Autumn Souvenir

Sometime in early 2002, I stopped by a friend's house in Brooklyn and with that grin of anticipation he immediately tossed on an advance copy of a new CD. Just a few songs in, I had no idea who I was listening to. "Who is this?" I asked. "Josh Rouse," he said firmly, knowing where the conversation was headed. "Wait, the guy who opened for Son Volt a few years ago? I bought his first record but I can't say...." "But what about this?" he fired back. "Pretty damn good." And thus began my four year love affair with everything Rouse released. From 2002 - 2005, Josh Rouse may very well have been the most consistent recording artist going. Under Cold Blue Stars , 1972 and Nashville are all great records with the middle record being his masterstroke. I still credit the song "Rise" with playing a large part in my move from New York to San Francisco. "Catch the last ride on the Brooklyn train / Thirty years old and nothin

Back in 1995, the Scud Mountain Boys shared a bill at Tramps in NYC with Blue Mountain and Wilco. This is one of those shows my friends and I still talk about pretty much daily. I never saw the Scuds again as they soon turned into The Pernice Brothers. I went on to see Wilco about 50 times and Blue Mountain about 20. Despite many Pernice shows, my favorite Joe Pernice moment took place on the F Train in Brooklyn. I was heading into the city one Saturday, and across from me sat Joe, wearing a Smiths t-shirt. Our fashion senses similar, I was wearing an Uncle Tupelo tee. We seemed to look at each other a few times, awkwardly. As I stood up to depart at Houston, I nervously said, "Hey Joe." He didn't hear me. A few nights ago, Joe Pernice played a number of Scuds songs while on a mini East Coast tour. Rumor has it that a short tour with the entire original band will take place in December.

When I look at back at some of my favorite shows, very rarely do I think of the actual vocals. It's usually a combination of the energy from the stage, the people I'm with and the words and spirit of the songs. But this morning, as I walked to grab some morning breakfast, R.E.M.'s perfect cover of Richard and Linda Thompson's "Wall of Death" came on the iPod. I listened four times in a row. Like many R.E.M. songs, Michael Stipe's vocals on this track are damn near magical. And it brought me back to the few shows when I was mostly moved by the vocals. And there are two that stand out, both in New York, separated by about a decade. I think it was 2000 when my friend Lisa and I went down to the Mercury Lounge to see Ryan Adams. Fresh into his solo career, I still longed for Whiskeytown, one of my favorite bands of the 90s. Adams sat in the small room before 200 or so people with nothing but a guitar and a notebook. He sang almost all new songs, some from hi

Backed by Tim O'Reagan, Razz Russell, Eric Heywood and Jim Boquist. This may be the greatest supergroup ever formed in the history of the planet.

4:38 will forever remain one of the most exhilarating live moments I've ever witnessed.

Some (everyone?) may find this odd, but when I see one of my all-time favorite records in a bargain bin, despite already having the record in multiple formats, I buy it. For some reason, I just can't bear the thought of say Springsteen's Nebraska adorned with a $1.99 sticker. While browsing Amoeba last weekend, I walked away with not one, but three CDs that I already own. One of those was Richard Buckner's Devotion & Doubt , a record that's sat firmly amongst my favorite records since its release in 1997. In terms of songwriting, I'd argue that it just might be the best written record of the past 30 years. "A Goodbye Rye," "4am," "Song of 27".....these songs come directly from places and depths that upon first few listen seem not only distant but unknown. But upon repeat listens, the words start to make sense. And whatever your understanding, if you give this record time, the emotional gifts are nearly endless. So.....if you

Some of the greatest rock n' roll footage ever.

Of all the Wilco lineups, this was my favorite.

There are about 40-50 videos on YouTube that I can watch again and again and again. Over the next 11 years, I will feature those videos here. And of them all, this is likely the one I've watched the most. There's something about Watt's chuckle at 2:32 that somehow sums up the spirit of this absolutely amazing band.