Rob Weinert-Kendt
@robkendt.bsky.social
Editor of American Theatre magazine, musical omnivore. trainmyear.blogspot.com
It’s only got a few more performances and they’re sold out afaik, but I must note for the record that the stage version of MY DINNER WITH ANDRE, a Harbor Stage production playing in the tiny East Village Basement, is a beautiful thing. It makes a strong case for it as a theatrical two-hander.
January 31, 2026 at 7:45 PM
It’s only got a few more performances and they’re sold out afaik, but I must note for the record that the stage version of MY DINNER WITH ANDRE, a Harbor Stage production playing in the tiny East Village Basement, is a beautiful thing. It makes a strong case for it as a theatrical two-hander.
It was her fiery Fiona Apple duet on "You're the One I Love" that drew me to this Sara Watkins record from 2012, but I now spin the whole brilliant disc ceaselessly. Watkins's knack for giving old-time folk an off-kilter pop energy hits several of my sweet spots. open.spotify.com/album/2rOQqA...
January 30, 2026 at 5:26 PM
It was her fiery Fiona Apple duet on "You're the One I Love" that drew me to this Sara Watkins record from 2012, but I now spin the whole brilliant disc ceaselessly. Watkins's knack for giving old-time folk an off-kilter pop energy hits several of my sweet spots. open.spotify.com/album/2rOQqA...
One way I've been processing the grief and terror of this moment is to revisit John Corigliano's alternately stirring and harrowing Symphony No. 1, which he wrote to memorialize friends he'd lost to AIDS and to rage against the dying of the light. Highly recommend. open.spotify.com/album/5gqhm8...
January 26, 2026 at 2:35 PM
One way I've been processing the grief and terror of this moment is to revisit John Corigliano's alternately stirring and harrowing Symphony No. 1, which he wrote to memorialize friends he'd lost to AIDS and to rage against the dying of the light. Highly recommend. open.spotify.com/album/5gqhm8...
I didn’t follow or jibe with every moment in Elevator Repair Service’s ULYSSES, now at the Public, but it’s a wild, maximalist ride that really won me over by the second act. If you’re a fan of the novel, it’s probably a must; for someone like me who (still) hasn’t read it, this gave me a way in.
January 26, 2026 at 3:35 AM
I didn’t follow or jibe with every moment in Elevator Repair Service’s ULYSSES, now at the Public, but it’s a wild, maximalist ride that really won me over by the second act. If you’re a fan of the novel, it’s probably a must; for someone like me who (still) hasn’t read it, this gave me a way in.
The whole thing is a must but this in particular:
January 25, 2026 at 3:19 PM
The whole thing is a must but this in particular:
I must credit the 1001 Album Complaints podcast for turning me onto John Martyn's exquisite 1973 album, a surehanded mix of folk, jazz, and rock that sounds both of its time and out of (definitely ahead of its) time. If you're a Nick Drake or Joni fan, it's a must. open.spotify.com/album/0QD0LE...
January 22, 2026 at 5:14 PM
I must credit the 1001 Album Complaints podcast for turning me onto John Martyn's exquisite 1973 album, a surehanded mix of folk, jazz, and rock that sounds both of its time and out of (definitely ahead of its) time. If you're a Nick Drake or Joni fan, it's a must. open.spotify.com/album/0QD0LE...
Been thinking about this episode of BORGEN lately
January 15, 2026 at 1:10 PM
Been thinking about this episode of BORGEN lately
Was not prepared for how good this Daniel Lanois/Willie Nelson record is. Recorded in an old Oxnard movie theatre in 1998, it taps a timeless vibe, not only because many of the songs are old. It weds the liveness of a radio show with the spectral chill of a seance. open.spotify.com/album/5rpaz9...
January 13, 2026 at 1:05 AM
Was not prepared for how good this Daniel Lanois/Willie Nelson record is. Recorded in an old Oxnard movie theatre in 1998, it taps a timeless vibe, not only because many of the songs are old. It weds the liveness of a radio show with the spectral chill of a seance. open.spotify.com/album/5rpaz9...
Just happily discovered the singer-songwriter Whitney Whitney. She's got some of the clarity of Jensen McRae, combined with some left turns à la Caroline Polachek or Fiona Apple. This four-song EP makes a great intro; her new single, "Isabelle," is also worth a spin. open.spotify.com/album/1JGCFx...
January 8, 2026 at 7:17 PM
Just happily discovered the singer-songwriter Whitney Whitney. She's got some of the clarity of Jensen McRae, combined with some left turns à la Caroline Polachek or Fiona Apple. This four-song EP makes a great intro; her new single, "Isabelle," is also worth a spin. open.spotify.com/album/1JGCFx...
