Heavy-hearted in the Midwest since 2011
4th of July was always a holiday as a kid where I wasn’t quite sure what I was celebrating. We didn’t put out decorations, or have some special family meal where the grandparents came over and we carved a bird. There was no religious connotations with the 4th. We weren’t celebrating veterans like Memorial Day, […]
Read More “How great to be American and something else as well”It’s been a busy week. Tuesday I had an early doctor appointment in Fort Wayne to have a CTA, which is a CT scan of my heart. They run a contrast dye into my blood, which is the weirdest sensation as you feel this warmth go over your whole body. It only lasts about a […]
Read More Keeping A Family Tradition AliveThe L.A. musical quintet known as SML have had a couple incredibly productive years. The band -which includes Josh Johnson(sax), Anna Butterss(bass), Jeremiah Chiu(electronics), Booker Stardrum(drums), and Gregory Uhlmann(guitar)- have given new spark and excitement to the world of improvisational music. Their 2024 debut, Small Medium Large, was built with these jumpy, kinetic tracks that […]
Read More SML : Spontaneous Music LiveMan, I’ve missed my walks. Walking was always two things for me; one it was obviously for my physical health. I was never an athlete, unless you count backyard Badminton. I was a very physical Badminton player. But then following it up with a 64 oz Mountain Dew and a Jeno’s frozen pizza pretty much […]
Read More walks are therapyI had to do a double take when I saw that there was a brand new Yes album out in the year of our Lord 2026. Yes, the prog rock Grandfathers that started -along with Genesis, King Crimson, Soft Machine- prog rock.Yes came out of the late 60s British rock scene to show those pesky […]
Read More Yes : AuroraWhen you’re an ex-Beatle and 84-years old I suppose you can do pretty much whatever you want. Paul McCartney is still hitting arenas playing in front of thousands of adoring fans, all coming from different generations. From great-grandfathers and great-grandmothers to great-grandsons and granddaughters. And given the fact that the man is old enough to […]
Read More Paul McCartney : The Boys of Dungeon LaneJeff Parker comes across as lowkey, almost sleepy in his guitar delivery. The jazz guitarist has traveled many music miles over the last 20 years; as a member of the post-rock/experimental outfit Tortoise, sought-after collaborator for artists like Makaya McCraven, Rob Mazurek and most recently Flea, as well as a steady flow of masterful solo […]
Read More Jeff Parker ETA IVtet : Happy TodayI always felt like Mike Campbell was Tom Petty’s secret weapon. Petty took the spotlight for sure, as he was the music scholar in the band. He took his love of bands like The Beatles, Bob Dylan, The Byrds and so many others and turned it into a lifelong music career. Borrowing from but never […]
Read More Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs : Mission Of MercySlippers is the music project of LA-based singer/songwriter Madeline Babuka Black, or Madeline BB. Black brings a nostalgic, almost melancholy sound to her music. Power pop with a bit of grit. If you took the poppy punk of Alvvays and threw in some early Strokes, The Feelies, and Camera Obscura you’d get in the ballpark […]
Read More Slippers : Slippers 08These months are cruising by. We’re already heading into the last bit of June and I feel like I was in a haze during the winter of 2025/2026. The halfway point of 2026 is just a couple weeks away and I’m feeling like someone accidently hit the fast forward button on time’s remote control. A […]
Read More I feel like I lost a winter