Internet Radio
Internet radio was the disciplinary backbone of my musical life for a long time, and when I left StillStream some years ago, it was relaxing for a while, but then felt very much like I’d turned from a ship with sails and a rudder to a raft drifting downstream.
I am not a big believer in the idea of music as some great gift from a higher power, for which the individual musician is merely a conduit… music pouring out of a person “like vomit from a drunk”, as Ayn Rand put it (and there, that’s the only Ayn Rand quote anyone will ever see from me, anywhere). There is a place for inspiration, and whether it’s divine or not is a discussion I’ll leave to the theologians and skeptics. But inspiration becomes great music only with craft, and craft takes discipline, and discipline takes structure.
And you know what? A weekly radio show is structure in spades. I didn’t appreciate it when I had it; I missed it when it was gone; and I love it now that it’s back.
On my weekly show Spiral, I used to DJ the music of others. Nowadays, when I play on RadioSpiral's stream and in Second Life, I mostly play live. I combine live performances of songs from my catalog with live improvisational ambient pieces I call Rants, that hopefully entertain and edify my audience. That discipline of trying to play every week and quickly come up with ideas that folks will want to hear is very good for me, and helps me hone my craft while giving my listeners a nice mix of familiar songs and brand-new ideas. Sometimes they Peter out, sometimes they Pan out, and sometimes I find a really good Hook. (Does that make me the one Tinkering? Gypsy)
Spiral happens most Sunday nights, starting at 9 PM Eastern, 8 PM Central, 7 PM Mountain, 6 PM Pacific, 5 PM Alaska, 6 PM Hawaii, or 2 AM UTC. It is just one of the hosted shows on RadioSpiral, the 24/7 internet radio station I founded with Gypsy Witch, a.k.a Diana Smethurst, and now manage along with the rest of the team of Gypsy, Paul Harriman (a.k.a EdisonRex) and Joe McMahon.
You can choose to simply listen, you could join me and other listeners in our online chat room (click on the chat link on the RadioSpiral page and join) or, if you have a Second Life avatar, you can join Gypsy Witch and I in the RadioSpiral Virtual World Domination Headquarters and chat with us there!