Category Archives: Commentary

Charles Mingus

A Homage to Charles Mingus’ “Fables of Faubus”

Text by Bruce Gallanter (Downtown Music Gallery, July 15th, 2022)

“Fables of Faubus” by Charles Mingus. From Mingus Ah Um (1959) and Presents Charles Mingus (1961)

Oh, Lord, don’t let ’em shoot us!
Oh, Lord, don’t let ’em stab us!
Oh, Lord, no more swastikas!
Oh, Lord, no more Ku Klux Klan!
Name me someone who’s ridiculous, Dannie.
Governor Faubus!
Why is he so sick and ridiculous?
He won’t permit integrated schools.
Then he’s a fool! Boo! Nazi Fascist supremists!
Boo! Ku Klux Klan (with your Jim Crow plan)
Name me a handful that’s ridiculous, Dannie Richmond.
Faubus, Rockefeller, Eisenhower
Why are they so sick and ridiculous?
Two, four, six, eight:
They brainwash and teach you hate.
H-E-L-L-O, Hello.

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Editorial: Gen Z, Music, the Metaverse, and Survival 

The sooner musicians accept that the world is moving on with or without us, the sooner our music – and our ability to profit monetarily – will be able to move forward.

An Editorial by Dawoud Kringle

I have a social media account with https://www.imvu.com. This platform is pretty much metaverse based. Now, for my taste this particular social media thing is bullshit. Most of the friend requests I get are clearly scammers, and I’m NOT putting money into building my metaverse presence on IMVU. So I don’t really do anything with it. This may change, but for now, it’s a toy I almost never play with.

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Gram Parsons

A Homage to Gram Parsons (The Byrds): His Greatest Song “Hickory Wind”

Text by Bruce Gallanter (Downtown Music Gallery, May 6th, 2022)

“Hickory Wind” written by Gram Parsons and covered by The Byrds for Sweetheart of the Rodeo. Recorded in March of 1968 & released later that year.

In South Carolina
There are many tall pines
I remember the oak tree
That we used to climb
But now, when I’m lonesome
I always pretend
That I’m gettin’ the feel
Of hickory wind

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