Autumn Souvenir

Joe Henry : Trampoline Mammoth, 1996

I've been pretty happy with Barack's first month in office. I expected a few minor stumbles and even perhaps inconsistencies early on, yet he's done pretty well. Then came his forceful, realistic and graceful speech before Congress last week. This was a fantastic address, one that outlined in clear words many of the reasons why I was so enthusiastic about Obama during the campaign. He talked directly about health care, education and the wars. He said that, yes, he would be raising taxes on those making over $250,000, something that irrespective of my salary (clearly not a factor right now), is something that I've supported. And then came his words this weekend regarding the lobbyists who will work to derail his massive and nation-changing plans with respect to health care, energy and a slew of others issues. "I know these steps won't sit well with the special interests and lobbyists who are invested in the old way of doing business, and I know they're geari...

We get the Ashes of American Flags DVD on Record Store Day (4.18.09) (pretty awful trailer can be found on Wilco's website) and now word that the next Wilco record will be out in June. Recorded last month in New Zealand and produced by Jim Scott, initial songs appear to be "My Country Has Disappeared", "Sunny Feeling", "Wilco, the Song" and "One Wing".

sick killed it rocked There are so, so, so, many more, but when I hear this trio of buffoonery, I want to toss my head in a microwave.

Joe Henry may be the most underappreciated singer-songwriter of the past twenty years. Alright, that would be impossible to say with the likes of Matthew Ryan, Kenny Roby, Richard Buckner, Tim Easton and Gillian Welch not reaching nearly enough ears, but my good buddy Doc Hup often puts Henry on the same plane as Dylan and Springsteen. 2007's Civilians was arguably the best record of that year (though I went with Ritter) and the trifecta of Short Man's Room (1992), Kindness of the World (1993) and Trampoline (1996) rounds out a perfect collection of the four to start with. Buy his records. The Essential Joe Henry Fireman's Wedding Our Song Trampoline King's Highway Skin and Teeth Some Champions Wave Go With God (Topless Shoeshine) Civil War This Close To You Ohio Air Show Plane Crash Short Man's Room

One of the best labels on the planet, Yep Roc, is having a pretty nice one-week sale. You can land many a cd for $5 and some great vinyl finds for just $10. Buy Stuff

Right around the same time that the Dixie Chicks took the country and pop world by storm with their tedious ballads, the Damnations TX released their debut record, Half Mad Moon , on Warner imprint, Sire (ya know, home to The Replacements, Ramones and early Wilco). Similar in some respects, there was one big difference: The former were pretty terrible and the latter were not. Half Mad Moon was a fantastic debut from a four piece, fronted by sisters Amy Boone and Deborah Kelly with The Gourds' Keith Langford on the kit and Rob Bernard (brother of The Gourds' Claude Bernard) on various instruments, the harmonies were beautiful and balanced, while the music blended traditional country with pretty darn straightforward rock n' roll. The Damnations TX came on the scene at the same time that the country/rock thing of the 90s was at its apex. Wilco, Son Volt, The Old 97's and Steve Earle were household names and the Damnations TX were one of those opening acts on the cusp that...

Monday, February 16 Honolulu, HI Live on KTUH sometime between noon & 3pm HST Wednesday, February 18 Honolulu, HI Mercury Bar duo with Emmett Kelly Thursday, March 12 Bloomington, IN Buskirk-Chumley Theatre Friday, March 13 Urbana, IL Independent Media Center Saturday, March 14 Chicago, IL Vic Theatre Monday, March 16 Des Moines, IA Vaudeville Mews Tuesday, March 17 Iowa City, IA The Picador Wednesday, March 18 Milwaukee, WI Turner Hall Thursday, March 19 Minneapolis, MN The McGuire Theater (Walker) Saturday, March 21 Winnipeg, MB, Canada Pyramid Cabaret Sunday, March 22 Saskatoon, SK, Canada Broadway Theatre Monday, March 23 Edmonton, AB, Canada McDougall United Church Tuesday, March 24 Calgary, AB, Canada MacEwan Hall Wednesday, March 25 Vancouver, BC, Canada The Vogue Theatre Thursday, March 26 Seattle, WA Moore Theatre Friday, March 27 Portland, OR Crystal Ballroom Sunday, March 29 Santa Rosa, CA Orchard Spotlight Monday, March 30 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore Thursday, April ...

