The whole idea of me as a recluse is absurd ’cause I’m in the streets like all the time. I’m outside all the time, I’m traveling the world all the time. It’s funny to me that that’s the perception... but I’m just trying to put myself more into whatever kind of stream is going on here in culture.
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Frank Ocean speaks at Spotify's Secret Genius Awards in Los Angeles, Nov. 1, 2017.
(Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)
Wednesday - April 17, 2019 Wed - 04/17/19
rantnrave:// While we mourn the destruction of NOTRE DAME, many odes to the history and beauty of the cathedral have been written. A take on Notre Dame's contribution to music as we know it today by WOSU RADIO's JENNIFER HAMBRICK grabbed my attention. Hambrick explains that the architecture of the cathedral allowed it to become an incubator of sacred polyphony (in layman's terms, multiple melody lines), which is fundamental to the idea of harmonizing in music. Without it we might not have one of the greatest harmony performances of all time by the BEACH BOYS or the close country harmonies of the LOUVIN BROTHERS and their descendants, and "BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY" would be unthinkable. Just to name a few... Women are having a good week, making me think 2019 could be the year of the woman part 2. ARETHA FRANKLIN became the first woman to be awarded a special citation by the PULITZER PRIZE board. It's unfortunate that the award is posthumous, because Franklin's contributions to music were stupendous, and it's sad that it took 89 years for an individual woman to be recognized. Franklin's musical talents were taken to new heights throughout her career by her faith and her church. She was the daughter of a preacher and songs of praise were part of her DNA. In thinking about what we would have missed out on musically without Notre Dame, I also wonder what future Pulitzer winners we may be missing out on after the church bombings in Louisiana, which a lot of folks on TWITTER have been reminding us are as worthy of our attention as Notre Dame... ELLEN REID also won a Pulitzer, garnering the music award for her opera P R I S M, which deals with the effects of sexual and emotional abuse. She began working on the piece before the #MeToo movement, and it aims to give listeners a way to relate to and understand the point of view of survivors, drawing from her own experience as a survivor. Make no mistake about it: The art made by women addressing sexual misconduct, objectification, empowerment and underrepresentation is the fall out of #MeToo for music. It doesn't have to all be about outing men for bad behavior. Women are finding their voices and using them to help us all understand why equality is necessary. And demand it... One more shoutout to women doing the work: Congratulations to ELAINA SMITH on her GRACIE AWARD for the WOMEN WANT TO HEAR WOMEN podcast. If you haven't been listening, go subscribe. Smith interviews women in country music, from CARRIE UNDERWOOD and MAREN MORRIS to workaday songwriters and up-and-coming talent, about the struggles they face in the genre. And she's doing everything she can to eliminate the false narrative that women listeners don't want to hear women artists on country radio. It's time for that old chestnut to go.
- Courtney E. Smith, guest curator
sweet life
GAYLETTER
Frank Ocean Talks Interviews, Major Labels & Creativity
by Tom Jackson
Intuition is a big word for Frank Ocean. It’s been a guiding star in his uncharted course to success. His trust in it has led to various awards, beloved albums, even a surprise magazine filled with two years of globetrotting adventures. 
WOSU
Notre Dame Cathedral: The Birthplace Of Music As We Know It Today
by Jennifer Hambrick
Had Notre Dame Cathedral actually burned to the ground in yesterday's (Apr. 15) devastating fire, we would have lost one of the architectural wonders of the Western world -- and so much more. We would have lost the locus of striking musical innovations that helped make music - whether Beethoven's symphonies or Beyoncé's latest hit -- what it is today.
Literary Hub
Surviving False Dawns: On Joy Division and Life in a Far Distant Suburb
by Justine Hyde
My home, the cultural wasteland of outer suburban late 1980s Sydney, is as bleak as Manchester, in its own way. People are poor. Violence simmers behind the closed doors of brick veneer houses, in the shadows of railway underpasses, and around the dusty edges of darkened sports fields. The air is heavy with hopelessness. I languish in a fugue of terminal boredom.
The New York Times
Sparkle, Once R. Kelly's Protégée, May Testify Against Him. Again
by Elizabeth A. Harris
Sparkle testified that a sex tape showed Mr. Kelly abusing her niece. A rising star years ago, she is arguably best known today for her taking a public stand against him.
