#Theater Classes For Nyc Kids

[shufflesnyc]

Ways To Choose The Top Musical Theater For Your Child

Parents must be aware of their children's interests when deciding their future. It is never appropriate to judge your child's dreams. Instead, you should always find out what fascinates them and provide them with things that will help them reach their goals in life. The musical theater school NYC you choose should be liked by your child. Here mentioned are the ways to select the top musical theater for your child:

Age relevant programs:

Start by looking for tap classes NYC programs catered to your child's age range. Since children's needs and abilities can differ greatly, theater programs frequently target certain age groups. Little ones could benefit from beginning sessions emphasizing storytelling and play, while older kids might be prepared for more performance-based and formal acting training. To maintain your child's interest and challenge, ensure your chosen class is age-appropriate.

Consider cost and value:

The tap dance classes NYC value and cost should be carefully considered. Make sure you read the academy's policies and financial agreement when looking into programs and acting lessons so you know when payments are due and can prevent any further fees. Fees and tuition vary based on several factors. A payment plan agreement frequently exists to give you and the children's theater academy precise expectations regarding the due dates for tuition and fees.

Qualified and experienced instructors:

Choose acting courses taught by knowledgeable and experienced teachers. A qualified tap instructor can greatly impact your child's educational journey. Examine the instructor's qualifications, including their history in teaching, theater, and dealing with kids. To ensure the instructor is well-regarded, check reviews or get referrals from other parents.

Partial words:

These are a few basic suggestions for selecting the ideal theater classes for NYC kids. Finding the correct one and expanding their expertise in extracurricular activities and education will be easier by considering all of these aspects.

[bear-of-varley]

I'm finally done with my university studies like all I have to do is submit some journal entries and my final and that's it. Forever. I never have to do a master's degree ever again and you'll never make me.

[neworkimprov]

Improv Comedy 4 Teens: Ignite Your Laughter & Creativity This Fall!

Calling all aspiring comedians, theater enthusiasts, and teens simply looking for a fun way to express themselves! New York Improv Theater is thrilled to announce our Fall session of Improv Comedy 4 Teens, kicking off Saturday, September 7th at 10 am at the iconic Broadway Comedy Club in the heart of Times Square. CLICK HERE or use code EARLYBIRD below before August 32 and save $100!!! EMAIL for…

[mirandapriestlyswife]

The Devil Wears Prada Headcanons

𝜗𝜚 ‧₊˚ ⊹ 𝜗𝜚 ‧₊˚ ⊹ 𝜗𝜚 ‧₊˚ ⊹ 𝜗𝜚 ‧₊˚ ⊹ 𝜗𝜚 ‧₊˚ ⊹

(These are all based off of the movie versions of the characters so some things from canon in the book are not taken into consideration.)

- Andrea is 1000% a Billy Joel fan and collects records.

-Emily is not a natural redhead but actually dyes her hair.

-The way Andy met all of her friends including Nate was definitely through theater classes during college (all of those people are former theater kids, don’t try to change my mind.)

-Miranda enjoys scrapbooking as well as sketching and watercolors.

-Miranda cannot socialize in a non professional setting at al.

-Andy curses like a sailor.

-Miranda is absolutely disgusted by NYC pests (rats, cockroaches, etc.), Andy tries to find the cuteness in them.

-Andy plays up how good she is at sports but is downright awful.

-The only times Emily will ditch work is when Miranda is on vacation, she and Serena will go to lunch for hours.

-Miranda is not 100% how to properly use a microwave.

-Andy kept her cerulean sweater, even after what Miranda said about it.

-I personally headcanon both Miranda and Andrea from the movie as Jewish because in the book they are.

-Mirandas long buried British accent slightly reveals itself when yelling at someone. (Full yelling, not scolding)

-Miranda is 5’4 and Andy is 5’10! (Partially canon)

-Miranda has a a borderline photographic memory but pretends to forget important things just to be a bitch.

-Andy is definitely at least slightly terrified of Cassidy and Caroline.

-Andy is an ugly sleeper, Miranda sleeps like a sickly victorian child ready for the scarlet fever to take her.

[lesbiangummybearmafia]

I feel jealous of everyone that lives in NYC. Y'all get the opportunity to go to the Theater district see plays and musicals with stars most of will never get the chance to.

I really wish some streaming service would make a deal with some of play houses and/or Broadway Theaters to record their performances so those of us that will never have another way to see those performances will get a chance to watch them. I know it's not going to the same experience as seeing them done live.

But imagine how amazing it would be for, say, children or their grandparent that's lived in, say, Nebraska their whole life could watch Broadway version of the Lion King or see Wicked.

They did it with Hamilton on Disney plus. It gave me a chance I wouldn't of had way to see it. It was amazing!!

I just find it extremely sad that only certain number of people are allowed to enjoy these brilliance plays and musicals, basically solely on location and financially able.

For example the only play I've ever seen in my life was done by the theater class at my high school. I don't ever remember the play it's been so long.

As hard as it's to comprehend for some, many of us are either not financially fortunate to be able to go to such things or don't find interest in them until older or we live in area of the country where they don't have access to such things.

That's why recording the plays and musicals having them available on a streaming platform would be such a brilliant idea. If they didn't want to do it during a live performance, which makes sense. Do a performance just for the recording. Which I actually think is a better idea, they could get better camera angles, the cameras could move around more freely, they bother a live audience that way and it would be recorded better for the views who actually going be watching it at home. Let's be honest I doubt highly they'd lose ticket sales, I personally think it would do opposite. I think it would make people that could go see it more inclined to do so. To experience it live, to get be that close to brilliant actors, to know before hand if its good for their kids, etc...

I hate that we live in such an elitist society.

[racefortheironthrone]

Not that this is the only example, but just watched "Lady Bird" where a major part of the plot is if the protagonist will go to NYU or UC Davis. As somebody who doesn't live in the United States and there aren't any "private universities" here just wondering if state schools are so bad? Why do they have such bad reputations or maybe just I'm just thinking too much of American-made entertainment?

This is a great question, because it allows me to talk about a topic that I find endlessly fascinating: how the cultural politics of class intersect with higher education.

With regards to Lady Bird, I think the first thing to understand is that it's a highly autobiographical film: Greta Gerwig also grew up in Sacramento, her parents had the same jobs as Lady Bird's parents, and Greta was also a theater kid who ended up going to a prestigious private university in New York City because she wanted to have a career in the performing arts. So what we're getting is not necessarily a universal experience, but how Greta Gerwig herself felt when she was a teenager.

Second, state schools are not bad but their reputations are ...complicated. The land grant universities are generally reasonably well-resourced, they have good reputations, and they provide an extremely solid middle class credential that provides a major pathway for social and economic mobility in the United States.

However, there is usually a hierarchy within the state school systems between the flagship campus(es) which are usually nationally ranked research universities - U.C Berkeley, UCLA, Ann Arbor (UMichigan), University of Wisconsin-Madison, UMass Amherst, etc. - and the other campuses in the same system, which tend to be less selective, less nationally well-known, and more focused on teaching.

This sometimes leads to state schools having a reputation among middle-class to affluent families with college educations as being less "aspirational" compared to selective private universities. (This doesn't apply to the flagship campuses, because they are more selective and thus more similar to elite private universities in terms of their reputations.) Kids from those families still apply to (and attend) state schools in large numbers, but the term that's often used for them is "safety schools" - they're the schools you apply to in case you don't get into the highly selective private schools who take 10% or less of their applicants.

