What is the Galaxy?
The Galaxy focuses on the variety and diversity that exists in the music world (or, shall we say, the Galaxy?). Rather than limit ourselves to one particular genre or style of music, we feature a multitude of musical forms that, while seemingly contradictory on the surface, actually represent the closeness of musical tastes and attitudes, the history and development of musical form, and the similarities between musical styles that may appear to be opposites to the unpracticed ear. We also attempt to spotlight the great degrees of skill that are used in the writing and playing of music in general.
So, when you tune in to the Galaxy at any given point in time, you might hear a string quintet by Schubert (some white wine with your Trout, perhaps?), a lovely piece of fine bluegrass by Ricky Skaggs, some kickin' jazz by John Coltrane or Charlie Parker, great Celtic music from the Tannahill Weavers, a classic from Jimi Hendrix or the Doors (or maybe even the Carpenters!), something hard and heavy from Killswitch Engage, or something even faster by the Bad Brains (when you can play 3 songs in under 2 minutes, that's fast!). During any given hour, you might hear an opera by Mozart, super-smooth soul from Issac Hayes, or some precision-timed heaviness by Helmet.
We don't even stop there. Here on the Galaxy you will occasionally find some real gems, material that is hard to find on a radio dial dominated by programming aimed at that lowest common denominator, commercialism. Arnold Shoenberg, Charles Ives, Sun Ra, John Cage, all of these much loved yet seldom heard artists have a home in our regular rotation. I love to play that which is experimental, that which challenges the boundaries by which music is defined. It is music such as this that has resulted in the great milestones achieved by Claude Debussy, Sonic Youth, Miles Davis, and Johann Sebastian Bach.
This page is maintained by Douglas Flummer, your humble pilot and navigator.
Last Update: March 24, 2008
Email: saxman@siu.edu