May Sip & Spin Review

Of the four weekends in May, only the first was available for everyone to get together. We were short a few people due to circumstances, but it was still a good time. Dwayne, Ryan, Melody and I had a great meetup. We started the night with a circuit of Songs You Can’t Live Without. We each played one in turn, then repeated once. This, I think, is a great way to start the night. With more than four people though, it might need to be cut to one song per person. I’m trying to come up with numbers for things like that. Five participants, five-minute songs, how many fit in an hour? I think from here out though, when it comes to spinning the record or CD, we’re going to limit that to 30 minutes or so per person. That way we can still have a reasonably early night. Anyway, keep reading

April Sip & Spin Review

Last night was a crazy ride. Dwayne showed up a few hours early to grill his famous Jamaican jerk chicken, so we stood around the grill for a few hours, drinking beer and listening to Spotify on the deck speakers. Starting a day’s drinking – even on just beer – at three o’clock, does not make for a sober night. Everyone was supposed to show up an hour earlier this time, though, to eat and get ready. Dwayne’s chicken was a hit. The cheddar brats and potato salad and chocolate cake and Filipino soup and fruit salad was good too. Holy shit we ate like kings. And then we gathered round to get started, and fulfilled our assignment from last month, which was Songs that Keep us Melancholy. Great list there, and some really good head-nodders were played. I started the night off with Tom Waits, “Swordfishtrombones”. I guess the keep reading

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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