Third, NYU versus UC Davis is actually a slightly odd fit for the "state school" versus "private university" comparison. NYU is not actually that selective: it takes in 13% of applicants, which makes it about the 40th most selective college in the U.S. That's surprisingly low down the totem pole, given that the annual cost of attending NYU would be around $84,000 for Lady Bird. (NYU actually has to be less selective than other private universities, because it has a fairly small endowment compared to the selective private universities, and is thus more reliant on tuition dollars for revenue.)

However, Lady Bird's conflict isn't so much about academics generally - it's more specific than that. Remember that Lady Bird/Greta Gerwig is a theater kid who wants a career in the performing arts. If you narrow your focus from which is the best university overall to which university has the best Film Studies program, NYU is the second-best film school in the country, and because it's right in NYC there's a direct pipeline to one of the main hubs of the film and tv industry.

At the same time, Lady Bird probably should have done a bit more research about California's public university system. Because of the legacy of the California Master Plan, there is a robust transfer system within California's public universities that allows students who are really on the grind to move their way up, so that you can potentially start at the least selective community colleges and end up graduating from the most selective flagship UC campuses. So Lady Bird could have easily gone straight from UC Davis to UCLA (because while UCLA takes in only ~11% of applicants, making it more selective than NYU, it takes in about 24% of transfers), which is also one of the best film schools in the country with a direct pipeline to Hollywood, and it doesn't cost $84,000 a year.

(Ironically, Greta Gerwig herself didn't actually end up going to film school - she ended up going to Barnard which isn't particularly known for film, ended up going into English Lit because she was intending to be a playwright, before becoming a breakout actor in the indie film world, and then zig-zagging from there into directing and back into writing.)

[spideyhexx]

sam woodbridge fact sheet

a long overdo list of random facts for sam (an OC), enjoy <3

Samuel Alexis Woodbridge (s.a.w., yes those are his initials)

age range 26-29 ish??? Never discussed, but this is what I have been envisioning.

Pitcher for the Yankees (undetermined on the team, but that's what we last talked about)(his number is 47)

Has four sisters, two younger, two older.

Originally from a small town in Maine, but now permanently lives in NYC

Has one earring and a nose ring (both silver)

one time got a tongue piercing on his off season and loved it

His teammates gave him the nickname, "Woody," yes because of his name, but also because he got a boner in the middle of practice when he was a rookie and he hasn't lived it down since

Went to college, played baseball there, but also majored in sports journalism and minored in fine arts

Was usually deemed a class clown in school, was a theater kid in high school just for fun

Deep sleeper

Loves taking pictures with a digital camera

Super talkative. Sam is outgoing and friendly, just loves conversation and new people

Love languages are physical touch and quality time

Will be a full on slut for you

Any and all photoshoots of him have a silly vibe

JUST A SILLY GUY!!! He doesn't take himself too seriously, and sometimes he's okay with knowing when to tone it down and be serious, but once in a while, misses the cue on when to stop and actually be serious

Absolutely loves Sabrina Carpenter's music, but otherwise, most of his music is all from the 90s in a variety of different genres

Dresses casually, lot of jeans, t shirts, sweaters, crewnecks, henleys, etc. A good baseball cap, sneakers or work type boots.

Sends voice notes and middle of the day selfies no matter what he's doing

Shuts down during arguments and has a little trouble communicating in those high emotion moments, which leads to ignoring the situation for a little bit

Which also leads to him brushing off some emotions he's feeling and using humor instead

He is online and a fan favorite of the team

Was always an athletic guy

Is an Eagle Scout

Did a manscaped ad once

His family has iconic christmas parties

Penguins are his favorite animal

Only into baseball, he doesn't care for any other sport (besides maybe mini-golf and bowling)

Loves tender love-biting (reciprocating and receiving)

An overdramatic man when he has a minuscule cold

Got his nose ring piercing because his sister was scared to get his ear pierced and he made the deal he'd get a piercing with her

His favorite snack is three oreos

has texted "prepare your panties," on multiple occasions

Huge hsm2 fan

looks like a fuckboy sometimes, but he's nowhere near that, he really is just a sweet guy

muttering tiktok audios 7 times out of 10

More dominant than submissive in bed, but only focused on both him and his partner having a good time

One time shaved his hair into a buzzcut and bleached it like his other teammates, but never again after his family's (and you's) reaction

Curses a lot (favorites are; fuck, motherfucker, dickhole)

Will make a tiktok with his friends and partner

definition of gentlemen in the streets, freak in the sheets

[funemployed-fangirl]

Modern Bridgerton AU

Hyacinth & Gareth

Hyacinth loves the social scene. She's watched her siblings go through it all and reads Whistledown blog religiously. She goes to NYU, partly because her favorite big brother and her hero Penelope both went there, and partly so she can keep being a NYC party girl. She doesn't seem to ever go to class but graduates cum laude (Anthony isn’t sure if he’s proud or horrified). 

Gareth also comes from an Upper East Side family. He’s a few years older than Hyacinth, so they haven’t overlapped much, though he certainly knows who she is (everyone knows who Hyacinth is). He's not a stranger to the party scene, but he’s also been in Chicago for the last few years for school, so he’s not nearly as connected as Hyacinth. Gareth’s dad died when he was a kid and his mom’s second husband SUCKS. He's always hated the guy (and is pretty sure his company is doing something shady). As has his grandmother, Agatha Danbury.

Agatha Danbury is the powerhouse in Upper East Side society. She’s on the board of Mount Sinai Hospital and 2 off-Broadway theaters. She throws the best parties, always has a reservation at any restaurant, can get tickets to any show (you get it). And she's decided that her grandson needs to settle down. Gareth does not agree, but he knows better than to argue. 

He might not have ever come back to New York, but his mom dies not long after he finishes grad school and leaves him her shares of his step dad’s company, and now his step dad is trying to screw him out of them. Gareth is focused on trying to figure out how to prove that his step dad’s company is doing something illegal, while his grandmother is taking advantage of his presence to introduce him to all her friends’ eligible daughters and granddaughters. 

One of those (seemingly endless, should you have asked Gareth) daughters and granddaughters is Hyacinth, who Agatha Danbury has always liked. She says that Hyacinth reminds her of her younger self (this actually quite scares Gareth, but he knows better than to say so). Hyacinth drags him to a party she’s going to with her friends, but can tell he’s distracted. This annoys her, and she gets him to tell her what’s bothering him. (Gareth will swear later she used nefarious means. Hyacinth pleads complete innocence in the matter.) 

Que some light corporate espionage. Hyacinth suggests going to his step dad’s office to find the evidence they need. Gareth points out that this is breaking-and-entering, and illegal. Hyacinth says her sister-in-law is a lawyer, they’ll be fine. Gareth still thinks this is a bad idea, but fuck it, why not? They eventually find evidence that his step dad is running the company into the ground, but Gareth knows he can’t use it in any official capacity (see: breaking-and-entering being illegal). Hyacinth convinces him to take the information to her oldest brother and the head of the Bridgerton Cooperation, Anthony, and use it to convince him to help fund a corporate take-over. 

