"Outsider musicians can be the product of damaged DNA, alien abduction, drug fry, demonic possession, or simply sheer obliviousness. This book profiles dozens of outsider musicians, both prominent and obscure-figures such as The Shaggs, Syd Barrett, Tiny Tim, Jandek, Captain Beefheart, Daniel Johnston, Harry Partch, and The Legendary Stardust Cowboy-and presents their strange life stories along with photographs, interviews, cartoons, and discographies....

With style, wit, and expertise, Leonard Bernstein shares his love and appreciation for music in all its varied forms in The Infinite Variety of Music, illuminating the deep pleasure and sometimes subtle beauty it offers. He begins with an "imaginary conversation" with George Washington entitled "The Muzak Muse" in which he argues the values of actively listening to music by learning how to read notes, as opposed to simply hearing music in a concert...

"From packing the right equipment to keeping enough gas in the tank to get home, every aspect of making a successful tour with a band is addressed in this comprehensive guide. More than 100 luminaries and leading organizations from the world of touring-among them Chris Connelly, Henry Rollins, the House of Blues, and the Vans Warped Tour, as well as club owners, tour managers, and even sex advisors-provide handy insider know-how along with insight...

In his first book of new writing since winning the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2016, Bob Dylan offers his extraordinary insight into the nature of popular music through a series of essays that double as meditations and reflections on the human condition.

"An essential work for rock fans and scholars, Before Elvis: The Prehistory of Rock 'n' Roll surveys the origins of rock 'n' roll from the minstrel era to the emergence of Bill Haley and Elvis Presley. Unlike other histories of rock, Before Elvis offers a far broader and deeper analysis of the influences on rock music. Dispelling common misconceptions, it examines rock's origins in hokum songs and big-band boogies as well as Delta blues, detailing...

Features 51 best-loved compositions, reproduced directly from the authoritative Kistner edition edited by Carl Mikuli, a pupil of Chopin. Editor's Foreword, 1879.

Examining the mentor-prot�eg�e dynamic and its critical impact on the lives of ensembles and their conductors, author Tim Sharp draws from research, his own experience as a choir conductor, mentor, and prot�eg�e, and his travels as the executive director of the American Choral Directors Association in this study. The result is a profound portrait of this important, but rarely discussed, aspect of a conductor's life. The book reinforces a conductor's...

"You can hear it in the hottest clubs in New York, the hippest rooms in New Orleans, Chicago, and San Francisco, and in top concert halls around the world. It's a joyous sound that echoes the past. It's Old World meets New World. It's secular and sacred. It's traditional and experimental. It's played by classical violinist Itzhak Perlman (his all-klezmer album in his all-time best-seller!), the hypno-pop band Yo La Tengo, and avant-gardist John Zorn....

"The ultimate music fan's bible packed with insight into the world of rock 'n' roll. Off the Record brings together the best interviews and articles from Australia's music street press, about bands on the cusp of greatness to megastars at the height of their powers-all imbued with a cool street-press indie sensibility. Many pieces come from Time Off, a magazine established in 1979 and the first free music/entertainment weekly in Australia. Far from...

What do your musical choices say about you? Music opinions bring out passionate debate in people, and Hyden focuses on pop music rivalries, from the classic to the very recent, and draws connections to the larger forces surrounding the pairing. Along the way he explores burning out and fading away, gives readers a glimpse into the perennial battle between old and young-- and just may prompt you to give your least favorite band another chance.