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  • 186. Lies Lies Lies Yeah

    The graphic design firm where Michael worked was located on downtown Los Angeles’s Traction Avenue. I’d never ventured downtown, much less on a Friday night. On the way I passed the Atomic Cafe and Al’s Bar, two famous hangouts from the original L.A. punk scene. I passed the Museum of Neon Art, too.

  • Sammy Hagar, Lake Tahoe 08/16/14

    Sammy Hagar doesn’t throw a concert so much as a party. His loyal fans, or Redheads, follow the Red Rocker to wherever he’s serving up his good time rock and roll, which made his stop at Harvey’s in Lake Tahoe something of a reunion for the fans crowding the front row. Visitors from Massachusetts, New…

  • On My Turntable: TeamMate-Goldmine

    Let’s shortcut the review portion of this: If you like synth pop, you’re going to dig this one. Even when the songs are heavy they’re light—happy beats, bright vocals, and crisp production. “Don’t Count Me Out” is a great example:

  • From The Stacks: The Kinks-Arthur (Press Kit)

    This might not be the coolest thing in my stacks, but if it isn’t it’s damn close.

  • Throw Beck Thursday: Why We Care About Celebrity Deaths

    Originally posted in June 2011. Andrew Gold passed away a couple of days ago.  Cancer, age fifty-nine.  Only fifteen years older than me. I don’t really know much about the guy other than two of his songs are synonymous with bright, happy, sunshine Seventies pop,.  He  had good hair and a good beard and nicely…

  • Deep Cuts: 1988-89

    Late 1988/early 1989 was a brilliant time musically, hair metal and Rick Astley aside.

  • 185. It’s A Lot Like Life

    Tony and I sat in the cab of his pickup eating Egg McMuffins and slouching toward Pasadena. We were on our way to television star Della Bryce’s house, a beautiful 1930s era mansion that she shared with husband and fellow TV star, Jerry McKinney.

  • Creedence Clearwater Revisited, Lincoln California 08/09/14

    If you’re going to see Creedence Clearwater Revisited, you can’t pick a better scenario than a warm summer night beneath a full moon. That’s when the strange, swampy juju of CCR is at its most powerful, or at least it was last night at Lincoln, California’s Thunder Valley Casino. Original rhythm section Stu Cook and…

  • 38 Special, Lincoln California, 08/09/14

    I’d forgotten just how big 38 Special was during the 1980s, but their hit-packed set at Lincoln’s Thunder Valley Casino quickly remedied that. From opener “Rockin’ Into the Night” through encore “Hold On Loosely” front man Don Barnes led the crowd through a 5,000 person sing along. If you’re my age, these guys are an…

  • On My Turntable: Dog Fashion Disco – Sweet Nothings

    This is a weird fucking record, and I say that with love and respect.