SnowGhost Music

Ah, a much-needed return to the world of writing. The last song I wrote was a song called Peace and Harmony, to be sung by a chorus of 4th to 6th graders at a school function. The theme was harmony. We nailed it. The last story I wrote was a two-paragraph number about a famous hobo. It was followed by five questions asking about main ideas and details and sequence of events and what not. These are the things I find myself writing these days because I am an elementary school teacher.

I still look at my guitar. I play it too sometimes. I recently performed even, in front of actual people other than students and parents. But mostly I wait. Oh, over the next break I’ll have time to record that piano track I’ve been... read more >

Here is an example of a typical conversation that might occur between a new acquaintance and me. We will pick up just after the new acquaintance has learned, usually through a third party because third parties love to do this, that I am a musician.

NA: Oh cool. What intsrument do you play?

Me: Mostly guitar, but I try to play whatever instrument I can get my hands on.

3rd Party: He also sings. He’s got a great voice. (3rd Party always has something nice to day at some point so that you can’t get annoyed for them putting you in this conversation, but this also where the conversation’s path becomes inevitable.)

NA: So what kind of music do you play?<... read more >

I think I have a new favorite band. I feel like I should call up my former favorite band and tell them about this developing situation, only I don’t really know who I would call. Sure, I’ve still got my favorite albums and songs that I never get sick of hearing, but if someone came up to me one week ago and asked me who or what my favorite band is, I would’ve been stumped. The weird part about this is that I didn’t realize I felt this way until I went and saw my new favorite band this past Sunday night in my new favorite music venue. I thought to myself, ‘Greg, this is your new favorite band. They must be because you are behaving as if this show was a sensual massage being administered by no less than 3 highly trained and highly ... read more >

I know I spent a healthy portion of the last blog bashing the Miami music scene and its accompanying lack of quality shows. I still firmly believe these things and I would vehemently defend them against anyone smaller than me, but there are of course exceptions to every rule, and now is a good time to bring one up. Nestled rather scuzzily in the heart of Little Haiti just north of Downtown Miami is a very old English Pub, known equally for its commitment to broadcasting any and every important soccer event, especially those involving United Kingdom anything, and also for supporting and presenting local music. Occasionally they even bring in a fairly well-known indie act, brave enough to put several hundred extra miles on their van ... read more >

The Sea and Cake have been around for a long time. Since I was in high school, I think, which is exactly what I meant by the last sentence. They were one of those bands that people always told me about but I never got around to actually seeing live. This is largely due to spending a healthy majority of my life in Miami, a black hole of a music scene and a bit of a stretch for any bands not headlining arenas. Every now and then I’d get lucky, but most of the smaller bands or artists that I liked never made it south of Atlanta or Gainesville. I understand that many Americans live in rural areas where no bands ever go, which I’m sure is difficult for music-loving youngsters, but Miami is different because it is a big city with a sma... read more >