Editor’s Note

I've been editing this magazine (or some version of it) for nearly 20 years and I've written a lot of these notes over that time, but my best one was done in may 1993. It was my first crack at…

After a long, weird winter filled with news of global upheaval, aren't you glad that the calendar has one month each year with a sense of humor? And if you think that April Fool's Day is just a human invention, let me remind you of last year's April Fool's snowstorm that closed schools, sent cars sliding and took out power for nearly 60,000 New England homes.

Ever try to get a wave started at a sporting event? It's not as easy as you might think, unless you have a bunch of friends on hand, ready to rise to the challenge.

I'd start this note with 'twas the night before Christmas but that sounds so 2011. Still, That's when plans for this February issue took a memorable turn.

What good's permitting some prophet of doom to wipe every smile away? Resolve to make the most of civilization's last days. Unless you've been living with the moose in Pittsburg for the past few years, you know that on Dec.…

You've got to love a holiday that produces its own fresh stream of music every year. And if that was your only standard by which to measure the significance of a celebratory event, then Christmas would win, hands down. And although much of what is played on the radio at Christmas is not exactly religious in nature (Jingle Bells performed by barking dogs comes to mind), there is something deeply soulful and mysterious about a time of year that so profoundly puts the "muse" in music.