Now that's leadership.

Sitting with those childlike scowls is just hilarious. My allegiances are obvious, but I have never seen the republican party so laughable. Oh, they'll rebound, and if Obama can't get us moving in the right direction in a few years, he will likely only see one term, but watching the republicans right now is bitter sweet. And their most promising star is Bobby Jindal? It's like buying a classic comedy on DVD and finding those oh-so-nice bonus features.

From 1:20 to 1:47 is about as important a message on human rights as I've seen in some time. I can't imagine how important those words were to many struggling teenagers throughout the world.

Today marks exactly four months since I've been day job-less. Although it was imeem that employed me for the last seven months of my daytime work life, it was SNOCAP, the company purchased by imeem in early 2008, that brought on those five stages. Once I was let go, my almost three-year connection to a job and company that I truly loved came to an end. In retrospect, perhaps I should've cut ties when SNOCAP was acquired, especially given that imeem really didn't have a good fit for me, but a feeling of responsibility to SNOCAP's partners and the building recession made it hard to walk away. And just like SNOCAP, I did go in with high hopes to contribute and grow. Since late October, I've gone through the stages of trying to let SNOCAP go. This was the job of a lifetime, one where I worked alongside some people who inspired me, taught me, and remain some of my closest friends to this day. Oh, we certainly weren't perfect, but while it lasted, this was a truly fan...

It's been nine years since Lonergan directed the fantastic You Can Count on Me , starring Mark Ruffalo and Laura Linney. One of the most underappreciated films of the past decade, despite winning a few film festival awards, the movie clearly didn't receive its due. Lonergan has kept a fairly low profile since, but in 2009 he returns with Margaret starring Anna Paquin, Mark Ruffalo, Matthew Broderick and Matt Damon. Lonergan wrote and directed and if it's even a shred of Count on Me this will be a quality movie. Synopsis: Margaret centers on a 17-year-old New York City high-school student who feels certain that she inadvertently played a role in a traffic accident that has claimed a woman's life. In her attempts to set things right she meets with opposition at every step. Torn apart with frustration, she begins emotionally brutalizing her family, her friends, her teachers, and most of all, herself. She has been confronted quite unexpectedly with a basic truth: that her...

I'm looking over the list of the Best Picture winners through the years, and wow, not so great. "Titanic" and "Crash" are actually terrible movies. And many others are just average. Here are some of the best of what the Academy has called the best. American Beauty (2000) Platoon (1987) Terms of Endearment (1984) Ordinary People (1981) Kramer vs. Kramer (1980) Annie Hall (1978) Rocky (1977) The Godfather (1974) The Bridge on the River Kwai (1958) This year's hasn't been named yet, but the best of the year, "The Wrestler", isn't even nominated. And although I haven't seen it, there's something about "Slumdog Millionaire" that just screams mediocre. I hope I'm wrong.

Nifty

I can't say I care much for award shows anymore, but the Oscars are clearly eons more reputable than say, The Grammys. Unlike The Grammys (which I haven't watched in at least a decade), I will tune in on Sunday. And as always, I'm sure I'll be disappointed in the results. Nevertheless, the following are my predictions for who will win, as well as who should win. Although I haven't seen every film or every performance, eh, what the heck... BEST PICTURE Will : Slumdog Millionaire Should : The Wrestler (not nominated) BEST DIRECTOR Will : Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire Should : Darren Aronofsky for The Wrestler (not nominated) BEST ACTOR Will : Sean Penn in Milk Should : Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler BEST ACTRESS Will : Meryl Streep in Doubt Should : Meryl Streep in Doubt BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Will: Health Ledger in The Dark Knight Should : Health Ledger in The Dark Knight BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Will : Viola Davis in Doubt Should : Viola Davis in Doubt

