Prem Joshua's International band - formed in the lively and chaotic witches' cauldron of an Indian metropolis - today stands out as one of the most refreshing multi-cultural musical experiences to be found between Bombay and Berlin. On this album, Prem Joshua & Band present the highlights of their 2007 concert tour. These live recordings feature seven new versions of Prem Joshua "classics" and ...
More >
The Guru of Fusion
2008: A Year In Review (1 of 2)
Happy New Year! What an exciting, prosperous and rockin' 2009 we're affirming it will be for you and yours as well as for RockOm. We've many electrifying features and interviews in store for the year ahead as well as an unveiling of RockOm-Phase II, where you will be able to create your own, unique profile and upload your original music and songs to share with others and the world. For certain...
More >
MU study links brain, spirituality
By JANESE HEAVIN Want to trigger a spiritual experience or simply become a less selfish person? Get lost in meditation, prayer or even a good song, MU researchers say. Doing so, they've found, deactivates the part of the brain programmed to focus on your self. Brick Johnstone, a University of Missouri neurophysiologist, released a study early this month that linked decreased activity in the...
More >
What’s Rockin’ @ RockOm: 12/30
2008 is almost history and the year ahead... well, who can say what awaits us tomorrow? One thing is for sure, music will play an integral part of our New Year's celebrations and all our days yet to be. As individuals, communities, cultures, nations and as fellow human beings sharing our common Earth-home, we are [...]
More >
Between Beats and Clicks
-
Artist:
Between Beats and Clicks: Kieran Hebden and Steve Reid bring 'NYC' to NYC by David Todd with an introduction by Tom Crenshaw Article Link Source www.downtownexpress.com Most of us have music or listening preferences that have long been established. Our favorite genres, bands, songs and styles have developed over a lifetime of performing and/or listening to music. We don't often deliberat...
More >
The Soundtrack to Your Funeral, Part VII: Switching Off
By Michael Garfield Compared to Life (if the familiar dyad even makes sense), Death is famously dispassionate. Death doesn't care when, or why, or how, or who. Death can not care, because caring is the job of the living. And so choice has precious little to do with death, which is why we clutch at whatever choices we do have about our final moments. We usually don't have the luxury of the ...
More >
Do You Hear What I Hear?
Holiday music is inescapable. Daniel J. Levitin on the ancient drive to listen to familiar songs, the psychological effects of music and why 'Little Drummer Boy' is so annoying. December. Joy, goodwill toward men, long lines, the unwanted wet kiss from a drunk co-worker at the office party. Along with the candy canes and mistletoe, music will be there in the background wherever we go this m...
More >
The Creative Arts - Where Spirituality and Religiosity Clash
by Pastor Jim Girdlestone The creative arts and their expression have always been a crossroads where spirituality and religiosity clash. Christmas Eve, 1818 at the church of St. Nicholas in Oberndorf, Austria was probably anything but a 'silent night, holy night' in many quarters. As the legend goes, Father Joseph Mohr and organist Franz Gruber put the classic Christmas lyric for Silent Nig...
More >
What’s Rockin’ @ RockOm: 12/23
The holidays are upon us! From all of us at RockOm, we wanted to simply say Happy Holidays. Whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or Christmas (or something else!), may the season be bright, may it bring you closer to Truth and throughout this time may you, as we often say on the RockOm podcast, [...]
More >
Catholic Musicians Unite to Fight Poverty
The best in contemporary Catholic music gathered on Friday, Dec. 5 at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for "Rock Out Poverty," a benefit event for struggling families and individuals in the Cleveland area. Award-winning artists like Steve Angrisano, ValLimar Jansen and Matt Maher were among the many performers who contributed their talents for the concert. All the musicians who participated are a...
More >
Pandit Jasraj / Spirituality is Music
Introduction by Tom Crenshaw, tom@rockom.netFor most westerners, the names Ravi and Anoushka Shankar, Ali Akbar Khan, Zakir Hussain and even George Harrison come to mind when popular or classical Indian music is mentioned. Each of these artists are pioneers in introducing and popularizing Indian music in the west. And for each of these artists I've mentioned there are scores more who are just ...
More >
Streaming Artistic Wisdom
If you've not done so, make sure you subscribe to the RockOm Podcast. Each week you'll get a new installment which features RockOm news, featured interviews and even backstage access audio.This week's "backstage access" podcast comes from RockOm's interview with Emery. Hear the behind-the-scenes raw, unedited audio directly from the horse's mouth (so [...]
More >
Rant and Reflection: Unless You Feel It
During the first few seconds of Nina Simone's version of Bob Dylan's "I Shall Be Released," she stops the band and chides them saying,"You're pushing it, you're pushing it. Just relax, you're pushing it. Don't play anything unless you feel it."And she has a tone in her voice that suggests that she really means it. Hearing this again recently, I was struck by the authenticity in her tone and w...
More >
The Soundtrack To Your Funeral, Part VI: Takin’ Life So Serious
By Michael GarfieldAs I've said before, the soundtrack to your funeral is as personal a playlist as you'll ever make. Assuming you have the luxury of deciding what to play to your mourning crowd (and assuming that you have the luxury of a mourning crowd), the funeral playlist is your final opportunity to give a life-affirming message that helps people deal with their grief and conveys the sum ...
More >
What’s Rockin @ RockOm: 12/16
This week, RockOm brings you a new Featured Track of the week from Tina Malia along with two new featured articles from bands on opposite ends of the musical spectrum. Although the diversity between The Blind Boys of Alabama and Emery is broad, they are united in an understanding of purpose, intention and the understanding that music unites and transforms lives. (MORE...)
More >
God is Hope: The Gospel According to the Blind Boys of Alabama
Since 1939 The Blind Boys of Alabama have been serving audiences near and far with their blend of Gospel music and have garnered four Grammy Awards along the way (and are currently nominated for their fifth). Several members have come and gone since 1939 but the music is still the same crowd-pleasing, spirit moving mix they've perfected throughout their years of performing. The Blind Boys' Rick...
More >
Doing What We’re Supposed To: An Interview with Emery
South Carolina natives Emery have four albums out on Tooth & Nail records including their latest EP While Broken Hearts Prevail. While on 2008's Never Sleep Again Tour, guitarist Matt Carter shared with RockOm's Tom Crenshaw about the band's history, their Christian influence and the band's growing popularity. (MORE...)
More >
For Headphones Only
By Tom Crenshaw, tom@rockom.netThere once was a curious device to be found amongst professional musicians as well as the serious music lover. Along with the behemoth Hi-Fi recording equipment and stereo systems, reel to reel tape decks and shelves of LP vinyl records of the recording studio or the music connoisseur's living space were giant headphones with black rubber ear-cups to totally encap...
More >
