Viewing: The Culture around Music - View all posts

Bruce Springsteen and The Burning Controversy over Mary's Dress

The raging debate about the opening lines of Thunder Road would seemingly be settled among Bruce Springsteen's fanbase. The fact that it roars on speaks mostly to the passion and ownership we fans feel over the music of The Boss…

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Should Musicians Talk Politics?

Photo by Jay Lustig, NJ Arts

"Shut up and sing!" We've heard that line spoken by people on the opposing side of the political spectrum from the offending artist. When I hear it now in Bruce Springsteen's deeply political moment…

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Artificially On the Airwaves - Where are the Human DJ's? - Part 2

An Interview with Lazlo, BlowUpRadio

When I was a new independent artist in 2003 with my first publicly released album “American Road,” I was hungry for opportunities to share my creation with music listeners. I quickly came to learn that…

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Artificially on the Airwaves — Where Have All the Human DJs Gone? (Part 1)

An interview with my brother Matthew “Motl” Didner

In my college years, I'd return on breaks to my Morristown, NJ home in the late 80s, and have an in-house DJ who informed part of my musical tastes - none other…

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Artist on Artist: Book Review of "High Hopes: A Memoir" by Anne Abel

Last week, a fellow member of the Bruce Springsteen fan Facebook group SPRING-NUTS posted “A woman with debilitating depression and anxiety goes to Australia to see Bruce. Eight concerts, five cities, twenty-six days. It’s life changing.” I was immediately convinced…

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Rock & Roll Hall of Fame - The Garage Jam (Part 3)

Museums can be at their most engaging when they encourage participation in the form of art and science they feature. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame does this through “The Garage” - the section on the institution's 2nd floor…

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"Come Across the Tracks" - Celebrating a Key Black History Moment in Asbury Park 1964

This is a new song “Come Across the Tracks,” celebrating a simple act of forward thinking, involving a group of Black musicians from the west side of the railroad tracks in Asbury Park, NJ, and a young white newcomer, a…

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Yacht Rock: Condescension or Context?

A Response to Rick Beato's video “Yacht Rock” is Bullsh*t

Popular YouTube music commentator Rick Beato recently came out swinging against the HBO Max documentary “Yacht Rock,” siding with Steely Dan's Donald Fagan, who found the label demeaning and wasn't…

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