Blog
The Secret History of R.E.M. and the Indigo Girls
Two Athens bands, one club, and forty years of friendship.
The Traveling Wilburys Were an Accident
How a B-side in Bob Dylan's garage turned into the best supergroup in rock history.
What Was Lilith Fair?
The season we sang a whole festival instead of one artist.
HOW TO START A SINGING GROUP: an oral history of NFS
I just published a book! After hours of interviews with founding members of Newton Family Singers, I've compiled their story into How to Start a Singing Group:…
Oral History: Challenging yourself
Here's an edited section on Challenging Yourself
Song Exploder
If you are interested in how music is put together in a recording studio, you will love the podcast "Song Exploder." I have to admit that I find it so-so…
Tom Petty and Fleetwood Mac
Tom Petty and Fleetwood Mac have a history, that's for sure. A lot of it is based on the fact that Stevie Nicks is a Tom Petty superfan.
Fleetwood Mac cast of characters
Fleetwood Mac is a crazy cast of characters and I tried to figure them out. Following the individual members is like a tour of 20th century rock. You could…
Jerry Maguire
For a few years, Cameron Crowe was on top of the world. "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" and "Say Anything" were respectable teen comedies. Then "Singles,"…
How to Play Guitar Like James Taylor
Okay, wait. There are limits to what a blog post can accomplish. James Taylor is an amazing guitarist. As I'm trying to figure out how to play some of his…