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Record Store Day 2022

So here are my thoughts on RSD. I think it’s super cool. Thanks for tuning in. There’s a lot to say about it. But I’ll start by saying that it isn’t for everyone. We’re talking about seeing Star Wars Episode I on the day it comes out. Remember that shit? People camped outside of theaters for like two weeks, dressed in their Boba Fett costumes and sleeping in tents next to a theater? To see a movie? Fuck sake. Well, that’s sort of what this was like. I arrived at 7:04, presumably four minutes after the doors opened. But actually, I was still a little early. They opened late, around 7:10. No worries there. But by the time I got there, the line was already all the way around the building. And I had parked in this place across the street. So after waiting in line for two or three keep reading

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More of What I Want

You might wonder how, in this day and age, the new age of music media, how someone or some band could completely slip under the radar for someone like me. Or you. I am constantly listening to music. When I drive, when I work in the garage, when I’m working out, when I’m in my listening room, when I’m writing… It’s almost constant. And I think that’s one of the greatest blunders of streaming services now days. Tell me if I’m wrong. Seriously. Tell me if I’m wrong, because I might just be doing it wrong. Why is it that I can click those three menu-dots on the right of any song, artist or album, and select Go to XXX radio, then start playing a station based on that song or whatever… And rarely hear new shit? It’s almost laughable, but the way some of these genres are listed include keep reading

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Reviewing The Nashville Sound

I realize I haven’t done many record reviews here yet. Historically, I’ve reviewed music, movies and books on my SpaceBrew site. But being that this is a site dedicated to my interest in music, it would make sense to talk about the weather in Beijing. Well, here’s a funny story. I listen to several channels on SiriusXM. Mainly, those are Lithium, Octane (when I’m in a real hard mood), The Bridge and a few 70s stations. I’m mostly into the classic rock stations. Please don’t get me started on Classic Rock as a genre. That’s another column entirely. But one of the stations I listen to was playing this song, If We Were Vampires by Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit. See, the thing is, I saw his face on some billboard a year or so ago, and I thought, eff that guy. He looks like a dick. Full of keep reading

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You Need To Hear This

I would like to introduce you to someone. Sometwo. Well, really, the whole band. Even though I don’t know the band. Not anymore. If you’re not sufficiently confused, just keep reading. I bet I’ll find a way to make it happen. The reality is that it’s mainly one person I want to introduce you to. But there’s another person right behind her who is every bit as important as the first introduction. I’m talking about Patrice Pike. She’s been around in some form or another since the late nineties. I’ve been catching her live shows since about 2002, I think, when she fronted the Black Box Rebellion. That’s what I meant by some form. Not that she sometimes takes the form of a dragon, or a tiger – though I would not be surprised because of the level of bad-assery she achieves on stage. But you see, I’ve also seen keep reading

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I Wish I Had Stickier Fingers

I’m pretty good about following my own rules. I make rules for myself so that I don’t so stupid shit. I’m not big on making costly mistakes. I like to learn from it the very first time I make a mistake, and then hopefully apply that knowledge to everything I ever do in the future wherever it’s applicable. One such rule, for instance, comma, is that I do not allow myself to hang anything on the wall above my turntable that’s not absolutely secure. Like my badger-hair record brush. It’s off to the side, so that if it were to fall, it would not land on the turntable. See how smart I am? So let me tell you what happened. And you can decide whether I’m all that smart or not. I was cleaning my listening room. Maybe I was doing a little organizing. A little rearranging. I have this keep reading

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New Bourbons for March

First time trying these two. I’m really enjoying the Town Branch. Those hints of cherry are really nice. Good whiskey. There’s nothing wrong with the Clyde May’s either, but it’s such a tiny bottle that I poured perhaps a little too little. I like to save my nice whiskeys for get-togethers so I don’t just drink them alone. In other words, they’ll never be my daily-drivers. I look forward to sharing these with friends and Music Lovers! Cheers!

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System Upgrade

I’ve been doing my listening through a Sony STRDH190 integrated amp for a year or so, and it’s not been a bad experience. Not at all. The phono preamp is pretty good. But the amp itself hums, and sends a pretty good hum through the loudspeakers as well. Now I know, it’s only a $200 amp, so it’s not really Hi-Fi, but I’m at an age (and a state) where my hearing is pretty impaired. I have tinnitus and hearing loss, so I’m not going to spend 5K on a Hi-Fi system component. I’ll spend that on several components, sure. But not one one piece. I do, however, want good shit. Just not necessarily the best, like I might once have wanted. Anyway, I’ve digressed. The Sony I bought because I guess I trust the name. It’s also a helluva good-looking amp. It’s solid black with two knobs on it. keep reading

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How Do You Consume Music?

These days, music is consumed a lot differently than when we were kids. My dad’s CB handle was ‘8-tracker’. He sold so many 8-track cassettes that our ozone is going bad from all the plastic in the landfills. He also brought home boxes and boxes of LPs and 45s. He would make me mix tapes from the 45s. He was an awesome father, in other words. I listened to records, tapes and radio. Then came the Compact Disc. I had one of the first hundred-or-so copies of the first CD printed in the United States. Do you know what it was? *trivia question* Comment below with the correct answer for a free CD. The Compact Disc brought us perfect, lossless instances of our favorite songs. I, being the genius I am, saw the CD as the New World Order. We no longer need this terrible scratchable, warpable medium called vinyl. keep reading

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Chronological? Alphabetical?

One of the most dumbfounding things I’ve ever run into is when, historically, people have come to realize that my movies on DVD are all arranged by alpha order. They get a grin on their face, or scoff, and say, “Seriously? Nerd.” And all I can do is stare blankly back and them, and ask, “Why? How do you organize your movies?” And it’s the same with my records and CDs. Look, if I only had 5 or 6 of each, then who gives a shit. But how can one possibly find anything in a long shelf full of DVDs, Blu-Rays, CDs or records if they’re not in alphabetical order? Seriously, I don’t get this. Why am I a nerd? If you were to ask me where my Janis Ian “Miracle Row” was, I could literally point to the section in my collection where it is. Then it’s only a keep reading

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Why I Hate the Radio

Radio is a scam. So far as I can tell, the DJs aren’t allowed to just play what they want. Not at all. And don’t even get me started on the “You pick the next song!” bullshit. We listeners call in and choose which of the three Steve Miller Band songs we want to listen to, and then, presumably, they play the one with the most votes. Sure they count the votes. I don’t even know why they still have DJs except to tell us what they’re about to play. Or rather, what is about to be played by the computer program that runs the station. Seriously. When was the last time you heard anything from Peter Gabriel’s “So” album besides In Your Eyes? Did you know that there were other songs on that record that are as good, or even better than that one? Don’t get me wrong, I keep reading