Autumn Souvenir

I've been on a bit of a rampage lately with purchases of music, books, etc. Here are some of the things I'm listening to, reading and about to dive into. *MUSIC* Mark Olson "The Salvation Blues" -- One listen and this record sounds fantastic. Maybe his best work since "My Own Jo Ellen" Matthew Ryan "Jane, I Feel the Same" (single) -- Absolutely beautiful. Only available at www.myspace.com/matthewryan Okkervil River "The Stage Names" -- "Unless It's Kicks" on repeat over-and-over. Joe Strummer Mix -- A friend made this and I'm a lovin' it. Dr. Dog "Easy Beat" -- still need to listen. Elvis Costello "Live at Macambo" -- Wow! Josh Ritter "The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter" -- new contender for album of the year. Watch out "Sky Blue Sky". More: The For Carnation "The For Carnation", The Go-Betweens "Oceans Apart", The Gourds "Noble Creatures", Pa...

Noreen at home. In what was a very memorable day spent in various parts of San Francisco, the most most moving period was a story I learned about someone finding the road to recovery through singing Old 97s songs. No, it wasn't because I've always been a fan of the 97s, but it once again revealed the power of music. Thanks for sharing, NC.

The day I learned that the band Slobberbone were calling it quits was one of the biggest musical letdowns of my life. I discovered this fantastic foursome from Denton, Texas at some point in the late 90s. Their show at Club De Ville in Austin during SXSW 1999 still stands as the greatest show I've ever seen in my life. Yes, in my life. I've probably seen close to 1,000 live shows, but this one still stands as the best. Slobberbone were a band that played with utter ferocity. They mixed this jarring rock n' roll with spellbinding lyrics and a stage presence that just epitomized rock n' roll. Whether they were playing before 400 people or four, it never mattered to Slobberbone. They played their hearts out every night. Over the course of a few years, I got to hang out with lead singer/songwriter Brent Best. Hanging out with Brent was just like hanging out with a good friend. We'd talk about Uncle Tupelo, baseball, politics, guitars (I pretended to know what I was talk...

Although I'd consider myself a pretty big sports fan, rarely do I write about sports on this here blog. I've followed just about every major sport at some point in my life. I gave up on college basketball when all the stars started skipping early for the pros. I lost interest in college football for no other reason than losing interest. Hockey's always kinda bored me. I still follow the majors in golf and tennis. Of the three major sports, my interest has always been in the following order: 1. baseball (Yankees) 2. basketball (Knicks) 3. football (Steelers). I've followed all pretty closely, but baseball and basketball have always taken the cake. I followed the Knicks during the terrible years (1980s) through to the glory years (1990s). I've recently lost a bit of interest in the Knicks not because they've sucked for so many years, but because I'm disgusted by James Dolan and Isiah Thomas. They have ruined the organization with their greed and mismanagement....

This was probably the best show I've seen since moving to San Francisco, and one of the best shows I've seen in a decade. "Spiderland" front-to-back 17 years after it was recorded. This is a show that I won't soon forget. This clip isn't from last night, but it still rules. (The last minute-plus is cut, but it's still great.)

Like many Americans, I've often wondered about what's going on down at Guantanamo Bay. Who's there? How is one determined to be enough of a threat to be sent there and stripped of all rights? What are the conditions? Are we abiding by the Geneva Conventions? Tonight I watched the docudrama "The Road To Guantanamo". I will preface what I'm about to say by stating that I have no clue how much of this film is true. I don't know if there was a bias. I don't know if the three main characters in the film are telling the truth. All that being said, this movie struck a MAJOR chord with me. I'm fully aware and no longer question the fact that George Bush and his cabinet are a bunch of lying crooks. They've basically admitted to torture. They've hidden so much from the American public that it's absolutely despicable. They lied about Iraq. Then again, they lie every single day. "The Road To Guantanamo" is the story of three British men w...

Afghanistan: Complete failure. The Taliban are back and Al Qaeda's back to pre-9/11 strength. Iraq: Need I say anything? This is an endless war based on nothing but lies and deception. And now: http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,2127115,00.html

One of the fondest memories of my childhood was going to Yankee Stadium. When I was five years old or so, my father took me my first Yankee game. I can't say that I knew exactly what was going on, but there was something about the park, the smell, the players and the atmosphere that grabbed me. Whenever the Yankees ran out of the dugout to take the field, I would sit in awe. What was this amazing thing that took three-plus hours to complete? There was so much complexity. "What does ERA mean", I recall asking my father. He tried to explain, but I didn't understand. But there was something about Yankee Stadium that I did understand, and that was that it was special. There was no other place like it. Whenever we went to games, my dad would often drink too much, but I was too young to understand. The first time I felt true euphoria for the Yankees was on July 4, 1983. I was nine years old at the time and I clearly recall being fixated on the television as Dave "Rags...

