We all know about the famous musicians, art exhibits, and pieces of technology. We know of the New York Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and iPhones too, but often they can sell out quickly or become so popular that they become mundane.  The blog I CARE IF YOU LISTEN is a New York-based indie blog which informs the public about underground musicians, art exhibits, and even iPhone apps. 

Created in December 2010, Thomas Deneuville, a curious French composer living in New York, wanted to seek out contemporary classical music. He created this blog as a means to compile a collection of “New Music”, which consists of many different musicians and exhibits that are not popular in modern culture. The title of this blog, “I Care If You Listen”, refers to an article written by American composer Milton Babbitt. The quote signifies the view of many artists’ on their audience and their appreciation, especially those who are not well-known. Even though the subtitle of the blog states “A magazine about new classical music, art, and technology”, it is not actually a magazine. The “magazine” simply means that it can be taken on-the-go on mobile by subscribing to their Apple Newsstand magazine. The mobile version provides more in-depth commentary and reviews on the contemporary music field for people who can’t sit by a computer and access the blog all the time.

The blog has a very simple theme, with only black, white, and pink colors. It is not too flashy or colorful, which I think correlates to the kind of art that it focuses on. It has a whole feed of articles posted on the left and links to the most popular posts in the different categories on the right. Its posts are divided up into six different categories: CD reviews, Concert reviews, 5-question interviews, French composers’ names/pieces, Opinion Post, and Technology.

Various passionate musicians contribute and write on the blog, posting their opinions on concerts they attended or interviews with rising artists who seek an audience. One particular category of posts that I like is the 5-question interviews. Though the questions and answers can be lengthy, they really give readers a clear picture of who the interviewee is and their creative thinking process behind their works. We are able to see why and how they play their music, paint their pictures, or compose their pieces. The interviews are really worth the 15 minute-read.

Another set of posts that I think people should check out is the This Week: concerts in New York. Every Monday, one of the contributors, music undergrad Sam Reising, posts around 10-15 concerts that are taking place that week. All of the concerts listed are very affordable, starting from $0 and going up to $40. They include the time, place, and a little description of who the performer is and what their performance is about. These musicians are not your ordinary professional musicians you see in Lincoln Center. They are innovative musicians who take classical music on a whole new level. Occasionally, they will even have student discounts available!

So if you are ever bored, want something different for a change, and into music, this blog would definitely be something to check out! Who doesn’t want to go to affordable, non-mainstream concerts? Me being a music lover, I know I will definitely start checking out these concerts they list and start making plans!