Benefit gigs are great for a few reasons: they raise lots of money, and hopefully a good chunk of that flows to the designated charity; they bring together disparate artists that may […]
Deep Cuts: Best Of Benefit Albums
79. No One Will Guide You Through Armagideon Time
“Hey, you’re a little headbanger. Want these?” I handed Sherri’s little brother my 8-track collection: KISS, AC/DC, Ted Nugent, Cheap Trick, Black Sabbath. “Why, what’s wrong with them?” “Nothing. I’m just not […]
Congratulations Kelly and Tomas
Last week I posted the doodle to your left, which was the cover I did for my high school’s literary magazine in the mid-eighties. When I found it in the attic my […]
Deep Cuts: Daisy Petal Pickin’
Tres Hermanas in Sacramento, California’s Midtown District is to Mexican food what the Sistine Chapel is to men in drag and funny hats — it just doesn’t get any better. The place has […]
From The Stacks: The Kid Inside and Chestnut Street Incident
Johnny Cougar/John Cougar/John “Cougar” Mellencamp/John Mellencamp made three — three — albums before the sort-of-self-titled John Cougar, which most people think of as his first album. There’s nothing really unusual about that — […]
Gillian Welch Signs On For Calgary Folk Music Festival
My love for American roots music isn’t exactly a secret, be it bluegrass, blues, hillbilly, gospel, folk, or country up to and including the Nashville Sound. In previous pieces I’ve mentioned Doc […]
78. But Ain’t That America
So I had a new job thanks to my new friend, Alex, who was kind enough to lie to Steve The Manager on my behalf. And I had another friend at Camelot, […]
From the Stacks: Crown of Creation
Crown of Creation was Jefferson Airplane’s fourth album, released in 1968. It did well, reaching number six in the US. It’s hippy-dippy, dated, doesn’t really hold up, but that’s not what grabs […]
Patti Smith At The Mondavi Center, 05/08/12
The vineyard is just to the right once I exit the freeway. I see a jack rabbit with impossibly long ears milling about, but by the time I park the Mobile Music […]
Deep Brushstrokes: Guess The Plagiarism, Win A Doodle
I found this in a box in my attic. It’s the original artwork that I did for the cover of my high school’s literary magazine. I don’t know if it was a […]
