Archive for October 2008
Boo! (Or, Crossing The River Styx In Costume)
My favorite Halloween was at the end of my least-favorite year. I was ten-years-old. My parents were separated, soon-to-be divorced (saw that comin’, right?). My mother was in Washington, DC. Chris and I were with our father in Oak Park, Illinois. It was, as I’ve written before, a particularly dark, confusing and chaotic time. In…
Read MoreNext News Now: New Business Model for News
Left to my own devices, I would have fled the scene. In fact, if transparency is the hallmark of blogging, than I’ll be honest: I did flee the scene. Instead of networking over lunch at the City University of New York’s New Business Model for News Conference last week, I took my salad at my…
Read MoreVote Early & Often (On My New Album Cover)
Sure, the fate of the free world hangs in the balance. No, I’m not talkin’ Obama/Biden vs. McCain/Palin. I’m talkin’ about you choosing the album cover for “Live From Rockwood Music Hall,” my forthcoming online-only release due at Authentic Records Online and iTunes on November 19th. There are four album covers to chose from. All…
Read MoreMy Top Ten Favorite Lyrics (Or, What’s Left Behind To Shoulder Grows Weightless)
In what has become a presumably tiresome refrain amongst my musician friends, I’ve said more than once of late that I’m not sure I’ll ever release another album. Sure, I’m releasing my Live From Rockwood Music Hall LP on November 19th. And yeah, I have plans for a big live recording of my “greatest hits”…
Read MoreThe Next Big Thing
I knew I was in the right place when, ten paces into the student center, I found myself engaged in a conversation about personal responsibility and morality. Aaaah, academia. I sat on the steps of NYU’s Judson Memorial Church, CMJ Music Marathon registration headquarters, there in the shadow of Washington Square Park, for a few…
Read MoreThe Rainbow Connection
When I was about nine-years-old, my mom had a record called, “I’m Getting My Act Together And Taking It On The Road.” I never listened to it myself. I never had to; it was on the record player incessantly. The single was called, “Strong Woman Number.” It was a post-ERA, liberation song full of self-awareness…
Read MoreRandom Notes, Volume LXIV
Even through my slightly-swollen, slightly-bleary eyes, the sky was beautiful this morning. Jamie Leonhart (God bless her) came by again last night to track another “Blue Christmas” vocal for our “Holiday Benefit, Volume II” compilation. You’ll recall that she came by last weekend to record some backing harmonies with me, but that was before it…
Read MoreLive Blogging The “Holiday Benefit, Volume II” Recording Session
On December 1, the follow up to our now-annual holiday benefit compilation — aptly titled “Rebel Spirit Presents: A Holiday Benefit” — will be released at New York City’s Canal Room. This year’s record features twelve holiday covers and originals from New York City singer/songwriters like Brent Shuttleworth, Casey Shea and Rosi Golan, plus our…
Read MoreBenjamin Wagner “Live At Rockwood Music Hall” Due November 19
I’ll be releasing a new EP, “Live At Rockwood Music Hall,” on November 19th. The 8-song recording will be available exclusively on Authentic Records Online and iTunes. “Live At Rockwood Music Hall” tracks were culled from three separate Rockwood Music Hall performances over the course of sixteen months: March 25, 2007; July 10, 2008, and…
Read MoreRoll Your Windows Down, Part III
All the best stories are trilogies (or should have been): Star Wars, The Bible, Lethal Weapon. There’s something elemental to the rise, fall, and major lift. And all the best heroes go out on top: Perseus, Odysseus, James Dean. Tonight then, to that end, we celebrated the cacauphonous conclusion of the Lower East Sides’ favorite…
Read More