Blog Posts

What a year. From The Inauguration to The Oscars to my tenth New York City Marathon, no previous loop around the sun has been more jam-packed with mind-blowing moments. I played the Iowa State Fair, contributed a song to The Nadas “Crystalline” compilation, and helped raise four grand (and counting) for 826NYC with “A Holiday…

I woke early — too early — on account of a message from my younger self. Well, not exactly. It was 29-year-old singer/songwriter Casey Shea (nearly ten years my junior) texting me in the small hours of the morning as he sauntered home from a rock show on the Lower East Side (as I have…

I accrued 49,000 AAdvantage miles this year. Not Ryan Bingham numbers, to be sure. But enough to get myself to Puerto Rico and back (if I could only find available departure dates). His is a familiar world: the poetic geometry of the Midwest from 30,000 feet, the satisfaction of finding one’s name on the Hertz…

These days, I mostly listen to music while walking to work, or running around the city. Not surprisingly, then, I tend towards songs that psyche me up to deal with the chaos of things: stress, noise, pain. Heck, maybe we all do. Much as I try to keep up with Pitchfork, the flavor of the…

I saw Oasis perform at Radio City Music Hall in May, 2000. Truth is, I was there to see openers Travis, but the Gallagher Bros. guitar assault was impressive and infectious. That night, after the show, I unwittingly cribbed a song title from Noel. “Live Forever” was released years later as the second track on…

Twelve hours from now, “A Holiday Benefit, Vol. 3” will be in full swing at Pianos! Which is a good thing; I don’t think I have the energy to do yesterday over. I tucked all sorts of small tasks into my already busy day at The MTV: gathering 826NYC materials, a final email to all…