Autumn Souvenir

There are certain moments, or maybe days, that seem to put things in perspective. More often than not, we're not exactly looking or reaching for that moment, but somehow it grabs a hold and we gather something. If we're lucky, we can make some sense of these often fleeting pinches of time. But usually an explanation is lost in the same way that one loses that dream within a moment of opening one's eyes. Yesterday morning I hopped on the highway and traveled south about three hours down Highway 1. I hadn't been to Big Sur since January 1 of 2005, but this visit was more for the music than for the beautiful scenery, though I was certain that both would play a part. When I arrived at the Henry Miller Library grounds, I was struck by the beauty of this tiny corner of Big Sur. Lying deep below a surrounding mountain, the library is tiny, but rests on a small grassy area that provided the setting for the music. The first few acts were ok, but as the sun slid behind the mounta...

When It Began - The Replacements

This is just terrifying. Sarah Palin makes George Bush look like Abe Lincoln. Seriously, John McCain's selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate should immediately and without question end his chances of winning the White House. It baffles my mind that Barack Obama isn't leading every single state by an average of 75% points.

**I am going to keep this post atop for a few days as I try and add more** Some of the bands I've seen over the years: wilco, bruce springsteen, def leppard, the gourds, centro-matic, south san gabriel, the jayhawks, golden smog, trailer trash, slobberbone, jens lekman, tesla, genesis, david byrne, cowboy mouth, junior brown, blue mountain, bottle rockets, marah, god street wine, slint, health & happiness show, son volt, steve earle, ben folds five, cracker, daniel johnston, mia, the emeralds, noodles, fleetwood mac, elliott smith, phish, grateful dead, strangefolk, neil young, m. ward, richard buckner, peter bruntnell, the strokes, guided by voices, the autumn defense, jay bennett & ed burch, dr. dog, the white stripes, whiskeytown, frog holler, waco brothers, pernice brothers, mendoza line, lambchop, black angels, kevin salem, joe henry, world party, my morning jacket, tom petty, jimmy buffett, fleet foxes, cold war kids, eef barzelay, apollo sunshine, september 67, chuck...

Okkervil River : The Stand Ins Jagjaguwar, 2008

I didn't make it out Saturday, but given Sunday's experience, this festival has taken a major dip in its sophomore year. Not only was the lineup quite weak, but the small touches that made last year so wonderful were absent. Last year's VIP purchase brought you to a backstage area that included pool tables, a long and cozy bar, buckets of fruit and various games. In this year's VIP area you had a bar. Last year's concession stands were chock-full-of vegetarian and locally grown foods. This year my only option was a wrap filled with lettuce and tomatoes. But there was one major highlight and that was Austin's Okkervil River. I've been a fan of Okkervil for some years, but their latest two records, The Stege Names and The Stand Ins (released last week), have placed this band among the most important acts making music today. And today's set in the middle of a Sunday on a small island in San Francisco, was one of the most inspired sets of music I've se...