I have a copy of a brand new book, Dragon at the Edge of a Flat World, sitting on the edge of my desk. Inside it is inscribed: "Hope we stay in the same reality. Love, Joseph." At the time, I did not fully appreciate the extent to which Joseph Keckler, the author, is a dimension-traveling wizard. But I already had inklings.
Paul D. Miller (aka DJ Spooky) discussing his latest book The Imaginary App at the inaugural Gwarlingo Salon in Dublin, New Hampshire (Photo by Michelle Aldredge) On August 5, 2008 a new app called I Am Rich appeared in Apple's App Store. The app, [...]
Amelia Randall Meath and Nick Sanborn formed Sylvan Esso in 2013 (Photo via sylvanesso.com) Here in Harrisville, New Hampshire, our general store is the center of community life---where locals go for a cup of coffee, to buy eggs, or to learn if the next Nor'easter will leave six or [...]
Marco Fusinato. Mass Black Implosion (Shaar, Iannis Xenakis). 2012. Ink on archival facsimile of score; framed. Part one of five parts. To make these drawings Fusinato chose a point on the page and then ruled a line from every note in the composition back to that point. This ongoing series, [...]
"Life is going to be difficult," says artist Patti Smith. "Ride with it." (Photo via cbc.ca) “In art and dream may you proceed with abandon. In life may you proceed with balance and stealth." These are the words of rock legend and National-Book-Award winner Patti Smith. The advice is [...]
Janet Cardiff's sound installation The Forty Part Motet, currently on view at the Cloisters in New York City through December 8th, is a rarity---a revelatory work of art that can inspire busy museum-goers to stop, listen deeply, and even bring them to tears. I sat through five cycles of [...]
Jeff Tweedy of Wilco performing at the 2013 Solid Sound Festival at Mass MoCA in North Adams, Massachusetts (Photo by Michelle Aldredge) Last weekend around 8,000 festival-goers gathered at Mass MoCA under the supermoon to participate in Wilco's sold-out Solid Sound Festival in North Adams, Massachusetts. Attendees come [...]
The Tank in Rangely, Colorado, is considered one of the sonic marvels of the world within a certain circle of composers and sound artists. (Photo courtesy Friends of the Tank) Is there a connection between noise and money? Which sounds are healing to us as [...]
Sam Green narrating his live documentary The Love Song of R. Buckminster Fuller at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston (Photo by Sam Allison) "I live on Earth at present, and I don't know what I am. I know that I am not a category. I am [...]
This drawing may look like a maze or an artist's sketch, but it's actually a musical score created by Emmy-award-winning composer Steve Heitzeg. A few years ago pianist Teresa McCollough received a surprise gift in the mail from Heitzeg: 192 scores titled World Piece. Each score was named for [...]
British Street artist Slinkachu left this miniature "Hanging On" in the streets of Hong Kong. It's one of the many images on view in his New York and London show, Global Model Village. (Photo © Slinkachu courtesy the artist) The invitations, event notices, emails, and review copies [...]
Stills from The Clock by Christian Marclay (Photo courtesy arkitipintel.com) (NOTE: This review is from the summer of 2012. Marclay's The Clock is on view at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City through January 21, 2013, with a special 24-hour screening on New Year's [...]
Country music legend Kitty Wells died Monday at her home in Madison, Tennessee, after suffering complications from a stroke. She was 92. The music of Kitty Wells and other country artists played frequently on the turntable in our Georgia house. My grandmother, who grew up on a farm in the [...]
If you're in the New England area on June 8th, 9th, or 10th, you'll want to check out the Thing in the Spring art and music festival in Peterborough, New Hampshire. Gwarlingo is proud to be the media sponsor for this event. The festival is organized by musician [...]
The best link in this morning's Twitter feed came from Christopher Jobson over at Colossal. Last month the Copenhagen Philharmonic pulled off an audacious stunt---performing Edvard Grieg's Peer Gynt on a crowded, moving metro train for unsuspecting passengers. The flash mob was created in collaboration with Radio Klassisk. All music [...]
Artist Mary Goldthwaite-Gagne studies "Capturing Resonance," a piece made of chain-link fencing on view at the deCordova Museum. (Photo by Michelle Aldredge) On my recent visit to the deCordova Museum, one of the artworks I found most compelling was "Capturing Resonance" by sculptor [...]
As spring approaches I suddenly find myself inundated with invitations to concerts, readings, and exhibits. It appears that our winter hibernation is finally coming to an end. Here is a small sampling of some of the events I'm planning to attend, along with a few I'm very, very sorry to [...]
One of my favorite discoveries this winter was the German singer Sibylle Baier. The story of how her wonderful record, Colour Green, came to be is as interesting as the music itself. She grew up in Germany in the 50s and 60s. During a particularly low period in her early life, [...]
One of the albums I'm most anticipating this spring is Boys and Girls, the first full-length record from the garage-soul band the Alabama Shakes. Brittany Howard's soulful, sandpaper voice channels the likes of Janis Joplin, Otis Redding, and Aretha Franklin, with a touch of Billie Holiday thrown in. It's [...]
It's the New Year, which means it's time for lofty resolutions and the annual onslaught of "best of" lists. Here at Gwarlingo, I thought I'd provide readers with a new twist on the traditional "Best of 2011" list. I asked an array of artists, composers, filmmakers, writers, musicians, and performers [...]
"Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent." This line from Victor Hugo came to mind the first time I heard the incredible story of Tibetan nun Ngawang Sangdrol. At age 14 Sangdrol was jailed at the notorious Draphchi Prison [...]
It's time to discuss a topic more divisive than religion, more inflammatory than right versus left or the 99% versus the 1%. A topic that will either make your eyes twinkle or your blood boil. Christmas music. There are two distinct camps when it comes to this subject: the lovers and [...]
Earlier this month composer Steve Reich turned 75. Over the past few decades Reich has gone from being a musical outsider to winning the Pulitzer Prize for his 2009 Double Sextet. In the early days of his career, Reich drove a cab in San Francisco and worked as a part-time social [...]
One of my favorite filmmakers working today is Bill Morrison. There aren't many directors whose work compels me to see every film they make, but Morrison is one of those rare artists I've enjoyed following closely through the years. His films are always memorable and worth seeking out. Over [...]
I recently came across this hypnotic piece of music by Finnish musician Antti Paalanen. Paalanen is a composer and a master of the diatonic accordion. Accordions are made in a range of different configurations and styles. Diatonic button accordions are bisonoric, which means each button produces two notes: one when the [...]