Autumn Souvenir

I had a long talk with my mother yesterday. Such talks are pretty common as we usually connect every Sunday, but I could tell from the outset that this one would be a fairly long one. There's been a lot going on in our lives, especially on the family front and there was a lot of ground to cover. I told her about an unreal experience I had Friday night. With a lot on my mind and a fair amount of stress weighing me down, I walked into a Polk Street pub at around 6pm. As the bartender handed me a drink, I heard the first notes to Wilco's "Summerteeth," a song that opens to the sounds of birds chirping and a river running. It nailed me. When Jay Bennett's organ came in mid-way through the song, I lost it for a few seconds. It was the most hopeful and dare I say, spiritual moment I've felt in a long, long time. Kinda like that morning on that beach in Ponte Vedre, Florida or that Friday night sitting below a massive starry sky down in Sunnyvale. Yes, it was one of ...

, originally uploaded by ccsbandwagon .

, originally uploaded by ccsbandwagon .

Cometbus #52 : The Spirit of St. Louis , by Aaron Elliott, 'Zine, 2009 : 8.3 It Feels So Good When I Stop by Joe Pernice, Fiction, 2009 : 7.7

Let's see, Edward Kennedy has spent nearly his entire adult life championing civil rights, education and health care for all Americans. It boggles my mind that these are issues that are still under debate. Every politician in this country should be fighting these fights. This country will sorely miss this man's leadership, heart and unyielding convictions. Rest in peace, Senator.

My friend Eric "Roscoe" Ambel on being produced by the late Jim Dickinson: In 1990 I was summoned to Memphis, Tennessee to play on Mojo Nixon's first solo record to be titled "Otis". Mojo and his manager Bullethead told me about the record. Mojo had put together his dream band of roots rock guys. John Doe on bass, The late great Country Dick Montana on drums, Bill Davis and myself on guitars. The record would be done at a studio that used to belong to Chips Moman that had been built in a big old purple old firehouse just off of Beale Street downtown. This was all pretty darned exciting. I knew John Doe from my pre Joan Jett & the Blackhearts Hollywood days and the Del-Lords had done a bunch of shows with Country Dick's Beat Farmers. I'd also seen Dash Rip Rock but hadn't really met Bill Davis. I had been producing some bands in NYC and I was really excited about playing guitar on this record for Mojo. I got a call asking about gear for the sessio...

And now to the top ten..... Instead of posting why I think these records are so great and other mundane crap, I figured I'd try and highlight why each record played such an important role in my life at some point. I mean, those are generally our favorite records, no? I love Springsteen's Born To Run mostly because I grew up hearing it blasting from my father's living room every other weekend. Uncle Tupelo's Still Feel Gone was a life-changer because it opened my eyes up to an entire world of music. I would say that I've spent the past ten years listening to more music than in any previous decade. The mid-to-late 90s were the pinnacle for me, likely never to be matched, but the past ten years have turned music into far more than a hobby. It's now something that I simply can't live without. It's my therapist (when I'm not actually paying a trained one); it's my partner; it's the one medium that brings understanding, hope and just about every ...

Tomorrow morning brings the top ten in all of its ridiculous glory. If you have a hard time sleeping tonight in anticipation, you can probably just toss on any record that made my list and you'll likely doze off in no time. #20 Slobberbone : Everything You Thought Was Right Was Wrong Today (2000) #19 Spoon : Girls Can Tell (2001) #18 Okkervil River : Black Sheep Boy (2005) #17 Richard Buckner : The Hill (2000) #16 Bonnie "Prince" Billy : Master and Everyone (2003) #15 Beck : Sea Change (2002) #14 Robert Becker : Lot #99-0038 (2000) #13 Songs: Ohia : Magnolia Electric Co. (2003) #12 The Strokes : Is This It? (2001) #11 Damien Jurado : On My Way To Absence (2005)

#30 Thao : We Brave the Bee Stings and All (2008) #29 Kenny Roby : Rather Not Know (2002) #28 Brakes : Give Blood (2005) #27 Bobby Bare Jr. : Young Criminals Starvation League (2002) #26 Magnetic Fields : 69 Love Songs (2000) #25 Solomon Burke : Don't Give Up On Me (2002) #24 Sufjan Stevens : Illinois (2005) #23 Bonnie "Prince" Billy : The Letting Go (2006) #22 Marah : Kids in Philly (2000) #21 Damien Jurado : Where Shall You Take Me? (2003)

