A detailed description of my music writing background — A Team or Single Person? Despite the royal “we” I use sometimes If Ever Your Listening (IEYL) is a solo venture. All the content is original and written by me. For the longest time I was the only one who published it as well. Even though it is just me and I could have made…

The History of J-Pop Music — A Forming Pop Sound In the late 1920’s Japan was recovering from economic hardship following the first World War and the Tokyo Earthquake of 1923. Despite the turmoil following the war, Japan was still heavily connected to the international community. One element of soft power included their student exchange programs. Former jazz students from…

Join us on October 9th, 4 pm EST, details below. — Welcome back to another addition of The Riff’s phenomenal Album Club meeting! I want to start off by shouting out Christine Carmichael for hosting this past month. The album she chose was excellent and the conversation was even better. One of the best things about The Riff’s album club meetings…

Listening To Frank On A Festive Amtrak Trip — In a lot of ways, the Los Angeles trip was an escape. It was an escape from work, being around my family 24/7, my east coast friends, and myself in that setting. One of my favorite things about traveling is that I get to meet new versions of myself. When…

Check Out This Catchy Playlist When You’re Looking For New Tunes — Hello You! Yes you, beloved reader! I would like to welcome you to the final installment of the On That Note Series. Yeah, I know, it’s quite sad, but all good things must come to an end. These playlists were always for your listening enjoyment. I hope you found the…

Check Out This Catchy Playlist When You’re Looking For New Tunes — Welcome Back Readers! The fall season is here. The amount of pumpkins and holiday-related props I’ve seen recently is startling. People are really getting into the spirit. For me, the smell of autumn has always been one of my first memories. …

A review of Rich Brian’s EP, 1999 — Background The globalization of music has enabled musicians to learn and appreciate other musicians from vastly different cultures. Some of the drivers of this globalization were the internet and more specifically social media platforms like Twitter, Vine, and YouTube. If an artist’s talent is high and their drive is intense, then…

Faced with a series of human crises, Mulvey Finds Glimmers of Hope — IEYL’s June 2022 Album of The Month: New Mythology by Nick Mulvey Background Nick Mulvey’s story is fueled by amazing opportunities, a wonderfully curious mind, and spectacular talent. Born in Cambridge, the singer-songwriter was fed different musical opportunities by his mom. First the drums, followed by the piano, the British singer soon realized he had a great creative imagination and thirst for music-making.

A History of Banda Music — Sinaloa Banda music is based in the western Mexican province of Sinaloa. The style was inspired by the music of military bands. Taking their cues from the Spanish military, 19th century Mexican military bands played with fifes, drums, and eventually wind instruments in order to scare the enemy or give orders…