The Guardian
'It's an absurd profession': the world's most infamous bouncers tell all
by Maya-Roisin Slater
They have a fearsome reputation for excluding eager clubbers -- but as a documentary about Berlin’s doormen is released, three of them explain why their policies are ‘all about tolerance.’
Variety
Who Is Deborah Dugan, the New Boss of the Recording Academy?
by Jem Aswad
When news leaked late Friday (Apr. 12) that outgoing Recording Academy president/CEO Neil Portnow will be replaced by (RED) CEO Deborah Dugan, the reaction for many may have been, "Who?" -- largely because her name was not among the couple dozen more-predictable potential candidates speculated by insiders.
Pitchfork
Why Were There So Many Sound Problems at Coachella?
by Marc Hogan
Experts, including the engineer who worked Radiohead’s technical difficulty-plagued 2017 Coachella set, explain some possible reasons.
VIBE Magazine
The Underrated Genius Of Busta Rhymes
by Naima Cochrane
Busta Rhymes raised the bar and helped broaden the scope of hip-hop at crucial moments in the genre’s evolution.
The Epoch Times
Early Music Specialist Bridget Cunningham on Re-capturing Handel
by Robert Hugill
Early music specialist, international opera conductor, and prizewinning harpsichordist, Bridget Cunningham talks about her exploration of Handel’s divas.
Refinery29
BTS Made Their 'SNL' Debut & A Woman Who Shared The Stage Was Their Secret Weapon
by Natalie Morin
"If the Queen knighted me, it would be less of an honor than being onstage with BTS," Melanie Fontana told Refinery29.
not just money
Music 3.0
iHeartMedia's IPO May Demonstrate Future Of Music Radio
by Bobby Owsinski
In an effort to pay down its massive debts, iHeartMedia is set to file for an IPO, a move by the bankrupt internet radio company which could be indicative of what the future may hold for other music companies involved in radio, and specifically internet radio, may do moving forward.
JSTOR Daily
The Nostalgic Quality of Our Parents' Music
by Jessica Jacolbe
Behind the curious phenomenon of "cascading reminiscence bumps."
HUCK Magazine
Big Joanie: 'So many people of colour in punk music get forgotten'
by Hannah Clugston
Founded in 2013, Big Joanie refer to their sound as “black feminist sistah punk”, influenced by an eclectic mix including the Riot Grrrl movement, Tina Turner, My Bloody Valentine and PJ Harvey.
LAist
These LA Musicians Are Reviving Bolero Music -- With Some Hip-Hop Inspiration Thrown In
by Betto Arcos
Tres Souls has been keeping the romantic ballad style alive and well through a series of concerts.
NME
Ed O'Brien on the power of nature, his debut solo album, and what's next for Radiohead
by Patrick Clarke
Ed's trying to get birdsong into the charts.
Resident Advisor
How 'Flat Beat' changed the world
by Joe Muggs
Joe Muggs explains how Mr Oizo's offbeat hit set dance music on a new path.
Los Angeles Times
Nipsey Hussle memorial begins with beauty but has an ugly epilogue
by LZ Granderson
Nipsey Hussle's death sparked calls to end violence in the black community, but change will only come with the fortitude to value life and build respect.
NPR Music
Gary Clark Jr.: Tiny Desk Concert
by Stephen Thompson and Gary Clark Jr.
These three songs, from Clark's incendiary new album "This Land," roar with the assurance and force of a showman at the top of his game.
Rolling Stone
Chasteness, Soda Pop and Show Tunes: The Lost Story of the Young Americans and the Choircore Movement
by David Browne
In the Sixties, some young performers pioneered bizarro alternative to sex, drugs and rock & roll. Inside the choir-pop scene -- and the U.S. government’s attempt to co-opt it.
The Guardian
The tuneful tramp: the forgotten musical genius of Charlie Chaplin
by Ariane Todes
He rubbed shoulders with Stravinsky and dreamed up beautiful film scores in his sleep. So why don’t we know more about Chaplin’s love affair with song?
MUSIC OF THE DAY
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"No New Friends"
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