Posts Tagged ‘Rock & Roll’
R.E.M. Accelerate: A First Listen
The day job affords me the occasional perk: random Paramount Picture DVDs, semi-annual trips to Park City, access to Lollapalooza’s scrappy craft services tent. In general, though, mine’s a desk job. I write email all day. Today, though, provided a brief respite from the usual. For fifteen minutes this afternoon, I was fifteen-years-old again. Record…
Read MoreTaking Requests
Ok, so when we spoke last, I was talking about this “Magic Mountain EP” idea of mine. Remember? Right! That five-song, online-only recording I wrote about yesterday. The one Chris Abad and I are going to knock out this weekend somewhere between snowboarding and beer pong. Yeeeaaah! That one. So lemme’ restate the premise: I…
Read MoreComing Soon: The Magic Mountain EP
Magic Mountain Ski Resort near Londonberry, Vermont, is — if my pal, singer/songwriter Chris Abad’s description is correct — “the slacker’s Okemo.” Chris and his wife, Megan, invited Abbi and I to join them there next weekend. “It’s an awesome place for drinking beer, skiing, board games, cooking, writing music, etc,” he said. “Any interest?”…
Read MoreAn Open Letter To The Residents Of Des Moines, Iowa
Dear Jason, Stephanie, et all: My trip to The Greatest City In The World is all set! It’s a quick hit, but if last years trip was any indication, thirty-one hours in “The Hartford of the West” should be about all my liver can take. That is, assuming that whole “In like a lion, out…
Read MoreHide & Seek: A Consideration Of REM & U2
In the fall of 1987, two scrappy rock bands stood poised for world domination. REM’s fifth release, “Document,” catapulted the band from college rock staples to mainstream mainstays. The band’s Top 10 hit, “The One I Love,” cracked the top ten. The album went platinum, paving the way for a five-album, $80M Warner Bros. deal.…
Read MoreGrammy! 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…
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