With his step dad out, Gareth takes over, with the company now a subsidiary of the Bridgerton Cooperation. He and Hyacinth got married once everything settled down. Agatha Danbury is thrilled.

more (x)

[ameonds-dragonn]

Hotd modern au

I got inspired by @sansaorgana she made me fall in love with this au 🥰

For warning, this was something quick I made on my phone so probably ain’t great. But enjoy 💚

We’ve agreed that the Targaryens are rich as fuck, i think it’s old money like the Kennedy’s. Visryes is a huge lawyer and Daemon gives me Wall Street investors or CEO vibes. And Alicent is stay at home mommy that loves her kids. Nrya is Sahm as well but she modeled some I think, not runway model thou.

Aegon is a pothead/frat boy obviously, he only parties at college. Not caring if he graduates or not, Vis probably pays the uni a shit ton of money. Every once in awhile he puts an effort for classes :) He dresses like a frat boy and a stoner had a baby. Slides 99.8% of the time, hoodies that have his frat house name Or university name on it. He owns one part of jeans and slacks(they stay at home 99%). Smells like cigarette smoke, small vanilla notes and whiskey. Knows he can get away with failing school, getting pulled over, screwing girls. He knows Alicent loves him bc he’s her first baby. He’s not dumb as people think he is. He loves his mama too but kinda takes advantage of it.

Aemond is a Harvard baby through and through! Most likely an English major, but he also gives me medical school vibes(personally for me). He puts school first, he knows not everyone can get into Harvard so he appreciates that he did. Ameond is the campus mysterious heartthrob. Girls and gays love him! He’s 6’5, blonde with shoulder length hair, wears leather and black clothing w/sliver rings. Little whore! Also he has his scar on his eye. Obviously dragons aren’t real for us. So Aemond and Luke didn’t fight each other over Vhgar. I’m thinking he lost it on accident, maybe Vis took him and Aegon knife throwing or one of the neighbors kids and him were playing with sticks or something. Personally the scar is what made fall in love with him. It’s him no matter what au it is. It shaped him to who he is as a person. He’s a huge mama’s boy! He don’t hide it either, he loves Alicent.

When he comes home from school for the summer and Christmas, he brings gifts for her and Heleana. Stuff he saw while he was out one Saturday, little trinkets, shoes, books. Anything that reminded him of his mom and sister. Also does this for his S/O, he’s just a sweet emo boy!

Heleana still loves her bugs and other creepy crawlers! We stan Helena the bug queen in this house 💚 she’s the quiet girl that is always reading a book, drawing in her sketch pad. Has earbuds in, but will take them out if anyone talks to her. Loves old English literature and plays. She loves NYC and broadway, she gives me NYU vibes. Definitely lives in NYC but goes upstate a lot bc of nature. Also I think she would be a witch or at least into paganism. Aemond is close to Salem, MA so he goes and gets her stuff from the shops. He has 6 tarot decks that he plans on taking home along with crystals and books he got for her. TSA workers hate Aemond bc he goes over the weight limit with his suitcases.

Alicent, my favorite mom! Okay so, Alicent was Vis’ sugar baby when she was 20ish. Went to school with Nrya and ended marrying her dad. But I don’t think they hate each other in this AU, probably not each other’s fans. I think Nrya and Harwin are together, probably met on a photo shoot set. Harwin was definitely a model or an actor in his day. Anyways! Alicent got pregnant with Aegon before the wedding, you could see her bump in her dress. Vis works 24:7 so Alicent got very close with Aegon as a baby. Aegon looks after her always has! She was very involved with school when the kids were little. PTA mom, sports mom, art/theater mom, she always supports her kids and their activities. Calls them each everyday to see what’s new, are you sick?, how’s the money looking? She used to feel insecure about being a young mom, but now she’s 43 and her kids are in college. She has so much free time now! Definitely the hot mom, also the cool mom(mean girls hey!). Alicent was meant to be a mother, she truly loves her kids and wants the best for them. She don’t give me toxic mother in law vibes

Nrya is the first child of Vis, so he is crazy over her. He’s still in Nrya’s lane, but he talks to the other kids moreish. Nrya became a model her junior year of college. Has been covers of vogue, vanity fair, a bunch of wedding mags. It’s how she met her husband, Harwin. They fell in love and had Jace, Luke, Joff, the twins. Definitely a boy mom but she loves being a mom.

[tkblythofficial]

If anyone is interested in T and B's dating timeline, I have an update (NYC is a small city for theater kids and we're all in each other's business).

They haven't been together as long as people say, started dating in mid-2021 and they were both with other people before that. So when he brought her around the BTK cast it was still very early in their relationship — apparently didn't want to start with a long-distance, something like that. Moved in together shortly after he came back, though (which I find a little intense if you ask me, but good thing it worked for them).

Also heard some other things, but I have no idea how true the rest is.

Oh that makes sense! Share with the class 👀 on the other things you’ve heard

[innucentz]

Superjail Convict Headcanons, because Yes. (Part 1, I have so many)

Nicky

Italian

Used to be fluent in Italian as a child but didn't speak it as much as a teenager and mostly forgot it as an adult

Not a dog lover but really cared and loved that dog

Only child, but lived with his cousins, uncles, aunties, grandpa and his single mom

In his mid 30s

He was never IN the mafia but definitely some of his uncles and friends are in the mafia, who were mostly associates and soldiers. He was friends with almost every criminal in NYC (mostly because of his friends and uncles) and still keeps contact with them.

He was a scammer. Used to scam people by being a fake taxi driver and selling fake tickets. He got caught by an undercover cop when he was in the airport, picking up tourist

Always skipped and Didn't pay attention to his class. Definitely cheated in every exam and passed. Was able to graduate High School but never went to College

The arm tattoo is his girlfriend, from Cleveland

Ash Firin

Long lost half brother of Nicky (this Headcanon was from this tumblr user cobalt-punk? I think. Who said that Ash's dad looked similar to Nicky and I really liked that HC, so it stuck with me)

In his mid 20s

Pushed around a lot by his "friends” and forced him to join their crimes because of his speciality in fire

Was caught by Jailbot, after he accidentally burned down the hospital when petting the pony (during s3 ep10). Also he was in that hospital because his friends left him behind and he got beaten up by the guys who were chasing them

Didn't have any extended family to take care of him, after his dad abandoned him.

His love for fire started after the incident in the theater and got his fire powers when he was in superjail (probably because of the twins)

Had a lonely childhood, most of the kids bullied or were scared of him because of his appearance (after the incident in the theater).

Might have set a kid's hair on fire when he was in the orphanage

Lived in the orphanage until he was 18. Was never adopted

Gary Sedi

In his early 40s

Was a serial killer and a librarian (idk he gives me that vibe)

Had a good childhood, never bullied or abused but was super anti social and his only friend was Bird

Lived in a small town during childhood and early adulthood

I think his real voice is soothing and he's able to change the way his voice sounds, before his old warden cuts his tongue. Because i REFUSE to believe that's his real voice

Bird has been with him since he was a kid, given to his parents as a birthday gift

His weakness: When he doesn’t have his glasses on he can’t see shit

Definitely one of the healthiest and well kept inmates. Has his American Psycho routine

Back then, even if he had his tongue and vocal cords he was a very quiet man. He was friendly (maybe not sincere) to people and talked if needed

[shufflesnyc]

Why should children need to dance often?

