Early on, while introducing this blog, I referenced a period of a few years just before being inspired to start this project where I had stepped completely away from Grateful Dead music. That was no small feat, let me tell you, because I had been listening to a nearly steady diet of the Grateful Dead and its associated close circle projects for a long, long time. Oh, I had plenty of other music, but the Dead occupied something on the order of 80% of my listening time.
The trigger for the transition came when I entered the world of MP3 players. Suddenly the chance to queue up several hundred of my CDs (non-Dead) into a pocket sized jukebox was exhilarating. And while I listened to friends talk about how they were filling up iPods with Dead bootlegs, I was having nothing of it. I was rediscovering my record collection. I was crafting playlists to underscore everything from a Friday night dinner, Sunday morning coffee, doing dishes, to late night relaxing on the screen porch. Beyond some of the Dead’s commercial albums (gasp!), the boys were not making an appearance anywhere.
I think keeping your ears open to lots of different music is one of the healthiest things you can do. Yes, finding something you like and playing it until the proverbial vinyl wears thin is a pleasure any music fan should enjoy. We all have our guilty pleasures too. But, what this time away from the Dead taught me was that the soul enriching musical pleasure I was finding in their music, was lurking everywhere. It was in the past, and it was in the recently past present of music too.
Now the Grateful Dead fill only about 10% of the musical backdrop I weave into my life. Sometimes it’s a bit more, sometimes far less. And what’s interesting to me is that if, in starting this blog, the Dead’s music didn’t once again light a flame deep in my heart, I would have wrapped things up after about 20 reviews and set it adrift on the Internet seas, satisfied that it might do its job here and there. But, the Dead did indeed re-light that flame. It’s just that now their music is in competition with so much more that equally satisfies me. And I like it that way.
About a month or two ago, I noticed that episode 001 of the GDLG podcast turned up on a live radio program devoted in part to the realm of psychedelics called Spirit Plants Radio. I thought it was totally cool to hear my podcast streaming live late one Saturday night, and thanked the guy who organizes the show for thinking to include my stuff on his program. We got to talking, and it dawned on me that this might be a unique platform to exercise my passion for non-Dead music (I have toyed for a long time with the idea of devoting some space here on the blog for NDC – Non Dead Content). And thus was born “Under Eternity Blue” (couldn’t resist the subtle Dead reference), a radio show where I aim to indulge the rest of my musical universe, and set it out into that Internet ocean. If you trust my judgment on Grateful Dead tapes, who knows, maybe I can turn you on to some other stuff too.
I mention all of this now in part to give props to the entire radio project itself (there’s a wide range of other interesting content streaming on this guys radio marathon each weekend), and to invite over anyone interested in some potential side tripping with me to tune into this other area of my musical garden. My debut show airs this weekend (links coming below).
The trigger for the transition came when I entered the world of MP3 players. Suddenly the chance to queue up several hundred of my CDs (non-Dead) into a pocket sized jukebox was exhilarating. And while I listened to friends talk about how they were filling up iPods with Dead bootlegs, I was having nothing of it. I was rediscovering my record collection. I was crafting playlists to underscore everything from a Friday night dinner, Sunday morning coffee, doing dishes, to late night relaxing on the screen porch. Beyond some of the Dead’s commercial albums (gasp!), the boys were not making an appearance anywhere.
I think keeping your ears open to lots of different music is one of the healthiest things you can do. Yes, finding something you like and playing it until the proverbial vinyl wears thin is a pleasure any music fan should enjoy. We all have our guilty pleasures too. But, what this time away from the Dead taught me was that the soul enriching musical pleasure I was finding in their music, was lurking everywhere. It was in the past, and it was in the recently past present of music too.
Now the Grateful Dead fill only about 10% of the musical backdrop I weave into my life. Sometimes it’s a bit more, sometimes far less. And what’s interesting to me is that if, in starting this blog, the Dead’s music didn’t once again light a flame deep in my heart, I would have wrapped things up after about 20 reviews and set it adrift on the Internet seas, satisfied that it might do its job here and there. But, the Dead did indeed re-light that flame. It’s just that now their music is in competition with so much more that equally satisfies me. And I like it that way.
About a month or two ago, I noticed that episode 001 of the GDLG podcast turned up on a live radio program devoted in part to the realm of psychedelics called Spirit Plants Radio. I thought it was totally cool to hear my podcast streaming live late one Saturday night, and thanked the guy who organizes the show for thinking to include my stuff on his program. We got to talking, and it dawned on me that this might be a unique platform to exercise my passion for non-Dead music (I have toyed for a long time with the idea of devoting some space here on the blog for NDC – Non Dead Content). And thus was born “Under Eternity Blue” (couldn’t resist the subtle Dead reference), a radio show where I aim to indulge the rest of my musical universe, and set it out into that Internet ocean. If you trust my judgment on Grateful Dead tapes, who knows, maybe I can turn you on to some other stuff too.I mention all of this now in part to give props to the entire radio project itself (there’s a wide range of other interesting content streaming on this guys radio marathon each weekend), and to invite over anyone interested in some potential side tripping with me to tune into this other area of my musical garden. My debut show airs this weekend (links coming below).
The format of Under Eternity Blue is a work in progress. I had started off building the first 2 hour set with a wide reaching variety of music from a whole host of different genres (everything from early Reggae and 70’s Afro-Highlife to Acid Folk and Soul Jazz from the late 60’s), but then landed on the decision to feature just one corner of music this time which seemed well matched with the shows overall devotion to psychedelia. So, on its maiden voyage, Under Eternity Blue is exploring the world of Ambient Electronica. Next time, it will go in some other direction entirely, I’m sure.
In the pure spirit of “one man gathers what another man spills” I invite you to poke you head into this episode, or some future one, to see if there’s anything you might enjoy. If not, no worries. I know for me personally, finding inroads to new music is a sometime treacherous adventure. Nothing can be everything for everyone, but a willingness to dabble can often open a door to great riches.
In the pure spirit of “one man gathers what another man spills” I invite you to poke you head into this episode, or some future one, to see if there’s anything you might enjoy. If not, no worries. I know for me personally, finding inroads to new music is a sometime treacherous adventure. Nothing can be everything for everyone, but a willingness to dabble can often open a door to great riches.
I’ll plan to find some platform here on the GLDG (perhaps over on the side bar) to link to the Under Eternity Blue shows as they get produced. After each broadcast, the shows become linked for streaming anytime. Perhaps I’ll even set up another podcast or blog page for them. We’ll see. For now, you are invited to check out the first installment as part of this weekends lineup. The show is being featured a few times across Saturday and Sunday:
Under Eternity Blue with DJ Arkstar
Saturday, April 25th: 8pm – 10pm PST
Sunday, April 26th: 4am – 6am PST & 8am – 10am PST
The full weekend line up (11am PST Saturday - 11pm PST Sunday) is listed on the Spirit Plants Radio page above. Again, if you can’t tune in live, all shows become listenable via archive streaming after the show ends Sunday night.
Noah, I see your are organically expanding your project. It is so well conceived, kudo to you. Your popularity on the web and other media is growing and is well deserved.
ReplyDeleteAll the best to this 'eternity' project.
Italiahead.
PS: my daily GD dose is increasing considerably thanks to you. For a primarily jazz fan like me is quite an experience. I look forward to hear your selection of 60s jazz.
Check out the archived copy of Under Eternity Blue's first episode any time.
ReplyDeleteThis show can now always be found here: Under Eternity Blue - Ambient Electronica
ReplyDelete