We’ve got a great host and a killer record, all set to go. All we need now is you! Here’s how to join the fun.
Today we’re talking about Neil Young’s Everybody Knows This is Nowhere, and well, how you can talk about the band with other like minded people.
Note: As some of you know, we host an album discussion (via Zoom) each month, and this month’s is on Sunday. To be clear, all credit goes to
Terry Barr who facilitates the meetings. He is also taking the reins as this month’s host.
As you’ll see below, these are low-key affairs; all are welcome! If you want to share some thoughts, that’s awesome. Wanna just sit back & listen? That’s cool, too.
Either way, it’d be better with you there.
KA —
It’s that time again; it’s time for our monthly album discussion!
One of our core tenets is sharing music. That obviously involves writing about it, but also talking about it together. We do that monthly here.
Today, January 18th, is that day.
Below is my boilerplate explanation of these discussions and the value you’ll get from joining us. Under that are both the record being discussed and the meeting login details.
- Don’t know the record? Doesn’t matter.
- Not comfortable speaking in public? Me either. And you don’t have to if you don’t want to. Heck, you don’t even have to turn your camera on. It’s a safe space, but you control what you share.
- Ultimately, you’re part of the community; we want you to be a part of this, too.
So check out the “rules” below, and then plan to dial in.
What is this?
For new readers (hi everyone!), we host an online discussion every month.
Here’s how it works:
- A writer (more on that in a second) picks a record to discuss and writes a brief piece about their choice and the meeting details.
- At the meeting, they discuss why they picked it, offer a bit of a backstory/context, and whatever else they’d like to share.
- Everyone else on the call can share their own “hot take,” related story, or anything else you think is relevant.
- At the end of the meeting, the next month’s writer volunteers (or is chosen), and the process repeats itself.
NOTE FOR INTROVERTS: If you’d prefer to sit in and listen, that is 110% okay. Keep your video off…stay muted…it’s up to you. It’s a safe place; you can participate as much/as little as you’d like.
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This month’s host:
This month’s host is longtime member of The Riff community
Terry Barr. Terry has been a pillar of this community since almost Day 1, and being able to still get a “first look” at his writing is one of the perks of my job here as editor. His work has been published in multiple journals and magazines. He’s also written (at least) four fantastic books.
Cool! So, what are we talking about?
Terry has chosen Everybody Knows This is Nowhere by Neil Young.
From his article explaining his pick:
Maybe the singer/songwriter/rock savant who captures the lonely and the wandering best is my longtime, personal rock god, Neil Young. Anyone who’s read me for these years knows that in my “everywhere” no other artists have hit me as hard as Young has, so much so that whenever I put one of his earliest albums on the turntable, I see everything of the first time I ever heard it clearly, again, and maybe more clearly now.
That many of us don’t always understand what he’s writing and singing about doesn’t matter. My favorite novels, while I’ve studied them so hard that I do get their meaning or at least some of it, are the initially inscrutable ones. What do you or I really think Faulkner “means” in Absalom, Absalom! or Zadie Smith in White Teeth?
Sometimes I hope that we never quite find the meaning because then we might quit reading or listening, or we might cease to wonder exactly what or who a “cowgirl in the sand” is.
Musical adventure, exploring new sounds, and sharing great music with great people make these discussions a joy.
Join us and see for yourself.
Listen:
Neil Young | Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere (1969)
(Click the record to listen on your platform of choice)
I’m in! How can I join?
Here ya go:
When: Sunday, January 18th: 4 PM Eastern/ 9PM GMT
Where: Join Zoom meeting
ID: 85437235002
Passcode: tPCu#.b4
Thanks for being here (and there!),
Kevin —
Kevin Sent 