Autumn Souvenir

Before I adopted a pup of my own, I used to step outside my local coffee shop numerous times each morning to play with the local dogs. Almost every morning, right around 630, I'd see a little Westy named Bella. She was pretty independent but over time took to me a bit. And as I got to know her, I also got to know her owner, an 81-year-old gentleman named Chuck. For months, we just talked basics: weather, politics and the neighborhood, but very gradually, I felt as if a friendship was forming. Once I adopted Bennett, I'd run into him and Bella in the park and throughout this little area that we call home. Our conversations started to move a bit past the basics. I learned that, like me, Chuck grew up in New Jersey. He in the South while I was raised up North. And then the conversations grew. One of the things I miss most about my grandmother, who passed away in 2001, are the conversations we had about her life. I've obviously grown more interested in such things as I've a...

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Whenever someone asks me to cite my favorite Wilco record, which is usually just me asking myself 7-8 times per day, I usually go with Being There . It was the Wilco album that turned Wilco from one of my five favorite bands to a band that could alter my way of thinking, feeling, looking at things and so on. I guess they became my favorite band. I mean, Springsteen is responsible for making music my greatest love, but it was Wilco who I sort of partnered with as I began to mature. (Yes, I also find that hilarious.) When I first saw Wilco perform before about fifty people in Somerville, MA in December of 1994, I can honestly say that part of me shifted. I very clearly recall driving back to campus in my piece of crap Mazda thinking that something was just beginning. And it wasn't just the band, but something in myself. I will reserve the rest of the story for my third memoir, Campbell & Wilco: The Hot Tub Years , but let's get back to the subject line. Unlike Springsteen and...

Solid Sound - Promo Clip from Smartley-Dunn on Vimeo .

I'm giving pretty serious thought to making the drive out to First Avenue for the last of three Jayhawks shows. Looks like it's about a 30-hour trip. I could also finally visit Badlands in South Dakota. I'm consulting with Bennett on this.

"I'd Run Away" "Sioux City" "Two Hearts" "Over My Shoulder"

This may be my favorite song that references New Jersey. Early North Jersey, industrial skyline I'm an all-set cobra jet creepin' through the nighttime Gotta find a gas station, gotta find a pay phone This turnpike sure is spooky at night when you're all alone Gotta hit the gas, baby. I'm running late This New Jersey in the mornin' like a lunar landscape And then there's the hauntingly beautiful cover by Son Volt:

The more I see, the more I fall in love with his images. To N: I can't thank you enough for introducing me to his work.

After locating one of the two copies of Damien Jurado's Saint Bartlett at Amoeba today, something drew me to the CD aisles. I occasionally make brief runs through the endless CD aisles to try and find the long sought-after EP (Son Volt's Switchback ), but it's been years since I ended doing what I was doing today: just looking for CDs. Many of my friends have ripped their entire CD collections, tossed it all on a backup and done away with the CDs. Whenever I'd hear this I'd think, "I guess I'm moving towards digital but I don't see myself going this route." And thank god I didn't. Because I'm actually reversing course. I know I've discussed this before, but my desire for physical is now back in full force. It's been years since I've even looked in the iTunes store and I'm now starting to consider bidding farewell to eMusic. I don't want my new releases in digital only. As an example, I recently picked up The New Pornogr...

From the Jay Bennett Foundation Website : Beginning July 10 , this site will feature a free download of Jay’s latest record, Kicking at the Perfumed Air . One thing to make clear: while this is a posthumous release, it is exactly the album Jay wanted to make. Working from his own detailed production notes, we have made every effort to reflect his vision, from recording to sequencing. While the download will be free, donations are currently being accepted to benefit the Jay Bennett Foundation or one of its partner charities.

