Love the spare sound of this. Rivers of Gold by Idée Fixe Records

Aurelio is a Honduran musician and member of the Garifuna community. This song is from his new album, Laru Beya. It makes me happy. Mayahuaba by subpop

From Don DeLillo’s 1985 novel White Noise, as relevant today as ever: Several days later Murray asked me about a tourist attraction known as the most photographed barn in America. We drove 22 miles into the country around Farmington. There were meadows and apple orchards. White fences trailed through the rolling fields. Soon the signs [...]

Ukulele phenom Jake Shimabukuro covers The Beatles’ “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” working his way into a pretty killer ukulele crescendo.

It’s not perfect, but for travel, surfing and climbing inspiration, 180 Degrees South is a great ride. 180º SOUTH Trailer from Woodshed Films on Vimeo.

One day I’d like to construct a writing seminar, maybe just two or three hours long, drawing lessons from the songs of Joni Mitchell. I’d include “For Free” — such a great song — for its subtlety and structure, its narrative arc. I was listening to it recently after reading Vivian Gornick’s book, The Situation [...]

They don’t make Surfer magazine covers like they used to — for many years now, whether it’s on the cover or inside the magazine, it’s all close-ups all the time. But there was a time when the covers evoked a real sense of place. Here’s my favorite — waking up to a perfect right-hander in [...]

The most heartbreaking song about war I’ve ever heard.

Inspired by the uprising in Iran, Mike Scott of The Waterboys set this Yeats poem to music. Beautiful.