For all the hell that the major health care providers have reaped on their customers for decades, this story in the LA Times is simply sickening. I'm starting to wonder if Obama's more in bed with big business than his predecessor. Change? Really? If Barack Obama continues to spend countless hours of each day trying to appease every crook in this country, well, good luck on that second term. I know if the election were held today, I would not vote for him again. Am I representative of the typical knee-jerk reaction that seems to come from all angles of late? Maybe, but his first seven months are adding up to a pretty severe disappointment. Oh, I still like the guy, but the candidate who rallied us all, is not the same person we're seeing in office. He's barely a shadow of that person. Bringing change to Washington? Washington's brought change to Obama. One of Obama's key advisors on health care is Tom Daschle, a man who is employed by United Health. Enough is ...

#40 Josh Rouse : Under Cold Blue Stars (2002) #39 Josh Ritter : Hello Starling (2005) #38 Easton Stagger Phillips : One for the Ditch (2008) #37 The White Stripes : White Blood Cells (2001) #36 South San Gabriel : Welcome, Convalescence (2003) #35 Apollo Sunshine : Apollo Sunshine (2005) #34 Eels : Daisies of the Galaxy (2000) #33 Wilco : (The Album) (2009) #32 Cat Power : The Greatest (2006) #31 Joe Henry : Civilians (2007)

There are certain songs that likely play a key role in why I'm agnostic and not atheist. These are songs that fill my thoughts, dreams and emotions in a way that almost nothing else can. These songs make me remember hundreds of moments past and give me hope for those to come. They remind me, as Bruce Springsteen said, that "it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive." This is one of those songs. EELS "In My Dreams" from The MySpace Transmissions

#50 Tim Easton : Break Your Mother's Heart (2003) #49 Gillian Welch : Time (The Revelator) (2001) #48 Rhett Miller : The Instigator (2002) #47 Bruce Springsteen : The Rising (2002) #46 Panda Bear : Person Pitch (2007) #45 M. Ward : Post War (2006) #44 Beulah : The Coast Is Never Clear (2001) #43 LCD Soundsystem : Sound of Silver (2007) #42 M.I.A. : Arular (2005) #41 The New Pornographers : Electric Version (2003)

Let me preface this whole spectacle by stating the following in advance: 1. I will forget certain records and later be very upset over this. 2. Some may find this list terrible, and at some point in time, I will probably agree. 3. Now at the age of 35, my taste certainly follows a certain pattern. Then again, it was the same when I was 21. 4. Aside from the top 10-15, the whole damn thing is pretty much interchangeable. 5. This is the best list you will find anywhere. And now, 22 records, in no particular order, that just missed the cut: Jay Farrar : Sebastopol (2002) The Go-Betweens : Friends of Rachel Worth (2000) Absentee : Schmotime (2006) Scott Miller & The Commonwealth : Thus Always To Tyrants (2001) Sun Kil Moon : Ghosts of the Great Highway (2003) Star City : Inside the Other Days (2001) Iron & Wine : The Creek Drank the Cradle (2002) Old 97's : Blame It On Gravity (2008) The Shins : Oh, Inverted World (2003) Son Volt : Okemah and the Melody of Riot (2005)...

As I was set to turn in for the night, as I do every night, I turned to the iPhone one last time and turned to tomorrow's NY Times editorials. Whenever Bob Herbert's up to the plate, I know I'm going to get something good. But this piece left me turning over repeatedly in bed. I couldn't find sleep without writing or e-mailing folks the article or calling Nancy Pelosi or changing my party affiliation at midnight on a Monday in August. When that whole crazy presidential race began in early 2007 or so, you may recall (if you've stuck around this blog that long, which clearly no one has (Mom?)) that I was a John Edwards supporter. As nearly every friend of mine fell for Obama, I was still with Edwards. Well fine, that wasn't the greatest call, but I had my doubts about Obama. But over time, I did grow to like him, and when Edwards' hopes faded, I moved swiftly into the Obama camp. And as I've sad about 100x since November, the night of 11.4.08 was one of t...

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Boonville by Robert Mailer Anderson, Fiction, 2001 : 7.5 The Alcoholic by Jonathan Ames, Graphic Novel, 2008 : 7.4

A glance at Dickinson's massive credits is awe-inspiring. Perfomed with: Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, True Believers, Big Star, Ry Cooder, Chris Bell, Mudhoney, Golden Smog, The Flamin' Groovies, Slobberbone, Los Lobos, Primal Scream Produced: The Replacements, The Rolling Stones, Green on Red, Jason & the Scorchers, Mudhoney, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Tarbox Ramblers, John Hiatt, Lucero, Scott Miller & The Commonwealth

When Jay Farrar bid farewell to Uncle Tupelo in the spring of 1994, most onlookers and alt.country nerds (see: this blog and everything I've done daily since 1992 or so) predicted that Jay Farrar's post-UT career would easily outshine that of his suddenly-former bandmate Jeff Tweedy. Although opinions still differ on that front, Farrar's first four years outside of Uncle Tupelo were somewhat remarkable. His new band, Son Volt, produced one of the finest americana albums ever with 1995's Trace . 1997's Straightwaways was somewhat of a sequel to Trace with many moments that almost tapped the greatness of its predecessor. With his creative juices still running at a furious pace, Son Volt tossed us Wide Swing Tremolo in 1998, a record that was immediately met with a bit of a collective raised eyebrow. Fans were used to, and well, in love with, Farrar's perfected sound that married Gram Parsons to Neil Young's Comes a Time . It was a simple sound, but honed an...

If this tune doesn't jump-start your weekend, well, there's a good chance you're an asshole.

Top 50 Albums of the 2000s Top 10 Albums of 2009 New Website More Writing Samples More Organization More Bob Seger Clips

With just shy of 20,000 tracks on the big iPod, for the first time in perhaps a year, I decided to just chuck it on random. This is always a risky move since I certainly have a plethora of absolute crap all over this iPod. But what a surprise: "Anesthesia" Luna "Dance Away" Roxy Music "The Delicate Place" Spoon "Papercuts" The Havenots (where the hell is Mick Spencer??) "Poison in the Walls" The Go-Betweens "I Gave You" Matt Sweeny & Bonnie "Prince" Billy "Chain Gang" Sam Cooke "Jumpin' Jack Flash" The Rolling Stones "All Over Again" Jay Reatard "Gasoline Drinks" Damien Jurado "Sin City" Beck & Emmylou Harris "Make Me a Pallet on Your Floor" Gillian Welch "My Heart's Not In It Anymore" The Steinways "Born a Woman" Nick Lowe "Holding Back the Year" Lou Barlow "Mr. Churchill Says" The Kinks

When Steve Earle was let out of the pen after a two-year sentence for all sorts of drug activity, he absolutely exploded with creative energy, recording three consecutive gems from 1995-1997. The centerpiece, 1996's I Feel Alright , is arguably Earle's best record, and to my ears, among the ten best records of the 90s. After years of battling heroin addiction (among countless other substances), Earle followed up the more tame Train a Comin' with this somewhat explosive Americana sound. The self-proclaimed "Hard-Core Troubadour" compiled a raucous mix of 12 perfectly-paced tracks. From the in-your-face declarations in the lead track "I Feel Alright" to the almost Badlands -inspired love-on-the-run "Billy and Bonnie," almost 15 years later, this record sounds as fresh as it did in the mid-90s. Steve Earle is still recording records at a frantic pace, most recently tossing out Townes , his tribute to his old Texas buddy and mentor. Most of his re...

First time in many months that I've gotten chills from a YouTuber.

1. I Am Trying To Break Your Heart (2002) 2. Misunderstood (1996) 3. Via Chicago (1999) 4. Sunken Treasure (1996) 5. Laminated Cat (2003) 6. Gun (1991) 7. The Long Cut (1993) 8. How To Fight Loneliness (1999) 9. Ashes of American Flags (2002) 10. I'll Fight (2009)

Ignore the comedy intro.

, originally uploaded by ccsbandwagon .

Following a dreadful run and a trip to Streetlight Records, I was walking home when I found myself on one of those amazing San Francisco blocks. I guess I was on Noe a few blocks before Duboce. There was just something, well, a lot of things, about this block or two. There were flowers everywhere. All of the apartments were filled with books, dogs, life. The wind was moving at a perfect pace. The trees hung over the streets and had beautiful red and orange-colored bulbs interspersed. It was quiet and peaceful. I slowed my pace. As I made my way to the end of the block, I thought about returning home to grab my camera. But then I realized that I didn't want to capture these moments to reflect on. The images collecting in my head were just fine.

Paul McCartney Ram Thao We Brave the Bee Stings and All Elliott Smith XO Nick Lowe Jesus of Cool The Beach Boys Endless Summer Paul McCartney & Wings Band on the Run Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band Stranger In Town Wilco You Never Know b/w Unlikely Japan