One of the things about music that most aspiring musicians quickly discover is that it’s a field where book knowledge and theory can only take you so far. All the mathematical knowledge of music, notes, and scales need to be…
How music alters your body chemistry
It’s a scene that’s played out at a thousand elementary school science fairs: the experiment of exposing plants to different music. Somehow, the plant that receives a steady stream of Beethoven flourishes, while the plant exposed to the melodious strains…
UK festivals will let you test your drugs before tripping out this summer
BY: JESSICA BEUKER Last July, the summer music festival, Secret Garden Party, became the first ever UK festival to offer its attendees a somewhat controversial service – drug testing. Festival goers were given the opportunity to take their drugs to a…
This company lets you find and host creative events in everyday spaces
BY: QUENTIN STUCKEY It’s odd to contemplate the idea that an artist as renowned as Vincent Van Gogh ever had to convince people to showcase his paintings. Or even a band so ingrained in popular culture like The Beatles ever…
This is what your music taste says about your personality, according to research
BY: QUENTIN STUCKEY If there is one thing the population of the Earth can agree on (because at this moment in time, we can’t seem to agree on anything) it’s the love and appreciation for music. If we stop and…
These magical photos will make you wish you were a part of the 1970s disco culture in New York
BY: SAMANTHA TAPP All photos via Bill Bernstein If you’re like me and you never got to experience the magic of the ’70s, you have to vicariously live through music, movies and photography taken during that period. Without experiencing the…
Neuroscientists say listening to this song will reduce your anxiety by 65%
BY: SAMANTHA TAPP Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in America; they cost America more than $42 billion annually; anxiety is caused by risk factors such as genetics, brain chemistry, personality, and personal life events; but, only about…
You can learn these 5 different things by listening to sounds while you sleep
BY: SAMANTHA TAPP Imagine how much easier life would be if we could learn while sleeping. Throw a textbook underneath your pillow and you’d ace the exam; hold onto your notes and your presentation would go flawlessly; use a cookbook…
Fuck top 40- this music made from vegetables is all you need to listen to today
BY: SAMANTHA TAPP Being told to stop playing with your food may have been a common request in your home growing up. A saying which usually means to stop merely fussing with your food has been taken more literally for one…
This interactive map is your guide to every single music festival in the world
BY: JESSICA BEUKER In the last decade, music festivals have grown significantly in popularity. What was once considered a pastime of the hippie culture – grown out of notable music festivals such as Woodstock – has gone on to become…
For only 10 bucks this website will help you host a live concert in your own living room
BY: SAMANTHA TAPP If you’ve stumbled upon Aaron Paul’s Instagram page, you may be aware that he often hosts live music shows in his home for all of his friends. As the days pass and we all patiently await the…
This all girl Indie-folk band is all you need to listen to today
Elana Stone, Katie Wighton, Hannah Crofts and Georgia Mooney were all individual singers/songwriters who managed to book a show before they even had a name… I’m sure you’ve read many strange stories of band formations, but it’s pretty rare for…
This project is redefining access to knowledge: it’s a tone away
This library is the place for you to visit if you enjoy exploring new, exciting worlds of music and, generally, sounds. People from the British Library Sounds documented, digitalized, and made accessible one of the world’s largest collection of published…
Music festival culture and the rebirth of the hippie generation
BY: JESSICA BEUKER Photos: Eric Zdancewicz Among a field of colourful, bohemian-style umbrellas, hundreds of people are gathered idly around the Bollywood Stage – where DJ Lee Foss sits on a throne surrounded by giant pillars, pink elephants and the…
This sculptor proves there is a beautiful harmony between science and art
BY: CAROLINE ROLF Nathalie Miebach transforms weather patterns and climate change data into extraordinary pieces of art. First, she creates a vibrant sculpture based on the statistics and then translates it into musical score. The sculptures are the basis for her partnership with…
These kids from a slum in Paraguay make beautiful music from recycled garbage
By: Jack M. “The world sends us garbage… we send back music.” Favio Chavez. The small town of Cateura is situated a few miles outside Paraguay’s capital city of Asunción, and for most of its existence, Cateura, with a population…
Bestival is an island paradise of hippies, nudists and lucid dreams (Video)
BY: CONNOR BRIAN, TYLER FYFE, ROB HOFFMAN AND MELISSA GONZALEZ If Salvador Dali and Dr. Seuss had a child born out of wedlock, it would have been conceived at Bestival. On the Toronto Islands, a nature sanctuary and nude beach…
The 10 Best Albums You Can Download for Free Without Feeling Guilty
BY: DANIEL KORN We all download music here; I’ve been trying to cut back these days, but can’t deny that it still happens occasionally. With it comes a feeling of guilt and a realization that I’m screwing over the artist—which…
Dan Mangan talks about fatherhood, philosophy and saying something worthwhile
BY: TYLER FYFE Dan Mangan is a two-time Juno award winner, Polaris Music Prize nominee, and occasional Arts and Culture writer for The Guardian and Huffington Post. Recently, he released his fourth LP, Club Meds and it is pretty obvious…
How Andrew W.K. became our most inspirational artist
By: Daniel Korn In October of 2001, the world was introduced to the majesty of Andrew W.K. through his first single “Party Hard.” It was a melodic, guitar-chugging anthem with lyrics so gloriously dumb they could only be sung behind…