Archive for the ‘Misc’ Category

Grammys 2012: My $0.02

Posted by Mike on February 19th, 2012 under Misc Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,  •  No Comments

For me, the Grammys largely come and go most years without much notice. I occasionally have some small emotional stake in one or two awards. This year I was pleased to see Bon Iver (praised here) not only nominated but win, and I was pleased that they refused to perform. I don’t often watch the show. [...]

Gear

Posted by Mike on February 12th, 2012 under Misc, Performance, Saxophone Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,  •  No Comments

I recently decided I wanted to invest in some new hardware for a couple of my saxophones. There are a couple ligatures and mouthpieces that need to be improved upon if not replaced. On top of that, I’ve recently been experimenting with different tenor reeds. While many  saxophonists would find this sort of thing exciting, [...]

On New Music

Posted by Mike on February 4th, 2012 under Classical, Education, Misc, Performance Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,  •  2 Comments

I think a lot about “New Music.” Part of my preference for it is my Classical Saxophone perspective: (relatively) “new” instruments require new music to create a lexicon. And while not all new music (especially for saxophone) may be of high quality, you can’t make an omelette without breaking a few eggs. Another reason for [...]

Reflection: ‘Einstein on the Beach’

Posted by Mike on January 23rd, 2012 under Misc Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,  •  3 Comments

(Disclaimer: I don’t intend for this to be a “review,” but rather a stream of consciousness way for me to gather and digest my immediate thoughts and reactions. Also note that I am not an EOTB expert. I’m simply a fan.) It was very fresh and clean. This afternoon, I was fortunate enough to see Philip Glass [...]

Paying for what you like II: iCloud edition

Posted by Mike on June 2nd, 2011 under Listening, Misc, Technology Tags: , , , , , , , , ,  •  No Comments

Apple finally acknowledged its much-anticipated iCloud this week. Sort of. Actually, this week’s acknowledgement was more of a pre-announcement, as they said it would be officially announced and detailed next week. It was more akin to Republican leaders recently announcing exploratory committees for presidential campaigns that will be launched months later. I’m no technovangelist, though [...]