Autumn Souvenir

I can't say that I know the specifics of his story, but I know it goes something like this: Ted Hawkins was homeless and collecting change by strumming his guitar up and down the Santa Monica pier. One day a record producer, or maybe it was an A&R rep, passed by Hawkins and was mesmerized by his mix of soul, blues and folk. His sound was as much Otis Redding as it was Townes Van Zandt. He subsequently went on to land a recording contract and spit out some of the best records of the 80s and 90s. Despite critical acclaim, he remained under the radar for most of his short career. He died in Los Angeles in 1995 and it was his posthumous release "The Final Tour" (1998) that summed up his genuis. If there's ever an artist that deserves more praise, it's Ted Hawkins. Start with "The Final Tour" and then move on to "Happy Hour" and "Watch Your Step". You won't regret it.

It was a week year, but here's what I've got: 1 Bruce Springsteen: We Shall Overcome - The Seeger Sessions 2 Centro-matic: Fort Recovery 3 Neko Case: Fox Confessor Brings the Flood 4 Cat Power: The Greatest 5 Tim Easton: Ammunition 6 Richard Buckner: Meadow 7 The Pernice Brothers: Live a Little 8 The Drams: Jubilee Dive 9 Vetiver: To Find Me Gone 10 Cold War Kids: Up In Rags

The ten most important musicians in my lifetime (to me): 1 Bruce Springsteen 2 Jeff Tweedy 3 Bob Dylan 4 Richard Buckner 5 Elliott Smith 6 Nick Drake 7 Jay Farrar 8 Neil Young 9 Gary Louris 10 Townes Van Zandt Others: Mick Jagger/Keith Richards, E, Damien Jurado, Joe Pernice, Will Oldham, Beck, Aimee Mann, Josh Rouse, Mark Bolan, Kevin Russell/Jimmy Smith, Ray Davies, Will Johnson, Paul Westerberg, Johnny Cash, Rhett Miller, Tim Easton, Brent Best, M. Ward, Paul McCartney/John Lennon, Michael Stipe.........

It's been a long time since a new record really blew me away. I've probably bought about 40 new releases this year and, until recently, I couldn't think of one that should top my year end list. Centro-matic maybe? Cat Power? Good records, but not great records. I fell in love with The Perince Brothers before they were The Pernice Brothers. It was the summer of 1995 and the Scud Mountain Boys were opening for Wilco and Blue Mountain at Tramps in New York City. Joe Pernice and two others sat around a candlelit table and strummed through some of the prettiest songs I'd ever heard. I really dug "Massachusetts". Then came The Pernice Brothers and the brilliant "Overcome By Happiness". "The World Won't End" followed and was nearly as good. Then came a step back with "Yours, Mine & Ours". Then I lost interest. A few months ago a colleague from the D.C. area was raving about their new one "Live a Little". I hated to admi

This afternoon I watched "Gimme Shelter" for the first time. What an amazing take on a rock n' roll band in its prime. Granted the Rolling Stones are nothing but a laughable cash cow these days. But back in the 60s and 70s The Rolling Stones changed the face of music forever. Blues. Rock n' Roll. Country. They covered just about genre and they blasted through songs like no other band then or now. This fantasic documentary got me thinking about music today. Well, it got me thinking about how vapid music today is. We don't have The Stones, The Beatles, Bruce Springsteen (in his prime), The Kinks, The Replacements or anyone even close. I mean, when was the last time a band really influenced music, the nation or the people. Who are the best bands going today? Radiohead? C'mon they're the most overrated band in decades. Wilco? They're probably the closest, but they haven't released a moving record in half a decade. That's about it. Radiohead and Wil

A trip to my father's house was oftentimes a bit trying. In the past, the time spent with my father would usually be spent alone amidst a swirl of booze, parties and strangers. My dad's gotten older. He can't drink like he used to. He hasn't stopped altogether. But he just doesn't have the stamina that he did back in the 80s and early 90s. This past week in Myrtle Beach was one of the most memorable trips I've taken to see my father, stepmother and siblings. Sure, we drank. But like we have in the past. I caught a matinee with my father on a cold Friday afternoon. We talked about my future. He displayed a newfound generosity that was usually reserved for my half sister and half brother. We ate. I also spent a great deal of the week with my brother John. I whipped his ass in a ping pong tournament that just wouldn't come to an end. We split in bowling. We bought a bunch of shots. We talked about the Yankees and music. We bolted onto a stage at 2am to duet on

