Autumn Souvenir

I learned about this record while reading an interview with Jay Bennett a number of years back. It's come to be one of my favorite records. Simply stunning.

Saturday 11am : Kelly Willis 1205pm : Jonathan Richman feat. Tommy Larkins 230pm : Steve Earle / Robert Earl Keen / John Doe / David Olney 330pm : Richard Thompson 420pm : Gillian Welch 545pm : Steve Earle & The Bluegrass Dukes Sunday 11am : Lucero 1155am : Peter Himmelman 145pm : Earl Scruggs 205pm : Randy Newman 305pm : Elvis Costello & The Sugarcanes 440pm : Nick Lowe & His Band 545pm : Emmylou Harris

Incredibly uncomfortable look w/Dave Bielanko @ The Pontiac, Philly, 10.31.98 From 1998-1999, Marah were the greatest rock n' roll band in the world (my apologies to Slobberbone, The Gourds and about 90 other incredible bands from this time). I used to drive from New York to Philly about once a month to hang with Maggie, Frank, Brendan, Second Frank, Jerry, Donny Pizza Sauce and many who I haven't seen in close to a decade. When the original rhythm section left, they took a tiny step back, but still maintained the spirit. Here they are in 2000 in Toronto.

Having lived on this block for four-plus years, I now know a good portion of the residents by first name. This must say something about San Francisco. I lived in Brooklyn for six years and in terms of my block, I think I knew my landlord, the guy who torched the adjacent building by falling asleep while chaining Winstons and my girlfriend (who lived with me). There's this one fella who I see every now and then who just looks like he clearly has EPs from one end of his apartment to the next. He was one of the neighbors I knew by face. This morning, while talking to a pal who was on his way to his job at the Chronicle, EP guy strolled by wearing a Feelies t-shirt. I hate to be one of those guys, but c'mon, a Feelies t-shirt? One hour later, we'd covered Luna, The Wrens, Teenage Fanclub, Yankee Stadium, Maxwell's in Hoboken, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, his dislike of Wilco (near full nelson), Minneapolis, Chicago, Blonde Redhead, touring, Absolutely Kosher Records, The J...

There were probably about twenty of us in the hotel room. It must have been close to 4am, just a few hours after The Drams wrapped their set on the 18th floor of the Hilton. We were in Austin, Texas for what very well may have been my final South by Southwest. As we downed one Tecate after another, I decided to declare that Drams lead singer/songwriter is "a better songwriter than Paul Westerberg." I stand by that statement, but Brent, who was in the room, along with many of his rabid fans and friends, kinda laughed it off. I think I repeated the statement time and again and challenged everyone, Brent included, to dispute what I clearly considered fact. Man I had a rough hangover the following day. Brent recorded four albums from 1996-2002 with his first band, Slobberbone, the highlights being 1997's Barrel Chested and 2000's fantastic Everything You Thought Was Right Was Wrong Today . In early 2005, Slobberbone played their final show. A few months prior, they'd...

It's almost as if they never existed. A search of this phenomenal band returns just about nothing. It seems as if I check YouTube every few months hoping for something to surface. A few very rough videos have actually landed, but they don't do this band justice. When I think of The Damnations TX, I think of the Athens, Georgia band The Possibilities. I mean, they have nothing in common, and don't even sound alike, but I've created some sort of mental connection. I don't know, I guess they're just two more bands that I think should've made it. I loved The Possibilities, but they weren't as good as The Damnations (they later had to add TX since some other band had the name). I saw both bands just once, The Possibilities at The Baggot Inn in New York and The Damnations at South By Southwest. The Possibilities were better live. But The Possibilities didn't release a record as good as The Damnations' 1998 debut Half Mad Moon . It's Car Wheels on a...