Hurray for the Riff Raff : I Don't Mean I Don't Love You Hurray for the Riff Raff, 2009

As many feared, in addition to shedding the distribution arm, it appears as if Touch & Go will cease signing new acts and will basically go the catalog-label route. That's right, it appears as if the label is done putting out new music.

Given that it's only mid-February and we're already seeing strong records from M. Ward, Neko Case, Chip Robinson and The Gourds, you have to wonder if this is going to be a stellar year in music. With most of the year still to come, we're looking at likely 09 releases from Bob Dylan, Wilco, Son Volt, Josh Ritter, Bob Mould, Tim Easton, Iron & Wine, Gillian Welch, Josh Rouse, The Wrens, New Pornographers, The Strokes (?) and on and on. I often cite 1997 as the best year of music in my lifetime. Here's just a snippet of what came out that year: Whiskeytown Strangers Almanac Richard Buckner Devotion & Doubt Old 97's Too Far To Care Richmond Fontaine Miles From Steve Earle El Corazon Matthew Ryan May Day The Jayhawks Sound of Lies Son Volt Straightaways The Handsome Family Through the Trees Freedy Johnston Never Home Bob Dylan Time Out of Mind Elliott Smith Either/Or Pavement Brighten the Corners 1998 was basically as good with fantastic releases by Bap Kennedy,...

Son Volt's Bryson and Apollo Sunshine's Black are two of my favorite current drummers. As I sit here watching SV's "6 String Belief" DVD, it's clear that in addition to sharing some talents behind the kit, man do they look alike. Black's on the right: Bryson on the left:

, originally uploaded by ccsbandwagon . I basically just walk in, go to the fella in the pic, and ask him to pick out 10-15 good ones.

Man, he is so much better without that Zooey hipster.

, originally uploaded by ccsbandwagon .

Now this is sad news. Touch & Go distributes such fantastic labels as Drag City, Overcoat, Flameshovel, as well as Merge and Kill Rock Stars in parts of the country, to name a few. One can only imagine that this will also impact Touch & Go's own future releases. T & G has been home to Slint, Don Caballero, Calexico, Rachel's, Dirty Three, Mekons, Silkworm and many other bands that simply do not suck. Statement from co-founder Corey Rusk: "It is with great sadness that we are reporting some major changes here at Touch and Go Records. Many of you may not be aware, but for nearly 2 decades, Touch and Go has provided manufacturing and distribution services for a select yet diverse group of other important independent record labels. Titles from these other labels populate the shelves of our warehouse alongside the titles on our own two labels, Touch and Go Records, and Quarterstick Records. "Unfortunately, as much as we love all of these labels, the current...

, originally uploaded by ccsbandwagon .

Take a look .

Where are people who don't have awful taste going to find new music today? And I don't just mean music that's released today, but rather just tunes that aren't terrible. I used to find just about everything I needed from a fantastic music listserve that I was on from 1994 - 2008, but having departed that list, I've been trying to find some good new homes. Magnet and Blurt are probably my favorites but they're hardly comprehensive. I seem to have grown a bit bored with Largeheartedboy, though I do check his site a few times a week. Pitchfork has clearly lost its way and offers next to nothing now. The old big players such as RS, Spin, etc. are clearly chock-full-of-crap. Where else can one turn? I haven't found any of the hyped bloggers (Aquarium Drunkard, My Old Ky Blog) to really offer that much, so I'm sort of at a loss. Whenever I hop on the computer just looking to scour a music mag/site for an hour or so, well, I just don't find one. I end up sc...

I think I caught Wilco about 206x on this tour.