It was mid-2000 when I read a classic NY Times piece on Al Gore. I can't remember the details, but it was one of those Times features on the candidates. It completely changed my outlook on politics. The guy seemed real. In an odd way, he seemed like me. I started following. Bush won in 2000. I was angry. I felt about 3 or 4 days like GWB in the days following September 11th. I was in New York at the time and I was humbled and oddly touched by Bush's speech at the WTC. That lasted for about a week. Then came the real George W. The hypocrite. The liar. The biased prick. The man that left me wanting to leave the United States. I started to dislike my country. This wasn't America. This was ideology. This was fear. This was a man ruling like a psychopant (that can't be spelled correctly). Then came 2004. I quit my job and worked for John Kerry. Unlike most, I truly believed in the guy. I saw him speak in the Bronx and felt something. I thought he had it. But he shrivelled un

I've been listening to music almost solely (exception: vinyl (mostly on Sunday's)) via my iMac and iPod for going on two years. Over that time, here are the song I've listened to most: 1 Blinking Lights (For Me) :: Eels 61 2 Bobby Rodan :: Kenny Roby 49 3 Triggers and Trash Heaps :: Centro-matic 47 4 Little Bombs :: Aimee Mann 45 5 Papercuts :: The Havenots 43 6 I See Through You :: Centro-matic 40 7 Just Like Anyone :: Aimee Mann 39 7 Sometimes Always :: Brakes 39 9 Underwater/Overland :: The Havenots 38 10 Before the Deluge :: Jackson Browne 37 11 Today Is the Day :: Apollo Sunshine 36 11 Rise Up With Fists!!! :: Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins 36 13 NY Pie :: Brakes 35 13 Devils & Dust :: Bruce Springsteen 35 13 Saint Augustine :: South San Gabriel 35 16 The Way :: Bonnie "Prince" Billy 34 17 History of Lovers :: Iron/Wine & Calexico 34 17 Calling Thermatico :: Centro-matic 34 17 El Otro Lado :: Josh Rouse 34 17 Our Way To Fall :: Yo La Tengo 34 21 M

If you don't own T. Rex's "The Slider" and "Electric Warrior" then you are an asshole.

Tower Records opened up the world, but Springsteen's "Born To Run" is where it all began. I think it was the summer of 1980 when I first heard this record. I was seven years old at the time. Every other weekend my mother would drop me off at my dad's house a few towns away. I'd usually spend the weekends trying to occupy myself in front of a television, behind the screen of a video game or shooting hoops in the driveway. Every night I'd stroll up to bed around 10pm, but this is usually when the night began. As I'd crawl into bed the party downstairs would just be getting started. In the early 80s my dad and his group of friends drank a lot. And I mean a lot. Each night the only warmth and comfort I'd find would be the guitars, words and spirit of Bruce Springsteen's "Born To Run". My dad loved Springsteen. If it wasn't "Born To Run" then it was "The River". But most nights it was "Born To Run". I followed

If there was ever a place that shaped my listening habits and ultimately my career course, Tower Records was it. During my teen years, the Tower Records on Route 17 in Paramus, New Jersey provided respite from the conservative crap that inhabited suburban New Jersey. I would spend entire Saturdays listening to new releases at the listening stations. I'd scour the singles. I'd sit and read Rolling Stone or Spin. I was in heaven. Every time I walked out the doors I'd be anticipating my next return. Throughout college, the Tower on Newbury Street in Boston was my second home. It was massive. When you scurried through the revolving doors you found yourself in a mecca of music. There were FLOORS of cds. Rock was on floor 2, while Folk was floor 4. The t-shirts were on floor 3. I bought hundreds and hundreds of cds there. I spent many Monday nights waiting for the clock to turn to midnight. When it did, the Tower doors would open and the new releases would sit crisply right befor

Since the age of 17 or so, Tuesday's have been somewhat special. And that's because Tuesday's are the day that new releases hit the shelves in the music industry. While in college, a number of friends and I would often go to "midnight madness" on Tuesday's. As the clock turned from 1159 to 1200, the Tower Records on Boylston Street would open its doors and a few music freaks would rush in to get the new release or releases that they just couldn't wait another few hours to hear. I bought Wilco's first record "A.M." at midnight madness, and there were countless others. With the onset of the digital age and the closing of record stores from coast-to-coast, the lure of Tuesday has lost a lot of its appeal. With a few clicks of the mouse we now have instant access to basically everything that we want. Although I'm a tradionalist at heart, like many, I have fallen into the digital space. It's just too easy. Today felt like a Tuesday in the

If only he could serve again. This morning on Fox News Sunday, President Bill Clinton handed it to Chris Wallace of Fox and it's about damn time. Why didn't John Kerry do this? Why doesn't Hillary do this? When will the democratic party understand that 50% of the country detests the conservative right and all that goes with it. W, Cheney, Frist, Santorum and the rest of those sickos are the most corrupt and yes, EVIL, leaders that this country has ever seen. SOMEONE NEEDS TO SPEAK UP ABOUT THIS!!!! Sure, maybe Clinton went a bit overboard for a president. But there are millions out there who feel the same anger towards these crooked, narrow-minded, greedy bastards. Tangent: Singer-songwriter Tim Easton sums up my feelings about how the conservative right has co-opted religion and turned it into a political tool. That's all it is folks. George W. and his cohorts contradict the teachings of the bible nearly every minute of every day. They're thirty for war. They aband

And here's the tally of the artists I've listened to most since June of 2005. 1 Bob Dylan 600 2 Wilco 585 3 Bruce Springsteen 575 4 Josh Rouse 494 5 Elliott Smith 472 6 Eels 451 7 M. Ward 450 8 Damien Jurado 391 9 Centro-Matic 341 10 Richard Buckner 302 11 Uncle Tupelo 291 12 Iron & Wine 284 13 Bonnie 'Prince' Billy 283 14 Aimee Mann 274 15 The Jayhawks 253 16 Neil Young 240 17 Son Volt 227 18 Kenny Roby 225 19 The Wrens 222 20 Nick Drake 218 21 The Gourds 216 22 Sufjan Stevens 203 23 The New Pornographers 188 24 Beck 183 25 Tim Easton 171 26 The Decemberists 166 27 Okkervil River 165 27 Townes Van Zandt 165 29 Spoon 158 30 Richmond Fontaine 157

I've had a minor resurgence in my listening. Here's what's been hitting me the past month: RICHARD BUCKNER - MEADOW STEVE EARLE - GUITAR TOWN THE FORMAT - DOG PROBLEMS VETIVER - TO FIND ME GONE BONNIE 'PRINCE' BILLY - THE LETTING GO THE ROLLING STONES - THE SINGLES COLLECTION, VOL. 1-3 OKKERVIL RIVER - BLACK SHEEP BOY RAY CHARLES - MODERN SOUNDS IN COUNTRY AND WESTERN MUSIC CENTRO-MATIC - LOVE YOU JUST THE SAME THE BAND - MUSIC FROM BIG PINK BAND OF HORSES - EVERYTHING ALL THE TIME ELLIOTT SMITH - FROM A BASEMENT ON A HILL

In January of 2005 I departed the East for the West while simultaneously labelling myself as single for the first time in close to three years. I left behind quite possibly the most wonderful person I'd ever met, but something drove me to break ties. Freedom? Uncertainty? I still don't know. And neither does she. It still stands as the greatest relationship of my life and provided memories that I will reflect on until the day I die. Since supplanting myself in the Bay Area, my romantic life has been quite possibly worthy of a weekly column. I've had one sort-of relationship that lasted about two months. Ironically, she was in New York. I knew from the outset that it wouldn't last, but there was a passion to it that kept me around for a while. Right before Christmas of last year that came to a close. There have been a smattering of dates throughout 2006, but none seemed destined for anything beyond a few good nights out. However, there were two. The first I met one night

Where is the San Francisco that I thought I'd find? I've now lived in the Bay Area for close to two years, and I must admit, this is not the city I thought it would be. I lived in the Park Slope section of Brooklyn for six years prior to moving to SF. After just six months of living there, I felt at home. I knew the owners of the local shops. I had stumbled upon the local bars that played the right music and served the right drinks. I found the parks. I met the right people. Brooklyn became home. There was the Italian Ice shop on 7th Avenue. There was Holy Cow Records (RIP) on 7th. There were great shows at Southpaw on 5th. There was that classic tavern beside Southpaw. There was the classic Polish family at the local laundromat. Here in SF, I've yet to find much. I have yet to locate a bar that feels like home. The neighborhoods leave much to be desired. The people are, well, just not that welcoming. Sure, the weather and scenery is absolutely stunning. But it feels like a

Here goes my once every six months personal post. I've been a bit quiet of late. I guess the inspiration's been a bit lagging. I can't really pinpoint why as there haven't been any significant tumultuous moments in my life of late. Actually, maybe that has a bit to do with it. The past few months have been, well, a bit of a bore. While experiencing this malaise, I've also been going through a little overall life transitional period. The life that I've led from say age 21-31 is a life that doesn't particularly interest me much more. What was that life? Well, I certainly have tons of great memories, a few that have been bubbling in my head lately, but overall that decade was a decade of drinking, a decade of inconsistent relationships, a decade of family troubles. I don't know where things go from here on out, but there's definitely a change on the horizon. I seem to appreciate differen things today. Things like the grass in my backyard, a hello from a

I woke up this mornin' and none of the news was good And death machines were rumblin' 'cross the ground where Jesus stood And the man on my TV told me that it had always been that way And there was nothin' anyone could do or say And I almost listened to him Yeah, I almost lost my mind Then I regained my senses again And looked into my heart to find That I believe that one fine day all the children of Abraham Will lay down their swords forever in Jerusalem Well maybe I'm only dreamin' and maybe I'm just a fool But I don't remember learnin' how to hate in Sunday school But somewhere along the way I strayed and I never looked back again But I still find some comfort now and then Then the storm comes rumblin' in And I can't lay me down And the drums are drummin' again And I can't stand the sound But I believe there'll come a day when the lion and the lamb Will lie down in peace together in Jerusalem And there'll be no barricades t

I don't know, maybe I'm just too old for this. Had it not been for work, there's no way in hell I would've wasted a weekend at this festival. Actually, I wouldn't waste a weekend at any festival. Outdoor festivals are, for the most part, fairly miserable experiences. The music never sounds good. There are always way too many people. It takes too long to get a beer or to go to the bathroom. Pitchfork did a number of things right. For one, ticket prices for the entire weekend were a mere $30. That's insanely low given the Live Nation's and Clear Channel's of the world. There were plenty of restrooms and plenty of places to get food, water and beer. The problem: the bands. This was hipster-nation and the choice of acts was awful. Band of Horses, Mission of Burma, Glenn Kotche...all told, I could barely tell the difference from one act to the next. They were all loud, lacking in harmony or depth and altogether just flat. Even the Silver Jews and Spoon did ve

and i am now off to watch 'short cuts'

I recently mentioned the For Squirrels gem "Mighty K.C." Well, thanks to the magic of youtube:

How does one explain rock n' roll? I mean, isn't rock n' roll just a feeling? It's something that enters you and, in many cases, sticks there for a lifetime. To my ears no genre compares. Rap, Hip-Hop, Country, Jazz, Blues...to me, they're all sub-genres of rock n' roll. All of them. And that's because rock n' roll is a fusion of them all. What is the perfect rock n' roll sound? Well, I heard it when I was about five years old. And to this day it STILL sounds perfect. It still sounds new. It still captures EVERY element of the spirit that is rock n' roll. Of the 3,000+ records in my collection, it's Bob Dylan's "Highway 61 Revisited" that captures it all. This record was released over 40 years ago, yet it's all brand new. This record defines rock n' roll.

2 BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN "DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF THE TOWN" (1978) 3 RICHARD BUCKNER "DEVOTION + DOUBT" (1997) 4 NICK DRAKE "BRYTER LAYTER" (1970) 5 BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN "THE WILD, THE INNOCENT, THE E STREET SHUFFLE" (1973) 6 UNCLE TUPELO "STILL FEEL GONE" (1991) 7 THE BEATLES "THE WHITE ALBUM" (1968) 8 BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN "BORN TO RUN" (1975) 9 ELLIOTT SMITH "FIGURE 8" (2000) 10 SON VOLT "WIDE SWING TREMOLO" (1998)

11 THE JAYHAWKS "HOLLYWOOD TOWN HALL" (1992) 12 NEIL YOUNG "AFTER THE GOLD RUSH" (1970) 13 WILCO "BEING THERE" (1996) 14 THE WRENS "THE MEADOWLANDS" (2003) 15 UNCLE TUPELO "ANODYNE" (1993) 16 PAVEMENT "CROOKED RAIN, CROOKED RAIN" (1994) 17 TOWNES VAN ZANDT "HIGH, LOW AND IN BETWEEN" (1996) 18 PUBLIC ENEMY "IT TAKES A NATION OF MILLIONS TO HOLD US BACK" (1988) 19 JOHN LENNON "PLASTIC ONO BAND" (1970) 20 THE GOURDS "STADIUM BLITZER" (1998)

