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50 Albums
For the last year, I’ve written about an album or so a week in my newsletter. Like most aging hipsters, sometimes it seems as if I only listen to jazz and the Dead, so it was nice to revisit many of these. Not necessarily a top 50, but albums that at least one time or…
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Tiny Desks
A behind-the-scenes look at the long running NPR segment: “What began in 2008 as a humble, stripped-back performance series for NPR’s blog has grown into a global phenomenon, with unforgettable sets from stars like Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny, Dua Lipa, and more. Despite its viral fame, the heart of Tiny Desk remains the same: a…
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U.S. Blues
“In Jerry Garcia’s original nearly five hour edit of the Grateful Dead Movie, he had the film opening with Uncle John’s Band. A wonderful track, with a terrific performance filmed during the five night run (and later released as Bonus Track on the DVD in 2004), but it didn’t have the weight of movie’s opening…
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My local record store posted a ton of Miles that had just arrived on Instagram.
I think I was there exactly seven minutes later.
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Spotify Wrapped and 15 Years of Listening
Down a bit from last year, mostly due to vinyl consumption. Apparently in my jazz era. Still a punk at heart, though. Also, as of today, Last.fm has been tracking music I’ve listened to on my computer and phone for fifteen years. Looking at the top artists, I’d say not necissarily the right order, but…
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Joey Ramone would have been 73 today.
(Photo by Howard Barlow) As heard on Little Steven’s Underground Garage: The renaissance had come and gone. It ended with either Who’s Next in August, ’71, or The Rolling Stones’ Exile on Main St., May of ’72. You can argue all night about which record began the renaissance, but nobody’s going to argue that starting…
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The Creative Act: A Way of Being
“All that matters is that you are making something you love, to the best of your ability, here and now.” Was hoping for a few real world examples from Rubin’s illustrious music career, but this is still an inspiring book on the creative process. Here is something I need to remember: “Living life as an…
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20 Years Ago I Was At Coachella
So were the then recently-reunited Pixies, whom I interviewed. And Air, also interviewed. And Tommy Lee, whom I had a drink with in the VIP lounge. Which is where I also Mike Watt. And Fred Schneider. And Wayne Coyne, who would debut the Space Bubble the next evening. And Kraftwerk, who I managed to get…
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Recently Read
Two massive tomes I finally conquered: The Stand and The Pale King. Wouldn’t necessarily recommend either but I am glad I read both. Of course I love reading about movies. After making a list of my favorite (read: not the ones I think are the best) films, I realized two filmmakers had four films on…
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From The Journal of Kurt Cobain, Gone 30 Years Ago Today
Don’t let your opinions obstruct the aforementioned list.
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Amoeba Music, San Fransisco
Didn’t actually pick up any tapes, but did fill my bag with jazz records: Weather Report’s self-titled debut, The Jazz Experiments of Charles Mingus, Tomorrow Is the Question! The New Music of Ornette Coleman! and Alice Coltrane’s Journey in Satchidananda.
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Days Between
Since seeing Dead and Co. in Colorado last month, the Grateful Dead have been in heavy rotation since. Perfect summer music. Since we are now in what Dead Head’s call “The Days Between” (the days between Garcia‘s birthday and the date of his passing), if you’ve never listened, I think their run from ’70 to…
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I believe RetroDuck truly made it once we could be found in an annotation on Genius.
I like the song, but might be biased.
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Best Debut Albums
I know I just mentioned him, but longtime music critic Steven Hyden recently ranked 100 debut albums for your reading pleasure. Some that stood out to me: The Go-Go’s, Beauty And The Beat (1981): “This band is in the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall Of Fame, and this album is 90 percent of the reason why.”…
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Round Midnight (1986)
I often want to live in films, but seldom ones this dour. But jazz clubs in the 50s, that’s my love language. Especially when it’s shot this beautifully, this dreamy. The faux-Paris streets at night are as out of this world as the soundtrack. Round Midnight unfolds so nonchalantly, there’s almost no exposition. Things just…
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The Beatles and Productivity
I spent all of the Sunday after Thanksgiving watching Get Back, arguably not the most productive way to spend a day. But The Beatles’ productivity stuck with me, months and months later. Unsurprising, their staggering output is undeniable proof of just how productive they were in such a short period of time. Former journalist Tom…