Dawes “A Little Bit Of Everything” (2011)
There are a lot of ways to discover a song and a band. This one came via a restaurant in Nashville called Etch. I was there last year with my wife and our friends Paul and Maryellen, and on our first night in town, with so much local flavor we were anxious to try, the...... Read More
Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds “Don’t Pull Your Love” (1971)
‘Don’t Pull Your Love’ was the first (and second-biggest) hit by this cheesy, early ‘70’s Los Angeles soft rock quartet. Wait, they weren’t actually a quartet? For years my friends Zing, Messiah and I have debated how many members this ... Read More
Mumford & Sons “Little Lion Man” (2009)
Some years ago I had the opportunity to have lunch with Daniel Glass, longtime music executive and founder in 2007 of Glassnote Records. Not long before our meeting, Glassnote had put out an album by a completely unknown quartet of Brits called Mumford & Sons, which against all odds, let alone all music industry trends,...... Read More
Amos Lee “Windows Are Rolled Down” (2011)
The Power Of Music I had definitely heard of folk singer/songwriter Amos Lee before this week but frankly knew next to nothing about him or his music. Then, due to circumstances I’ll get to later, I was forwarded the following note, which Lee had just issued to his fan mailing list on the day he...... Read More
Poco “A Good Feelin’ To Know” (1972)
..the group Poco, a band whose warm harmonies, jangling guitars and checkered membership put them at the nexus of the incestuous late ‘60’s/early ‘70’s California country-rock scene..... Read More
Rod Stewart “You Wear It Well” (1972)
Like a picture being worth a thousand words, sometimes one example is worth a thousand lyrics. Co-written with guitarist Martin Quittenton, 'You Wear It Well' is Rod Stewart’s musical recital of a letter sent one hot afternoon by a bored guy to his ex-girlfriend... Read More
Simon & Garfunkel “Cecilia” (1970)
Friends, I have to ask: What the hell was up with Cecilia?! She’s getting it on with Paul, at his place and in the middle of the afternoon yet, and as soon as he takes a little bathroom break she’s got someone else hopping into bed with her? How did this other guy even get...... Read More
Beatles “I’ve Got A Feeling” (1970)
There’s not a lot to say about the Beatles that hasn’t already been said, so I won’t try much here. But I chose this song because in many ways it seems a perfect exemplification of what made the Beatles what they were – which was, c’mon, the greatest band of all time. This was at...... Read More
Don Henley “Boys of Summer” (1984)
One of this blog's regular readers, perhaps motivated by my apparent dismissiveness for lyrics, first in a post on the Drive-by Truckers and then in a follow up with Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, has written in to be heard from. For our first-ever... Read More
David Bowie “Stay” (1976); Apollo 100 “Joy” (1972)
I started going to NY Rangers games at The Garden with my dad when I was about 7 or 8 years old, and it was love at first, ah, skate. Hockey immediately became, and will unquestionably always be, my favorite sport. The moment when the players first take the ice just prior to the game...... Read More