Excited to be in such esteemed company!

if I could add one thought here: Candlebox

One of my first pieces of music journalism was reviewing Jennifer Finch's band Other Star People, opening for Echo & The Bunnymen. (They blew the Bunnymen off the stage.) I LOVED OSP's 1999 album Diamond in the Belly of the Dog + discovered it's here! other-star-people.bandcamp.com/album/diamon...

Jennifer is amazing and this news bums me out. L7 are an incredibly important, kickass band.

Our dear friend Jennifer Finch from L7 is battling an aggressive form of brain cancer and is raising funds for her care, please pitch in if you can: www.gofundme.com/f/jennifer-f...

fear not, dr. grant is with the triceratops now 💗

Oh my heart. We've lost Sam Neill. :(

It's SpongeBob hat day.

I love Ohio nerds.

Tomorrow and Monday!

It was Turnstile Night at the Orioles game

buy @anniezaleski.bsky.social's book! bookshop.org/p/books/stev...

Yeah, fair enough.

Great news from the inbox today!! The B-52’s are releasing "Ancient Culture: Mesopotamia Revisited," restoring the EP to a full-length!! The package also includes alternate and rare mixes + an unreleased 1982 concert. store.rhino.com/products/anc...

Farewell to Bonnie Tyler, 1951-2026... read interviews with the lung-shredding Welsh power balladeer on RBP. www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Arti... #BonnieTyler

Found myself on Garfield the cat's Wikipedia page tonight (as one does) and was delighted to see this aside: "It was revealed on October 27, 1979, that he does not like raisins."

From on our @unbreaking.org food safety timeline, April 2025: "Because of staff cuts, the FDA suspends a program to ensure the accuracy of tests for multiple contaminants, including Cyclospora in spinach and glyphosate in barley." www.reuters.com/world/us/us-...

My Chemical Romance: 10 Years... (Bootleg 2xCD) [Yokohama Arena, Kenagawa, Japan, 6th February 2011] https://archive.org/details/mcr-10-years-bootleg-yokohama-japan-2011

Had the chance to share one of my favorite early internet short film oddities today: Ant Muzak, a 2002 short that imagines what would happen if Adam & The Ants in full New Romantic bloom took a late-night trip to the grocery store. www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YeH...

I have two (free) book events + signings this week for "Stevie Nicks in 50 Songs"! At 10:30am on 7/12, I'll be at the Columbus Book Festival on the "Music That Moves Me" panel. On 7/13, find me yapping at the Berea branch of Cuyahoga County Public Library! attend.cuyahogalibrary.org/event/15999606

I have two (free) book events + signings this week for "Stevie Nicks in 50 Songs"! At 10:30am on 7/12, I'll be at the Columbus Book Festival on the "Music That Moves Me" panel. On 7/13, find me yapping at the Berea branch of Cuyahoga County Public Library! attend.cuyahogalibrary.org/event/15999606

This week we were honored to be joined by NY Times best selling author @anniezaleski.bsky.social to talk about the larger than life legend that is Joni Mitchell. Available on all platforms! open.spotify.com/episode/4ovY...

From the inbox: “The original lineup of Ben Folds Five – that is, Ben Folds, Robert Sledge, and Darren Jessee – will further commemorate the milestone anniversary of Ben Folds Five with a hugely anticipated series of live performances, their first run of shows together in more than 13 long years.”

Jaw-dropping five-story space for sale in downtown St. Louis for just $800K. This would be many millions in New York City: www.woodbrothersrealty.com/property/mo/...

Michaelangelo Matos interviewing Barry Walters about "Mighty Real: A History of LGBTQ Music, 1969-2000" got me feeling things this Friday morning 💖📚🎼 https://michaelangelo.substack.com/p/bc182-interview-barry-walters-june

BOTD Robbie Robertson!!! More: @anniezaleski.bsky.social: www.theguardian.com/music/2023/a... w/Scorsese, via @benlindbergh.bsky.social: www.theringer.com/2019/11/27/m... @splicedpersonality.bsky.social: crookedmarquee.com/an-affection... Patrick Smith: www.the-independent.com/arts-enterta...

new Patti LaBelle absolute classic

Happy birthday to Bill Watterson, the creator of Calvin and Hobbes! Born on July 5, 1958.

Pretty sure I heard Nashville playing “November Rain” as a fireworks soundtrack, which is honestly perfect.

Happy July 4! Please enjoy my husband’s new piece on the 40th anniversary of ZZ Top’s Liberty or Death Party Barge cruise event. (Which came up in an interview I recently did…and dispatched him to get reporting, ha ha.) ultimateclassicrock.com/zz-top-mtv-4...

Happy July 4! Please enjoy my husband’s new piece on the 40th anniversary of ZZ Top’s Liberty or Death Party Barge cruise event. (Which came up in an interview I recently did…and dispatched him to get reporting, ha ha.) ultimateclassicrock.com/zz-top-mtv-4...

Elite vanity license plate spotted by the husband today. (We have Cleveland Guardians plates, hence the C.)

Susan Miller booked West End. She later booked Cubby Bear before partnering with Julia at Lounge Ax in 1989.

Fun fact I just realized about my wedding anniversary (which is next week): We are in a triple-13 situation! We were married 13 years ago, on July 6, 2013. How very Taylor of us! <3

buy @anniezaleski.bsky.social's book! bookshop.org/p/books/stev...

The Human League ending their set tonight. Just an iconic set. Phil Oakey’s voice sounds pristine — and there were so many costume changes! 💯 no notes.

The one-two punch of the Human League doing “Seconds” into “The Lebanon” is my concert moment to beat in 2026.

🚨🚨 Klaus Nomi alert! 🚨🚨 Soft Cell tonight. ❤️

Just realized it's now been two years since I returned to @avclub.com. It's been as challenging as it has been rewarding, but I'm still grateful every day for the chance to lead the site, esp. as cultural journalism in particular continues to shrink.

afternoon crowd

My 2026 Midterm Report Card: My favorite 50 Albums and 15 Reissues of the Year....so far.

The "Singles" soundtrack somehow turns 34 years old today. I always go back to Paul Westerberg's "Waiting for Somebody," which captures that inimitable spirit of youthful romantic optimism -- which may or may not be the result of youthful romantic foibles. youtu.be/l2vnAWfGPtc?...

"Kathy I'm lost" I said though I knew she was sleeping I'm empty and aching and I don't know why Counting the cars on the New Jersey Turnpike They've all come to look for America

if you have feelings about SCOTUS after today, and after the last week, and after the last months and years, remember that at least you can vote for state supreme courts in many places this year, and those matter a ton too my state-by-state guide to every state supreme court contest:

* selects all, turns on widow/orphan control in Word * [5 minutes later] Word: When you turned on widow/orphan control, I know you didn't really mean it. So, here's another widow/orphan.

Today's listening: The self-titled River Shook album, out last week. It's incredible, as I knew it would be. A perfect summer album to play on a humid night contemplating your life choices. www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAAx...

Here's high-quality footage of that Dan Boeckner + Spoon collab last night in Cleveland -- so great. (29:40 or so is when it starts.) www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4PY...

Happy 40th today to the Wham! Final. For my money, the show's intro is one of the coolest of all time. George and Andrew are at peak confidence and magnetism, and the choreography and dramatic tension just ramp up excitement. youtu.be/hSfh3l8LBQ4?...

Absolute hellish scenes coming out from a festival the B-52s were supposed to play in France last night. Their tour manager held the band's start time, which turned out for the best, as their stage and gear were seriously damaged. The tour manager's account is here: www.facebook.com/share/p/18hz...

Tonight in Cleveland at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame!