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The only correct answer

As good a time as any to throw on Billy Harper's righteous Strata-East debut from 1974. As deep as deep jazz gets.

The subtext of all my skeets (seems like an oversight that Momma isn’t on here) (what’s with shoegaze bands and poster inserts?)

In an age where bombastic arena ready rock bands are dropping like flies, it’s nice to have Gang of Youths to believe in. Snagged this one for a good price recently. Makes me day dream of another album and a US tour.

As I’ve now past a year on this medium I feel the boring urge to be reflective. As an elder millennial I’ve been through every major social media platform. My undergrad was one of the first colleges to get Facebook back when it was just for students. For awhile I had a decent number of Tumblr…

Remembering Alex Chilton on his birthday. Lovely 1973 photo by William Eggleston

Mood

In Bethesda so I had to soundtrack the morning dog walk with Nourished by Time and Black Eyes. Came upon an impromptu dog meet up on a tennis court. After a few minutes the other dads looked at their watches and left for work. Didn’t have the heart to tell em I’ve been off for a week already

on this date 12/22 in 2002, we lost this f*cking guy. "f*cking" in the best sense of the term - smart, vibrant, mercurial, visceral, educational, supple. He and his bandmates built with their bare hands what we still can't do today. I miss his energy and place in the world.

Important news for the Bluesky userbase (37-year-olds who went to the free Prospect Park shows every summer): Wolf Parade has the No. 1 song on Spotify right now because it's in the gay hockey movie.

🐕‍🦺 + 🔥 = 🙂

Something I finally realized I was wrong about this year: "1979 was the last good year for Jamaican music." Found so much good early 80's stuff in 2025.

There’s something amazing about Music Research Library in Beacon Hill. Every time I’m there I find something that blows me away. A weird 80s Mexican version of Amon Dull II’s Yeti? Sure, why not

When I was coming up as a music head there was this cliche about Radiohead, that they were the band everyone could agree on. I think that in the modern era if you’re into things left of center/ the dial, SML is that band now. Jazz head? Beats and Breaks Bro? Jam band wookie? Crusty electro punk?

About 10 years ago this was my laundromat. If I ever ran out of quarters I could bop down the hill to the bar and get a few. More than once, while going through the motions here, I was stopped by people taking part in a tour group and asked how much it cost to do a load

Here’s my list for 2025 in order, albums I most connected with and obsessed over. It was a great year for indie with a twang aka definitely not alt country, but also some great reclamation of rock, spaced out jazz, folk, psychedelic pop, rap, and expiremental shit. I share this because I love music.

This came on the Memories Channel on the car radio yesterday and I pumped my fists in joy. This is probably the 2nd or 3rd best holiday song ever (all my holiday favs are a product of the classic rock station my parents rocked when I was growing up)

I’ll take, “albums that have snuck into my best of the year list in the last month or so” for 500

It’s his time

Tip of the cap to Cambridge for not only having good bike infrastructure but also maintaining it all year

Fun fact: little Pete and I went to college together. I saw his band play once and another time was at the same keg as him at Easter Keg Hunt

Well, that's me done for work for the year...

David Bowie's jacket on display at Bromley Central Library. He first wore it when performing with The Konrads in 1963/4, and he added the ink stripes when he joined The Riot Squad in 1967

60 years ago tonight, the velvet underground at summit high school in new jersey, opening for the myddle class, both acts' 1st proper shows. rob norris’s classic “i was a velveteen” (from kicks #1) suggests the VU had just been fired by cafe wha?, so maybe an earlier gig? great local coverage, too!

We’ve come to that time of the year when I wonder… are the kids old enough yet to not freak out over the ghosts in Muppet Christmas Carol? In a world of overblown “classics” and intentionally mediocre new holiday movies, Muppet Christmas Carol stands alone

What’s that Steve Earle quote about Townes Van Zandt? Something about standing in dirty cowboy boots on Dylan’s coffee table (if he could) and yelling about how TVZ is the greatest lyricist ever. I would go to those lengths for Ryan Davis. It would be one thing if he was just an amazing writer who…

Seen the master at work twice now, it’s been sold out both times. More to come soon #marqueespotting

New @goldenbrownmusic.bsky.social album is so good I guess I have to get into reading sci-fi/fantasy now

But why were they on his property, he asked.

The Boxing Day feels post #BandcampFriday are my favorite. Von Pea and the Other guys is my hip hop vibe, Brown Horse is the Americana album I missed in this amazing year for indie with a twang, Nourished by Time is so much more inventive and dense than the PBR&B I initially dismissed it as, etc.

If I’m being honest, Jack Rose is my favorite guitar soli player. Gwenifer is the closest in spirit I’ve heard to Jack in a long time

I find that my non-melodic droney expiremental jaunts have to be earthy. I wanna feel the dirt and crunch the leaves and smell the woods when I listen

New VU book forthcoming w/ a bunch of cool unseen pics of the band at the Boston Tea Party, 1967-69. [email protected]

New Arbor Labor Union rips so hard, deep fried southern choogle at its best. This time of year is such a stretch to get everything in before it all shuts down and this one is powering me through:

Annual reminder that I don’t do a streaming service and that I believe in albums and music ownership. Strongest of recommendations for @lizpelly.bsky.social ‘s excellent book on Spotify

People claim pFork has changed since it’s gone corporate (and it has!) but there’s something very old school pFork about a middle aged suburban dad like myself never even having heard of their #1 AOTY

So you’re telling me Doug Paisely not only put out this record, but another album of demos this year? And I missed both? This is really throwing off my year end wind down. If you don’t know Doug Paisley you should, he’s quiet greatness personified

Happy #BicycleBirthday to photographer, composer, author, poet, and filmmaker Gordon Parks, born November 30 (1912-2006) Harlem 📷Gordon Parks

Bought this everything bagel ornament 5 years ago out of respect for this tweet thread

John Goodman should have won an Oscar for his work in the Big Lebowski

Sixty years ago this week in the Berkshire (MA) Eagle: "Saturday, Richard J. Robbins, 19, of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., and Arlo Guthrie, 18, of Howard Beach, N.Y., each paid a fine of $25 in Lee District Court after pleading guilty of illegally disposing of rubbish...." web.archive.org/web/20201125... 1/2

Not sure what holiday traditions mean anymore, this is a complicated one, and I don’t eat meat. But this song, oh man. Played it every three hours all day long on my parents classic rock station when I was a kid. I dubbed a cassette of it at one point cause that wasn’t enough.

Shred mode David Nance on this rainy cold morning

You guys, seeing Joel from Somebody Somewhere on Pluribus was giving me all the feels

Op-ed: @jagjaguwar.bsky.social founder Darius Van Arman on the challenges facing independent artists and labels in today's music industry and how regulators can help

An ad that asks, "What's Ry Cooder?" Whatever it is, it's sure played mandolin and guitar (sometimes bottleneck) on some noted people's stuff... From the Door (San Diego), November 19-December 3, 1970):

Brooks gingham OCBD and Shetland sweater, Gloverall duffle, and black 501s, all vintage. Sanders suede chelseas. Distracted doggo and a work call on the headphones.