Children of all ages can find great satisfaction in dancing. It improves mood and helps with muscle tone and coordination. Children's dance is a fantastic option for your toddler's health and well-being, with a wealth of research and experience to support it. The benefits of dance can be obtained by your child even if they only participate in a dance school in NYC once or twice a week. In this post, you will learn why children should need to dance often:

Enhances Physical Well-being

Enjoying dancing from a young age can inspire children to maintain an active lifestyle as they age. What a fantastic sport dance is, and your kid should be part of the dancing community. Engaging your kids in dancing classes can help them grow stronger and more resilient. Improved growth in these areas benefits kids' general health and extracurricular activities like athletics and other extracurriculars, both inside and outside the classroom.

Improves the emotional and mental well-being:

Due to the dopamine release caused by dancing, your kid can be emotionally confident and mentally strong. Voice lessons NYC can also promote emotional growth.

Kids participating in kids' dancing classes are more cooperative and less prone to bully other youngsters. They are more well-liked in society since they can express their emotions more effectively. Children who participate in dance for kids also learn a wider range of skills and activities that will benefit them now and in the future.

Promotes Team Collaboration:

Dancing is an activity done in teams. Young dancers are required to work as a team, follow teacher directions, and coordinate choreography. They also learn how to listen well and obey directions from one another. Dancing and athletics are comparable in that both require cooperation to achieve common aims or objectives. Similarly, musical theater NYC can be another option for kids to enhance their team cooperation skills.

Final words:

If you want your kids to be creative and express themselves, it is best to help them dance regularly. Moreover, you can opt for theater classes for NYC kids to let different art forms grow in their blood right from a young age.

[neworkimprov]

Ten Scenes in Ten Minutes: How to play Improv Games

I love using this game to get new students out of their heads, often before teaching even the most basic elements of scene and story telling, scattering students around the room, not performing, just talking, without pretense etc. Staging: Players scatter around the room or theater in groups of 2-4. Leave enough space between groups to avoid collisions. Sample MC Set Up: “Get ready to jump…

[ganymediocre]

introduction <3

hi, i’m jovie - or any other names you’d like!

i’m apogender, ace/aro, and use she/her pronouns :) i also have adhd, anxiety, and probably autism so yippee!

i am a minor and would prefer for adults to have limited interactions <3

theater kid, pinterest fanatic, clown enthusiast, child of hades (cabin 13), d1 belter, noodle craver, married to thomas cresswell and spencer reid (real), english class enjoyer, pro bedrotter, watches tv shows ten years after they end, mentally a hozier muse, nyc girlie, undercover swiftie, questing for band tees, old money grunge vibes, alani drinker, silly jester, wolf cut lover, sheetz >> wawa, ur favorite artist's favorite artist <3

my artists

hozier, arctic monkeys, the neighbourhood, sabrina carpenter, system of a down, olivia rodrigo, lana del rey, taylor swift, nickelback, reneé rapp, phoebe bridgers, laufey, conan gray, green day, noah kahan, rainbow kitten surprise, måneskin, the killers, sleep token, rihanna, chappell roan, fish in a birdcage, billie eilish, cigarettes after sex, yaelokre, christian borle, jeremy jordan, the crane wives, mitski, pierce the veil

spotify ♤

discord: orbitingplanets (just shoot me a friend request or dm me!)

tiktok: @jestrre

[jgthirlwell]

2022 Year In Review

This year once again I invited some friends and colleagues to reflect on 2022

JG Thirlwell

Composer Foetus Xordox Manorexia Steroid Maximus Venture Bros Archer www.foetus.org

2022 was a marathon year. I took on too much work, but somehow got through it. It challenged me. I played some excellent shows in Woodstock, Los Angeles, Orlando and NYC. Reconnected with Soft Cell at the Beacon. Reconnected with Sarah Lipstate. Wrote a ton of new music for Archer and a Venture Bros movie. Taught a class on film scoring at the New School. I still woke up 5am in a panic on too many occasions. And I saw some great concerts.It was difficult to whittle down this list but here are a lot of albums I enjoyed in 2022, in no particular order.

Tyondai Braxton Telekinesis (Nonesuch) Zeal & Ardor Zeal & Ardor (MVKA) Papangu Holoceno (Bandcamp) Extra Life Secular Works Vol 2 (Bandcamp) Carl Stone Wat Dong Moon Lek (Unseen Worlds) / Gall Tones (Unseen Worlds) / We Jazz Reworks Vol 2 (We Jazz Records) Louis Cole Quality Over Opinion (Brainfeeder) Ben Frost 1899 OST (Invada Records) Loraine James Building Something Beautiful For Me (Phantom Limb) Persher Man With The Magic Soap (Thrill Jockey) Anna Meredith Bumps Per Minute (Moshi Moshi) Sault Air (Forever Living Originals) The Smile A Light For Attracting Attention (XL) Shamblemaths Shamblemaths 2 (Apollon Prog) Julia Wolfe Oxygen (Cantelope) Heiner Schmitz’s Symprophonicum Sins & Blessings (Big Band Records) Burial Antidawn EP / Streetlands EP (Hyperdub) Gotho Mindbowling (Controcanti Produzioni) Oliver Coates The Stranger OST Gilla Band Most Normal (Rough Trade Records Ltd) Blanck Mass Ted K OST (Sacred Bones) Arcade Fire WE (Interscope) Yeah Yeah Yeahs Cool It Down (Secretly) Catarine Barbieri Spirit Exit (light-years) Felicia Atkinson Image Language (Shelter Press) Netherlands Kali Corvette (Three One G) Kemper Norton estrenyon (Zona Watusa) Elysian Fields Once Beautiful Twice Removed (Ojet) Simon Hanes Hurricane Salad Two Fingers Red Bass DJ Mix 22 (NoMark) Backxwash His Happiness Shall Come…(Ugly Hag) Bob Vylan The Price of Life (Ghost Theater) John Elmquist’s Hard Art Groop Stars and Bells / Zero Rest Mass / Trip Up reissues (Bandcamp) Dan Deacon Hustle OST (Netflix Music) Bent Knee Frosting (TTTH) Boris Heavy Rocks 2022 (Relapse) Wet Leg Wet Leg (Domino) Author and Punisher Kruller (Relapse)

Honorable mentions Hudson Mohawke Cry Sugar / Rival Consoles Now is / Haunted Horses The Worst Has Finally Happened / Sirom The Liquified Throne of Simplicity (Tak:Til)/ Meshuggah Immutable / Ani Klang Ani Klang / Pimpon Pozdrawiam (Pointless Geometry)

Shows

The Smile at Kings Theater Julia Wolfe Steel Hammer Carnegie Hall The Protomen LPR Tristan Perich St Thomas ChurchSparks Town Hall Anna Meredith Elsewhere Lingua Ignota LPR Royal Blood Terminal 5 Kraftwerk Radio City Hiro Kone Pioneer Works RATM / RTJ MSG Matmos LPR Rammstein MetLife Stadium Yeah Yeah Yeahs Forest Hills Stadium Melvins Irving Plaza Roxy Music MSG Sean Lennon Stone Elysian Fields The Owl The Comet Is Coming Bowery Ballroom Child Abuse TV Eye Fennesz Pioneer Works Helm Elsewhere

Film / TV

The Stranger All Quiet In The Western Front Dont Worry Darling Moonage Daydream The Velvet Underground Elvis Men Northman Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent White Lotus

Books

I read a ton of memoirs this year. Standouts were

Kid Congo Powers Some New Kind Of Kick Danny Sugerman Wonderland Ave

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Kemper Norton

LISTENING

My favourite album of the year was the dayglo psychedelic joy of Panda Bear/ Sonic Boom’s Reset , with honourable mentions for the amazing Aethiopes by billy woods and Alison Cotton’s beautiful The Portrait You Painted of Me. Also, must mention the massive , varied and crucial Rental Yields compilations on Front and Follow /Gated Canal Community in aid of homeless charities in the UK.

