Chris Shoemaker

Cellist · Pianist · Programmer

Notes on music, listening, and the odd bit of code.

I’m Chris. I’ve played cello since I was seven (now in the Oakland Civic Orchestra) and piano since nine, studied computer science at Carleton, and still believe the best playlist is the one you’re about to hand to a friend.

On Music

All writing →
  1. No. 02The Rest is Noise by Alex Ross: First (sort of) impressionThirty-odd pages into Alex Ross on the twentieth century: Strauss, Mahler, and the art of the frenemy.
  2. No. 01IntroductionWhy this page exists: a cello at age three, a flat refusal to be taught, and a bootleg Planxty CD on the road to Louisville.

Listening

A rotating playlist of whatever has been on repeat lately. Currently spinning: October ’26.

Last heard“Appalachian Spring: Very slowly -”Aaron Copland

Ratings and reviews of everything else live on RateYourMusic, and every play gets logged on Last.fm.

November so far

129 plays across 72 artists

  1. LL-1000Los Leo6 plays
  2. Copland: Appalachian Spring, Rodeo, Billy the Kid & Fanfare for the Common ManAaron Copland4 plays
  3. Le PopLos Leo4 plays
  4. Street WormsViagra Boys3 plays
  1. 01Los Leo29
  2. 02Viagra Boys10
  3. 03Aaron Copland5
  4. 04Gilla Band4
  5. 05Shame3

This week, years ago

  1. 2025NEU! 2 — NEU!Also Viagra Boys, Fontaines D.C. · 76 plays that week
  2. 2024Nonagon Infinity — King Gizzard & The Lizard WizardAlso Gilla Band, Viagra Boys · 67 plays that week
  3. 2023Street Worms — Viagra BoysAlso Gilla Band, Magdalena Bay · 161 plays that week
  4. 2022I Saw — Young FathersAlso Magdalena Bay, Kings of Leon · 83 plays that week
  5. 2021On Circles — CaspianAlso The Body, Bear's Den · 17 plays that week
  6. 2020You Won't Get What You Want — DaughtersAlso Vasudeva, The Japanese House · 65 plays that week
Show all 12 yearsShow fewer
  1. 2019Out Of My Hands — Green River OrdinanceAlso BROCKHAMPTON, Twenty One Pilots · 106 plays that week
  2. 2018Uh Oh! — TennysonAlso The 1975, Young Fathers · 70 plays that week
  3. 2017If You Want To Make Money — Will Joseph CookAlso Gorillaz, Danny Brown · 14 plays that week
  4. 2016Sea Of Noise — St. Paul & The Broken BonesAlso Minor Threat, OneRepublic · 37 plays that week
  5. 2015Black Sands — BonoboAlso Fink, Grimes · 126 plays that week
  6. 2014The Haunted Man (Deluxe Version) — Bat for LashesAlso Buchanan, The Chain Gang of 1974 · 292 plays that week

Counted from Last.fm · 66,706 plays since 2013 · synced Nov 12, 2026