Is the form that defined mid-century American songcraft condemned to sputter along on the fumes of jukebox musicals and high-gloss family fare?
Music
Posted inArts & Culture
Bruce Springsteen experienced mental health issues. That should enrich your appreciation of him.
News that Springsteen has experienced mental health issues should not disappoint fans, but enrich how they understand a musical legend.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
With the release of ‘Secret Path,’ the front man of Canada’s favorite band confronts the nation’s past.
With the release of “Secret Path,” the front man of Canada’s favorite band confronts the nation’s past.
Posted inArts & Culture, Of Other Things
Praying with Bruce Springsteen
Helpless Catholic that I am, I have a confession to make. I am a Bruce Springsteen devotee.
Posted inArts & Culture, In All Things
Bob Dylan’s church(es): Travels in the North Country fair
I am a firm believer in the power of place.
Posted inFaith, Faith in Focus
A Theology of Taylor Swift
No topic is out of bounds for the theologian.
Posted inArts & Culture, Vantage Point
When Frank Sinatra wrote to Jesuits at America
In the spirit of Ecclesiasticus (44:1), let us now praise famous men: specifically Frank Sinatra.
Posted inArts & Culture, Columns
Diamonds in the Rust
You’re a fan of Bob Dylan, right? But not really. You’re a fan of his music. You prefer covers by Adele, Johnny Cash, The Byrds or Joan Baez, because you don’t much care for Dylan’s voice. And if you’re like most people, you think Bob Dylan is sort of a jerk.
Posted inArts & Culture, Of Other Things
Hip-Hop, My First Love
I remember the first time I heard Steely Dan’s “Deacon Blues,” a song about winning and losing in life. I was 10 years old, attempting to explain the lyrics to my father. Sitting across from me in the kitchen of our old apartment, his acoustic guitar across his lap, my father respo
Posted inArts & Culture, Columns
Is God always on America’s side? You’d think so by the songs we sing.
Many of us learned these songs not in school or from the media, but from their use in church around all our national holidays.