Back when I made $500/month writing on the internet

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Some of us have been writing on the internet long enough to remember when you could make real money here. My introduction to writing on the internet occurred around 2000, when Ms Horse and I were watching a San Francisco Giants baseball game on TV. There was a TV ad for "Epinions, a site that had us to write reviews of products we'd used. We both signed up. As with MyLot, there was an active and (mostly) friendly community there. I established myself as a solid reviewer of music, stereo equipment, and guitars, and was making about $500/month (mostly in passive income) when the site closed down in the early to mid 2010s. I'll attach a sample review I wrote back in 2000. Check it out if you're interested in really nice and relaxing guitar music. @FourWalls will recognize the artist I review. Many others will not. Here goes: Alex DeGrassi's First Album of Guitar Music Nov 22, 2000 (Updated Nov 22, 2000) Review by Horswispr Rated a Very Helpful Review Pros:Beautiful solo guitar music from one of the masters Cons:A bit hard to find I think Alex DeGrassi was a carpenter who played some guitar on the side when his cousin, Windham Hill founder William Ackerman, asked him to record for his new label in the late 1970s. Windham Hill was the record label that became synonymous with “New Age” music during the 1980s, introducing us to such musicians as George Winston, Shadowfax, Michael Hedges, and DeGrassi. Turning: Turning Back (1978) was DeGrassi’s first album, and it remains one of my favorites. In fact, I believe Turning: Turning Back was the first Windham Hill recording of music not by Ackerman himself. Since Ackerman was a good but not great guitarist, it might not be a stretch to say that Turning: Turning Back was a very important album in the evolution of the Windham Hill label, and by extension, of the New Age movement. And now, A CONFESSION: I find much New Age music BORING. George Winston’s early piano music is “pretty,” but not nearly as challenging or interesting as the piano music of Keith Jarrett. Shadowfax is almost jazz, but not quite. I’ll take Miles over Shadowfax any day. And William Ackerman’s first two records, Turtle’s Navel and It Takes a Year, were pleasant, but so musically simple that I found myself saying “I could do that” every time I listened, rather than enjoying the music. Yanni and Kenny G. (NOT Windham Hill artists) make me gag, but that’s another story. When I first heard DeGrassi’s Turning: Turning Back, I literally sat up on the edge of my chair. There was a smile on my face, and my fingers were in awe. This was some amazing guitar playing! Yes, it is relaxing, like most Windham Hill albums, but it also INTERESTING. Once I started listening to DeGrassi, I could never listen to Ackerman’s guitar recordings again. Turning: Turning Back is an album of solo guitar music, played in a gentle finger picking style, on a steel string acoustic guitar. DeGrassi uses alternative tunings on most of his songs, so the sound is different from what most of us are used to. The music itself replete with suspensions, interesting chord changes, and changes in finger picking patterns, yielding a sound that is both beautiful and challenging. One can hear folk, classical, jazz, and Irish influences in the music, but these influences blend into a style that is uniquely DeGrassi. The overall feeling of the music is more happy than sad, but there is also something wistful about it. If you want acoustic guitar music to make you shout out loud or challenge the Gods, check out Michael Hedges’s early albums. Turning: Turning Back is more like a beautiful fall afternoon, with windblown leaves of varying colors falling in unpredictable paths to the ground. In fact, I’ve seen DeGrassi’s music described as “impressionistic,” and I wouldn’t argue with that description. The tune list: Turning Swordfish Luther’s Lullaby Blood and Jasmine Window Children’s Dance Waltz and March of the Rhinoceri Alpine Medley Autumn Song Turning Back For those of you who play guitar, I have figured out parts of two of the songs on this album. Turning, which begins the album, is in EBEF#BE tuning, capoed up a few frets. Children’s Dance is in DADGBE (“drop D”) tuning, capoed up several frets. Both are fun tunings to experiment with. An interesting note: I had a chance to speak with DeGrassi after a San Francisco performance a couple of years ago, and I asked him about the guitar used on this recording. He said that the guitar used was nothing special, probably less fancy than what most of us with Martins or Taylors are playing these days. I honestly think DeGrassi had no idea how big Windham Hill, or he, would become. If you are looking for solo guitar music that is both interesting and a pure joy to listen to I heartily recommend you check out Turning: Turning Back, as well as Slow Circle, DeGrassi’s second album. A final audiophile note: If you still have a turntable, I recommend the record over the CD version of this album. I was just listening to the CD version, and it is good, but a bit brighter and less natural than the original Windham Hill vinyl recording. Regardless, you’re in for a real treat if you don’t know DeGrassi’s music and you check out this record or CD.