Just like Richard Buckner, Kenny Roby, Brent Best and a slew of other great singer/songwriters of the day, Damien Jurado, in my eyes, has been robbed. Another amazing talent gone almost unnoticed amongst the masses. I used to get pissed off when I'd see some suck hit stardom, and the true talents play to rooms of 50-75. But no longer. Seriously. I just try and play my little part in helping them to continue to do what they do. I buy their records, go to their shows, buy a XXXL t-shirt and try to spread the word. I can only hope that such efforts toss a few extra bucks in their pockets. They more than deserve it. They were born with a gift, they're acting on it, producing and they should be able to continue. It leaves a lasting emotional void in me when such acts go away. Will Kenny Roby make another record? How about Buckner? They're both still young and it kills me that they may not release their work to the public anymore. Damien Jurado is the closest thing to a present-d...

This event includes so many of my favorite things that I really don't know where to begin. First off, The Henry Miller Library, which is one of my favorite places in California. Next there's the performance space, which is one of the most beautiful spots to see music, anywhere. I saw Bonnie "Prince" Billy there a while back and it was simply awe-inspiring. Then there's tons of awesome vinyl, which I cover here every second. Then, well, it's all happening in Big Sur, arguably the most beautiful stretch of land in the United States. Looks like the event takes place from 11am - 11pm. Since the acts are yet to be announced, I'm going to take the liberty to suggest the itinerary for my friends at FolkYeah. Instead of just going with my favorites, I'm trying to name acts that would fit the space and spirit. 12pm Nathan Moore 1pm Justin Townes Earle 2pm Tim Easton 3pm Damien Jurado 4pm Mark Olson & Gary Louris 5pm Neko Case 6pm Jay Farrar & Benjamin ...

Every Friday, provided there were new episodes the previous night, I hop onto hulu and watch The Office and Parks and Recreation . This set provides my television fix for the week. I have grown to consider the latter perhaps the best comedy on TV right now. Granted, I don't have much to compare it to, but it's a darn funny show. Although she's the centerpiece of the sitcom, I don't think Amy Poehler makes the show. Oh, she's pretty stellar, but it's the Ron Swanson character, played by Nick Offerman (no relation to former-Dodger Jose Offerman), who steals the show. Yes, a lot of the characters, and even the storyline to some extent, are pulled directly from The Office , but it's still downright hilarious. A few close friends are enormous fans of 30 Rock . I agree that it's quite funny, but I'm with Parks and Recreation . The addition of Rob Lowe had me thinking that the show may take a dip, but one look at his "daily vitamin supplement" sq...

Mark Oliver Everett's creative streak is bordering on some sort of record or something. Although they haven't toured since 2005's fantastic double-album Blinking Lights and Other Revelations , he's taken that time off the road to pen a beautiful memoir, and followed that up with the release of two solid records separated by only six months, Hombre Lobo & End Times . Now comes news of what will be the third Eels record in 14 months, Tomorrow Morning , due on August 24th. But the big news of the day is a massive world tour, one that will have Everett and band on tour for almost all of August, September and October. See you at The Fillmore. August 3, 2010 Santa Ana, California Galaxy Theater warm-up show August 7, 2010 Tokyo, Japan Marine Stadium - Summersonic Festival August 8, 2010 Osaka, Japan Maishima - Summersonic Festival August 13, 2010 Brisbane, Australia The Tivoli August 14, 2010 Sydney, Australia The Enmore Theater August 15, 2010 Melb...

New feature! Every so often (perhaps never again), I will post a song that I simply can't stop playing of late. NP is short for Now Playing, which is short for me being obsessed with a certain tune.

Mark Olson's a darn busy man. Following his departure from The Jayhawks in 1995, he's released a slew of records under the name The Original Harmony Ridge Creek Dippers, all of which are quite good, the best being 2000s My Own Joe Ellen . In 2007, he released The Salvation Blues , the best record by any member of The Jayhawks outside of The Jayhawks. Just a year later he hopped back into the studio with Jayhawks co-founder Gary Louris for Ready For the Flood , but it's really The Salvation Blues that's proven to be Olson's best work in 15 years. In addition to a new Olson record on the way, The Jayhawks will be playing three shows in Minneapolis this summer. Word of a new record remains up in the air and additional tour dates are unknown, but news of Olson's follow-up to the fantastic The Salvation Blues is great news for fans of any of Olson's projects.