GIGS

Didn’t get out much this year but live events I loved this year here in Brighton, UK included the blasted joy of deafkids at The Hope, the final gig of the mighty Slum of Legs at The Green Door Store, and playing alongside Alexander Tucker’s Microcorps and Opal X at The Wire’s 40th anniversary shows at The Rosehill as part of the reanimated Outer Church.

In terms of radio, as well as Elizabeth Alker’s essential breakfast and Unclassified shows on Radio 3 there were loads of great shows on the fantastic Repeater Radio ( many previously on the mighty Neon Hospice) including Afternoon Delight by Ix Tab and the best of Eastern Europe showcased on Slav to the Rhythm by Catherine and Iris.

READING

Apart from the works of nonconformist Cornish poet Jack Clemo and American novelist Pete Dexter ( Deadwood and Paris, Trout ), new discoveries were thin on the ground this year. I read and reread a lot of old favourites ( Ray Bradbury, Cormac McCarthy, Pat Barker , Elmore Leonard ) and finally fell in love with Jane Austen.

WATCHING

My film and TV viewing in 2022 was largely informed / enforced by my 5 year old daughter, and the essential texts we rewatched repeatedly were the lively and proactive Gaby’s Dollhouse, multi-species global explorers the Octonauts , surreal UK gem Sarah and Duck and of course, the inspirational Aussie masterpiece Bluey. I did manage to catch a few films either new or new to me in 2022…

Wake in Fright ( 1971) : another Australian key text ( although less adorable than Bluey ). The horrors of closed environments, toxic masculinity and continuous drinking.

Enys Men (2022) : Cornish filmmaker Mark Jenkin’s spooky and minimalistic follow-up to his incredible Bait (2019) , a wonderful drama of local economic realities and identities. Would love to score one of his films but unfortunately he does an excellent job of this himself.

Stalker (1979) : As good as everyone said it would be.

EATING

Chorizo with honey Chinese black fungus

DRINKING

Everything by Burning Sky brewery ( Sussex, UK)

CREATING

I managed to churn out two tape releases in 2022 in between all the watching, listening, eating, drinking etc.

Estrenyon was released on tape and download with the Barcelona label zonawatusa and was inspired by historical UFO sightings throughout Cornwall from 1888 to 2021. Rife is the story of a Sussex Spring day and was released via Woodford Halse, who have released loads of great electronic and folky music by the likes of Xylitol and Sairie. On top of that , our first volume of download-only pay-what-you-like winter tunes Montol Melodies is available on our bandcamp until the traditional English old ‘ twelfth night ‘ ( January 12 2023).

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Lee Ranaldo

2022 LIST

I’m terrible at lists like this, and usually don’t keep track towards such a year-end summary. Pardon the self-focus, this is my year-in-review accounting, mostly just remembering to myself.

August in Vienna Leah and I spent the month of August in Vienna, creating a public artwork, sound+image, called Fermata. I discovered the world of small-body, near century-old, German + Austrian guitars. I wrote the main melodic material one one of these tiny, wonderful instruments,. At one point we had 3 of them in the apartment down in the MuseumQuartier. A whole new world of sound to explore. Side trips to Berlin and Prague. (https://tonspur.at/soundworks/lee-ranaldo-leah-singer/?lang=en) Exhibitions in Berlin and Eupen, Chile Media Arts Biennial, Covid Flowers online Exhibitions of my Black Noise record print editions in Berlin, Lost Highway road drawings in Belgium, and watercolor covid-flowers online. In Chile Leah and I created an outdoor sound/art work, Do You Read Me?, in a field of trees surrounding an observatory above Santiago. Sounds were generated from signals collected from deep space by another observatory in the Atacama desert. A sound displacement work.

Medicine Singers in Brasilia, Montreal, NYC Had fruitful wanderings this year with Yonatan Gat, working with indigineous players from the USA, Brasil and Canada. Recording sessions in Montreal at fabulous Hotel2Tango studio, and in a splendid house set on the edge of the city in Brasilia, one of my favorite places. Happy to have been invited along for this most interesting ride.

Touring resumes Mostly in Europe, mostly quite wonderful. After 2 years at home it felt good to stand up in front of audiences again. Lots of solo acoustic shows playing In Virus Times and singing songs, but also interesting collaborations with Yuri Landman; My Cat Is An Alien, Jean-Marc Montera and Sophie Gonthier, and a special ‘Velvets Suite’ with French legend Pascal Comelade in Banyoles, Spain. Also the beginnings of a new collaboration with Chicago guitarist Michael Vallera, in a great new space in NYC for experimental music, 411 Kent (aka Shift). Leah and I premiered the new version of our Contre Jour performance with suspended guitar and films, in A Coruna, Spain and at the Three-Lobed Fest in Durham, North Carolina – which was an amazing three days of music. Also a short NorthEast tour with Jeff Parker in May.

London/Paris/Leah/ Catpower My touring year ended with a month split between Europe and the UK. A friend-lent apartment in Paris as base, with shows and lectures in Nantes, and Brittany. Five shows in the UK, the most I’ve played in some time there, including a free-ranging set with the Pop Group’s Mark Stewart and an eclectic band. Wild night! Leah flew over to celebrate her birthday, with CatPower at Royal Albert Hall (first time there for us both) recreating Bob Dylan’s legendary show there – both acoustic and electric sets – from 1966. What a great night, and our time together, in London, Paris and Brittany, was splendid.

Hurricane Transcriptions This year I played solo keyboard shows for the first time ever – the solo-for-Fender-Rhodes performance of my Hurricane Sandy Transcriptions, first at Karma Gallery in NYC, accompanied by films from LA Artist Mungo Thomson, and also at a Xenakis celebration in Vienna and at the opening of my exhibition of Lost Highway drawings, ‘The Road Is Like The River, Constantly Changing Yet Ever The Same’ – at IKOB Museum in Eupen, Belgium. (ikob.be)

Circuit des Yeux at Green-Wood Cemetery I think my favorite gig of the year was Circuit des Yeux in Green-Wood Cemetery on a rainy night in June. The weather threatened the show all evening, which made this incredible performance – just Haley and Whitney Johnson (Matchess). Just a magical, powerful night.

Godard’s King Lear In late August I committed to introduce Jean-Luc Godard’s King Lear, which I’d never seen, at TriBeCa’s Roxy Cinema, which has been doing terrific programs organized by Illyse Singer. I love Godard’s films, they are an important touchstone for me, and I took this as an opportunity to discover both the film and Shakespeare’s play; my Shakespeare knowledge is terrible, so I boned up on the play. Four days before the screening, the great master died, which cast the whole night in a new light. The film has been described by Richard Brody of the NY’er as ‘one of the best films of all time’ – wow. Burgess Meredith, Molly Ringwald, Norman Mailer, Julie Delpy, Leos Carax, and Godard himself center-stage and the plugged/unplugged oracle Professor Pluggy. What a film. As usual with a Godard film: what a sound mix!. See it in 35mm.