Peggy Lee's iconic rendition of Lieber & Stoller's world-weary kiss-off (in the ballpark of Weill, though I think it's closer to Kander & Ebb) is reportedly one of Trump's fave songs. Even so, the whole groovy 1969 record it's from is worth a spin. open.spotify.com/album/0YyxQh...
January 5, 2026 at 8:18 PM
Peggy Lee's iconic rendition of Lieber & Stoller's world-weary kiss-off (in the ballpark of Weill, though I think it's closer to Kander & Ebb) is reportedly one of Trump's fave songs. Even so, the whole groovy 1969 record it's from is worth a spin. open.spotify.com/album/0YyxQh...
Starting off 2026 by spinning the cast album of one of 2025’s best shows. It both captures the musical’s narrative texture and makes an essential companion to the original BVSC record. Fave tracks, particularly for the yearning vocals: “Silencio” and “Murmullo.” open.spotify.com/album/4hhest...
January 1, 2026 at 2:29 PM
Starting off 2026 by spinning the cast album of one of 2025’s best shows. It both captures the musical’s narrative texture and makes an essential companion to the original BVSC record. Fave tracks, particularly for the yearning vocals: “Silencio” and “Murmullo.” open.spotify.com/album/4hhest...
Seen in Sedona: beautiful scenery, also oxymorons
December 31, 2025 at 6:45 PM
Seen in Sedona: beautiful scenery, also oxymorons
We need a new, more literal understanding of “earworm” for what Argentine guitar goddess Juana Molina is doing on her mesmerizing new record. These loopy jams wiggle and scratch their way into your brain and reset your pulse. Fave track: “indignan a un zorzál.” juanamolina.bandcamp.com/album/doga
December 26, 2025 at 3:56 PM
We need a new, more literal understanding of “earworm” for what Argentine guitar goddess Juana Molina is doing on her mesmerizing new record. These loopy jams wiggle and scratch their way into your brain and reset your pulse. Fave track: “indignan a un zorzál.” juanamolina.bandcamp.com/album/doga
It’s not Christmas in our household until this record is played. We also try to watch the priceless special it was made for, but the warmth and whimsy of Paul Williams’s score makes the whole thing come to life even sans visuals. There ain’t no hole in the washtub. open.spotify.com/album/6Q3q59...
December 25, 2025 at 12:11 AM
It’s not Christmas in our household until this record is played. We also try to watch the priceless special it was made for, but the warmth and whimsy of Paul Williams’s score makes the whole thing come to life even sans visuals. There ain’t no hole in the washtub. open.spotify.com/album/6Q3q59...
My rule is that a Christmas album is one I play at the holidays. And nothing gets me in the feels like this vintage double LP of Canadian schoolchildren singing the pop songs of my childhood. Maybe it's the xylophones? Yeah, probably the kids' voices too. bar-nonerecords.bandcamp.com/album/innoce...
December 18, 2025 at 10:08 PM
My rule is that a Christmas album is one I play at the holidays. And nothing gets me in the feels like this vintage double LP of Canadian schoolchildren singing the pop songs of my childhood. Maybe it's the xylophones? Yeah, probably the kids' voices too. bar-nonerecords.bandcamp.com/album/innoce...
You may already know this but Caryl Churchill's dad was a cartoonist, and James Macdonald thinks that's significant. This is from an interview I did for the "Escaped Alone" BAMBill (not online)
December 17, 2025 at 1:36 PM
You may already know this but Caryl Churchill's dad was a cartoonist, and James Macdonald thinks that's significant. This is from an interview I did for the "Escaped Alone" BAMBill (not online)
Another Sunday, another collection of underrated Holst choral works inspired by Hindu spirituality (and, in the stirring opener, the Greek pantheon). As with “The Cloud Messenger,” the lightly worn Eastern influences sound ahead of their time. #dailyalbum open.spotify.com/album/21mnfw...
December 14, 2025 at 10:01 PM
Another Sunday, another collection of underrated Holst choral works inspired by Hindu spirituality (and, in the stirring opener, the Greek pantheon). As with “The Cloud Messenger,” the lightly worn Eastern influences sound ahead of their time. #dailyalbum open.spotify.com/album/21mnfw...
It’s on the borderline of twee, but I was ultimately won over by Amanda Pascali’s 2018 debut, a hearty collection of folk with some Italian flavor but also hints of Sufjan and Regina Spektor. Choice cut: “Uccellino (Little Bird).” #dailyalbum amandapascali.bandcamp.com/album/still-...
December 13, 2025 at 9:04 PM
It’s on the borderline of twee, but I was ultimately won over by Amanda Pascali’s 2018 debut, a hearty collection of folk with some Italian flavor but also hints of Sufjan and Regina Spektor. Choice cut: “Uccellino (Little Bird).” #dailyalbum amandapascali.bandcamp.com/album/still-...
Paul Cauthen is almost too good to be true: an old-school country crooner with Tom Jones swagger and arena-rock uplift. The key to it all, as heard on this gorgeous 2019 record, is absolute sincerity, whether his subject is love, regret, or cocaine. #dailyalbum paulcauthen.bandcamp.com/album/room-41
December 12, 2025 at 10:37 PM
Paul Cauthen is almost too good to be true: an old-school country crooner with Tom Jones swagger and arena-rock uplift. The key to it all, as heard on this gorgeous 2019 record, is absolute sincerity, whether his subject is love, regret, or cocaine. #dailyalbum paulcauthen.bandcamp.com/album/room-41
Resistance-lib showtune soul and folk isn't everyone's cup of tea, but no one does it better, or with more salty vigor and heart, than Shaina Taub. Happily revisiting this 2018 joint, which includes a tune from her terrific "As You Like It." #dailyalbum
shainataub.bandcamp.com/album/die-ha...
shainataub.bandcamp.com/album/die-ha...
December 11, 2025 at 2:22 PM
Resistance-lib showtune soul and folk isn't everyone's cup of tea, but no one does it better, or with more salty vigor and heart, than Shaina Taub. Happily revisiting this 2018 joint, which includes a tune from her terrific "As You Like It." #dailyalbum
shainataub.bandcamp.com/album/die-ha...
shainataub.bandcamp.com/album/die-ha...
Technically the first solo album by a Beatle, this Paul McCartney-credited soundtrack record from 1967 should probably have been credited mostly to George Martin. It’s pleasant enough faux-classical folderol, but one strains to hear any Macca signatures. #dailyalbum open.spotify.com/album/4opUUC...
December 11, 2025 at 12:50 AM
Technically the first solo album by a Beatle, this Paul McCartney-credited soundtrack record from 1967 should probably have been credited mostly to George Martin. It’s pleasant enough faux-classical folderol, but one strains to hear any Macca signatures. #dailyalbum open.spotify.com/album/4opUUC...
Can't recall how I stumbled on this lovely record by Dan Dorff and Ronnie Kuller, but its loose-limbed blend of chamber classical-folk, played as if they're just noodling in the parlor next door, is so up my alley it's like I dreamt it into existence. #dailyalbum open.spotify.com/album/2CTsX8...
December 9, 2025 at 10:25 PM
Can't recall how I stumbled on this lovely record by Dan Dorff and Ronnie Kuller, but its loose-limbed blend of chamber classical-folk, played as if they're just noodling in the parlor next door, is so up my alley it's like I dreamt it into existence. #dailyalbum open.spotify.com/album/2CTsX8...
Nazareth Hassan's PRACTICE at Playwrights Horizons is as maddening and elegant a mindfuck as I've ever seen, made all the stronger by patient direction and performances as subtle as the design and concept are bold. (I recommend not reading the playwright's note in the program until after the play.)
December 8, 2025 at 9:15 PM
Nazareth Hassan's PRACTICE at Playwrights Horizons is as maddening and elegant a mindfuck as I've ever seen, made all the stronger by patient direction and performances as subtle as the design and concept are bold. (I recommend not reading the playwright's note in the program until after the play.)
It may simply be a matter of timing (it came out when I was 19), but this double album will always be *the* Prince record for me. Spare, dark, and weird but also sugary, sexy, and exultant, it's the ultimate pop-rock ride. #dailyalbum open.spotify.com/album/2QuHyv...
December 8, 2025 at 8:10 PM
It may simply be a matter of timing (it came out when I was 19), but this double album will always be *the* Prince record for me. Spare, dark, and weird but also sugary, sexy, and exultant, it's the ultimate pop-rock ride. #dailyalbum open.spotify.com/album/2QuHyv...
Spent the morning with this (literally) undersung Holst cantata, based on a Sanskrit poem about a wayward spirit trying to repent and reconnect. It’s genuinely stirring and light on exoticism. I would not be surprised to learn Philip Glass had heard it. #dailyalbum open.spotify.com/album/0l93F7...
December 8, 2025 at 12:02 AM
Spent the morning with this (literally) undersung Holst cantata, based on a Sanskrit poem about a wayward spirit trying to repent and reconnect. It’s genuinely stirring and light on exoticism. I would not be surprised to learn Philip Glass had heard it. #dailyalbum open.spotify.com/album/0l93F7...