Author: nicholasrossler

A brief reflection on musical discovery in days gone byUsually when I sit down to work on content for this site, I have a clear path laid out in front of me. Often there’s been some sort of research process, whether that’s repeated listening and notetaking for an album review, collecting answers to interview questions, … Continue reading [Rec]ollections →

Is the compact disc headed for resurrection or extinction?The history of recorded music has been shaped by new technology. Many of these industrial developments were innovations in the recording process, but the most publicly visible change has been the consistent introduction of new listening formats.The first commercially available recordings were sold on wax cylinders. While … Continue reading The CD: From Cultural Dominance to Collector's Dilemma →

Is "outsider music" thriving or dying in the social media age?On September 9th, 1992 newly minted rock star Kurt Cobain appeared at the MTV Video Music Awards clothed in a patterned button up and a white T-shirt. This T-Shirt was emblazoned with a peculiar drawing of a frog with comically long eye stalks, and the … Continue reading Ghosts in a Glass Box →

What's the point of writing about music?“Writing about music is like dancing about architecture”. I’ve placed this maxim in quotes because someone had to have said it first, but it’s not entirely clear who originated the phrase. When I was a student, one of my mentors told me that jazz pianist Thelonious Monk was the … Continue reading Dancing About Architecture →