Broken Circle / Spiral Hill I have had a long fascination with the work of Robert Smithson, since discovering the book of his writings in the 70s. In the early 80s on the first few SY tours, I ‘coaxed’ the band into visiting one of his 3 still existing artworks – Broken Circle/Spiral Hill – in the countryside of northern Holland. Back then it was like a treasure hunt trying to find it, in the dark, late on the way to Club Vera in Groningen. In 2020 I visited it for a third time w friend Carlos, in the week before the world shut down. It had been totally restored and ready for it’s moment – just at it’s 50-year mark. In 2022 the site-an old, long-unused quarry – was opened to the public for the first time in ages, across 8 weekends. This year I narrated a podcast for the Holt/Smithson Foundation and the Netherland’s Land Art Contemporary, about Smithson and the work, which went live in November. (brokencircle.nl)

Birdsong Project I worked on this project, as both producer and performer, to raise money to benefit the Audobon Society for the preservation of avian habitats. Over 200 musicians contributed to this 20-LP set, as well as writers, poets and artists. Uplifting and surprising. (https://www.audubon.org/birdsong-project)

James Jackson Toth In the early 2000s I produced an album – James and the Quiet – with Mr. Wooden Wand, who’s music I love. This year a group of friends organized a birthday tribute to James, with 33 of us recording versions of songs from his vast catalog. I recorded ‘Wired to the Sky’, a favorite from the album we made together, recorded in our Viennese apartment in August, which closes this Birthday Blues collection. (https://aquariumdrunkard.com/category/jamesjackson-toth/)

Some Music/Art/Books etc:

Lou Reed – Words + Music, 1971 RCA Demos David Bowie – Divine Symmetry Catherine Christer Hennix – Selected Early Keyboard Works (https://blankformseditions.bandcamp.com/album/selected-early-keyboard-works) Plus Instruments, Februari-April ’81 (first record I was ever on) on Domani Records, NYC. In/Out/In, Sonic Youth. So cool to see this release welcomed so warmly! Cecilia Vicuña, Tate Modern Turbine Hall Venus of Willendorf, Naturhistorisches Museum, Vienna Matisse: The Red Studio, Museum of Modern Art, NYC Claude Monet – Joan Mitchell, Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris Marco Fusinato, Desastres, Venice Biennale Family Affair, a 20-minute short film included in the Criterion Collection edition of Josh & Benny Safdie’s 2009 Daddy Longlegs, outlining our two families intertwined involvement in the making of the film. The most glorious home movie ever. The Double Life of Bob Dylan: A Restless, Hungry Feeling, Clinton Heylin. First of a 2-part bio of the (other) Bard, making first use of all the new material out from Tulsa’s Bob Dylan Center archive. Loved: Olivier Assayas’ Irma Vep mini series. He’d used SY’s ‘Tunic’ in his original 1995 film, and we became friends and occasional collaborators. The new limited series mines the story anew, meta-mixing in his 1995 film and Louis Feuillade’s 1915 original, Les Vampires. The most contemporary piece of ‘television’ I’ve seen in ages, just wonderful, with fantastic cast including a spot-on stand-in portrayal by Vincent Macaigne as the director, Alicia Vikander as Irma Vep, and Lars Eidinger as Gottfried. Also Devon Ross, Carrie Brownstein, many other great performances. Loved it. Still watching: Westworld, Handmaid’s Tale. Hal Willner Memorial, St. Anne’s, April. Miss Hal all the time…

---LR, Winnipeg, December 2022

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Brian Chase

Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Brian chose to write about one album that impacted him in 2022

This write-up is in no way meant to be a formal review - I don’t deem myself qualified for that task here - rather, this is meant to share personal enthusiasm and bring an album to light - like, "Have you heard this, it's really really amazing and inspiring and why isn't there more talking about it, and…" As a musician working within a greater community, I am acutely aware of the creative drive to continually uncover new modes, methodologies, practices etc. of expressing our chosen art form - each performance and each album serving as an instance of discovery and offering new perspectives on old conundrums. Whether the genre is rock, jazz, noise, free-improvisation, modern classical etc. the relationship of discourse and dialogue is still the same. At the forefront of this dialogue is John Zorn, as he has been for decades, and a major contribution to the conversation is the 2022 album Incerto - Existentialism, Psychoanalysis, and the Uncertainty Principle. Here, Zorn is the composer and the performing ensemble consists of some of Zorn's tightest in recent years: Brian Marsella on piano, Julian Lage on guitar, Jorge Roeder on bass and Ches Smith on drums. As Zorn says in the liner notes, "Incerto is about possibilities, probabilities, inevitabilities and improbabilities." Formal logic for musical structure is considerably expanded with these compositions and never before have I heard such new forms for improvisation. In these pieces, unexpected juxtapositions and superimpositions abound, as foremost examples of its many distinct features. The syntax of this music is beyond the scope of any previous way that I've conceived of music existing. Not only are harmonic and rhythmic conventions regularly reconstructed - often replaced with adjacent compliments and aggressive contradictions - but entire paradigms of improvisatory behavior are game as well. Shifts in genre/mood/tempo/texture/harmonic character/melodic personality place the improvisor in varying contexts - often in a short amount of time - and each context requires its own set of responses. The whole scope of musical history+trends+possibilities takes on a dynamic relational co-existence, in ways that I've never previously heard or thought possible - like when angular atonal lead lines enter on top of a serene ostinato, or impressionistic chords alternate between stillness and motion, or genre styles and idiomatic references collide, or gravelly density and noise build tension culminating into a placid release. Plus, so much of the composed material is really just so cool. Paramount to it all is the music’s immense depth of feeling. The moods on this album are evocative, romantic and ecstatic as much as they are revolutionary, kaleidoscopic and mystifying. As the music winds through its structural twists and turns, the key that holds it all together is sincerity of spirit - the performance of this music, as well as listening to it, is a literal experience. And within each singular track is the remarkable performance of the individual musicians themselves - each a respective master at the craft. Additionally, the album as a collective whole, being comprised of eleven very different tracks, functions as a macro-structure in itself which expands on the themes present in each individual track. So many new modes of music making are presented here - integrating them into current music making will take a while as more people discover its brilliance and begin to absorb the concepts and ideas it conveys. It is uniquely Zorn and there for us musicians to process and in turn produce that which is uniquely ours. Incerto is a gem in the conversation - we can listen and run with it how we like - but we have to hear it first.

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David T. Little

composer www.davidtlittle.com

MUSIC (new, revisited, & in rotation)

Vile Creature – Glory! Glory! Apathy Took Helm! Burning Witch – Crippled Lucifer tryphème – Aluminia Louis Cole – Quality Over Opinion KANGA – You and I Will Never Die DELANILA – Overloaded Amyl & the Sniffers – Comfort To Me Kae Tempest – Let Them Eat Chaos Graindelavoix & Björn Schmelzer – Josquin, the Undead: Laments, Deplorations & Dances of Death Run The Jewels – 1, 2, 3, 4 The Cure – Disintegration, Wish, Show, Pornography Tenderheart Bitches – High Kicks George Walker – Piano Sonatas (Steven Beck) Rammstein – Herzeleid, Mutter, Sehnsucht, Untitled (in heavy rotation after the MetLife Stadium show) Living Colour – Vivid Utah Phillips – We Have Fed You All For A Thousand Years Tom Morello – Hold The Line (track, feat. grandson) ACRONYM – Oddities & Trifles: the Very Peculiar Instrumental Music of Giovanni Valentini Late Stravinsky (various) Son Lux – Everything Everywhere All At Once (ost) Harrison Birtwistle – The Moth Requiem Christopher Tin – The Lost Birds Karim Sulayman, Apollo’s Fire – Songs of Orpheus Hermann Nitsch – Symphony No. 9 “The Egyptian” Jay Wadley – Swan Song (ost) Herem – Pulsa diNura Danny Elfman – Big Mess / Bigger. Messier. (Deluxe.) Scott Walker – The Drift

