I have been fascinated by music for as long as I can remember. I still can recall being lifted up to a jukebox by my father--I was 3 or 4--to put a coin in and push buttons at random. I didn't understand that the buttons correlated with the song you'd want, but my dad told me when my song came on. It was something by the Partridge Family, and I was excited not only because I knew them from TV, but because I was responsible for everyone in the room hearing it.

I remained interested in songs over singers until I was 8, when a new friend--Eric, with whom I'd remain close my entire life--played a KISS record for me. The power of the music and the theatricality thrilled me. For several years after, they weren't just my favorite band, they were the only band I listened to.

Since then I've plunged into punk, new wave, country, jazz, blues, electronica, experimental and to a lesser degree classical.

The first time I was published was when I was 12 and wrote a letter about David Bowie to Trouser Press magazine. The following year, I began writing a record review column for the Waverly Journal, a small central Illinois paper. I went on to earn a Master's degree from the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, and cover local politics for daily papers in Connecticut, where I was twice recognized by the Connecticut Society for Professional Journalists for Best Feature Writing.

My arts journalism has been published in the Village Voice, The Wire, All About Jazz, Signal to Noise, and other outlets, and I write the column New York is Now that appears in Coda (Canada), ImproJazz (France), Jazz.pt (Portugal) and Jazz.ru (Russia). I also host The Brother Lucy Show on WFMU.

Home
New York, NY

My Desert Island Picks

1. Duke Ellington - The Centennial Edition: RCA Victor Recordings
2. Merzbow - Merzbox
3. Various Artists - Amplify 2002: balance box set
4. Thelonious Monk - The Complete Riverside Recordings
5. Albert Ayler - Holy Ghost

What I'm Listening To Now (As of 2009-10-16)

1. Prince, Bob Ostertag, John Fahey, The Slits, Kraftwerk, Mississippi John Hurt, Albert Ayler, Gang of Four, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Roy Campbell, Derek Bailey, John Lee Hooker, Curtis Mayfield, Duke Ellington,The Boredoms, John Cage, The Kinks, George Jones, Fela, PJ Harvey, The Fiery Furnaces, Christian Marclay, The Clash, Climax Golden Twins, Willie Nelson, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Haco, Of Montreal, Crucifucks, Ikue Mori, Fred Frith, People Like Us, The Specials, Tom Waits, Kahil El'Zabar, Zeena Parkins, XTC, P-Funk, Haino Keiji, Kaffe Matthews, William Parker, Talking Heads, Melt Banana, Otomo Yoshihide, Cooper-Moore, The Adverts, Brian Eno, The Art Ensemble of Chicago, The Beach Boys, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, John Coltrane, Guns and Roses, The Carter Family, Eugene Chadbourne, The Ex, Jon Rose and lots of other stuff.

Favorite Web Sites

• Idolator
• Joe Mathlete Explains Today's Marmaduke
• I Hate Music
• Atlas of Plucked Instruments