Ed Brayton is a journalist, commentator and speaker. He is the co-founder and president of 
This is Jon Rowe, guest blogging here. I'd like to first thank Ed for giving me the opportunity. I've long admired his work and greatly appreciate his support of mine. I have three other blogs: 1) My personal blog that collects everything I write; 2) Positive Liberty that has a libertarian theme; and 3) American Creation that is dedicated solely to discussing the issue of religion & the American Founding from a variety of different perspectives. I guess I'm best known for my research on America's Founding Fathers and religion. And that's a theme I'll stress here while guest blogging.
My posts on the matter can get meticulously detailed and long. For the sake of space I'll try to write shorter posts and when necessary link to the longer content for those readers who want to get into the nitty gritty detail.
Oh yeah, in my day job I'm a community college professor where I teach business, legal and political science courses. I have a bachelor's degree in music from Berklee College of Music and JD, MBA, and LL.M. graduate degrees all from Temple University.
Comments
Ciao, Jon. Excellent work on your recent "Different Ways of Defining Christianity" article. I greatly enjoyed it.
Posted by: Sadie Morrison | January 11, 2009 12:57 PM
Welcome. I wouldn't be too worried, Ed's sortof gotten us trained to stun the victims before devouring them. I do rather miss the screams though, as they're eaten alive.
Posted by: blf | January 11, 2009 1:01 PM
Thanks!
Posted by: Jon Rowe | January 11, 2009 2:01 PM
Jon Rowe:
What's your instrument? It's been said that Berklee has several thousand music students and a fuckin' pile of guitar players.
Posted by: democommie | January 11, 2009 3:36 PM
Guitar, like everyone else. I teach business and have a minimal knowledge of economics. Berklee bands had a real hard time finding bass players because guitar players outnumbered them something like 4 to 1. And over 10 years after graduating I noticed a number of people I knew who were bass players that got really big gigs but none of the guitar players did. It's supply and demand. If you've got chops you have a much better chance of making it as a bass player because of their relatively shorter supply/higher demand.
Posted by: Jon Rowe | January 11, 2009 3:44 PM
However, if you are a good guitar player, you always have gigs. I only play Guild classic or Taylor acoustic (ok I do have a 5 string Ibanez bass). Welcome and I look forward to some good ammunition again' Wall Builders if you can.
Posted by: Dior | January 11, 2009 3:56 PM
Dior,
I agree. I'm talking about the difference between playing in wedding bands or for corporate receptions (something that pays the bills) v. getting a "gig" with a star that pays at least a six figure annual salary.
I remember taking guitar lessons where my guitar teacher (something that was later echoed at Berklee) noted there is a way to almost guarantee making a living playing gigging guitar, but what you guarantee is the wedding/"general business" gigs. Rhythm guitar is way more important than lead. You have to learn thousands of songs and become competent in almost all styles.
There is a word for that kind of life: musical prostitution.
I might be willing to prostitute myself if I can make a good six or seven figure salary (for instance, getting a gig with a big star whose music I dislike like Michael Jackson's); but I doubt I'd be happy being the "wedding guitar player."
Posted by: Jon Rowe | January 11, 2009 4:04 PM
Hi Jon I have long enjoyed your posts at worldblog, looking forward to seeing you set free from the draconian moderation and the la brean tar pits of ignorance that characterize that blog. I read this blog every day.
Posted by: Erasmus, FCD | January 11, 2009 5:46 PM
Jon Rowe:
I knew a number of guys who went to Berklee and a few teachers. It was always a little strange to go listen to some "pretty good" bar band and find out three or four of the guys were Berklee or Conservatory grads. In Syracuse, where I now live, the number of Eastman, LeMoyne, Ithaca and SU guys who play in local clubs is something else.
Check out this guys place:
http://loosetncanon.blogspot.com/
he's William Yelverton, teaches classical guitar at Middle Tennessee State.
And this guy:
http://thrillionair.com/bobby_keyes.htm
Posted by: demodommie | January 11, 2009 5:50 PM
Demodommie & Erasmus:
Thanks.
Demodommie,
I'll check those guys out.
Erasmus,
WMB is where I try to keep on my toes; they are my sparring partners. Though I respect their "open debate" policy. I'll see if I can find a way to incorporate them while I am guest blogging here.
Posted by: Jon Rowe | January 11, 2009 5:56 PM
Jon - are you and Erasmus referring to this site: http://worldblog.msnbc.msn.com/ ?
I never heard of your contributions at World Blog which is why I'm trying to find and bookmark the source.
I remain a regular and appreciative reader of your work at Positive Liberty; I do comment here much more since it's topical though I find your posts enjoyable as self-contained units without need of any perspective I might have. Not sure how libertarian Frazer is, but getting him to blog there regularly would be a catch; don't blame him for not wanting to do so at American Creation at this juncture, which leads into my next topic. . .
Regarding the new site you now blog at, American Creation (along with Positive Liberty); I would respectfully ask you consider getting you tougher on commenters and some of the bloggers posting inaccurate historical presumptions from which they pontificate. It's much more enjoyable and productive to have a dialogue and/or debate on accurately framed findings, not so fun having to wade through false characterizations like the commenter "Our Founding Truth" and two of the bloggers there who are pushing a preconceived objective while blaming others of such (can we say "projection").
Everybody - Jon does a ton of heavy lifting regarding his research and publication on the state of religion at our nation's founding. He's a valuable resource for those that care about understanding that aspect of our history. If you need primary source evidence on a related topic, Positive Liberty is a great place to start to get accurately reported evidence if Jon wrote the piece there.
I also find Jon commenting on the national comment boards when a big story breaks where having an accurate perspective on religion at our founding provides valuable insight, as well as at Volokh Conspiracy where the size of the ego of their commenters is incredibly large while the understanding of our history remains quite small of those same commenters.
Posted by: Michael Heath | January 11, 2009 7:00 PM
Michael,
Thanks for this. The "World Magazine" to which I referred is: http://online.worldmag.com/
Posted by: Jon Rowe | January 11, 2009 7:14 PM
Welcome Jon, and I look forward to visiting your weblogs, they look like they'll be very interesting!
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