, originally uploaded by ccsbandwagon . My home away from home's final night.

One of the best debut records ever released. The band, led by brothers Dave and Serge Bielanko, were as deep-rooted in Philadelphia as Rocky Balboa or Mike Schmidt. They were Springsteen one state over with Westerberg riding shotgun. When I first listened to this record I was blown away in a way that few records have done. It was hunger, freedom, debauchery, youth and abandon with so many damn instruments, howls, Phillies announcers and hand claps that it should've blown the face off of rock n' roll. On the fifth day, Of the fifth month, At five o'clock in the dawn, I rolled myself in a t-o-p, And jumped down highway 1, With a 400 engine hot as a cremation coffin, And a tailgate bangin' like an airplane wing, I was rollin' down the highway, doin' it my way, Whistlin' "Someday" and singin' this song I spent many-a-weekend in the late 90's hopping on the turnpike and heading from New York to Philly to see this band. I often wouldn't know ...

Since I've been sans day job for about four months, I figured it'd be interesting to see if my listening habits have changed given the free time. Not much. Bruce Springsteen 570 Richard Buckner 249 Bonnie "Prince" Billy 236 Nick Drake 233 Matthew Ryan 219 Neil Young 203 Sam Cooke 202 Wilco 190 Mark Olson & Gary Louris 132 Eels 125 Josh Ritter 121 M. Ward 119 Easton Stagger Phillips 113 The Gourds 107 Son Volt 103 Chip Robinson 100 Pavement 97 The Jayhawks 92 Bob Dylan 81 Conor Oberst 75 Now Playing Hurray for the Riff Raff It Don't Mean I Don't Love You

I picked up a library card today. After finishing the application and receiving my card, the kind lady said, "I'm sorry, but just so you know, you can only take out 50 items at a time." Fifty!?!?!?!

Most who read my blog likely already know that I've started contributing to the Huffington Post. Thus far I've had three pieces published, the most recent being this morning's take on the Alex Rodriguez fiasco. Since I've now been out of work just shy of four months, I will soon have to make some pivotal decisions. But for now, I will continue to write on this blog, via the Huffington Post and on other projects. If you'd like to follow me on the HP, here's my homepage . And please feel free to comment on my posts.

, originally uploaded by ccsbandwagon .

, originally uploaded by ccsbandwagon .

@ Slim's in SF tomorrow night.

(probably not the album cover) Chip Robinson : Mylow TBD, 2009

I really have no idea what's going on here. "Where They Live" Josh Rouse (trailer) from Where They Live on Vimeo .

Julio is so damn pumped.

This may be my favorite Wilco lineup. Bob Egan was classic.

Comedy

If you haven't read Magnet Magazine's weekly "Wrens Watch" it's certainly worth checking out. Basically, a writer from Magnet prints his weekly chats with Charles Bissell of The Wrens about their now six-plus-year record in the making. Pretty comedy. Here's this weeks installment: MAGNET: Last week when we talked, you pretty much said you guys hadn’t done anything other than the one new song, aside from breaking the computer you use to record. Bissell: If you want to look at it that way, then yes, I guess so. I know you recently had a birthday, so I’ll cut you a little slack about the lack of recording. So any other news? Hmmm. I heard this Coltrane song for the first time the other day. It was really good. All his stuff is really good. That’s why he’s John Coltrane. Plus, the man made more than 100 albums, and he only lived to be 40, which is younger than you are now. So what are you trying to say? Nothing, other than some people are slow starters, I guess. ...