Freedy Johnston is sort of indirectly responsible for the 13+ years I spent working either directly or tangentially in the music business. I'd get into that story here, but it's reserved for my second memoir, to be published in 2014 by Simon & Garfunkel. I'd gather that I probably saw Freedy Johnston about ten times in the 90s. From First Avenue in Minneapolis to stops all over the East Coast, he was one of my favorites of that time. I was hooked on Can You Fly (1992), This Perfect World (1994) and Never Home (1997). And I still play those records regularly. Add in the grossly under-appreciated Right Between the Promises (2001) (which was my favorite record of that year) and this year's Rain on the City , and Freedy has amassed an enormous library of great songs. As far as straightforward singer-songwriters go, he truly is one of the best of the past two decades. In the past decade, I've only seen Freedy maybe once or twice prior to tonight. If you take a lo...

Is Exile on Main Stre et the greatest record ever? It just might be. I'm not sure I can think of a record in my collection that so masterfully mixes rock, soul, blues and just about every passion and emotion that encompasses what makes music drive us. When considering the records that traditionally fall into the "greatest ever" camp, there's The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds , The Beatles' Revolver , The Clash's London Calling , Springsteen's Born To Run , Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited and a bunch of others ( Marquee Moon ). If I attempt to remain as objective as possible, which clearly is impossible for me to do, for straight-ahead rock. and. roll. I would likely go with Exile . Blasting out of the gates with "Rocks Off," the full, in-your-face sound is simply astounding. I can't count the number of times I've been in the car screaming, "The sunshine bores the daylights outta me. Chasing shadows, moonlight mystery" as the horn...

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I was 27 when my grandmother passed away in 2001. Today would have marked her 97th birthday. The only time I've ever seen my mother cry was at her funeral. As we walked towards the church on that afternoon, I was holding my mom's arm as she remained her indomitable self. But as we made our way across the parking lot, she turned to see all of the cars arriving: sisters, nieces, nephews, in-laws, friends, and suddenly, she broke down. My mother remains not only a remarkable mom, but quite possibly my best friend. And my mother's best friend was undoubtedly her mother, Kay Lane. I have photos of my grandmother and grandfather all over my apartment, most courtesy of my incredibly thoughtful aunt, Barbara. My grandfather, who passed away in 1977, reminds me of Woody Guthrie. I'm not really sure why; something about his looks and his way about going through life. I wish I'd gotten to know them more. Despite the passage of time, I still think of them often. Although he...

Yankee Hotel Foxtro t is widely considered Wilco's masterstroke, and by many publications, one of the few classic records of the past decade. While I agree that it's a pretty remarkable artistic achievement (and this is definitely an "art" record of some sort), many of the best tracks from those sessions actually didn't make the final record. To my ears, it's "Heavy Metal Drummer" that keeps Foxtrot from being a perfect record. I know many like it, but I consider it one of Tweedy's weakest songs to date. Fun? Maybe. Suitable for this record? Not a shot. "Laminated Cat" Imagine if they'd scrapped "Drummer" and replaced it with say "Laminated Cat/Not For the Season," a song that oddly found its way onto Tweedy's collaborative effort with Jim O'Rourke, Loose Fur. This song is arguably one of the best songs Tweedy's ever written, and like many of Tweedy's great songs, it was dropped onto a side proje...

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Flirting With Disaster (1996) : B, Pretty good comedy/drama. Easier With Practice (2009) : B-, A peculiar topic delivered pretty well. Deliver Us From Evi l (2006) : A-, One of the more disturbing films I've watched in years. Rear Window (1954) : B+, A classic that didn't quite meet "classic" expectations. Hunger (2008) : A-, A wonderful documentary about a hunger-strike in Ireland. American Heart (1993) : C+, Meh. The Hurt Locker (2009) : B+, Quite good. The Vicious Kind (2008) : D, Not good. A Woman Under the Influence (1974) : B+, Quality Cassavetes. I Love You, Man (2008) : D, Quite crappy. Sugar (2008) : C+, Not nearly as good as the reviews suggest. Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten (2006) : B+, Love.

