One of our finest interpreters of the great American social media songbook

So good

In the wake of the horrific murder of Charlie Kirk, which only perpetuates this country's cycle of violence, I have found solace in the words of our President, Donald J. Trump, who, as he stated in his second inaugural address, came into office to defend our constitutional right to free speech.

Started dreaming this up last year, and thrilled that it’s finally happening. To our knowledge, this will be the first ever complete performance of all of Caroline’s iridescent quartets, and on a single day no less, right here in Portland, Oregon. Get involved. www.orsymphony.org/productions/...

As a heartbroken twenty-something living in Brooklyn in 2009, I wrote a song called "Where are the Arms," which became the title track of my sophomore LP, released in 2011. 1/3

As a former blogger myself, it’s heartening to see artists like @gabrielkahane.bsky.social keeping the spirit of the early-00’s blogosphere alive in their newsletters. Gabe’s latest piece includes some astute observations about the “dark art” of arranging: gabrielkahane.substack.com/p/where-are-...

Awww, thank you so much, Joe!! Scoop up your LPs while supplies last, folks! gabrielkahane.bandcamp.com/album/heirloom

On Bandcamp Friday, I recommend @gabrielkahane.bsky.social on active listening. (His Magnificent Bird LP just showed up in the mail--I splurged for Nonesuch's recent flash sale.) And I offer a thread about my music to encourage you to pick something up. gabrielkahane.substack.com/p/are-you-li... 🧵

When we talk about music streaming, we’re asking the wrong questions. gabrielkahane.substack.com/p/are-you-li...

Over the last few months, I’ve repeatedly been asked some version of this question: “I know Spotify is awful—I use it reluctantly because the catalog is amazing—are any of the other streaming services better for musicians?” Here’s my response. gabrielkahane.substack.com/p/are-you-li...

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millennial cringe imperial boomerang

This fall is gonna be a blast. More details at my spanking new website. gabrielkahane.com/where.html

henceforth, sour cream and onion chips are the left’s 14 words. i don’t make the rules.

Doris Lessing > Social Media

I wrote a piano concerto for my father, who is as much a mensch as he is an extraordinary musician and thinker. Pre-orders of limited edition vinyl include a signed print of the first page of the full score. (They’re going quickly, so grab one while you can!) gabrielkahane.bandcamp.com

Incredibly happy to announce that 'Heirloom,' a piano concerto I wrote for my father, Jeffrey Kahane, will arrive via @nonesuch.com on October 10th. Hop over to bandcamp to pick up a copy of limited edition vinyl and have a listen to the first movement! gabrielkahane.bandcamp.com/album/heirloom

Did an AMA on Instagram yesterday and someone asked about how I deal with writer’s block and lack of inspiration. This was my response…

PDX! A hometown show awaits! New songs! Old songs! Merriment! Get involved!

Slightly diminish a band: Minuscule Threat

Los Angeles. Coming to see you after far too long. Tickets are extremely limited, so get involved while you can! link.dice.fm/D84d2dbfa667

The loss of music listings is "the loss of a world," Gabriel Kahane writes. As a young musician in New York, they were his "bible, syllabus, and road map":

@gabrielkahane.bsky.social has written his debut article for @theatlantic.com, "A Love Letter to Music Listings," in which he examines the loss of cultural listings and what it means for artists, audiences, institutions, and journalists: www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

Tricia wrote ‘The Freaks Came Out to Write,’ an extraordinary oral history of the Village Voice; her book very much informed my thinking about this essay. Thank you so much for your incredible work!!

In my debut for @theatlantic.com, I wrote about the disappearance of cultural listings from major New York media outlets, and what it portends for artists, audiences, institutions, and journalists. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

I am having so many feelings about this piece; writing and editing listings at Time Out was an incredible journalism boot camp, a wonderfully immersive way to learn about New York City culture, and simply the coolest job I ever had.

As you noted, the old New Yorker listings are mind blowing today, they go on for like 50 pages, accompanied by charming hand-illustrated ads. Nightlife is helpfully organized in this one by “small and cheerful” or “big and brassy.”

The uncanny feeling of being a main character, along with @natechinen.bsky.social, in an eloquent, passionate cri de coeur by one of my hands-down most admired artists.

In my debut for @theatlantic.com, I wrote about the disappearance of cultural listings from major New York media outlets, and what it portends for artists, audiences, institutions, and journalists. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

One of the most extraordinary silences l've ever experienced was the one at the end of Andrew Yee & Caroline Shaw's performance last night of "Louange à l'Éternité de Jésus," from Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time. 1/3

❤️❤️❤️

I am such a broken record on this, but: there are no ideological monoliths in U.S. politics. Every voter is a walking series of contradictions. People in power benefit from the perception that the body politic is reducible to two eternally warring tribes. 1/3

Hey folks! After taking a year away from teaching, I’m offering my first ever online master class — a three-week intensive in August. Topics to include songwriting, arranging, composition, and the artist as citizen. 1/2 gabrielkahane.substack.com/p/master-class

So much wisdom in this achingly beautiful essay by Hanif Abdurraqib on what it is to be Muslim in America right now. But this passage in particular hit me; it almost perfectly encapsulates the way I feel, as a Jew, about antisemitism: 1/3

I’ve admired Jason Moran for a long time, but this record is on another plane. Some of the wildest, most visionary music I’ve heard in a while. Equal parts brain-tickling, ear-cleaning, and heart-squeezing. 10/10 no notes. jasonmoran.bandcamp.com/album/go-to-...

We troll the people who troll the people who make up quotes in order to go viral in order to go viral

Never forget… the woke sky.

Every bad faith social media post

Today is my 44th birthday, and it would make me super happy if you read this essay I published about navigating the treacherous path between art & capitalism, finding delight in simplicity, and working to better understand what it is that fulfills us. gabrielkahane.substack.com/p/modest-nee...

NYT: Zohran Mamdani took a renaissance counterpoint class during his days as an undergrad. But now, former fellow students are coming forward to say that he routinely employed parallel fifths in his first species exercises AND used inappropriate intervals at final cadences. We analyzed

I will say this: I will say this.

My favorite book about art-making is Lawrence Weschler’s 'Seeing Is the Name of the Thing One Sees,' about the life and work of Robert Irwin. In a description of Irwin’s famously ascetic habits, Weschler suggests these seven syllables as a credo for his subject: "modest needs, lavishly met." 1/

God grant me the strength not to set Grok’s antisemitic tirades to music

For anyone struggling to find the balance between their art practice and the vicissitudes of late capitalism, some thoughts inspired by a recent house concert. gabrielkahane.substack.com/p/modest-nee...

pdx bluesky, come through

With some liberals suggesting that Texas has “gotten what it deserves,” I’m re-sharing an essay I wrote a few months ago about how commonplace cruelty has become across the political spectrum. 1/3 gabrielkahane.substack.com/p/only-light...

With some liberals suggesting that Texas has “gotten what it deserves,” I’m re-sharing an essay I wrote a few months ago about how commonplace cruelty has become across the political spectrum. 1/3 gabrielkahane.substack.com/p/only-light...

I don’t know who needs to hear this, but if you’ve lost the plot, look in the junk drawer under the rubber band ball next to the spare set of keys for your neighbor kevin’s deceased chinchilla charlene that you deliberately did not return after inadvertently causing the death of said chinchilla; it