In her poem “Reconciliation, A Prayer,” former U.S. Poet Laureate and Muskogee Creek musician Joy Harjo wrote “All acts of kindness are lights in the war for justice.” Indigenous women in music are fighting for justice through courageous acts of kindness. Here are six bright lights making powerful impacts with their art and activism. 1. […]
Bourbon & Beyond kicked off its fourth non-consecutive edition on Thursday night (Sept. 15) in Louisville, Ky. Along with 1 Million Strong and the Phoenix, SPIN hosted an afterparty that featured a DJ set from Michelle Zauner of Japanese Breakfast. With hundreds of revelers in attendance, Zauner curated a set of songs from the era […]
“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” (Matthew 7:12). Seeing the light at the end of the tunnel is a gift. It is a marvel when you can bask in its light as you look backward toward the vast expanse you had arrived from. We show people the easiest way to […]
There was always a dark matter cloud hovering over my every move through my days navigating the mental health challenge of bipolar disorder. A brooding seriousness. What does that mean, exactly? If I began to feel significantly elated at any particular moment, I wondered if an uncontrollable sense of mania would soon follow my upbeat […]
The Neal Casal Music Foundation has established a fellowship in the name of the late musician, who died by suicide three years ago today (Aug. 26) at the age of 50. The program will enable one person to work in a paid capacity with mental health non-profit Backline amid its efforts to provide resources to […]
Twenty-three switchbacks between Lake Serene and us. The trail comes into a small plain of sorts, a million shades of green interlaced with branches teeming with leaves and wildlife. Trees were growing out of other trees — nature helping itself advance and thrive. A friend of mine had invited me to get out of the […]
The Joe Walsh-led annual VetsAid benefit concert will be a hot ticket for rock’n’roll fans this fall, as it will feature what’s being billed as the final performance of Walsh’s pre-Eagles band James Gang, plus appearances by Dave Grohl, Nine Inch Nails, The Black Keys and The Breeders. The Drew Carey-hosted event will be held […]
At the intersection of 11th and Fir, I refined my definition of what it means to be liberated as I closed the front door on a rental Chevy Tahoe, tinted windows and black paint dusted by the trails we had traversed. That weekend, I discovered a new source of inspiration to further the excavation of […]
On July 16th, a new three-digit helpline, ‘988’, began a service for Americans to call if they were experiencing a mental health emergency. Those three numbers may prove to be the first small step for recovering a healthy mind during a period marked by back-to-back catastrophic traumas. While the pandemic caused layoffs, or gave employees […]
I was a pretty lost and reckless high school student back in the day, but I was lucky, too. I’d managed to get into the High School of Music & Art (one of nine specialized high schools in New York City where you have to pass a test to get in). I was a voice […]