It's obvious that FOX, CNN and even MSNBC, to a degree, have become somewhat of a joke. We're seeing the same sensational and knee-jerk behavior from ESPN, CNNSI, the NY Daily News and just about everyone covering this steroid scandal. Let's get right to the point here: When steroids became somewhat ubiquitous in Major League Baseball, MLB Commissioner Bud Selig knew this was happening and did nothing. Why? The money was pouring in as McGwire, Sosa and others were destroying records. Then there's union rep. Donald Fehr. Yes, it's his job to protect the players, but when health and the overall integrity of the game are at stake, what he's done is absolutely ludicrous. He's spent a decade trying to prevent the entire league from simple drug testing. These guys are being paid millions upon millions of bucks, yet they shouldn't be required to take a one-minute drug test? When a premiere player, or any player at all, finds a way to quickly improve his game, a...

Everything on the way is certainly warranted, but the two chaps below deserve most of the blame for nearly ruining the greatest game in America. Bud Selig & Donald Fehr

I scoured the clearance bins. Merle Haggard That's the Way Love Goes Graham Parker The Real Macaw Graham Parker The Mona Lisa's Sister Graham Parker Another Grey Area Rodney Crowell Ain't Living Long Like This Rod Stewart Never a Dull Moment Linda Thompson One Clear Moment And they chucked in Return of the Grievous Angel : A Tribute to Gram Parsons gratis. Less than $8 total.

Seems that Bruce is making slip after slip these days. I haven't bought a ticket via Ticketmaster since that Yanks/Royals game in the mid-80s when Roy White had a sweet double off the right field wall. With his pull and influence, the fact that he's finally speaking out brings on a bit of a yawn. Here's his exchange to fans and Ticketmaster's response: A LETTER TO OUR FANS: We know there was much confusion regarding Ticketmaster and TicketsNow during last Monday's on-sale dates. We were as confused as you were, as we were given no advance notice of the major changes in the Ticketmaster-TicketsNow world. (Bear in mind that we are not clients of any ticketing company, and that all those arrangements are between venues and ticketing companies.) Last Monday, we were informed that Ticketmaster was redirecting your log-in requests for tickets at face value, to their secondary site TicketsNow, which specializes in up-selling tickets at above face value. They di...

With a little over a week left, and an uncertain future to arrive the day it ends, my good buddy Mike remains spirited. This morning, as we bantered about various crap, I asked Mike to kill the radio and put on one of my CDs. He went for his favorite, the first one I made. He loves the song "Freeway" by Aimee Mann and always sings along to "Where Were You Last Night" by The Traveling Wilburys. The latter even got a little juke out of him. One of the customers was tapping his foot to "Fireman's Wedding" by Joe Henry. Obviously taken with the music and excitement Mike asked if we could just start the going away party right then. I told him that I'd love to, but I need to head to Golden Gate Park this afternoon to search for my future home. Seems as if he's moving there as well. We're looking into electricity options. If you're around on Sat, Feb 14 at 5pm and would like to come bid Mike good wishes, stop by.

Radio King: Fake Plastic Trees: Remember the Mountain Bed: Henry & the H Bombs (Mott the Hoople):

He played "Henry & the H Bombs". I have pal back in NY who used to scream out this request at every single Wilco show, even if the opener was still playing. Here it is.... Henry & the H Bombs - Jeff Tweedy And if you'd like to download the entire show, here you are.

, originally uploaded by ccsbandwagon .

Springsteen fanatics have debated his best shows for decades now. There was the New Year's Show at Nassau in 1980, The Bottom Line shows in '75, Main Point, the Christic Benefits, Harvard, The Capitol Theatre and countless others. These debates have taken place in parking lots before shows, all over the many, many Springsteen fan pages and just about anywhere that Springsteen fans congregate. I'm now about midway through his famous Darkness -era show at the Roxy in LA. I don't recall ever hearing an artist so loose and engaged with the crowd. As I listen, it sounds as if him and the band are in the middle of the crowd. It also sounds as if the band's life depends on this show. Absolutely nothing is left untouched. As Bruce and the band literally yell..... Well the dogs on main street howl cuz they understand / If I could take one moment into my hands / Mister I ain't a boy, no I'm a man / And I believe in a promised land .....it's almost impossible not t...