21 BONNIE 'PRINCE' BILLY "MASTER AND EVERYONE" (2003) 22 SON VOLT "TRACE" (1995) 23 THE JAYHAWKS "TOMORROW THE GREEN GRASS" (1995) 24 THE ROLLING STONES "EXILE ON MAIN STREET" (1972) 25 THE REPLACEMENTS "TIM" (1985) 26 WILCO "SUMMERTEETH" (1999) 27 REM "MURMUR" (1983) 28 LUCINDA WILLIAMS "CAR WHEELS ON A GRAVEL ROAD" (1998) 29 MARAH "LET'S CUT THE CRAP AND HOOK UP LATER ON TONIGHT" (1998) 30 BILLY BRAGG & WILCO "MERMAID AVENUE" (1998)

31 THE CLASH "LONDON CALLING" (1979) 32 NEUTRAL MILK HOTEL "IN THE AEROPLANE OVER THE SEA" (1998) 33 ROBERT BECKER "LOT #099-0038" (2000) 34 BOB DYLAN "THE FREEWHEELIN' BOB DYLAN" (1963) 35 STEVE EARLE "EL CORAZON" (1997) 36 BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN "NEBRASKA" (1980) 37 VAN MORRISON "ASTRAL WEEKS" (1968) 38 WHISKEYTOWN "STRANGERS ALMANAC" (1997) 40 BIG STAR "#1 RECORD/RADIO CITY" (1978) Note: The Top 20 will include brief reviews/reasons/pleads for forgiveness

41 SCUD MOUNTAIN BOYS "MASSACHUSSETS" (1996) 42 THE MODERN LOVERS "THE MODERN LOVERS" (1976) 43 TOM WAITS "CLOSING TIME" (1973) 44 ELLIOTT SMITH "XO" (1998) 45 OLD 97S "TOO FAR TO CARE" (1997) 46 JOSH ROUSE "1972" (2003) 47 OLD 97S "FIGHT SONGS" (1999) 48 DAMIEN JURADO "GHOST OF DAVID" (2000) 49 AIMEE MANN "THE FORGOTTEN ARM" (2005) 50 CHRIS MILLS "EVERY NIGHT FIGHT FOR YOUR LIFE" (1998)

1 Jeff Tweedy 2 Bruce Springsteen 3 Will Oldham 4 Will Johnson 5 Beck 6 Britt Daniel 7 Sam Beam 8 Damien Jurado 9 Bob Dylan 10 E

In September of 1995, Gainseville, Florida's For Squirrels were returning to Florida following a performance at CBGBs at New York's CMJ Music Festival. The van they were in blew a tire and the van spun out of control. The lead singer, bassist and manager lost their lives in the wreck. The remaining two members suffered extensive injuries, but survived. One month later, Sony released the band's first and only record, "Example". It was a smash hit on college radio, primarily due to the haunting "Mighty K.C.", a beautiful and tragic pop masterstroke, which also served as a tribute to the late Kurt Cobain. In the mid-90s, this record rarely left the tapedeck of my Mazda 626. "Mighty K.C." along with "Orangeworker", were, and still are, two of my favorite pop songs ever recorded. The career and art of For Squirrels was cut short just before they were set to leave their mark on the pop-rock world. Although a few of the tracks ultimately gar

YES YES YES YES 9/6 Bottom of the Hill, SF CENTRO-MATIC I may take the week off and travel with them up-and-down the West Coast. Aside from Springsteen, this is the most inspiring band out there right now.

1980 would probably be the year that I fell in love for the first time. Mind you, I was only seven years old. And it wasn't falling in love with a girl. (That happened for the first time ten years later.) My folks divorced before I hit the age of five. It was a fairly amicable split (mostly because my mother was and is so classic). Following their divorce, I was raised by my mother. She supported my brother and I by working as a crossing guard in our suburban town in Northern New Jersey. She put every penny earned towards feeding us, clothing us and paying rent in our two-family house. My father's career was taking off at the time, and he only lived one town over. Nevertheless, we still lived a pretty meager life, but I look back on those days as a strong source for what I believe shaped my character. Ok, back to falling in love. Every other weekend (or so), my brother and I would head to my father's house for the weekend. Given his penchant for the bottle (err, the beer c

Those Top 100 Albums of All-Time. I've decided to take more time and actually include a little review of why each record made the list. And keep in mind, this list will not be the records that I think are the greatest of all-time, but rather MY Top 100 (which, if I were more of a narcissist, would mean the greatest ever). This is going to be one hell of a list.