FILMS & SERIES (new & rewatched) Hellraiser (Clive Barker) The Rocky Horror Picture Show (Jim Sharman) Tetsuo: The Iron Man (Shin'ya Tsukamoto) Private Life (Tamara Jenkins) Double Take (Johan Grimonprez) After Life (Ricky Gervais) One Big Bag (Every Ocean Hughes) The Village Detective (Bill Morrison) Polia & Blastema (E. Elias Merhige) Sibyl (William Kentridge)

The Copper Queen (Crystal Manich) Wishes (Amy Jenkins) The Once and Future Smash (Sophia Cacciola & Michael J. Epstein) End Zone 2 (August Kane) All Quiet on the Western Front (Edward Berger) Everything Everywhere All At Once (Daniels) Russian Doll (multiple directors) Piggy (short) (Carlota Pereda) The Mitchells vs. The Machines (Michael Rianda & Jeff Rowe) WHAT DID JACK DO? (David Lynch) The Power of the Dog (Jane Campion) Pig (Michael Sarnoski) The Green Knight (David Lowery) The Northman (Robert Eggers) Muriel’s Wedding (P.J. Hogan) BoJack Horseman (multiple directors) Eyes Wide Shut (Stanley Kubrick)

BOOKS (some) Body Horror - Anne Elizabeth Moore Mrs. Dalloway - Virginia Woolf a ghost in the throat - Doireann Ní Ghríofa Cleanness – Garth Greenwell A Saint from Texas – Edmund White Out Loud – Mark Morris The Gastronomical Me – M.F.K. Fisher Agamemnon – Aeschylus (trans. Robert Fagles)

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Jonnine

HTRK

2022 good vibes - Hackedepicciotto tour photos such #couplegoals, kicking off the HTRK tour in Atlanta was exhilarating! Big hangs with my overseas buds Nathan Corbin and Yasmina Dexter, writing new songs with Nigel and keeping THE dream alive, my puppy Pali growing up into mumma’s good boy, instagram follows @the.holistic.psychologist (self healing)  @cracked.bolos (cakes), DJ Sundae, Amir Shoat, ‘Crush’ by Richard Siken (borrow from Nigel) writing bonkers dreams down again, Jonathan Richmond lyrics, tik tok #stayathomegirlfriend, jamming with Brother May in London and playing cafe OTO, second season Euphoria, White Lotus, Heartbreak High, rewatching Curb, Julia Fox’s eye makeup tutorial, films The Weekend and 45 Years by director Andrew Haigh, Charlotte Rampling interviews, fam long drives with Conrad and Pali finding songs for NTS <3 <3 Conrad got me into the Kinks!

Some music  i liked Actress — Dummy Corporation (Ninja Tune)  Autumn Fair - Autumn Fair  DALE CORNISH — Traditional Music of South London (The Death Of Rave)  Delphine Dora — A Stream Of Consciousness II (for piano solo) Coby Sey — Conduit (AD 93)  CS + Kreme — Orange (The Trilogy Tapes)  Harry Howard  - Slight Pavilions  Various / Kashual Plastik — Field of Progress Jonathan Richman - Jonathan Goes Country  Julia Reidy - World in World  Kitchen Cynics — Strange Acrobats Liz Durette - A Christmas Gift To You  Malvern Brume — Body Traffic (MAL)  Taylor E. Burch — The Best of Taylor E. Burch (Downwards)  The Incredible String Band — Wee Tam and the Big Huge  The Kinks - The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society  Thomas Bush — Preludes Warm Currency — Returns (Horn Of Plenty) 

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Lawrence English

(Room 40 Records)

This year was the first time I had travelled internationally since 2019. The thing I realised I've truly missed is seeing people. The opportunity to share ideas, to be curious with others and to just be in the world was, well, magical. I think if anything the past few years has reminded me (us?) not to take things for granted…especially each other. This year was also the first time I returned to making solo electronic works. It had been about six years since I had completed Cruel Optimism and, if I am honest, I wasn’t sure if I still had an appetite for making solo electronic works. Approach however proved, to me at least, I can still derive great pleasure from working alone. Unexpectedly, I found the whole process of the album very satisfying, like it was new all over again, not something I always feel.

There’s been a tonne of great input into the system this year. Ergo Proxy totally got me thinking. I was late to the party, but it was a party I am glad I did make it to. Puce Mary made some tapes back in April, both of them were totally ace, filled with an acute sense of heaviness. I very much enjoyed Boy Harsher’s work this year too, outside my usual orbit in some ways, but they are really onto something of late. I caught up with my old and dear friend Kate Crawford, and had a chance to read over he excellent Atlas Of AI book, she is a tower of radiance. Annea Lockwood’s, work occupied a great deal of my thoughts this year, realising her Piano Transplants all at once was quite simply a delight. Adam Curtis’s TraumaZone left an indelible mark in more ways than one. I returned to Vancouver to photograph the crows that started off my homage to Masahisa Fukase, perhaps that tract of work is done? Oh and thanks to a dinner with Atsuo from Boris, and the encouragement of my small humans, we all started down the pathway of the epic saga of Gundam too. I missed that when I was younger, so it’s a long road to catch up on….but I started.

Oh and on a purely personal note I was able to commission a shikishi from Yoshihisa Tagami. Seriously, my 12 year old self was reborn when it arrived. The world is so much bigger, and smaller, than that little human could ever have imagined!

Love to you all and here’s hoping 2023 is full of curious surprises and wonder.

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John Tottenham

author

A LISTLESS LIST

Best Books:   Woodcutters Concrete Extinction| Wittgenstein’s Nephew Old Masters 

Thomas Bernhard

A Father and his Fate More Women than Men Manservant and Maidservant A Family and a Fortune  -  Ivy Compton Burnett   Hawkwind: Days of the Underground  -  Joe Banks

Best Songs:   Eunice Collins  –  At the Hotel Gloria Barnes  -  Old Before My Time Sonia Ross  -  Every Now and Then Rozetta Johnson  -  A Woman’s Way Debbie Taylor  -  I Don’t Wanna Leave You Denise LaSalle  -  Trapped by a Thing Called Love Barbara Stant  -  Unsatisfied Woman Ann Alford  -  If It Ain’t One Thing Big Martha  -  Your Magic Touch Helene Smith  -  Sure Thing     Best Shows By Octogenarians And Nonagenarians:

Ramblin’ Jack Elliott – Zebulon, LA  / Bob Dylan  -  Pantages, LA / Marshall Allen (Arkestra)  -  Zebulon, LA / Swamp Dogg  -  Teragram, LA / Doug Kershaw  -  Zebulon,  LA / Sonny Green  -  Barnyard & La Louisianne, LA / Tommy McClain  -  Stowaway, LA

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Brian Carpenter

Composer / Ghost Train Orchestra

My favorite recordings of 2022, in no particular order…also the most frequently played albums on my long-running radio show Free Association on WZBC in Boston. As I'm writing this I'm reminded that a lot of great records came out of bands from South London this year, across genres. 

