Neal And Jack And Adrian And Robert And Tony And Bill And Me

I’m not sure what’s a popular opinion and what’s an unpopular opinion when it comes to King Crimson, but in terms of eras of the band my absolute favorite one is the 80s reincarnation with Adrian Belew. Discovering and obsessing over Adrian Belew’s 80s solo albums back in high school was the starting point. Once […]

It’s Still (Satanic) Rock N Roll To Me

Growing up in the 80s there was plenty to be scared of. We always had the threat of nuclear war with Russia hanging over our heads, and the movie The Day After Tomorrow to completely traumatize us through must-see TV. There was the ‘stranger danger’ campaign that made kids like me absolutely horrified of people […]

“She Hunts At Night” : Digging Into Pye Corner Audio’s ‘Prowler’

I didn’t discover Pye Corner Audio until 2016. I was in the midst of healing from back surgery(herniated disc) and I was obsessively searching the Mondo/Death Waltz Recording Company’s website to see if I could snag any soundtracks(for therapeutic purposes, of course.) During that time I’d found the amazing Pentagram Home Video’s Who’s Out There?, […]

John Runs The Voodoo Down : Me, Miles, and The Portal That Is ‘Bitches Brew’

Even before I found myself going down the jazz rabbit hole(a hole I’m still dizzily finding myself descending into 15 years later) I knew of Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew. As a teen seeing that album cover by French painter Malti Klarwein perusing Musicland or Super Sounds, it would always make me stop and gawk. The […]

“There Must Be Some Misunderstanding” : Growing Up With Phil And Genesis

There were a select group of artists that I grew up with. Not artists that I was a fan of and bought their albums necessarily, but more so were hoisted upon my ears via radio waves; Casey Kasem’s Top 40 Countdown, 80s FM chart toppers, school bus rides to middle school, and extended drives with […]

Revisiting High On Fire’s ‘The Art of Self Defense’

I didn’t find my way to Matt Pike and High On Fire until the late 2000s. A friend shared a bunch of music files with me, and while most didn’t stick two bands did : Boards of Canada and High On Fire. Yes, complete polar opposites in terms of style, vibe, and general all around […]

Tangerine Dream Dreams

I was trying to remember when I first got into Tangerine Dream. I remember the first album I bought from them was Tangram, shortly after I’d bought a turntable in late 2008. I found a copy of Tangram at Half Price Books for $1. It was what I’d call back in the day “The Nice […]

“Life Can Be So Fair, Let It Go On And on…”

It started on some random Saturday night in December of 2004 watching Austin City Limits. Some band I’d never heard of called Spoon was on the stage playing songs I’d never heard. The band looked cool; swagger for miles and they seemed to know how to use the stage to their advantage. But as cool […]

“Cheer Up, Honey, I Hope You Can” : Yankee Hotel Foxtrot At 20

We arrived in Chicago just in time for the Palestinian protests and roving motorcycle gangs speeding through traffic on Michigan Avenue on Motorcross-style dirt bikes. Chicago cops in the median standing next to their mountain bikes flummoxed and indignant. The entrance to our underground parking a mere 50 feet away, though it might as well […]

She Comes, We Talk : Wojciech Golczewski’s ‘Tonight She Comes’

So what’s my favorite horror film score to a horror film I’ve yet to see? Well I try to do my best to see the films that I buy scores for, just for posterity’s sake. It just feels like part of the whole process: see the film and enjoy the score. Or if I buy […]