Adam-Richter.com

For the new year, a simple resolution

I posted this on Mastodon earlier today, just a kernel of a thought. Since one of my New Year’s resolutions is (or ought to be) more blogging, it seems fitting to re-post it here as an actual blog post. In 2023, my New Year’s resolution can be boiled down to…
Continue reading →: For the new year, a simple resolution
Does Twitter matter?

The past week has been a maelstrom of anxiety for many in the Twitterverse, after the gradual-then-sudden purchase of Twitter by billionaire Elon Musk. Of course, we all know that if there’s anything this world needs more of, it’s collective anxiety. Many people fled the platform. Racists filled Twitter with their…
Continue reading →: Does Twitter matter?
5 Things I learned from writing a play every day in February

This year, as with every year, I made a New Year’s resolution to write “more.” Whatever that means. The best way to do this, of course, is to actually write more. Write every day. It’s that simple, and that complicated. But if you want to be a writer, that’s what…
Continue reading →: 5 Things I learned from writing a play every day in February
A reflection about the news business, through the lens of one peculiar career path

[NOTE: This was posted on Twitter, at my @richterific account, then on Facebook. My wife urged me to share it so more people could read it, so I’m posting it here. I made some minor edits, because Twitter ≠ Facebook ≠ blogs.] I feel like writing a thread about how…
Continue reading →: A reflection about the news business, through the lens of one peculiar career path
Easter for atheists

If you don’t believe, can you still get peanut-butter eggs? Easter is a holiday that, for a long time, never felt like it counted. It’s always on a Sunday, involves lots of chocolate and jelly beans and has such a strong Christian message to it that if you’re not…
Continue reading →: Easter for atheists
That time Ray Bradbury railed against Common Core

I can’t read just one book at a time. At any given moment, I’m in the midst of reading as many as a half-dozen books. (According to my Goodreads account, I have 11 books on my Currently Reading list.) As a result, it takes me forever to finish a book.…
Continue reading →: That time Ray Bradbury railed against Common Core
Confessions of a non-lifelong Seahawks fan

Sports fans are made, not born. Most of the time, team devotion is handed down from parents to children. In my case, I learned to love the Seattle Seahawks with the help of some friends, and with the help of a profound sense of loneliness. I became a Seahawks fan about ten years ago. That…
Continue reading →: Confessions of a non-lifelong Seahawks fan
New video: Static Jacks, ‘I’ll Come Back’

I’ve been beating my head against a wall for the last few weeks, trying to figure out what kind of music blog I want to write. (If you take into account the time that’s passed since my last true music blog, which I wrote at my last job, then it’s…
Continue reading →: New video: Static Jacks, ‘I’ll Come Back’
Streaming music is all wet

(This post also appeared at Medium.com.) If you want to know what music I like, just ask. I’m happy to tell you, and I don’t need Rdio, iRadio or any other misspelling of the word “radio” to broadcast my questionable tastes. When it comes to listening, it’s better to keep…
Continue reading →: Streaming music is all wet
In concert: Lez Zeppelin plays Reverb in Reading

Many, many people in Berks County will get their jazz fix this weekend. Those with more rockin’ sensibilities still have options for live entertainment, however. The tribute band Lez Zeppelin, based in New York, comes to town Saturday for a show at Reverb. You can read my profile of the…
Continue reading →: In concert: Lez Zeppelin plays Reverb in Reading
Mural in Reading

Continue reading →: Mural in Reading
Future Bible Heroes to release their past, and present, music this summer

So you never heard of Future Bible Heroes, even though their second album, “Eternal Youth,” has been around for more than a decade. Or maybe you have heard of them and you’re wondering why I’m presuming you know less about them than I do. Forgive me. There are billions of…
Continue reading →: Future Bible Heroes to release their past, and present, music this summer
Low releases new album, ‘The Invisible Way,’ continues North American tour

You can’t spell “slow” or “low-fi” without “low.” Both are apt descriptors for Low. If you haven’t heard of the Duluth, Minn.-based band by now, chances are you’ve been listening to louder music — for a long time. Low’s 10th album came out Tuesday on Sub Pop. Believe it or…
Continue reading →: Low releases new album, ‘The Invisible Way,’ continues North American tour
New release Tuesday: Alpha Rev, ‘Bloom’

You might have heard “Sing Loud” by Alpha Rev, the folk-rock band made up of several Texas natives. You might also have noticed that, befitting a mostly acoustic folk-rock band, that “Sing Loud” is actually a pretty quiet tune. The chorus gets a little rowdy, but with a song title…
Continue reading →: New release Tuesday: Alpha Rev, ‘Bloom’
Barenaked Ladies turn 25, celebrate with new album

Canada’s quirky Barenaked Ladies hit the quarter-century mark this year. Isn’t it time they put some clothes on? I kid, of course. But it’s true that the band is releasing a new, as-yet untitled record, June 4 on Vanguard Records. Their song, “Boomerang,” is the first single from the album.…
Continue reading →: Barenaked Ladies turn 25, celebrate with new album
Review: Caitlin Rose, “The Stand-In”

Nashville singer-songwriter Caitlin Rose is young. That’s unfortunate, because such a superficial detail makes it seem inevitable that she’ll be compared to someone like Taylor Swift. And she deserves better. On her sophomore album, “The Stand-In” (released March 5), Rose demonstrates a sensibility that makes her seem older than her…
Continue reading →: Review: Caitlin Rose, “The Stand-In”
Radical Dads unveil new single ahead of May 21 album release

I’m not sure what’s so radical about dads in general, or the Radical Dads in particular. Their new single, “Mountain Town,” is a standard-issue indie rock song, with wailing vocals and catchy guitar riffs. But it’s “standard-issue indie rock” in a good way: the kind that makes you want to…
Continue reading →: Radical Dads unveil new single ahead of May 21 album release
New release Tuesday: Turbogeist, ‘Ancient Secrets’

The British hard-rock band Turbogeist has a solid classic rock pedigree: lead singer Jimmy Jagger is the son of another rock ‘n’ roll singer, Mick. Maybe you’ve heard of him. Don’t worry. This is not your father’s (or grandfather’s?) geezer rock band. Turbogeist plays punk rock that’s so fast, so…
Continue reading →: New release Tuesday: Turbogeist, ‘Ancient Secrets’
The Menzingers perform in Reading — Review

On Sunday night, the punk band Menzingers headlined a show in Reading that marked their first visit to the area. How did they sound? Pretty good, according to one 42-year-old reviewer in the crowd (but thankfully not in the mosh pit). Here’s the link to my review, which appeared in…
Continue reading →: The Menzingers perform in Reading — Review
Sunny Sunday music: Caitlin Rose, ‘Only A Clown’

First of all, an apology: The weather here in Pennsylvania is unusually pleasant (for March, at least.) So I have a hard time not thinking of bright, sunshine-y music this weekend. This brings me to Caitlin Rose, the 25-year-old singer has a sound that makes her sound mature beyond her…
Continue reading →: Sunny Sunday music: Caitlin Rose, ‘Only A Clown’