Autumn Souvenir

It's been a long time since Bruce Springsteen has released a true classic. Some would say the last was 1992's Lucky Town , while others would move the calendar back to 1987's Tunnel of Love or even 1984's monster hit Born in the USA . Springsteen's bar is obviously very high, given that he's released some of the best records in the history of rock n' roll. Born To Run , Darkness on the Edge of Town and Nebraska  (not to mention The River and The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle ) could all fall within a reputable top ten all-time list (well, mine at least). Since reforming the E Street Band, it's been a bit of a mixed bag. The Rising and Devils & Dust were both solid, while his last two, 2007's Magic and 2009's Working on a Dream , had a handful of very good songs, but didn't live up to Springsteen's bar. These recent fumbles, plus the loss of E Street legends Danny Federici and Clarence Clemons, made some of e...

In the seven or so years since I've been blogging, the past few months have likely been the quietest. Work plus new responsibilities has narrowed my available writing time to almost zero. Instead of trying to find time to post the random inspiration, I will now focus on less but more substantive posts: full record and movie reviews, more "Over the Wires" interviews and so forth. To get things back on track, this weekend I will review Bruce Springsteen's 17th studio album "Wrecking Ball."

Springsteen releases arguably his best record in at least twenty years. Two of my musical heroes, Will Johnson and Jay Farrar, are joined by Anders Parker and Yim Yames, for a memorable night celebrating not just Woody Guthrie but their own marks on music.

The Modern Lovers : The Modern Lovers Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians : Fegmania! Damien Jurado : Maraqopa Jay Farrar, Will Johnson, Anders Parker & Yim Yames : New Multitudes Gram Parsons & The Fallen Angels : Live 1973

The Soft Boys / Underwater Moonlight Low / I Could Live in Hope Marvin Gaye / What's Going On Bruce Springsteen / We Shall Overcome

I was in college when Nirvana hit it big. But I never really got the scene or sound. I'd roll my eyes at parties as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, STP and others were blasting off the walls. I would find my way to the CD player and slide in some Neil Young or Springsteen. This would result in an entire room of eye rolling, save me. I clearly remember the moment I heard about Cobain's death. I was sitting shotgun heading down Comm. Ave outside of Boston making our way into the city. As we heard the news, as most college kids would do, we scratched our plans, picked up a few cases of beer and headed back to the apartment and blasted Nirvana all day. I held back the eye-rolling given the news. I didn't dislike Nirvana; I just didn't buy into it all. A few months ago, while scouring the Amoeba stacks, I came upon the Sub Pop 10" Nevermind box set. For some reason (nostalgia, perhaps?), I decided to drop the $50+ for the set. And since that day, no band has been played more on ...