The Covid 19 Playlist
What can I say, what can any of us say, to describe the surreal times in which we find ourselves. Well, not much, unfortunately. So, I thought I’d take a shot at providing a small benefit to the current manifestly twisted zeitgeist, in about the best way I know: with a Playlist..... Read More
Rookie “I Can’t Have You But I Want You” (2020)
It’s just a moment, lasting but a second or two. The verse has come to a clipped end, the band pauses, as if taking a deep inhale on the precipice of something big, and then…the chorus blasts in! I really love that moment... Read More
Barbecue Bob and The Spareribs “Swamp Thing” (1996)
They came after many months of painstaking planning, a not insubstantial expense, and more than a few sleepless nights sweating out the weather forecast, but hearing the sound of the first few notes of this song was one of the crowning moments of my life..... Read More
Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers “Roadrunner” (1976)
..it’s 4 beats to a measure, and the count goes to 4. Except for one: ‘Roadrunner’ by Jonathan Richman and The Modern Lovers, which starts with a count-off…to 6. As best as I know, it’s the only song ever to do this, though surely this can’t be verified... Read More
Joe Russo’s Almost Dead @ Capitol Theater (“Bertha”)
I didn’t see the Grateful Dead in concert this week. Nor did I see Dead & Company, or Furthur, or even Phil Lesh & Friends or Ratdog, or any of the other Dead iterations or derivations. The question is: Did I see something actually better?... Read More
New Orleans Playlist
Today is Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras Day, 2020. A day of parades, of history, of culture, of camaraderie, and, well yeah, of some of the most outright debauchery known to mankind (but in a good way)..... Read More
Warren Zevon “Disorder In The House” (2003)
He’ll always be The Boss, but Bruce Springsteen has also been the assistant more times than you might realize, guest appearing on dozens of songs by an eclectic list of artists over the years. Sidekick supremacy, however, must go to Springsteen’s powerful and yet even more poignant role supporting Warren Zevon... Read More
The J.B.’s “Pass The Peas” (1972)
The J.B.'s, James Brown’s inimitably funky band, put out numerous stellar albums during the ‘70’s era when they weren’t backing the Godfather of Soul on stage and on record, including this culinary crowd-pleaser..... Read More
Jeff Healey “See The Light” (1988)
..I did once, however, get a chance to witness another blind guitarist play live, this one an utterly mesmerizing dynamo named Jeff Healey, and it was one of the most unforgettable performances I’ve witnessed in my life. Healey is one of the ten greatest guitarists I’ve ever heard. Hard stop. No qualifier.... Read More
Tyler Childers “Ever Lovin’ Hand” (2019)
“Seinfeld” had a whole episode (“The Contest”) about a certain solitary pursuit, so, I guess, why not a pop song. The Divinyls’ sultry 1990 hit ‘I Touch Myself’ certainly addressed the subject most directly, but many more only slightly less obvious allusions have existed than one might expect: ‘Dancing With Myself’... Read More