Where’d All The Time Go? : Revisiting Dr. Dog’s ‘Shame, Shame’

Occasionally I feel like I’m doing a pretty good job parenting. I mean, my kids have all turned out to be polite, kind, and thoughtful young adults so I know I didn’t completely screw them up. But as a parent you’re in a constant state of self-judgement and self-diagnosis, wondering if that one time when […]

“Drink scotch whiskey all night long, and die behind the wheel”

I grew up hearing Steely Dan on the radio. I’d hear songs like “My Old School”, “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number”, “Do It Again”, “Hey Nineteen”, and of course the classic AOR rock standard “Reelin’ In The Years” and I’d cringe as a kid. It sounded like old man rock. I could picture some grey-haired […]

Miles Runs The Voodoo Down : ‘Bitches Brew’ Turns 50

I won’t go too crazy here as this record has been talked about ad nauseum since it’s release in 1970, but I just had to talk a little about Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew as it celebrated it’s 50th anniversary on March 30th. 50 years since one of the most prolific, forward-thinking albums to hit our puny […]

So Many Erotic Nightmares

When I was little I used to tag along with my mom quite a bit. During summer break my brother usually had a friend to hang out with or ball practice to be at, so when my mom wanted to go to my grandma’s or clothes shopping or just out of the damn house I […]

“restless dreams of youth”

I hit the Rush discography pretty hard this past weekend. In light of the passing of the amazing drummer/lyricist Neil Peart I was compelled to jump down the Lee/Lifeson/Peart rabbit hole and see if I’d come the other side the same. It’s been awhile since I binged my favorite prog rock Canadians, and I have […]

Two Fools A Minute

The 80s were a tumultuous time. The threat of nuclear war loomed over our heads thanks to the Reagan/Gorbachev dog and pony show, somebody shot J.R(apparently), pegged pants were all the rage, something about Iran and the Contras, neon became a thing, and the Battle of the Network Stars was cancelled. But probably the most […]

Revisited : Night Flights ‘Night Flights Vol. 1’

2014 was a very strange year for me. It began with one of my best friends losing his oldest daughter in a car accident in January. In May my mother-in-law died suddenly. Two days later we flew to Colorado for an amazing four days in the Rocky Mountains to go to a wedding and contemplate […]

The Only Christmas Album You Need : Vince Guaraldi Trio’s ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’

Growing up in the Midwest Christmas was always a special time to me. The family gatherings, the mysterious gifts that appeared under the tree, the spirits both in the air and in my parents glasses, and of course the true reason for the season. There was a mix of happiness and bittersweet, as you thought […]

The Beatles : White Album Super Deluxe Edition(2018 Mix)

When I think of The White Album two songs stick out: “Back In The USSR” and “Piggies”. Yes, there’s far more relevant tracks, but these two have very specific meaning for me. “Back In The USSR” was my favorite Beatles song as a little kid and I’d always ask my mom to put it on […]

…And Justice For All : 30 Years On

…And Justice For All was both Metallica’s shining achievement and also the straw that broke the band’s back. It was their most intricate, complicated, and progressive album of music, but also their most stunted collection of tunes. If the record had a face, it would be frozen in a perpetual scowl, seething at everyone else’s […]