Category Archives: Music

Original Soundtrack

Last weekend I went to the movies, for the first time in a long time, to peep the new drug-trade thriller Sicario, directed by Denis Villeneuve. It was enjoyable for a slew of reasons—the cast, the action-driven plot, and the beautiful desert settings. However, I found myself most intrigued by the film’s soundtrack. (Editors note: I realize Read more [...]

Squad for Life

I don't share this anecdote because I want the world to share in my adulation for the song - you'd need an inaccessible combination of nostalgia and inane humor - but instead, because it got me thinking about my old, mostly high-school, days of recording rap. Really, and more specifically, the upstate-New York hip-hop sensation, Demon Snow Squad. Read more [...]

Smoke and Mirrors

Marshall Mathers released his 8th full-length studio album, The Marshall Mathers LP 2, on November 5th, this past Tuesday. It is a sequel, or rather an alleged continuation, of The Marshall Mathers LP, his most successful record, which I consider to be the greatest rap album of all time. I'll use this Blogcat to provide my opinions on the recent Read more [...]

Deconstructing a Deity

Everybody who knows me well understands that, while the music to which I listen is almost exclusively rap (Tenacious D and the Book of Mormon soundtrack aside!), Eminem stands apart. Don't get me wrong - I'm a big fan of the work of many other rappers. Illmatic. Enter the 36 Chambers. Ready to Die. Reasonable Doubt. Drought 3. Read more [...]

Baby, I’m an Anarchist

I don't quite remember the year; the poignancy of the memory overpowers any sense I have of my exact age, or even grade, at the time. I was driving my parents' Volvo down 114 towards Newport. My two closest friends, Spike and David, were in the car with me. David had just put in a CD of some band he was getting into that I had never heard of, with Read more [...]

The Dark Side of the Rainbow

You, at some point, have probably heard about "The Dark Side of the Rainbow," even if you don't recognize the name. Surely, at some point in your life, some bleary-eyed aquaintance wearing a Grateful Dead t-shirt has told you that if you play Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" album over the video for "The Wizard of Oz," the two synch up perfectly. Read more [...]

Life is a Cigarette

This is the inaugural post for the Quarry. This blogcat will be a collection of short essays and articles dealing with a range of topics that I find interesting to write about. At times, these pieces will be complements to my longer columns. Presently, this acts as a bit of an "introduction" to the column that will be written over the course of the next week. Breathe it in. Read more [...]

Eminem: A Theory of Value

My friend Jake Johnson, an alumnus of both Lafayette College and my Niskayuna High School Varsity soccer team, asked me a provocative question a while back: “run rabbit run might be eminem's best song, yay or nay?” Now, anyone who has known me for over 39.5 minutes is painfully aware that: (1) I’m of the opinion that Eminem is the second Read more [...]

Worlds Most Amazing Dubstep Violin

This is Lupe Fiasco's violin player...   -Bassnectar & Ellie Goulding Lights - The Mad Violinist Read more [...]