Archive for February 2008
Grammy! Grammy! Grammy!
Last weekend, I live blogged Superbowl XLII. Tonight, I bring your The Grammys from the cozy confines of my office twenty-nine stories above Times Square. 8:00 – “It’s Grammys 50th Birthday, and everyone’s coming to the party.” Nothing puts asses in seats like two minutes of black & white television. 8:02 – Ooouuuch, Alicia Keys…
Read MoreWith Or Without You
The release of “U23D” has prompted a wave of quips about how even a 70mm IMAX screen can’t hold Bono’s oversized ego. I dragged my pal Brian to a screening on Thursday night, my second. Once again, what struck me wasn’t its size, volume, or depth (though all remain impressive, especially in front of a…
Read MoreRunnin’ With The Devil
The very first rock show I ever played was Conestoga Senior High School’s Jamfest. The year was 1987. I was a sixteen-year-old junior in high school. With just a few months of rehearsals in drummer Wako Iwasaki’s basement, my band, Neoteric Youth, was performing its very first show. We prepared a fistful of disparate covers…
Read MoreGiving Up The Ghost
Who are these ghosts, really? Whence we last saw The Midwest’s Favorite Sons, The Nadas, co-frontmen Mike Butterworth and Jason Walsmith and I were hanging backstage at Philadelphia’s World Cafe. The boys were seeding a new venue while road testing a few new tunes. They had shared demos for their forthcoming record with me just…
Read MoreHere Comes Your Man – Video
In the fall of my sophomore year, I hung three fliers that read: Seeking: Bass, Guitar, Drums Influences: REM, U2, Police Call: Ben 315-412-8735 The advert was posted on three key bulletin boards on campus: The Schine Student Center, Crouse College of Music, and School of Visual & Performing Arts.The boards were selected for their…
Read MoreYes We Can
It’s important to be open to possibility in life, and certainly in politics. Moreover, two parties a democracy does not make. So I’m a registered Independent. This choice means that today, in New York, I can’t vote. Which is kind of bogus, but it’s the rule. And so I will sit patiently in my office,…
Read MoreSuperbad
Chris and Meg invited us to a Superbowl party at The Irish Rogue. I don’t know much about football, but I sure like wings. Here are my notes from the most raucous affair. 6:15- Jordan Sparks. Fine singer. I like her well enough. Even if she’s lip synching. But the whole cut to the troops…
Read MoreThe Answer Comes With Waiting
I just jammed myself, my guitar, tuner, mic, laptop, MBox, headphones, and patch cords into a closet along with 172 suits, sport coats, dresses, dress shirts, sweaters and shoes, and — after an hour of trying to shape a few song ideas into songs — tumbled out to the crash of a tamborine. Frustrating. My…
Read MoreThe Invention Of Everything Else
Inspiration is a funny thing; it comes from unusual sources at unusual times. Tuesday morning was cold and clear. I cued up the “On The Media” podcast on the way to the office. The show featured author Samantha Hunt whose biography of Nicola Tesla, “The Invention of Everything Else,” just hit shelves. ‘The Invention of…
Read MoreSending Out An S.O.S, Part II
Remember that post a few days ago about that You Tube video that used my cover “Message In A Bottle” for its soundtrack? Well, I’ve heard from its creator, Sandra (aka Exoticat). Here’s the story: “I was searching for music for a film short around the idea of a message in a bottle and love…
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