Vol. 4 No. 1 Summer 2012
Intro: Why We Write — Again
Does the fact that this is a music-oriented magazine make it okay for me to toot my own horn? Earlier this year, I had the pleasure on two separate occasions to run into local musicians who then introduced me to their friends as both a fellow musician and a “really good writer”. I must admit I was really touched by those compliments, particularly since at the time I hadn’t done any music journalism in a while. The previous incarnation of this magazine hadn’t been published since 2009, and its companion blog, The Music Type, had only been updated twice in 2010. So to me the kudos were strengthened by the fact that the passage of time hadn’t diminished both musicians’ impressions of my writing.
But I relay these unexpected compliments not to give myself a big head, but to explain why I’m reviving an online magazine that only had a modest readership in the best of times. Unlike the performance of music, writing is a solitary craft. I liken it to the late-night deejays of old, spinning records after midnight, all the time wondering “Is there anybody out there?” So receiving unexpected praise for this thing I do, mainly in my living room, all by myself, feels like reason enough to keep on doing it.
But that’s not to say that the wider potential audience from having Type M join the The Music Type on the WordPress site didn’t also factor into its revival. Shortly after TMT’s 2008 debut, its visitor totals soon surpassed that of its parent magazine, so I’ve been thinking of this move for a while now. Add to that the numerous choices for look-and-feel, and a re-hosting on WordPress seemed like a no-brainer.
So I believe this move would have happened sooner or later, but those unexpected compliments certainly helped pave the way. And I’m not so modest that I wouldn’t mind a few more of those, either, so feel free to check out the writing here and let me know what you think…
*
Some of you might have noticed a revival of The Music Type a few months ago with reports of Sunfest 2012, the ever-popular music & arts festival held in downtown West Palm Beach. While I’ve covered Sunfest on both of my sites before, this year I had the privilege of doing so in a more official capacity. Partnering with Empress K of the New England website Reggae Reflections enabled me to share photo passes to shoot still pictures and video from the camera pits in front of the main stages. Articles based on our photos and text have been appearing on the RR website throughout the summer, along with some related posts on The Music Type. Now it’s time for the Type M articles, in a revival of the ever-popular annual series Sheldon’s Sunfest Diary. Take a look and tell me what you think, then go over to RR for even more Sunfest photos and text. Enjoy…
S.I.R., Sept. 2012, Boynton Beach, Florida
Music Notes: Sheldon’s Sunfest Diary
Type M for Music 