When it comes to music, it’s so easy to get lost in the weeds, to become distracted by all the minutiae and trivia. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course–hell, that’s how I make my living–but there is a can’t-see-the-forest-for-the-tress aspect to all this.

Sometimes we need to stand back, waaaaaaay back, before some vital things start to come into focus. I don’t just mean seeing the forest, but the whole of the countryside.

No, wait. We need to do more than that. We need altitude, beyond even 35,000 feet all the way into geosynchronous orbit in order to assess everything about a certain subject.

Okay, this metaphor is out of control. What I’m trying to say is that if we step back far enough, we can learn some really interesting things about why music is the way it is.

This program might change the way you think about the entire history of music. Let’s dig in.

Songs heard on this show:

Subhumans, The Big Picture

Green Day, Brain Stew

Oyen, The Prime Numbers Have a Hidden Pattern

Megamath, Pythagoras

Jack White, Lazaretto

Tegan and Sara, Closer

Luscious Jackson, Daughters of the Revolution

Oasis, Rock’n’Roll Star

Scott Joplin, Maple Leaf Rag

Outkast, Hey Ya

Pearl Jam, Let the Records Play

Here’s a nice playlist from Eric Wilhite to go along with everything.

The Ongoing History of New Music can be heard on the following stations:

We’re still looking for more affiliates in Calgary, Kamloops, Kelowna, Regina, Saskatoon, Brandon, Windsor, Montreal, Halifax, Charlottetown, Moncton, Fredericton, and St John’s and anywhere else with a transmitter. If you’re in any of those markets and you want the show, lemme know and I’ll see what I can do.

If you ever miss a show, you can always get the podcast edition available through Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your on-demand audio.