Where To Start?

The Dickens cliche is so true right now. Over the last couple of days, I've had the chance to stumble across some incredible music. The new Gov't Mule albu, "High and Mighty" is typical Mule: fast, hard-hitting rockers and heavy-handed slow songs. Nothing out of the ordinary except for some amazing Zeppelinesque riffs that one always hopes guitarist Warren Haynes will pull out. While this band doesn't leave the mulekick in the head like the original lineup, this is a mature, fuller (and better) sounding Mule that would impress anyone thinking that good power rock ended with the demise of Mountain, Cream or Duane Allman. Not to say that this music is totally derivitive; while wearing his influences on his sleeve, Warren Haynes belongs in a class all to himself. Move aside James Brown, because anyone who knows music knows that no one can hold a candle to Mr. WH and his prolific, prodigious output. Great record, with the highs surely outweighing the lows, with the best studio album since the band's second, "Dose". Maybe the best aspect of the album is the new producer who gives the songs a nice and organic feeling, something that the band's last few albums lacked.
The Black Crowes recently unearthed and polished off two lost studio albums from the peak of their career in the mid-90s. In "peaked", I mean songwriting and record releases. This band does not suffer from a lack of material, but the band's heyday, 92 to 97 is equivalent to the Grateful Dead's run from 1969 to 1974 in output. "Tall" and "Band", respectively, find the Robinson Boys and Co. in fine form. Jams are tasty and succinct, the playing's tight (even in the formative phase of the songs eventually filling "Amorica") and the vibe is there. I loved "Amorica" yet never really locked wholeheartedly to "Three Snakes", which some claim to be the band's best album. On the coattails of "Snakes" is "Band", which unfortunately was looked over and replaced with "By Your Side", the band's weakest release. Understandable move with the departure of lead guitarist Marc Ford, but in listening to the two-disc release, one wonders why the band sat on the bootlegs for so long. Maybe because the band has recently returned from the five-year hiatus. Unfortunately, this band suffers over-ironification of its music (did I just invent a word?): just as the band reunites and tours for a year tearing up reviews and venues nationwide, Marc Ford again leaves the band. Also, the Crowes have always suffered the label as "throwback", lumped with Lenny Kravitz as a bunch of unoriginal classic rock knock-offs. This band embraced its origins instead of lying and trying to hide them and here stands the most rock and roll band in rock and roll at a time when people are clamoring for more bands like the Rolling Stones and a Faces reunion is all but eminant.

Thursday marked the 15th anniversary of Miles Davis' passing. To mark the occasion, I played "Milestones", my latest find though good intentions aside, a wrong purchase. I was looking for his Quintet and picked up his first Sextet recording. The music's brilliant but I wanted something more mellow. On a very sad note, on Thursday night I also lost a colleague of mine from the high school who was shot to death by her half-sister in front of her seven-year old son. The scenario is almost cliche and therefore I refuse to go into detail, but myself and school are reeling in shock and disbelief about something so tragic to someone so contributing and nice.

Why must it take Bob Woodward to reveal to the nation just how evil George W. Bush's administration truly is?

Rosh Hashanah Of Sorts

Today is the today to reflect, to repent, to be thankful and to, ultimately start over and afresh. I woke up this morning wondering just where I am and where I want to be, even by lunchtime. While this last year has truly been a struggle, personally and professionally, I am reminded daily by Thoreau of who I do not want to become. The mass of men, Henry D. wrote, lead lives of quiet desperation. I yearn to never be one of them, though often find myself more of a Willy Loman than that of Walden's residents. See, my odometer flipped today, and as it read similar numbers, I think to where I am, who I am and where I want to see myself, even before I hop on an airplane.

My wife and child are beautiful; my next on-the-way is beginning to show on Mom. I am blessed. While my family is scattered, I hold them close and they me. I truly have nothing to worry me.

Today has been one of rest. I showed the deleted "Stairway To Heaven" scene from Almost Famous today as well as played half of Deep Purple's "Machine Head". I'm listening to Jackie McLean's "Desination Now" from 1963 and it's some beautiful saxophone playing. I was terribly disappointed to hear of his passing in April. I also picked up Christian McBride's "Live at Tonic", a three-disc live album with several lineups and friendly guests. Sort of a "Deep End" for jazz/funk/fusion. It will need to grow on me as the bassist pushes music in interesting new directions.

I was right about Branford; the new one's hot.

I share a birthday with Olivia Newton-John and George Gershwin. You choose which one you'll most want to align yourself with. I listened to Rhapsody in Blue tonight.

