Sometimes I think the Internet is the greatest invention ever, and sometimes I think it's the greatest waste of time in world history. But sometimes you can split the difference. You can listen to music and do other stuff at the same time. Plus, of course, the music can be pretty darn wonderful. Such asContinue reading “The political wit of Jeff Tweedy (with music too!)”
Category Archives: Music
The Decembrists bring back REM
Remember REM, back in their So. Central Rain days, when the band was great? (Even Cobain said so, a little enviously, when he got frustrated with his own sound on In Utero.) Well, so do the Decembrists, sounds like, from their soon-to-be-released The King is Dead, which you can listen to in its entirety for aContinue reading “The Decembrists bring back REM”
Every song you’ve always wanted to hear covered (here)
Searching for a reliable guide to Neil Young covers, I stumble upon a wildly popular site that tracks all rock covers ever: Cover Me. For music fans, this is not to be missed. Are you unconvinced? You want an example? Okay, how about a wonderful Wilco cover of a great song by Neil Young inContinue reading “Every song you’ve always wanted to hear covered (here)”
Buffalo Springfield again — after forty-two years
This has to be some sort of rock and roll record: Forty-two years after breaking up in acrimony and bitterness, the band known as Buffalo Springfield reunited for Neil Young's annual Bridge School Concert in Mountain View, this weekend. They headlined the seven-hour, eight-band concert, and, remarkably, lived up to the billing, outshining excellent perfsContinue reading “Buffalo Springfield again — after forty-two years”
Happy 70th Birthday, John Lennon
Thirty-three years ago, long before John Lennon was shot and killed, the late great David Levine imagined what he would look at when he was sixty-four, or, today, when he would have been seventy. Something tells me that Lennon, quite a line artist himself, would have been a little tickled to see himself in theContinue reading “Happy 70th Birthday, John Lennon”
The evolution of Nirvana
Funny but true, via Fountain, Not Mountain: And speaking of, here's a glimpse of the real thing, from the astoundingly good live perf at Reading in l992, said by an NPR critic to be the best live recording in the history of rock. This is one of the first numbers in the show, the band'sContinue reading “The evolution of Nirvana”
“Follow your path, provided it goes up” — Pierre Boulez
Wise words from the great Pierre Boulez, in a lovely profile written by Mark Swed of The Los Angeles Times. How pleasant to hear the witty, thoughtful, bold Boulez speak out, mostly about music, but also about modernity, individuality, aging — on and on. Some folks deserve their fame; he's one. Let's call this theContinue reading ““Follow your path, provided it goes up” — Pierre Boulez”
Matt the Electrican mocks weather weenies of Phoenix
Went to see a gifted Austin folkie named Matt the Electrician at a "house concert" last night. (He got his name because he took up a building trade to support his music habit, which fortunately has developed well enough to support him and his family, now.) But he's still wry and funny, with a raskyContinue reading “Matt the Electrican mocks weather weenies of Phoenix”
Kate McGarrigle (talk to me of Mendocino)
Kate McGarrigle, of the McGarrigle sisters, writer and singer of many a great song, died yesterday of liver cancer. Linda Ronstadt, who recorded some of the sisters' songs (and had a monster hit with their "Heart Like a Wheel") had a very nice quote about them in the Los Angeles Times: "They had a vibeContinue reading “Kate McGarrigle (talk to me of Mendocino)”
Enviro Song of the Year 2009: a new “This Land is Your Land”
The columnist George Will recently wrote about the new movie Up in the Air. While breezily discoursing on the emotional pain of the worst unemployment record in decades, Will happened to mention that the "opening soundtrack" to the movie, featuring a new version of Woody Guthrie's classic This Land is Your Land, was (and IContinue reading “Enviro Song of the Year 2009: a new “This Land is Your Land””
Kit Stolz 