Musical Musings with Paul Bourgeois I have no idea what a kid is going to grow up into. As a parent I can only encourage. I can only present my child with opportunities to learn. I can only be an example through my own activities, and if my child is… more »

Musical Musings with Paul Bourgeois Simon could count to four. He composed these solid rhythmic structures. He held them steady. He studied all the keys, all the modes, all the chords, the triads, flat fives, major sevenths… and he knew what… more »

Musical Musings with Paul Bourgeois Max plugged his mic into his Yamaha JX 15 guitar amp. He shifted between harp and vocals with a cheap Behringer distortion pedal. It wasn’t great but it was all he could afford, and if he pulled back on the bass… more »

Musical Musings with Paul Bourgeois He sweated under the spotlights. The guitar shifted into the extro and he closed his eyes and screamed out all his rage into what he thought was an empty pub. His knees shook from the energy and he cupped the… more »

Musical Musings with Paul Bourgeois He couldn’t sleep. The rain pounded on the windows, a low irregular drumbeat. He began to hear his own breathing and the click-chink of the radiator. There was no pattern, but his mind couldn’t let them… more »

Musical Musings with Paul Bourgeois It sounds weird, doesn’t it? But it is easier to tell the truth about stuff if you are making it up. Otherwise you have to contend with permission forms and people saying “I don’t want my story… more »

Musical Musings with Paul Bourgeois India gained independence in 1947, a triumph of passive resistance, the same year Pete Seeger published “We Shall Overcome.” And in 1989, when I was in the Banwasi Seva Ashram, “We Shall… more »