Specials Archives - Alan Cross' A Journal of Musical Things

The Ongoing History of New Music encore presentation: A not-so-brief history of ska, part 2

As I said in the preamble to part one, ska seems to be one of those immortal musical genres. And

All change, all evolution, all revolution in music comes from the street. It’s up to indie musicians, indie labels and

Here is a truth that some people find very uncomfortable: rock, alt-rock and indie rock are predominantly white. Why is

All change, all evolution, all revolution in music comes from the street. It’s up to indie musicians, indie labels and

When a bunch of British punk fans became enamoured with the music of Jamaican immigrants in cities like Coventry, some

I’m all shopped out and I can’t eat another bite. Thank God for the World Junior Hockey Championship. How else

This is no way for Labour Day to be later than this. Enjoy it. There is, however, still music news

Shane Alexander at sister site Geeks&Beats points us to this Voice/Noisey documentary on the era of 2 Tone ska.

The Genius of Live Sports Production – Paul Graham In Conversation with TBP Podcast EP 013 December 1, 2020
The best live sports executive producers are a blend of genius, in both art and science. Whether we realize it or not, as viewers, we are of course more deeply engaged in cliffhangers. Match outcomes that keep us tuned in until the very end. That is where the executive producer shines. The research and preparation […]
Mark Silver
Intimate Gatherings of Sports Fans and Media Personalities – Kevin Kennedy in conversation with TBP Podcast EP 012 November 25, 2020
No matter the sport, passionate fans and pundits have long debated the goings-on in the clubhouse or on the pitch of every pro sports team. For most of us, this dialogue and discord are limited to Twitter, or perhaps yelling at sports talk radio hosts in our cars. If you were paying slightly more attention, […]
Mark Silver
The Business of Independent Production – Don Young in conversation with TBP Podcast EP 011 November 18, 2020
Canadians have long heard about Canadian content, aka CanCon. What most outside of the broadcast business don’t generally realize is that much of that content is actually subsidized by the private broadcasters, such as Bell Media and Rogers Media. Many independent producers have made a career, and a lot of money, perfecting the art of […]
Mark Silver