Richard Buckner : The Hill Overcoat, 2000

300 feet underground at the Volcano Room at the Cumberland Caverns in McMinnville, Tennessee.

This is good news. The revelations over the past week or so have proven that he's unfit for this role. Could we really appoint someone to fix the health care system who's been pallin' it up with terrorists, i mean health care execs, for the past few years. I'm really starting to wonder about some of Obama's vetting. Whoever's leading his vetting process needs to be canned now. His background checks appear about extensive as McCain's five minute chat with Palin before choosing her. It's just a matter of time before we find out that Janet Napolitano trained in Afghanistan for a few decades.

I actually may go to this. I haven't willingly been to a major festival since the mid-90s. Bonnaroo 2009 Lineup Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band Phish (2 Shows) Beastie Boys Nine Inch Nails David Byrne Wilco Al Green Snoop Dogg Elvis Costello Solo Erykah Badu Paul Oakenfold Ben Harper and Relentless7 The Mars Volta TV on the Radio Yeah Yeah Yeahs Gov’t Mule Andrew Bird Merle Haggard MGMT moe. The Decemberists Girl Talk Bon Iver Béla Fleck & Toumani Diabate Rodrigo y Gabriela Galactic The Del McCoury Band of Montreal Allen Toussaint Coheed and Cambria Booker T & the DBTs David Grisman Quintet Lucinda Williams Animal Collective Gomez Neko Case Down Jenny Lewis Santogold Robert Earl Keen Citizen Cope Femi Kuti and the Positive Force The Ting Tings Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3 Grace Potter and the Nocturnals Kaki King Grizzly Bear King Sunny Adé Okkervil River St. Vincent Zac Brown Band Raphael Saadiq Ted Leo and the Pharmacists Crystal Castles Tift Merritt Brett De...

Amazingly, I wasn't that excited for the Springsteen halftime show. I first saw Bruce and the E Street Band on the Born in the USA tour in 1985. I was twelve years old, and ended up seeing two shows on that tour. It wasn't until the Lucky Town/Human Touch Tour in 1992 that I started to see Bruce a lot . Now almost 25 years since my first Bruce show, I think I've seen him somewhere around 40-50 times. When he played eleven shows in NJ in '93 or so, I saw eight. When he did the same a few years ago (I think it was ten this time), I saw six. In the late 90's, I saw him over and over and over. I saw him solo in Oakland and with the Seeger Sessions Band about an hour outside of San Francisco. I saw him play "Kitty's Back" in the pouring rain at Giants Stadium. I have never once been disappointed. He is the greatest performer of my lifetime. And if I live to be 184, I can't imagine that changing. For me, things started to turn downhill with the release...

I really, really can not wait for this record. March 16th.

Rarely do I consider some of my best days as those brought on by a sporting event, a concert on TV or something else that's somewhat lacking in depth. But today was different. After an early afternoon trip out to Oakland to scout out a future home, we returned home just a minute or two after kickoff. We settled in and watched the team I first fell for back in the late 70s. I was five or six at the time, but there was something about the aura of the Pittsburgh Steelers that roped me in. For decades now, I've had to explain why one of my favorite teams is from Pittsburgh, and not my hometown of NJ/NY. Whereas the Knicks are my favorite in hoops and the Yanks in baseball, it has always been the Steelers in football. I've had favorite players throughout the years, from Bennie Cunningham to Louis Lipps, but none have equaled Ben Roethlisberger. When I watch Ben play, I feel like a kid watching his hero. It's his integrity and lack of interest in the limelight that's alwa...

With a catalog as deep as Bruce's, and the opportunity to play before millions (how many people watch the Super Bowl these days? Hundreds of millions?), fan sites, blogs, etc. are seeing endless threads predicting what he'll play. Here's my guess: Glory Days Working on a Dream Born To Run As far as the game: Steelers 26 Cardinals 17 As far as the guacamole: Tasty In my dreams: