Going, Going...

What was 2006 for you? Overall, I think 2006 was great for my family and I. My wife got out of her business. My father was elected mayor. My son turned two and has been healthy. We made two new babies. My brother's family grew. I was able to travel during all three breaks, visiting five states. Saw some great music, made some more. Made the papers. I guess I could say that 2006 was a good one for my books.
For the nation?

Tickets go on sale tomorrow morning for Branford's five-night run at Yoshi's. Would like to take my wife for a Valentine's present and then catch one more show. Hopefully a great opportunity.

What will 2007 bring? We'll see.

Happy New Year and maybe this bring a greeting of great joy.

Redux

Maybe I was too flippant in my previous post. I'm not sure I can truly be nothing but negative when thinking about where our country is, led so by our current neocon ideologue. Maybe I need to stop and think about exactly what has just happened.

We're in the waning hours of 2006; roll the "year in review" tapes and articles. As we all reflect on another calendar year completed, we're burying a former president and a dictator. What will all of this bring? Am I too cynical? I don't know; watch the tapes of the Ford presidency and then pick up any history textbook analyzing the mid-70s. Often, journalism and history is really the propagation of arbitrary reactions and feelings guised as fact and assessment. What does this mean for our memory of the past and how we make sense of it all?

Bated Breath

Minutes from now, former Iraq dictator Saddam Hussein is to be executed by hanging, ending an era in memory of brutality, delusion and unfortunately, great American colusion. To paraphrase FDR, Hussein was "our S.O.B." in the early 1980s after Saddam got the wild hair to attack Iran. He suddenly became the world's bogeyman when the world's oil supply came under attack. He became the West's biggest thorn in its public relations side when he continually thumbed his nose at U.N. weapons inspectors, continued to build up WMD and then suddenly halt all productions and attempts to amass these weapons all the while feigning that he was to be the Middle East's most heavily-armed superpower next to Israel. Only with the March 2003 U.S. invasion did the world see that this psychopathic ruler was a deranged criminal with military backing and control over a nation due to the fear of terror. What truly was a weak and instable nation was only made worse with his overthrow, regardless of those who claim that a man that evil deserved to be deposed. While that argument was not only moot (justification on ground of merit?), it was continually thrown in the face of those, including yours truly, who opposed Bush's manipulation of "intelligence" (remember, there's always a problem whenever the words "Bush" and "intelligence" are used in the same sentence) into taking over a nation with the goal of ultimately toppling all Middle Eastern anti-U.S. governments in order to control the region's oil supply. Three years and hundreds of thousands of deaths later, only with years of fighting a burgeoning self-inflicted terrorist front, not to mention a midterm election that served as the president's only wake-up call that Americans had had it with his Iraq policy, has the president seen that he probably wishes Saddam to be back in power. I will never justify Hussein's maniacal rule of that country and oppose all forms of human oppression everywhere but when actions based on national interests (including the toppling of any leader who serves as a threat to them), including Middle East stability, are carried out so poorly without any sort of realization that they may or already have failed, then U.S. actions fail to serve the greater good of the nation and the world. Here we are now, in a week of weeks to be quoting the foreign policy expert Gerald R. Ford, that the Bush War was stupid. So, let's see, here are George Walker Bush's predecessors on his war of choice:

Clinton: "notice I didn't invade even though he had claimed to have a nuke in the 90s? How right was I"?

Bush I: "don't invade Baghdad". "Jim, go clean up my kid's mess. No, not Katrina, I've got that."

Reagan: "Attack? Here, have some of our chemical weapons and anything you need to hit the Iranians. Just be careful because I'm giving them the same stuff on the downlow."

Carter: "Check out my Nobel Peace Prize for making peace in the Middle East."

Ford: "Mistake". "Cheney's hell-bent on invading." (paraphrased)

Nixon: (paraphrased), "whatever you do, don't make Donald Rumsfeld Secretary of Defense."

Johnson: "do I need to quote Santayana, you dolt?"

JFK: "the GOP impeached Clinton on blowjobs. You got lucky, chump. Shoulda cheated; check out our approval ratings."

Holiday Musings

First off, shoot over to Tony's blog about his experience in a Fresno bar waiting to catch Devon Allman's Honeytribe. You'll see why this guy's blog needs to be published in book form. Maybe this will be our own undertaking...

Christmas was magic. My nephew was the first baby born in his hospital on Christmas Day, which was a blessing. My son loved the day and rightfully so; Santa and his family took good care of him. I'm on my second day of vacation and am loving it. I've had a great time reading as well. I finished Kill Your Idols and am flying through Erik Larson's The Devil in the White City. I can't put this down and I know I'm going to get into trouble as I do absolutely nothing around the house until I finish the book. Next up, after finishing my Masumoto book, is Frank McCourt's book on being a teacher. Should be fun.

The 38th president of the United States, Gerald R. Ford, died last night at the age of 93. A gentle and benign president, in my opinion; someone bookended by some of our biggest disappointments. While our pop culture memory is lavishing heaps of praise on the decade of the 70s, when one looks back at it with analytical candor, he/she will see that the decade was a terrible one, only to be followed by the Reagan years!!! :) Of course I'll be glued to the television as the specials and memorials air, just like I did with Reagan and Nixon.

Stop the Presses

I have a new addition to my top 10 which means one will have to go. Some of my students gave me a gift card to our local bookstore, so I went to burn it yesterday. I picked up a handful of Chris' top-20 recommendations and a couple of others as well. I spent over an hour sampling them. I had with me the new Built To Spill (almost took this one home - awesome!), Waiting For Columbus, Neil Young's Tonight's the Night (still struggle with this one - should be in Kill Your Idols) and the one I took home: Okonokos, the new live album by My Morning Jacket. Since having my son, my involvement and purchasing of new music has dramatically decreased. I have, however, happened to stumble over this great band from Kentucky, and thankfully, when they released their first "real" full-length album in 2003. Since then, they've been some of my favorite music to listen to. In typical classical fashion, the band's third album is a double-disc live performance from the Fillmore in San Francisco. While the twenty-song set includes probably fifteen or so tunes from the two albums, this set is what someone needs who wants to check this band out. The first disc is tip-top; the second disc truly shows off the "live" aspect that makes a great performing band well-known. Singer Jim James' voices begins to tire in the second hour and he struggles to hit a couple of notes. So what? It's like correcting Duane Allman's grammar at the end of Mountain Jam. This record's going to receive a lot of play over my holiday.

Off to get ready for the party.

Did you hear what the Republican from Virginia said about the new House member from MN who happens to be the first Muslim elected to Congress? The U.S. needs to restrict immigration in order to keep this place from being inundated by Muslims. And nothing from the GOP. And yet, all hell will break loose the first time an employee from anywhere wishes someone a 'happy holidays', right?

12/20

If at first you don't secede, try and try again! Who would have thought that on the twelfth anniversary of my (now) wife's and my dating relationship I would watch my two year old son sit on the couch and cackle to his first Mickey Mouse cartoon? One of life's little treasures.

Ah, the year's reached an end. Time for the navel-gazers and experts to tell us what this latest trip around the sun all meant. Other than health and a growing family (of course, priorities), there's the music. And, damnit, taking a cue from Lefty (with a fantastic list to boot), here's my Top 10 cd purchases of 2006. No particular order. This doesn't include the countless cds for my rock history course or the older and classic albums that stand out (sometimes even above these):


Bruce Springsteen - We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions. British, Irish and American folk tales delivered in a timeless style that celebrates the spirit of New Orleans and the human condition. More punk than anything else seen this year.

Bob Dylan - Modern Times. Another classic from this year. Only Dylan can reinvent himself in the way he does and continue to spin successfully. Spirit On the Water? Probably the most beautiful song since his divorce album.

Bernard Fanning - Tea and Sympathy. Thank goodness for records like this, just when we're all ready to hang it up and just keep buying albums from 1973. Here's an album with the classic influences but the modern touches to make one wonder, "did this guy jam with Delaney Bramlett or play on Exile On Main Street?"

Jackie Greene - American Myth. Out of the Bay Area, this up-and-comer's "debut" is absolutely perfect from beginning to end. Like Ryan Adams' Gold from 2000 but without the pretension or the tedium of the sixteen million songs a month and a half long. Another young musician with his influences in all the right places. And he supposedly plays all of the instruments.

Derek Trucks Band - Songlines. I agree with Chris in that the only thing keeping this from being my number one is the slight overproduction the album receives. Other than that, the band's in fine form, the originals equal if not top the covers and the boys give us one doozie of a collection of songs to just slaughter live.

The Raconteurs - Broken Boy Soldiers. The Beatles joining Mott the Hoople? While I haven't absorbed this one like the others, every time I spin it I get knocked out thinking that power pop doesn't sound any better than this.

The Black Crowes - Tall/Band Sessions. While the music's from the mid-90s, one of my all-time favorite bands has released some classic bird music. I love this band, I love their songs, I love their albums and I love the fact that these boys, once labeled as "classic rock knock-offs" have created another record of timeless tunes. The album that eventually turned into Amorica's okay but the 1997 is among their best.

Alice Peakcock - Who I Am. I've always been in awe of the singer/songwriter that could deliver their heart on a platter while making me feel that I wrote that song. This, her third, is considered her weakest album. If this is the case, I'm not sure I can handle listening to what's seen as her best. She's beautiful, extremely talented and she reminds me that Sheryl Crow's soft spot can really be Joni Mitchell or Bonnie Raitt when she wants to be.

Gov't Mule - High and Mighty. Warren Haynes surpasses James Brown as the hardest working man in show business. While this album has its issues, when the band's on, look out; there's nothing as hard-hitting or brutally powerful as a Mule kick.

Branford Marsalis Quartet - Braggtown. My favorite contemporary artist, Branford makes me feel like I'm living in a time when jazz music is important. At least it is when I play his music, especiallyl this wonderful album released in September. Being able to see a couple of the songs performed from spitting distance (another post) makes this even better. If you're a jazz nut, this one needs to be in your collection yesterday.

Honorable Mentions: The Little Willies (love Norah), Emmylou and Mark Knopfler, Jack Johnson's latest that came out late last year, The Drive-by Truckers' A Blessing and a Curse (great to have been turned on to them this year). I also just picked up The Beatles Love, which I'll talk about at another date as well. Biggest bummer: Bob Seger's latest, though I'll probably spin it a couple of times over the Christmas vacation.

Up next: the best concerts of 2006...

Thank You, Chris

Lefty sent me his well-read copy of "Kill Your Idols", the collection of music reviews designed to get the average music fan to "appreciate" her/his understanding of the classics in a different light. Pure revisionism, this tome of disengenuine essays attempts to smear some of rock and roll's mighty monolithic albums solely for the sake of doing so. Not that some "classics" aren't worthy of a couple of cheap shots in the name of common sense analysis but to denigrate for the sake of simply writing an essay (stated so in the foreward) makes the reading of each essay nothing more than a reason to go out and purchase the essay's subject if not already owned by the reader. From the book (and I'm only on the fourth or fifth album), here's what I've learned:

1. if the album or the rock style is old, it's crap.
2. if the artist or style of music is popular in an interstate region, it's crap.
3. if the artist or album can be heard on a radio, it's crap.
4. if the artist or album is featured in the book, there is something better than the subject of the essay by the artist.
5. if the artist is still alive, the album's still crap.
6. crap is still good but one needs to understand the crapiness of such crappy crap.

Now, I must say that the book is a great read and I enjoy the different authors' take on their subjects. It also helps to know like the back of one's hand the subjects written about in order to smirk and throw the book or raise your eyebrows wondering, "what? he's splitting hairs here". It's also great because some points I can easily use when teaching certain albums for my rock history course. Now, this all being said, there are tons of classic rock and roll albums and artists that I struggle still to find the brilliance of. I'm also reading 33 1/3's Greatest Hits which is a wonderful read though just a tad shy of hagiography for some of the book's subjects. Without poring over too many topics tonight (we've got to get to bed), I still can't for the life of me, understand the genius of Ray Davies and The Kinks. I also can't wrap my head around the early Stones or Who for that matter, either, so I'm wondering whether there's an unconscious prejudice or something. Or, maybe I just hate that mid-60s stuff. Who knows? I'll surely delve into more and other topics as I continue to read through these two books. Also picked up the new book, "Laurel Canyon", the history of the microcosm of the hills outside of L.A. that brought fame and inspiration to a whole generation of musicians who will probably have chapters written about them in the second volume of Kill Your Idols if they aren't already in the first.

For the Love of Christ

This time of season brings about great memories, emotions and reliosity as we rush around, buying things that our loved ones don't really need and regift if they're still in good enough shape, but I cling to the few things that help me retain my faith and beliefs in why I try to live my life the way I do. I missed (due to being terribly ill since Thanksgiving) my hometown's sing-along Messiah. One of my friends went and loved it, which sparked the desire in me to find a decent priced, good quality recording of G.F. Handel's 1742 masterwork. Hauntingly beautiful, this two-hour baroque opus written for the English king brings home the majesty and mystery of Jesus's birth. Nowhere a literalist and often skeptical, I read my gospels, especially around this time of year to return not to the history but the story; how two societal outcasts traveled several hundred miles to complete something neither of them wished to begin in the first place. A young, scared teenage mother-to-be, scared that she wasn't worthy of God's wish and terrified of how she's be viewed by her family and peers; a group of subjugated people moved around like livestock for the whim of an oppressive government and finally the birth of a new person in the lowliest of conditions, of which, serve metaphorically as the message for every person who attempts to seek an answer of "where do I fit in?". As Jesus, the historical or the one tied to the gospels experienced, heaven is at your feet and the people of God are before you. It is how you treat them as you live your life that determines in so many ways your own peace as you walk through life. And yet to hear such majestic, BIG music makes my belief in God big; like the cathedrals of Europe (and some like-minded younger ones in the U.S.), God feels big when made to worship in the presence of large things. Handel's Messiah was written to make that gospel story much larger than the actual details. What helps me make sense of my own life is when I take the BIG of the baroque and marry it with the humbleness of my beliefs of Jesus the man frequenting the slums of cities, the down and out of society or the common people of his city do I feel that I understand where the peace of my life exists. It is to put those two mutually exclusive thoughts together which keeps me living in order to find a sense of understanding and awe about why I'm here and what I'm doing here. Merry Christmas and regardless of your religious denomination or affiliation, may peace be with you this season.

Wise Man Or Fool?

I can see Chris rolling his eyes all the way in Fresno and my college friends sigh across the nation. My colleague Summer will now want to mother me like a cult leader and some out there may scream, "duh!". In preparing for my last two weeks of Rock History with my students with the 1990s and 2000s in mind, I stumbled across the two-disc rearviewmirror (at Target for $10 no less!), Pearl Jam's greatest hits collection. In listening to the first disc and a half of music, I am really impressed and wonder just how I could have made it fifteen years without really enjoying this band.