This could be it: The Independent, SF, CA June 28 Apollo Sunshine Cold War Kids

My Top 100 Albums of All-Time. It's been about ten years since I've put together such a list and it's time to see where things stand. Many of the records that stood atop my list in 1996 will probably still be there, but there's been a lot the past decade that should position pretty well. On the weekend front, just a great few days in SF. Finally met my buddy Joel's wife and adorable daughter, shot some hoops in the park, saw an outstanding new band called Cold War Kids, sat on the fringe of the Pacific Ocean in Ocean Beach, caught up with some siblings, family and a long-lost friend in London.

Last weekend I went to my local park to sit on some grass, read a book and waste away a few hours on a Sunday. I've actually started doing things like this quite a bit on the weekends. Whether it be sitting on a bench in the Marina, driving up to the mountains and having lunch or just driving, I've felt the pull to spend maybe half a day each week just doing, well, nothing. I never bring my phone on these mini-trips and usually the only thing on hand is my ipod. It's been unbelievably cathartic. While laying in my local park last weekend, a young couple walked up and sat a few feet from me. They rolled out a blanket, dropped some snacks on the blanket and before sitting, both fired up their cell phones (the man was actually alternating between two phones). I tried to relax for about 15 mins. but I couldn't help but listen in on their conversations. I moved. While I finally managed to find a little peace, I looked over a few times and sure enough, both of them were on th

I've been on a bit of a media craze lately. Having been bitten by a bit(ten) of the flu, I've had a lot of time to listen to records, read books and watch movies. Here's what's captured me attention: MUSIC Neutral Milk Hotel "On Avery Island" (John's pumped) Emmylou Harris "Wrecking Ball" (Belgium) K. McCarty "Dead Dog's Eyeball" (Brings me back to 1995) Damnations TX "Half Mad Moon" (SXSW) Cracker "Kerosene Hat" (Boston) Tim Easton "Ammunition" (New one) Yo La Tengo "Fakebook" (1995) Bruce Springsteen "The Seeger Sessions" (Shocking) Cat Power "The Greatest" (Favorite Record of 2006) Paul Westerberg "Stereo" (It's about time) Luna "Lunapark" (Oh yeah) Sam Cooke "Portrait of a Legend" (Most accurate album title ever) BOOKS Raymond Carver "Cathedrals" (Brings me somewhere) Harp Magazine (Great new issue) MOVIES "Murderball&quo

I'd have to say that this past weekend was the most satisfying weekends I've had in this fine city. One of my closest friends from NYC arrived on Thursday night. We made pretty much no plans and figured we'd just do whatever comes to mind. Friday: Outstanding mexican food in Noe Valley followed by a trip to see an MIA-imitation hailing from Japan named Tigarah. She was ok, but left a lot to be desired. Another friend met up and she was in quite the jovial mood, somewhat surprising given that by the time she landed at the bar we were about 48 drinks in. We all ended up going back to my apartment, drank a bottle of wine (ok, I drank a bottle of wine) and listened to T. Rex, The Replacements, Centro-matic and other great shit until about 4am. Saturday: Late start. A great breakfast. A trip down to the Embarcadero to catch "An Inconvenient Truth". Although Al Gore remains one of the my present-day heroes and his environmental ambitions are extremely inspirational to m

This afternoon I found out that my mother and stepfather bought a new house in Maryland. This news means that the home in which I was raised will offically leave the family. After my parents divorced in the mid-70s, I was essentially raised by my mother and stepfather in Allendale, New Jersey. For around 20 years, this white house, built in the late 19th century was my home. I grew up with my older brother, younger half-sister and I have thousands of memories from this three-bedroom house in the suburbs of Northern New Jersey. My memories of New Jersey are essentially mixed. That said, I'm ready to bid farewell to this home. And I'm ready to bid farewell to New Jersey. There's little question that the years spent in this home shaped who I am today. We had a fairly tight family, though all told, it was a pretty quiet household. Over the past few years, since leaving New Jersey, I've actually grown a lot closer to my mother, stepfather, and most recently, my sister. I thi