Off to watch Annie Hall and fall in love with quirky Diane Keaton for the zillionth time.

HSIOT

Holy S***, It's Only Thursday.

Weekend approaching with my wife leaving for two days. Relaxing solo time used to be peaceful but I'll be playing choo-choos and pushing my son at the swings in the park. I'll struggle with breakfast and the nap and hopefully be able to sit outside and read while he sleeps. I'm looking forward to a couple of days of not thinking about school but have been run a bit ragged this week and need some time and rest.

Tomorrow's anniversary can not be lost on me, my students or you. Look it up if you don't know.

Saturday, big day, of course. It's the shared birthday of Bruce and Coltrane. Records will be spinning. Oh, the packaging and overall goody-bag of the re-release of the Seeger Sessions has me excited for October 2nd. American Land and How Can A Poor Man Live? are two of Bruce's best songs of the last twenty years. The fact that Bruce not only revisited the American song book but added to it with songs of populist anger, rage and hope give further evidence to the man's essential importance to folk art. Coltrane, on the other hand, is a gift from above for entirely different reasons. I'll be walking the streets of Manhattan with the falling sheets of sound from Afro Blue as I make my way through SoHo. I also have to remember this time all my Simon and Garfunkel and Dylan lyrics as I eat breakfast in the Village but as many Allmans licks as I photograph the building that is the late Fillmore East. Then to Central Park and the Dakota, where I'll do everything in my power to keep from crying. I'm getting in that New York state of mind...

Welcome Back, Taylor

This has possibly been the worst month of my professional life but I'll save it for another time. I feel like I work for a combination of the Nixon and Bush Administrations. At least there's always Deepthroat, right?

I wanted to talk shop about some great music that I've stumbled across this last month first of all. Man, I've had a good streak!

Bernard Fanning - solo album from a member of the now-defunct Aussie band Powderfinger. Okay, name from Neil Young song, album cover reminiscent of Eric Clapton's first solo, I'll check it out. Amazing. Roots-based, singer-songwriter rocker and one hell of an album. I can't keep from listening to it. I don't care to even know anything else about this guy unless his band's stuff is anywhere remotely close to this. I picked this one up simply because the cover looked cool. Always have to be careful because you'll always get bitten.

Alice Peacock - What I Am. Funny you should mention that because this is exactly how I stumbled across this one as well. I must apologize in saying that I picked this one off the shelf because she's absolutely drop-dead gorgeous. Thank goodness the music is good, if not better, than the album cover. Here's a woman, a Chicago-based singer-songwriter in the vain of Sarah McLaughlin/Sheryl Crow with a massive dose of Carol King sensibility. Oh, gawd, you say, can you get any more cliche? Well, this album is loaded with wonderful, piano/acoustic based confessionals and Peacock's got a great voice. After snooping around and doing my homework on her, I see that this album's received the least favorable reviews of her three albums. I say "bring on those first two" if "What I Am" is this wonderful. A perfect Sunday morning album. Unless you're stuck watching Thomas the Tank Engine.

Bob Dylan - Modern Times. I'll save the pontification of the Sphinx of American songwriting for someone more adept and loquacious. Simply stunning. The most recent album of Dylan's I own prior to this is his Rolling Thunder Review boot. This man is a fine wine. I hope to have this much strength, sass and direction when I'm twice as younger than that now.

Miles Davis - Milestones. HUGE Miles jones right now. Reading John Szwed's biograpy and learning tons while rediscovering the man's genius. Though I bought the wrong album (I was thinking I should pick up one of the first quintet's '56 albums), to hear Coltrane and Cannonball go head-to-head gives me chills every time.

Branford Marsalis Quartet - Braggtown. While I don't have the album yet, I've sampled it and it's choice. What I do have is one ticket for his 9:30 performance at the Jazz Standard in New York City two weeks from tonight. To sit in a club in the lower east side in the heart of jazz's history will be a dream come true.

Billy Holliday - Ken Burns Jazz. "Autumn in New York" has been my favorite of hers for about the last, oh two or so years. Could never find the dumb song and now that I have it, I can't wait to sing its lyrics as I chase my son through Central Park.

Wolfmother - whoever recommended this to me, you owe me $10.

Death Cab For Cutie - don't know anything about these guys but the coolest freakin' band with the most jacked up name in pop right now. Have two albums and love them. Connor Oberst, on the other hand, has just about the least desirable voice in all of pop music. He makes Neil Young sound like one of the three tenors. Crimony.

My family leaves in less than two weeks for Philadelphia to visit my brother's family one last time. They'll be relocating in about six months and we wanted to take one last East Coast romp. It'll be a light romp with my son at two years of age but we'll do some damage nonetheless. I want to take pictures of my beautiful wife and son next to some of the greatest landmarks of my favorite city in my country. We also plan on visiting Gettysburg and Atlantic City, which should be fun. Put your make up on and fix your hair up pretty. Off to reserve my hotel room.

Politics are what they are. It's rewarding seeing the Bush Administration's report card on just about everything right now. Does Not Play Well With Others, Fails To Follow Directions, and my favorite, Just Plain Stupid. I'd blow his head off right now but the 'blogs and press make it redundant.

This feels good to record a good post. Happy sixth, Almost Famous. Bad week for anniversaries, as Monday made 36 for Jimi, yesterday made 33 for Gram and today makes 33 as well for Jim Croce.

My son identified Bob Dylan simply from his picture in Newsweek this week. I rule.

Five Years Burning Down the Road

it was a lifetime ago and it was yesterday. So many of us have that day etched in our memory. Chris, do you remember having us over for dinner that night? Do you remember our collective groans when Bush said "we make no distinction"?
Today served as a day of recollection and reflection in my classes. For my rock history course, I played three songs from "The Rising", which is the best 9/11-themed piece of art released thus far. I juxtaposed those songs with country music by Alan Jackson and Toby Keith. I almost started a fight with the Keith song as students voiced thier opinions and tempers rose. To think of such a tragic event and the possibilities of we, as a united nation, rising above to better things, have been so bitterly divided in the name of ideology and political capital. God bless those who were lost and those who lost. For our country, it couldn't have happened at a poorer time to a weaker leader. Naysayers be damned; the illegalities pulled in the name of protecting those so damned fearful they can't think for themselves would not have been executed by President Gore nor Clinton; hell, Bush 41 probably cringes at what he sees his son doing to the Constitution and the office of the President. Isn't it sad that, five years later, I listen to the President's speech with absolute incredulity because everything that has occurred between then and now has been nothing but a giant lie? The Bush Administration's failed putsch for oil and neocon supremacy in the Middle East means that those 3,000 souls died in vain. Tell me how do I begin again? My nation's in ruins...

I do have some good thoughts...my son was actually due to grace us with his presence two years ago today. While he arrived early, there may be a theme running here...

At Home, Again

Today we held my son's two-year birthday party and it was wonderful. As a toddler with sugar, lots of people, no nap and a random and weird line of events, he was happy, elated, surprised, over-stimulated, angry and sad and everything you'd expect out of a two-year old with no nap. I was so proud of my little boy today.
Tonight, Funk Shui was the entertainment at the cystic fibrosis fundraiser tonight. The dad thanked us profusely (needlessly) and we pulled both kids who are battling this disease on stage for a couple of songs to sing backing vocals on. During "Brown Eyed Girl" the kids and some adults formed a circle and danced holding hands, singing and laughing and celebrating the breath in their lungs, the joy in their moment. I saw the face of God in that one snapshot of time, with no pain, no fears, no sadness and only the passion of living in the now.
I came home from the gig and kissed my sleeping son, knowing that he'll never know just how many times I've done that and the number of times I'll continue to do so.

On the Home Front

The last three weeks have been crazy busy. Family life is wonderful and keeping me fully entertained. My beautiful son turned two years old yesterday and we celebrated with cupcakes, pizza and a swim at the lake in the mountains. He even jumped off the diving platform to daddy and helped swim all the way back to the shore. He truly is my life's greatest blessing.

The band's firing on all pistons. Two more gigs this month. One's a benefit fundraiser for cystic fibrosis, the second's a bar gig. Hope they both turn out.

I've had some good fortune lately in the local press. Here's one. Here's the second. My head's so big, I needed to widen the doorway to my classroom. Soon, they'll do an article about my prep period. :)

The mayoral race is off and running. Family candidate seems to have a good sense of the media and has managed to be in the papers every week in good stead. No Chappaquiddicks or Marilyns, so all's well! We'll see how things continue to unfold.

Looking to get down to Fresno for the Black Crowes show. Still have a month, though, and who knows who Chris Robinson will give the boot to by then! I wonder why Ed's gone again.

If I had the opportunity to bring one music-related performer/writer/celebrity/historically-connected person to my rock history course, who would it be? How would I contact that person?