You know, the folks who actually attacked us in 2001? Remember, they're the group led by that fella Osama bin Laden? You've probably forgotten them since Mr. "President" spent a few hours going after them before turning his eyes on Iraq. Well, Mr. Bush promised us that he'd hunt them down and defeat them. Remember that? Well, it doesn't look like our dear president has lived up to that promise. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19717961/site/newsweek/site/newsweek/

Amongst the many causes that really hit home with me, the deplorable state of the United States health care system is right near the top. No, I'm not among the 45 million or so uninsured Americans who go through their days knowing that a potential health problem could doom them financially, or even cost them their lives. I'm one of the fortunate ones. Since graduating college in 1996, I've had health care coverage for all but about four months. In the late 90s I had a few health scares and, for the most part, these maladies were covered in large part. That said, around 2000 or so I started to see the darker side of the health industry. I'm not sure if it was my new health care provider(s), or the conditions that I was suffering from, but obtaining reimbursements became increasingly difficult. Most recently, I had to see a doctor for repeated visits. Before doing so, I received pre-approval from my health care provider, Blue Cross/Blue Shield. I was assured that once I m...

It's a Friday night and I've now listened to this record three times consecutively. After work, instead of the usual trip to a bar, I went to a new record store on Market Street (yes, there's a *new* record store) and picked up the following (all on vinyl): Richard & Linda Thompson "Shoot Out the Lights" $18 Bangles "All Over the Place" $3 J. Geils Band "Best of...." $3 Folkways: Vision Shared "A Tribute to Woody Guthrie & Leadbelly" $7 David Bowie "Station To Station" $8 I'm psyched to listen to them all, but it'll probably be days before "Shoot Out the Lights" makes its way off the turntable. I mean, Richard and Linda wrote and recorded this record *while* going through a divorce. And despite the tension and lost love, they created this masterpiece. "Wall of Death" stands as one of the greatest songs ever recorded. Let me take my chances....

Not a chance, but it should be

I stumbled upon this bio of Drake and man did it sum up a lot. Not just for Drake... With every passing year, it becomes a little less accurate to say that Nick Drake has a cult following. Cults, by their very nature, tend to exist on the margins, the subject of their admiration unknown or even unloved by the vast majority of people. Mention Nick Drake to a certain generation of music fan and chances are you wont have to explain yourself. Latterly, Drakes name has become a byword for a certain kind of acoustic music. Gentility, melancholia and a seemingly casual mastery of the fretboard in the minds of many listeners, any combination of these traits warrants comparison to Nick Drake. As a result, Drake is perpetually referenced across the reviews sections of every music title. That quite often the records in question bear no meaningful resemblance to Drakes music speaks volumes. His legacy may, in one sense, be huge. But theres painfully little of it: just three complete albums Five Le...

First the Supreme Court basically overturns one of the greatest decisions for civil rights in American history, and today W. commutes a convicted criminal. W is really making a concerted effort to go down as the worst president in American history. Almost on a daily basis, he delivers a decision, speech, etc. that only add to his laundry list of activities that prove that he's nothing short of a selfish crook. This man should not only be removed of his role as president, but he should be locked up. He has knowingly committed so many egregious acts that it's becoming almost laughable. As I'm typing this, I hear Joseph Wilson in reference to W, "He's just not a decent individual." That's really what it comes down to. This man is such a lying, deceitful and manipulate jerk that I almost have to stop following. I realize that that will be throwing in the towel, so I refuse to take this course. WHEN WILL THE AMERICAN PUBLIC START SHOWING SOME OUTRAGE? EVER? WHA...

More later on one of the more memorable days I've had in ages. In the meantime....

La Dame et la Lincorne - Shearwater Twin Killers - Deerhoof Girl in the War - Josh Ritter Intervention - Arcade Fire Tiger Lily - Luna A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall - Bob Dylan A Goodbye Rye - Richard Buckner Blinking Lights (For Me) - Eels One More Mistake - Swales If I Needed You - Townes Van Zandt Trapped (Live) - Bruce Springsteen I Don't Want To Get Over You - The Magnetic Fields Thirteen - Big Star Sky'd Out - Varnaline From Blown Speakers - The New Pornographers PCH One - Pernice Brothers Kissed a Girl - Star City Hospital Beds - Cold War Kids Rise - Josh Rouse