Autumn Souvenir

The lyrics to The Minutemen's "History Lesson - Part II" represent some of my favorite lines in music. From San Pedro, D. and Watt playing guitars, and yes, that band that could be your life, I guess this isn't really a "punk rock" Minutemen song, but to me, it sure feels punk rock. And then D. Boon sings, "Mr. Narrator, this is Bob Dylan to me. My story could be his songs" and I think of the songs that have shaped my world. To my ears and core, many of my favorite songwriters are Bob Dylan to me, just as D. said. And every single time I hear that line I think of the enormous list of songwriters who may not hit the masses, but write songs that indeed have changed my life. Soon I will begin writing about these songwriters in a little feature I'll call "Bob Dylan To Me." our band could be your life real names'd be proof me and mike watt played for years punk rock changed our lives we learned punk rock in hollywood drove up from pedr

Remember that scene in High Fidelity when Cusack tosses on "Dry the Rain" by the Beta Band and predicts the reaction throughout the store? If not, see below. Well, any record nerd knows that feeling. I had just that experience last week in Amoeba, an experience that happens about 1/2 the times I visit the store. As I was sifting through the $1 CD bins, suddenly a track came on. I thought I recognized the singer, but not the song. "Wait, this is Vic Chesnutt," I thought. I was distracted. In a good way. The song just got better and better. I looked around the store and saw a number of people bobbing their heads. I knew that I didn't own every Chesnutt record and had to immediately find out the record in question. As I do all the time, I casually walked by the "Information" desk to see the "Now Playing" CD. It was Vic Chesnutt's About to Chok e. I headed straight for the C's. Nothing. "Man, what a song," I kept thinking. I le

"It is here in Big Sur that I first learned to say Amen." -Henry Miller

Townes Van Zandt was a Texas man. I can't say for sure, but I'd be willing to bet that he never made it to Big Sur. Nevertheless, every time I find myself down here, I can often listen to nothing but Townes. He always comes first, and at least tonight, it's been nothing but him. I've listened to the entire Anthology and I'm now midway through Delta Momma Blues . To me, Big Sur is Townes. And Townes is Big Sur. My last trip to Big Sur was in December of 2009. Since that trip, so much has changed in my life that I thought things down here might feel different. But they don't. Better, perhaps. I'm actually staying at the same bunch of cabins as I did in '09. I'm just across the road this time, next to Highway 1 instead of the river. Not as serene, but just as beautiful. On the drive down, it was The White Album and Matthew Ryan's May Day . I stopped at a Seven Eleven and bought my first pair of sunglasses since Austin in 2000. I can't find tha

Until viewing the downright embarrassing The Kids Are All Righ t, I would have said that anything including Mark Ruffalo would be my favorite genre of movies. Although I could now possibly go with anything starring Ryan Gossling, I'm actually going to run with music documentaries. And although I love Gimme Shelter , The Last Waltz and other better-known "leaders" of the genre, I'd have to say that I've had a growing love for documentaries on the smaller acts. There's something about diving into life on the road that holds a charm and resilience that I truly admire. Recent favorites include documentaries on Roky Erickson, Low, Joe Strummer and Luna. Here's author Jonathan Franzen on the upcoming documentary on The Mekons:

It's truly remarkable how the best leaders can cut through all the distractions and rivalries and put us at ease. Last night, President Obama did just that. With a national tragedy swiftly turning into a vicious political war, our president spoke for thirty minutes, and at least for me, maybe just for a time, ended the feuding. Instead of feeling anger and fatigue at the pundits and blowhards, President Obama allowed me to remember the good in us and the reality of what we lost in Tucson last weekend. It's often too rare that we feel gratitude not only towards one another, but towards those who serve the public. When the president closed his notebook and stepped off the stage last night, I felt not only pride, but calm. Despite disagreeing with him from time-to-time, not for a moment do I doubt the man's character, intellect and humility. In such turbulent times, I feel extremely fortunate to have this man as our leader. And if you disagree with me, after listening to our p

Masterful. I can't imagine a better speech given the sadness, confusion and vitriol that this tragedy has brought on.

In many ways, this feels like the aftermath of 9/11. I can't quite explain why, but there are parallels in the emotions that I'm feeling; emotions that I have to force myself to hold back. There's a part of me that wants to kick, scream and shout. Then a moment later it all falls back and it's sadness. It's the same mix of feelings I had while standing on Lexington Avenue the night of 9/11. Without a car in sight, I looked down the long avenue and saw but one woman, sitting on the curb, sobbing. It's that same helpless and confused feeling I felt while riding the subway back to Brooklyn early in the morning of September 12th. Strangely, almost exactly the same. No, I don't know if this psychopath was at all influenced by the likes of Beck, Limbaugh, O'Reilly and Palin, but honestly, I'm not sure it even matters. Just like the Taliban and Al Qaeda, many of these folks use religion and fear of progress to back their hate, insecurity and thirst to destr

One of my favorite scenes in any music documentary...

Amoeba certainly has a far superior selection, but Rasputin definitely has the better prices. Bobby Bare Jr. From the End of Your Leash $6 Robyn Hitchcock & the Venus 3 Ole! Tarantula $10 Apollo Sunshine Katonah $6 The Handsome Family Honey Moon $10 Apollo Sunshine Apollo Sunshine $10 Barbara Manning & The Go-Luckys You Should Know By Now $4 Oh My Little Darling Folk Song Types $4

2010 was one of the weakest years for new music in a long, long time. I mean, most people had records by The Arcade Fire, The National and LCD Soundsystem atop their lists, and all three released their worst records in '10. They were good records, sure, but to land near the top of so many annual lists was proof that the year didn't have a whole lot to offer. The advantage of such a light year is that 2011 could be a massive year for new releases. By my count, we could very well see new records from the following: Wilco, Bruce Springsteen, Slobberbone, Centro-matic, Okkervil River, M. Ward, Beck, The Jayhawks, Blind Pilot, Jens Lekman, Low, The Feelies, Bonnie "Prince" Billy, The Strokes, and many more. In other words, bands and artists that make good music.

Mugabe and the White African (via Netflix): B+ Very strong documentary on a white farmer living in Zimbabwe under the Mugabe dictatorship. Low: You May Need a Murderer (via DVD): B+ Wonderful music documentary. Worth seeing even if you don't know Low's music. The Fighter (via theatre): C- The writing borders on awful. The scenes in the ring are strong, though not very believable. Likely the worst performances I've seen by Wahlberg and Bale, the latter being almost impossible to watch by movie's end. Weeds (via Netflix, Season 1, Episode 1): Inc. With Arrested Development complete, I turned to Weeds. I couldn't make it through the first episode. Arrested Development (via Netflix): A- Gob is an all-timer for me. I can't think of the chicken dance without bursting out in laughter. An Education (via Netflix): B Superb acting, but the story gets a little silly as it progresses. ....Next: Blue Valentine

About time I get a copy for the turntable.

Dave has been my closest pal since we were about ten. Our passions shifted from sports to music at almost the exact same time. In 1995 or so, after feeding him drink after drink in a Boston pub, I convinced him to take the stage and cover Son Volt's "Windfall" before a crowd of about 100. A good buddy of mine ended up in tears. In 1999, he sent me a few demos that he'd been working on in Connecticut. Since that day, I've been pleading with him to complete an album. Someday those efforts will pay off. He shot this in one take one afternoon in Brooklyn.