was studying under a Yaqui Indian elder and he spoke, and speaks, at length about defining our purpose, about setting our intention, establishing our identity and reaffirming it daily, hourly, every minute, and every second. Doing so helps us live our most authentic life. Some do this by quoting chapter and verse. Some meditate and chant mantras. My prayers are carried to heaven by Brian Wilson’s tender falsetto. My intentions are set through poets, songwriters, and novelists. I recently recommitted myself to this essential exercise in the form of a simple playlist during my morning shower. I stagger outRead More →

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Mountains and Glass This past Saturday the 14th brought The Glass back to the stage to honor and perform the music of Soda Stereo, the great Argentinean rock group that has influenced more bands than anyone realizes.  But more important than it being another performance by one of Houston’s best bands sharing a bill with other fantastic artists, was the reason for their gathering. It was a benefit show raising funds to help reunite families that have been separated at border crossings. As a friend put it, the evening was “our chance, however small it is, to try to move toward dignity and justice.” TheyRead More →

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The Beach Boys seem to be summed up in a couple different ways depending on who you’re talking to. There’s the one that dismisses them as so much early 60s surf fluff that lacks any of the depth that fellow California groups like the Doors, Jefferson Airplane, or the Eagles carry and certainly that of the Beatles. For these people I feel almost a sense of pity because they are missing out on so much. There’s another narrative, just as inaccurate, that depicts Brian as a brilliant but drug-addicted songwriter and producer who peaked with Pet Sounds, went nuts during the abandoned Smile sessions andRead More →

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I’m picking up Good Vibrations…. So let’s think of classic, enduring, compelling songs from the rock or pop canon. What comes to mind? “A Day in the Life” by the Beatles is certainly on anyone’s list as would be “the Abbey Road Medley.” Certainly “Bohemian Rhapsody” is heralded for the complex arrangement, ambitious production, and we’ve all heard the legend of there being so many overdubs that the tape became so thin in parts that they could see through it. We can go on with tracks like “Stairway to Heaven” or “Kashmir” by Led Zeppelin and so forth. There’s one song thought that I seldomRead More →