2025…Behave

The last 6 months of 2024 felt like a whole year in itself. From the infamous Colorado vacation on, time seemed to simultaneously expand and compress. It was one grating, extended hot/humid week after another until the next thing I knew we were looking down the barrel of end of year holidays. 2024 was this […]

Complex Distractions Presents : Favorite Albums Of 2024(5-1)

Hello. We’re a mere two days away from 2025; new year, new me, new you, and all that jazz. I’m hoping for a year a little less rough and tumble myself. Maybe a quieter -dare I say- more boring year. Going into it knowing my job is protected now for at least a few more […]

Complex Distractions Presents : Favorite Albums Of 2024(15-6)

We’re winding down. Two days away from the big event. Christmas Day, where families can once again get together and eat lots of food, watch sports or whatever, and argue about religion and politics. As if Thanksgiving wasn’t enough, a month later we’re back at it. Now with ugly sweaters, gift receipts, and the anxiety […]

Albums I Forgot To Mention : Great Records Of 2024(Part II)

At the end of the year when we’re looking back on records that dropped I’m amazed at how much I’ve listened to. And I’ve barely scratched the surface. I used to think that I covered a pretty large swath of music, but in the end it was just a small peak into the year’s music […]

Albums I forgot To Mention : Great Records of 2024(Part I)

I never realize just how many albums I’ve listened to in a year until I get to the year-end list season. There’s a LOT of records that have hit my ears this year, and sometimes I don’t get around to a review. I just end up enjoying a record and not sit down to write […]

His Final Drive Home

Got a call from the vet yesterday that Otto was ready to come home. Yes, Otto is gone. But we had him cremated and put in an urn. I couldn’t fathom bringing him home and burying him. My dad did that with my childhood dog Klaus, but I just couldn’t. I mean, what if we […]

Complex Distractions Presents : Favorite Albums Of 2024(25-16)

I can’t believe I’m typing this, but we’re a mere couple weeks before 2024 makes like a tree and leaves. A year that began with the hope that it would stay on track, offer up new and exciting things, and see us all making the most of those 365 days. I’m sure that was the […]

The Hubners And The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Year

There are days when I just want to yell at the universe, “Give me a break!” A series of events take place that snowball into a dumpster fire of epic proportions, leaving you to put out that dumpster fire before your life is overtaken by burning trash. That’s sort of how I feel about the […]

McCoy and Henderson, Forces Of Nature : Live At Slugs’, 1966

I was never much of a live album guy. Growing up I had a few that stood out and I would listen to more than once, as opposed to relegating it to the shoebox of shame in my closet. The shoebox was where unloved albums went to die, making room for the bangers and regular […]

Sitting In The Sadness

The first weekend without our Otto was rough. My wife and I got out of the house Saturday despite my wife dealing with a cold and my occasional trip into anxiety. The emotions come flooding into my brain like someone opening a faucet. It feels like my head starts spinning despite feeling like it weighs […]