This is the story of my tinnitus, which affects my ability to enjoy silence. Through the telling of the story, I’ve tried to create a kind of music that questions where the edge lies between signal and noise. Tinnitus (ringing in the ear) is one of the most common medical conditions in North America. I’ve…
Read MoreB minor: The Dark Romantic Also known as:The Gloomy Gus.The Pessimist. B minors you might know:Werther from Goethe’s The Sorrows of Young Werther.Jay Gatsby from The Great Gatsby.Cliff Barnes from Dallas. The notes: B – C♯ – D – E – F♯ – G – A♯ – B. Number of sharps: two. Relative major: D major. What they…
Read MoreD major: Miss Congeniality Also known as:The Workaholic.The Homecoming Queen. D majors you might know:The Goddess Athena from Greek mythology.Oprah Winfrey.Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The notes: D – E – F♯ – G – A – B – C♯ – D. Number of sharps: two. Relative minor: B minor. What they said about D major in the…
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If A major were a person, who would she be? Here’s how The Signature Series works: 1. Select a musical key.2. Gather the most famous melodies composed in that key.3. Mash up.4. Meet the person behind the key. To get to know A major, click on the orange play button. Follow along with the pop-up comments to find…
Read MoreG minor: The ContrarianAlso known as:The Moody Teenager.The Complicated ManG minors you might know:Captain Ahab from Moby Dick.Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye.Pete Campbell from Mad Men.The notes: G – A – B♭ – C – D – E♭ – F♯ – G.Number of flats: two.Relative major: B-flat major.What they said about G minor in…
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The good folks over at The Banff Centre have been publishing a gorgeous multimedia journal for the past couple of years called BoulderPavement. The latest issue is based around the idea of Body & Dance and features fabulous original artwork and compelling literary non-fiction, among other things. I’ve been lucky enough to contribute regularly to…
Read MoreRPM PODCAST WINS UNITED NATIONS GOLD MEDAL The audio podcast “Electric Pow Wow” from the RPM Podcast series, produced by Paolo Pietropaolo for MBM Digital, has been awarded the United Nations DPI Gold Medal at the New York Festivals Radio Program and Promotion Awards. In addition to this special distinction, “Electric Pow Wow” was also…
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For years now, I’ve been experiencing the onset of a slow love affair with cricket. Maybe it’s because I love puzzles (especially the cryptic kind), and here in North America, cricket is usually shrouded in mystery. It’s viewed as baseball’s exotic, off-kilter cousin whose rules are just a bit too cryptic to figure out, thank…
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I must confess I didn’t really know anything about the Ancient Greek author and historian Thucydides until a marvellous opportunity to learn all about him landed in my lap. Nicola Luksic is a fantastic journalist and producer with CBC Radio in Toronto, and a wonderful person with whom to collaborate. Nicola’s produced some of the…
Read MorePaolo Pietropaolo is a journalist, broadcaster, composer and writer based in Vancouver, Canada.