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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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Bang for a Buck

It’s maybe not amazing how you can go through the same bins of CDs and see something different every time. What is amazing though, is that you can go through the same CD bins and find another twenty or so CDs. Every time you do it. And I don’t mean just feeding the addiction, getting new stuff to have it. I mean, had I seen these CDs the first time I browsed them, I would have gotten them all at once. Of course, they do add new ones to the mix occasionally, which means I have to check the whole aisle every time I go. Since I don’t know where they drop the new ones, you know. The LP New Arrivals only get put into four bins or so. And at that, they’re always dropped in the front of each bin. So I know when I’ve scanned back about thirty 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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My Kind of Weekend

Yesterday was our first event. So I had a lot I had to get done. I’ll spare you all the details, but I had to move some furniture. Which meant selling some of it and moving that. And we had to go to the furniture store to get a new couch. And I had to get my tote bags made to give to my DJs. And probably a little house cleaning to get ready to have company. Anyway, there was really no time for anything else during the day because I like to leave myself plenty of spare time. I don’t want to be rushed all day. But my wife told me the night before (Friday night) that we needed to leave the house at 7:30 to make a stop before we went to the furniture store. Okay, cool. I didn’t ask questions. Until yesterday morning. Where the hell are keep reading

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March Sip & Spin Review

Our first Whiskey Night was a great success! Dwayne, Ryan, Lisa, Sarah and Allen attended. The whiskey flowed, the music rocked and the conversation was excellent. Everyone had a great time. Dwayne got us started with some reggae. Buju Banton’s ‘Til Shiloh. Dwayne gave us some lessons about what real reggae should sound like, the different themes and sub-genres within the reggae genre and what qualifies as a hit in his home country of Jamaica. This was my first exposure to real reggae other than the most obvious, he who does not need to be named at the risk of sounding cliche. Many elements on this album. A lot to dissect, and a great way to start the night. Thank you, Dwayne! Next up was Ryan, who spun The White Stripes’s “White Blood Cells” on vinyl. There’s always a lot to discuss when you bring up Jack White and his keep reading

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Another Big Grab

I like to check the New Arrivals bins in the used vinyl section at Josey Records once a week or so, And this is why. Little Richard’s Greatest Hits, Keith Richards and George Harrison. I’ve been wanting this Harrison record for quite some time. And the killer is that I saw it in the NA bin once before, but for some reason didn’t grab it. It was there again today, so I did. Woot. Of course, I got the John Mayer from the New Vinyl and the Lindas from the used section. I spent a good amount of time today checking the bins for stuff like this. I also bought a handful of Norah Jones, Seal and Sheryl Crow CDs. And, my buddy Dwayne met me there today. Well, I met him there, ostensibly to show him around since it was his first time. And I just can’t leave without 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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First Meetup: Trial Run

Next Saturday, March 19th is our trial run. It looks like it’s going to happen. We have enough interest. I don’t mind paying for the Meetup page if it gathers some interest and gets some new people involved. But if it goes a few months without anyone joining, I don’t think it’s worth it. I can just get everyone’s numbers and communicate the old-fashioned way, like we used to in the 70s: by text. Check out the Meetup page to sign up, join the group and RSVP to the first event, to be hosted at my place. No kids at this event. We won’t have babysitting or entertainment for them. Also, be sure to check in with the etiquette so we’re all on the same page.

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Black Box for March 2022

I don’t know how these guys consistently get it so right, but they always do. I’m not just talking right, either. I’m talking righter than that. I might never think to pick up these two records, were I even to see them sitting in front of me. But now that I have them, I’m happy I do, and I will not let them go. They’re mine. It’s exciting every month to get my Black Box shipment. And I usually wait until evening time (listening time) to open the box and see what I got. I don’t usually listen to records during the day. Because I don’t drink whiskey during the day. They go together like beans and mayonnaise. Anyway, here is this month’s shipment. Ministry is a personal favorite of mine. I saw them live once at the Sportatorium in Dallas, which was actually built for wrestling matches. It’s a keep reading

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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