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

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

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!

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.

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

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

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

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

Black Box for February 2022

You know how hard it is to find Muddy Waters records? There are a lot of repressings, I’m sure, but I can’t find one to save my ass. Well, Black Box took care of me this month. This is a sitting-in-the-studio album. It’s like you’re there with him. Someone said, “Hey, Muddy, I’m gonna hit record. You just play whatever comes to mind.” And he proceeds to do just that. One after the other, he just plays songs. You can hear people laughing and talking in the background. It’s very informal. Fun. I love it. The other was Lucinda Williams. I have to admit, she’s somewhat of a guilty pleasure of mine. I think she’s hot, for one. In a dirty, taboo way, sort of. And I like her vocal inflection in Righteously. Like, a lot. When I was talking to my wife about her, she asked how far my keep reading

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