The Gusto Blog

News Arts Editor Jeff Simon and Pop Music Critic Jeff Miers answered your questions about books, movies, television, music and more.

NOTE: The entire 30-minute video must download before playback begins. Thank you for your patience.

All things being equal (which, as we know, they seldom are), Jeff Miers and I will open our little lemonade stand and chat on camera with readers today beginning at 1 p.m. We'll be ready and willing to deal with all subjects -- well, more or less, anyway.

Hope to hear from everyone then.

--Jeff Simon

News Arts Editor Jeff Simon and Pop Music Critic Jeff Miers are answering your questions directly into the camera. Submit your questions about books, movies, television, music and more in the chat console below the video player.

News Arts Editor Jeff Simon and Pop Music Critic Jeff Miers answered your questions directly into the camera. Watch a replay below:

Download audio 

News Arts Editor Jeff Simon and Pop Music Critic Jeff Miers answered your questions about books, movies, TV and music directly into the camera.

Download audio 

The Critics' Corner video chat returned today with Arts Editor Jeff Simon and Pop Music Critic Jeff Miers answering your questions about movies, TV, music and more.

Download the audio

News Pop Music Critic Jeff Miers -- who will still conduct his regular Miers on Music chat at noon Friday -- will be back alongside Jeff Simon next week at 2 p.m. when the Critics Corner video chat returns. Today, Simon is conducting a traditional live chat on his own.

News Pop Music Critic Jeff Miers -- who will still conduct his regular Miers on Music chat at noon Friday -- will be back alongside Jeff Simon next week when the Critics Corner video chat returns. Today, Simon is conducting a traditional live chat on his own.

News Arts Editor Jeff Simon and Pop Music Critic Jeff Miers hosted a traditional live chat before answering your questions directly into the camera. Review the chat below:

Download the audio and take it with you
NOTE: Due to technical problems, the podcast cuts off near the 20-minute mark.

Take time out of your busy schedule to watch a bunch of baby violinists grooving their way through "Buffalo Gals."  See if this does not brighten your day.

And these kids are not even from Buffalo!

This video comes to us courtesy of the superlative fiddler Mark O'Connor. The teacher, as I understand it, is affiliated with his Allegheny Mountain Strings Project. O'Connor, let's remember, is no stranger to Buffalo himself. I will always remember when he played a couple of years ago with the Orchard Park Symphony. It was a lot of fun to have this star in our midst and O'Connor played a terrific show featuring his own vivacious and charming Fiddle Concerto.

I like what a team player O'Connor is. He works so hard organizing efforts to teach kids to play the violin, as the video up above shows, and also he seems to spend a lot of time traveling the byways of America. The show with the Orchard Park Symphony appears to be typical. He seems to play a lot with smaller ensembles, community groups, kids' orchestras.

And it's funny, he is not especially eager to claim the starring role. Roaming the Internet just now I found this video of O'Connor playing the beautiful "Ashokan Farewell" with a group of other distinguished musicians. The "Ashokan Farewell" is the poignant waltz that accompanied the Ken Burns series on the Civil War. I love this performance for its collaborative spirit. No one is grandstanding. O'Connor is the handsome dude with the mustache, third from the left. You do not see him until the music gets under way.

It is easy to fiddle your whole day away! As if you have all the time in the world.

There is something about this music that shoots your work ethic!

-- Mary Kunz Goldman

News Arts Editor Jeff Simon and Classical Music Critic/Buzz Columnist Mary Kunz Goldman hosted a live chat before shifting in front of the camera. Please excuse the first four minutes of silence when the audio wasn't working due to technical difficulties.