The Comet is Coming - CODE Caroline - caroline Dry Cleaning - Stumpwork William Orbit - The Painter Akusmi - Fleeting Future

Electric Youth, David Sylvian, et al - A Tribute to Ryuichi Sakamoto - To the Moon and Back Portico Quartet - Next Stop The Smile - A Light for Attracting Attention Zola Jesus - Into the Wild Mary Lattimore and Paul Sukeena - West Kensington Lucrecia Dalt - Ay! Bjork - Fossora Tindersticks - Stars at Noon Original Soundtrack Kamikaze Palm Tree - The Hit Bitchin Bajas - Bajascillators Bill Callahan - YTILAER Thurston Moore - Screen Time Bill Orcutt - Music for Four Guitars Horse Lords - Comradely Objects Curha - Curha III

Sharon Van Etten - We've Been Going About This All Wrong Aldous Harding - Warm Chris Weyes Blood - Hearts Aglow Big Thief - Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You Oneida - Success Brandon Seabrook - In the Swarm Jacob Garchik - Assembly Oren Ambarchi - Shebang The Lord and Petra Haden - Devotional Roedelius & Tim Story - 4 Hands Brian Eno - Foreverandevernomore Steve Reich - Runner Moor Mother - Jazz Codes Makaya McCraven  - Dream Another Sun Ra Arkestra - Living Sky Danger Mouse and Black Thought - Identical Deaths A Far Cry - The Blue Hour Nils Frahm - Music for Animals Mary Halvorson - Amaryllis Kronos Quartet, Van-Anh Vanessa Vo, Rinde Eckert - My Lai Attacca Quartet - Caroline Shaw: Evergreen

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DJ Food

Music: Clocolan - Empathy Alpha LP (Redpan) Brian Eno - The Lighthouse (Sonos HD) King Gizzard &The Lizard Wizard - Omnium Gatherum LP (Flightless) Twilight Sequence - Trees in General: and the Larch 12" (Castles In Space) WTCHCRFT - Drugs Here 12" (Balkan Vinyl) Ghost Power - Ghost Power LP (Duophonic Super 45s) Dexorcist - Night Watch 12" (Yellow Machines) The Advisory Circle - Full Circle LP (Ghost Box) Fenella - The Metallic Index (Fire Records) S'Express & Daddy Squad - Music 4 The Mind (DL)

Podcasts: The Bureau of Lost Culture We Buy Records Oh God, What Now?

Gigs / Events: The Orb play U.F.Orb @ The Fox & Firkin, London Staying in a restored Futuro House, Somerset Fogfest @ Iklectik, London Funki Porcini's Lasarium @ Iklectik, London The Trunk Groovy Record Fayre @ Mildmay Club, London

Books / Comics: 99 Balls Pond Road - Jill Drower (Scrudge Books) Radio Spaceman - Mike Mignola & Greg Hinkle (Dark Horse) A-Z of Record Shop Bags - Jonny Trunk (Fuel) Mud Sharks - Dave Barbarossa Good Pop, Bad Pop - Jarvis Cocker (Vintage) House Music - Andy Votel (The Modernist) Defying Gravity - Jordan Mooney w. Cathi Unsworth 69 Exhibition Road - Dorothy Max Prior (Strange Attractor) Judge Dredd - Mike McMahon (Apex Edition) It's Lonely At The Centre Of The Universe - Zoe Thorogood (Image Comics) The Black Locomotive - Rian Hughes (Picador)

Films: Get Back (Disney+) Who Killed The KLF? (Chris Atkins) In The Court of the Crimson King (Toby Aimes)

[we-are-inevitable]

Your ask box is my kingdom, I am taking it over

But anyway I so badly want your thoughts on Jack and Davey in my college prof au please please please I know I haven't spoken about it on tumblr yet except from a little bit but I love your Javid so yeah

-has watched high school musical thank you very much

ok ok @roideny obvi this is your au but here are my Very Important thoughts bc i love them Very Much ugh. in love w them

David Jacobs-Kelly:

44 years old, born in ‘79

Undergrad: majored in English, minored in Creative Writing

Masters: Poetics and Theory AdvC- NYU

Doctorate: English and American Literature, thesis is over gender and sexuality in Shakespeare

he’s been Dr. Jacobs-Kelly for about seventeen years by the time the story takes place!

as a prof, he teaches a comp class, an honors comp (Critical Analysis and Writing), and some creative writing/poetry courses! he’s a very busy man.

he meets Race, Albert, and Finch because they’re students in his comp class!

when he’s not teaching, he’s really involved in the local queer scene. i feel like he’s a staple at drag brunches and pride celebrations; he’s not a huge club fan anymore but he still loves being Involved. growing up during the aids crisis is traumatizing at the least, and im sure he lost a few friends, so he stays up to date in the queer stuff to sort of honor them.

he marries jack in 2011 when gay marriage is legalized in new york!

he’s a huge shakespeare fan, as seen by his phd studies. he has a hamlet-inspired tattoo because he’s gay

tbh he probably has a cat named after shakespeare (they have two cats im calling it now. shakespeare and bryan, name courtesy of jack)

he and jack don’t have any kids, but he’s a loving fun uncle for Les and Sarah’s respective kids!

Jack Jacobs-Kelly:

45 years old, born in ‘78

Undergrad: Studio Art! but he dropped out after a semester <33

he just decided that college wasn’t for him. why pay money for something he doesn’t need?

he goes straight into a set design apprenticeship that medda helps him get! medda is his adoptive mom, so he’s been around queer spaces and theatre since he was around 15. he loves it, it’s his home

that being said he probably sells his own paintings and maybe does mural work on the side, he likes to keep busy and is invested in the art scene, and he meets davey when davey moves to New York for his masters! he’s the reason davey stays in NYC <33

he’s very eccentric, and very much doesn’t give a fuck. he’s a black queer man- the universe already nerfed him, so why worry about anything else? i can see him being the really go-with-the-flow husband to davey’s more tight-strung academic vibe. they really balance each other out

again, they don’t have kids, but i feel like this jack is very much For The Youths? i can see him volunteering a lot, working for organizations that help troubled kids get into the arts— i feel like it’s his passion project that makes him feel better when davey is busy at the university all day. in another life he’s a foster parent, but he and davey just don’t have the lifestyle to foster, so he focuses his energy elsewhere!

whenever davey “adopts” some freshmen he’s always on board. he really hits it off with Albert!

not as involved in the queer scene as davey, but his career is literally in musical theatre set design, so even if he’s not in the queer scene he’s In The Queer Scene

i don’t wanna talk about him losing medda but i can see him eventually inheriting the theater!

he loves his nieces and nephews! he’s a big family guy

Extra Thoughts:

jack and davey are a pair. they rarely go anywhere outside of work without each other, and they’re so, SO in love.

jack pretty regularly comes to see Davey while he’s at work; he’ll bring him lunch to office hours and pop in to watch him lecture from time to time.

davey attends the opening night of every show jack works on <33

their apartment is always a mess LMAO. davey has papers and books everywhere, there’s paint on the floor, brushes all over the place— it’s what happens when you cross a tired academic and an adhd creative. shit happens.

they actually stay pretty hip and on-trend? idk how it happens but jack is rlly good with youth culture and davey is on top of gay culture so like. yeah they work.

over summers and breaks, they travel a lot! not anything crazy expensive— they love international travel, but they’re also a big fan of road trips and rental cars!

they are my FAVORITES and i love them so much