See that scowl on Ice Cube's face? That's about how I feel at having written nothing for this week's TONY except for a short preview of his upcoming show at Irving Plaza this Sunday (Sept. 21). And that's one more piece than I managed to write for next week's issue. It's not slack, I assure you. Oh, no, it's just that at present I'm still doing the work of two editors and a part-time contributor, which doesn't leave much space or time for anything else.
Don't get me wrong: I genuinely love being an editor. I enjoy working with good writers, and being able to assign and oversee pieces like Molly Sheridan's stylish, evocative review of Jenny Lin's latest CD, InsomniMania, and Danny Felsenfeld's breathless assessment of Philip Glass's latest recording of Music in Twelve Parts.
The same goes for my new duties on the pop side of the street. I field terrific pitches from a great group of writers, both staff and freelancers. It's also very satisfying when I can be more proactive and match projects to writers, as in the case of Bob Bannister's preview for the concert Tuxedomoon presented at (Le) Poisson Rouge on Tuesday.
Still, I consider writing to be one of my primary services here at TONY, and I'm bothered when I'm prevented from doing anything larger than the dozens of anonymous bite-size performance listings I crank out each week. I do have a few projects on my upcoming schedule that make me very happy, at least one of which is probably evident to anyone who scans the playlist below and the one that preceded it. As we get back up to proper size and speed here during the next few weeks, more space will open up and I'll be able to flex those muscles again...or at least, that's the plan.
Playlist:
The Residents - The Bunny Boy (Santa Dog/MVD); Animal Lover (Cryptic/Mute); Duck Stab! (Cryptic/Mute); Eskimo (Cryptic/Mute)
Bun B - II Trill (Rap-a-Lot/Asylum)
Robert Schumann - Dichterliebe; Heine Songs - Gerald Finley, Julius Drake (Hyperion)
AC/DC - No Bull (Columbia DVD)
Keith Rowe - The Room (ErstSolo)
King Crimson - Palazzo dello Sport, Brescia, Italy, March 20, 1974 (DGMLive download)
Philip Glass - Symphony No. 5, "Requiem, Bardo, Nirmanakaya" - Ana Maria Martinez, Denyce Graves, Michael Schade, Eric Owens, Albert Dohmen, Hungarian Radio Children's Choir, Morgan State University Choir, Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra/Dennis Russell Davies (Nonesuch)
Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphonies Nos. 2 & 7 - Minnesota Orchestra/Osmo Vänskä (Bis)
Julian Priester - Love, Love (ECM)
LL Cool J - Radio (Def Jam)
Fugees - The Score (Ruffhouse/Columbia)
Run-D.M.C. - Run-D.M.C. (Arista/Legacy)
Xzibit - At the Speed of Life (Loud)
Method Man - Tical (Def Jam)
Reformed Faction - Vota (Klang Galerie) and The War Against… (Soleilmoon)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Piano Concertos Nos. 5, 6 & 8 "Lützow" - David Greilsamer, Suedama Ensemble (Naïve)
Savina Yannatou - Songs of an Other (ECM)
Mor Karbasi - The Beauty and the Sea (Mintaka)
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