Music

Dear Mr. Pereleman, A couple of months ago I had the great fortune of scoring 2nd row tickets to see one of my favorite performers, one Ian Anderson, lead singer and driving force behind the great band Jethro Tull. This was perhaps the fifteenth time I have seen him in concert, and in the past I’ve taken advantage of backstage passes to have a long and hilarious conversation with him. I’ve notice that one thing he always mentions in his between song monologue is the famous concert in 1970 when Tull played Carnegie Hall. It was obviously a highlight in his long career, and if you don’t know the performance I recommend that you check it out. Here’s a little taste. I smiled knowingly when he mentioned it this last time I saw him because I, too, have had the chance to stride onto the...

Dear Portland, In the last month, your police department and fire marshal's office have united to target and preemptively silence artists—primarily minority artists—in your city. This isn’t conspiracy theory or second-hand gossip: this is repeated and overt action, paid for by your tax dollars, on behalf of the city of Portland. Shows at small, struggling venues like Blue Monk and Kelly’s Olympian have had their capacities drastically reduced in the days or even hours before local hip-hop shows, and officers have stood watch both inside and outside the venues to intimidate artists and show-goers. These actions have not come in response to violent incidents or code violations at shows—there have been no accusations, that we’re aware of, leveled at these venues or artists—and they are...

Dear Mr. Gore and Mr. Wall, I am writing to ask you to do the one thing that will do the most good for the planet and the majority of its inhabitants: not serve meat or dairy products at Live Earth 2015. I don't mean offering a vegan option-I mean not serving animal products at all. Otherwise, the event will make no sense-it'll be "greenwashing." Serving meat and dairy products at an event to combat climate change is like selling pistols at a gun-control rally. Your responsibility is to alert people to a crisis, not sell out to the vendors responsible for it. Not only is it possible for venues to provide a 100 percent meat-free menu-as is done now at every concert venue in which I perform, including Madison Square Garden, where I have a show at the end of June-it's also a moral duty...

Dear Chris Bryant MP, You classist gimp. I happened to go to a boarding school. No one helped me at boarding school to get into the music business. I bought my first guitar with money I saved from holiday jobs (sandwich packing!). I was taught the only four chords I know by a friend. No one at school had ANY knowledge or contacts in the music business, and I was expected to become a soldier or a lawyer or perhaps a stockbroker. So alien was it, that people laughed at the idea of me going into the music business, and certainly no one was of any use. In the army, again, people thought it was a mad idea. None of them knew anyone in the business either. And when I left the army, going against everyone’s advice, EVERYONE I met in the British music industry told me there was no way it...