This week certainly wouldn't make my Top Ten Weeks list. For the past 4-5 days I've been nauseous for a good part of each day, and I'm pretty sure that I'm not pregnant. And somehow, likely either in one of the dog parks or while shooting hoops, I seem to have screwed up my knee. I've never had a knee problem in my life, but something's going on. I tried to fire up some threes yesterday and just couldn't. The little pain in my left knee was resulting in freakin' brick after brick. I'm talking Louis Orr bombs that were drilling side backboard. I called it a day and took Bennett to the park. To me, these are the times that I learn the most. The things that I love take on a deeper and more resonant meaning. For example, listening to the Jim James/Calexico cover of Dylan's "Goin' To Acapulco" sounded so sweet today. And the Thao song "Goodbye Good Luck" makes me very happy. And then I had lunch with a pal today and the convers...

They asked. I deliver. (I believe it's Volume 9 or 10) Like a Hitman, Like a Dancer : A.C. Newman Help Me, Suzanne : Rhett Miller Goin' to Acapulco : Jim James & Calexico Goodbye Good Luck : Thao Town : Richard Buckner (Daytrotter) Scarecrow : Beck Magazine Called Sunset : Wilco 2000 Man : The Rolling Stones Livin' Too Close to the Rio Grande : Freedy Johnston Thank You Friends : Big Star Love of the Loveless : Eels Lafayette : Lucinda Williams Folk Bloodbath : Josh Ritter Rhapsody : Alejandro Escovedo Waiting for the Universe : Pernice Brothers January 6 : The Gourds Across the Great Divide : The Band

Whenever I think of Richard Buckner's lack of recognition, I'm reminded of that Steve Earle line about Townes. You know, "I'd stand on Bob Dylan's coffee table in my cowboy boots and declare that Townes Van Zandt is the greatest songwriter to have ever lived" or something like that. I'm not getting on anyone's coffee table, but I find it baffling that Buckner isn't mentioned among the greats. I guess it shouldn't come as a huge surprise, as many of my favorite songwriters still write (if they're still doing it) under the radar. Folks like Kenny Roby, Brent Best, Damien Jurado and Joe Pernice. I mean, these fellas can write songs right up there with Dylan, Springsteen, Woody and the rest. Richard Buckner should be known. Widely. His debut, Bloomed (1994) is a masterpiece, while his follow-up, Devotion & Doubt (1997), is his masterstroke. That may be saying the same thing, but seriously, they're unbelievable records. Next came Since...

The pup and I went on our few-times-a-week trip to Golden Gate Park this afternoon. We seem to have found our favorite spot out around 41st Avenue where there are less people, lots of trails, and huge open spaces. In usual fashion, once he tires out from me rifling the ball for about 30 minutes, I found time to toss on the iPod and rest in the park while he pummeled his ball. My iPod was playing one gem after another. The biggest stunner was Neil Young's "Ohio," which came streaming through as I considered that today marks 40 years since the Kent State Massacres. This one gave me quite the chill. But it was Jay Bennett's "Survey the Damage" from The Magnificent Defeat that came on for the fourth day in a row. I've grown to love this song, and sitting there in one of my favorite pieces of land on Earth, I was thinking of Jay Bennett and his contributions to the world of music.

Very happy to hear of this. What a beautiful album cover. The Jay Bennett Foundation launches on May 24 on JayBennett.org. On that date, fans can support the JBF by downloading the album Jay was completing at the time of his death. The download of 'Kicking at the Perfumed Air' is free, but donations are accepted and will benefit the foundation or one of its partner charities. 'Kicking at the Perfumed Air' will also be available to purchase as a CD and LP via the site on July 10, with a percentage of the proceeds going to the Foundation.

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