May 24, 2006 - In Washington the other day, I got a chance to tell Al Gore something I’d meant to say for a long time, which was that I thought his real strength, his real contribution, was as an observer—writer, explainer, outsider—and not as a politician. The new movie about him was evidence of that, I said. He gave me a blank, dismissive look, and an “umm” for a verbal response. I’ve known and covered Gore for decades, so maybe his reaction was inspired by Groucho Marx, who always said that he would never join a club that would have him as a member. But I think the brusque reply carried a different message: don’t assume that I’m ready to be put out to that pasture just yet. Gore has a certain aura of nobility about him these days—a mixture of rue, acceptance and lofty goals that makes him almost, well, endearing. As I talked to him at the East Coast premiere of the documentary film about him (“An Inconvenient Truth”), I wondered whether his newfound sense of peace and purpose meant

Good god was this band bad. I'd heard a bit of a buzz about these guys. I'd heard that they had a unique sound. I'd heard that they could be something special. What I witnessed tonight at the Great American Music Hall was everything that's bad about indie rock. I can't recall if there were ten members or fifteen or fifty. I just remember that there were too many. And their whole schtick about switching instuments, along with a silly horn section was just laughable. The songs sucked. The stage presence was high school marching band at best. The outfits just made the whole extavangandza even funnier. The cliche lead singer with the cool cap. Throw in the hippie bass player, or whatever the fuck he was playing. Add the fat girl on the keys and the cool dude banging whatever was in arms reach. Ugh. This was so bad that I'm getting tired typing about it. Shit, I was so bored by these guys that I don't even care about correcting my grammar. Ladies and gentleman, t

http://youtube.com/watch?v=gBTaa5_KHfQ&search=centro-matic

I've seen so few places in my life that it's downright embarassing. I guess I've seen a good portion of the United States. In addition to living in NYC, Boston, NJ and now San Francisco, here are a few cities I've visited that spring to mind: Austin (loved), LA (some good, some bad), Seattle (short stop but liked), Minneapolis (one of my favorite cities), Chicago (good time), Philadelphia (LOVE), Orlando (HATE), St. Louis (fun time), New Orleans (blast), Las Vegas (eh), Cincinnati (most underrated city in the US), Cleveland (yuck), Raleigh (pretty fun), Jacksonville (yawn), Providence (not bad), Myrtle Beach (rednecks), and some others that aren't springing to mind. Outside of the States, I have only been to Puerto Rico (blah), St. Thomas (I don't wear speedos), London (fun time but nothing extraordinary) and Amsterdam (absolutely beautiful). Over the next few years, I would like to visit the following stops: US: Joshua Tree, Portland, Albuquerque and somewhere

Seriously, does it get any more beautiful? When it comes to music, the unison of Gary Louris and Mark Olson elicits perhaps the most beautiful sounds on Earth. I've heard thousands of artists harmonize, but none blend like Louris and Olson. Tonight at the Great American Music Hall, after a decade apart, I was finally able to see these two vocal and songwriter masters together. They played just about everything imaginable from The Jayhawks catalogue: "Settled Down Like Rain", "Blue", "Ain't No End", "Nothing Left To Borrow"...oh man could this list go on. They looked happy. They looked inspired. They looked like two singer-songwriters who were meant to be playing side-by-side. It is damn near criminal that the room was only about half full. Dave Matthews Yawn and Coldplay can sell out Giants Stadium, yet two of the greatest singers and writers of the past 20 years can't fill a room that holds, what 600 people? I rarely get worked-up w

Back in 1995, while wading through my junior year in college, I was desperately trying to figure out what to do with my life. I was majoring in sociology, taking a lot of black studies courses, and thinking that my career would take me to a possible phd in sociology. Though I was passionate about this line of studies, there was something missing. I was looking for something that would take me to that next level. Something that would grab my soul and clear up my career uncertainty. Right around this time I saw Son Volt at the Mercury Lounge in New York City for the first time. After watching Jay Farrar, Jim Boquist, Dave Boquist and Mike Heidorn play one of the most inspiring rock n' roll shows I'd ever seen, I left the venue that night knowing what I'd do with my life. Music. Something, anything in music. I went on to spend the next decade spending countless nights out seeing live music. Wilco, Steve Earle, Springsteen, The Gourds, Slobberbone, Centro-matic, Elliott Smith,