Recently I reviewed a combination of iTunes, Spotify, YouTube, and live-performance-request data, crunched the numbers through a secret algorithm, and came up with a “Top Ten” list. These are the songs that seem to be the “most popular” (at the moment) of those on the six albums I currently have in public release. The exact … Continue reading The Top 10 List: Alan AtKisson’s Most Popular Songs (as of August 2015)
Music
Story of a Song: “Set the World Right Again”
Since this week the UNFCCC is featuring "Set the World Right Again" as its "Climate Song of the Week," here is the story behind the song. This is the second excerpt from my book-in-progress, "50 Songs, 50 Stories." - Alan Some songs start as a vague idea, some as a line of specific words. Some … Continue reading Story of a Song: “Set the World Right Again”
Story of a Song: “Goin’ to the Top”
First in a series of entries that will eventually be gathered into a book with the working title, "50 Songs, 50 Stories". This entry tells the story of "Goin' to the Top" — originally written for Aaron Neville, at the request of a New Orleans' business leader. But the road to that song went via … Continue reading Story of a Song: “Goin’ to the Top”
Music & Gratitude
Here you go, world. With the recent public announcement about Ancient History, and the release of American Troubadour, all my songs (or most of them anyway) are finally "out there," available, part of the digital universe. Six albums, sixty-five tracks. I've been making music and writing songs professionally for a long time, over 35 years. … Continue reading Music & Gratitude
AtKisson releases second “surprise” album
PRESS RELEASE - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 15 July 2014 Contact: Cassandra [ at ] AtKisson [dot] com Tel: +1 917 226 2057 AtKisson releases a second “surprise” album just two months after American Troubadour Alan AtKisson surprised his fans and the music world by releasing a second, “surprise” album just two months after the release … Continue reading AtKisson releases second “surprise” album
How we made American Troubadour
“There’s a story behind every song” (see AmericanTroubadour.com) ... but there’s also a story behind the album. And it’s a good story. In June of 2001, in Stockholm, on Midsummer Day, I got married. Nine months later, Kristina gave birth to our first child. To say that everything changed in my life, in and around … Continue reading How we made American Troubadour
Inside Llewyn Davis: Not the Greenwich Village I Knew
You might expect that I should love the film “Inside Llewyn Davis,” about the folk scene of Greenwich Village in the 1960s, seen through the eyes of a young folk singer, who is a reinterpreted version of the young Dave van Ronk. Van Ronk was a legend by the time I hit that scene, as … Continue reading Inside Llewyn Davis: Not the Greenwich Village I Knew
My To-Do List, Fall 2013 …
This page from my notebook (see photo) sums up the headlines on my to do list for the coming year: launching a new music album, building a global volunteer campaign for sustainability, participating in a number of important scientific processes, publishing a little book, and all the while continuing to do the usual consulting, training, … Continue reading My To-Do List, Fall 2013 …
What Music Means (to Me)
This article describes how music came back into my life — again — and the process of recording my new album with some of Sweden's leading musicians. The album is to be released later this year (2013) . A few years ago, I heard someone ask the veteran global trend analyst Lester Brown — who … Continue reading What Music Means (to Me)
Flummoxed About My Music (plus, a free song)
Update 12 Apr 2013: I wrote this about six months ago, but now, I am no longer feeling so "flummoxed." The musical path forward is getting much clear. See What Music Means (to Me). I confess: I am flummoxed. (Translation: deeply puzzled about what to do.) Why? Because I don’t know how to reach my … Continue reading Flummoxed About My Music (plus, a free song)
Alan AtKisson 