Maybe I wanted to see whether they'd stand the test of time. Maybe I wanted to see just how trendy grunge and Seattle and Singles and Nirvana really were. Just maybe I wanted to see a band progress in its career and not just be seen as a Guns 'N Roses of the '90s (sorry, Steve, but after Appetite, what did that band really put out worth keeping? They were the CSN&Y of the 80s). I must say that I'm really impressed. No, not impressed; I freaking love this album of songs. I wish I had done my homework on the band to see that only 12 of the 33 cuts come from after 1994 but I do know my PJ enough to know that the late 90s weren't especially friendly on their album output. I do also know that their most recent album has received the best reviews since Ten, which I have known of all along because I started college in the Fall of 1991, when the world experienced the wrath of grunge. College students are music-savvy and open to the widest array of new bands. That said, they're still just one step away from trend-following high schoolers and with grunge, there was no getting around the plaid-and-no-combing-the-hair bandwagon that brought us everything Seattle. I was amazed that people knew everything about the Pacific Northwest after just fifteen spins of Nevermind; that everyone worshipped Temple of the Dog and hated Hair of the Dog; that suddenly punk music with terrible musicianship and indecipherable lyrics and banal "I'm a teenager and no one understands me" tripe became cool for a generation that desperately sought after its own Pete Townshend. I was in my own small town sheltered young phase but was not listening to a lot of things my friends were (Simon and Garfunkel, The Eagles, Pink Floyd, NO rap, NO hair metal, Rush, U2) and outright rejected the modern trend of rock music. I still, while recognizing the tremendous impact of Kurt Cobain and Nirvana, fail to recognize the grunge movement as nothing more of an inspirational fad (like hippie music - "Listen to the Flower People" would have been a smash had it not been a farce! - and I still think that the Red Hot Chili Peppers are one of the most mundane and over-rated bands of the last quarter century. I can hear the name callers now ("Luddite bastard!!!!") but I'm sticking to my guns. In fact, I'm thankful that I did then as well, because my distaste for the popular stuff drove me to find the jam-band scene, which, while not perfect, was much more organic and consisted of a pool of a lot more talented musicians. I'll take the Pepsi Challenge with John Popper or Trey Anastasio or Warren Haynes or the drummer from the Spin Doctors any day compared to any second-rate second-wave band of the 90s.

However, let me return to PJ. I think that Eddie Vedder's always been a tremendous frontman and loved in 1993 how the band jammed with Neil on MTV, recognizing his influence without calling him a dinosaur. I think that PJ helped bridge the gap between "old" and "young" artists and showed young people that the oldies were still rockin' enough in the free world to be seen as rockers and not fogeys. "Once" and "Even Flow" drive harder than the hardest heavy metal while incorporating enough bluesy punk to make the music old but fresh. I wish I could decipher some of Eddie's lyrics and am challenged to find the band's songbook but think that his vocal growl is great and the guys backing him pushed the music in a forward direction. I can already tell the mid-decade songs from the early stuff, though and am not too keen. I can see just how influential PJ was on Rush's mid-90s output. I knew that the Canadians borrowed PJ's producer (or one of those driving bands) and now hearing PJ makes Rush sound like old guys really pushing to be cool again. Not their fault, just like it wasn't David Gilmour's fault to make one last hurrah with the Division Bell in '94. Also, the band's politics and lack of some tabloid press keeps their reputation above the "current bad boy" label (IS Oasis really that good or do those brothers beat each other up just to keep the band in the press?). Vote For Change Tour was awesome, though I really wanted to see Bruce and PJ get together. I bet that an incredible album pushing of socially-conscious music should be released with Bruce, Eddie, Bono and others should be made. That would really rock.

I would love a brief education on anyone claiming to be a Pearl Jam fan. I would love a direction to head or advice about which of the band's live shows are truly representative of a great live performance.

Happy X-Mas

We're nearing 3,000 military casualties while the civilian death toll is anywhere from 30,000 to 650,000 depending on one's definition of accuracy and objectivity. Now it seems that Rummy's fessing up and Condi's being a little more transparent. Sy Hersch reports that the DoD's ready to bomb Iran all the while Iraq is/is not in a civil war. The Democratic Party's ready to engage in a civil war over what to do with the quagmire and the Republican Party is willing to sacrifice the very last bit of its integrity to continue to support a President who's either filled with so much delusion or hubris to admit that the entire war's been a disaster. Iran must be paying the Bush family for strengthening its position in the Middle East at the U.S.' expense; now our new Defense Secretary was someone right in the middle of the Iran/Contra scandal and no one in the MSM has yet to scream, "irony of ironies!".

At least we don't live in Russia. Vlad the Poisoner has knocked off two outspoken critics in the last six months, he's stalled the U.N. Security Council over what to do with Iran and all the while his nation continues to trade with and sell military supplies with the Aryan nation. Am I raising a son who will end up giving his life for another world-wide military conflict over megalomania? I want to return to the days of yesteryear, when people loved Lucy, when the scariest thing on the radio was Elvis, when people like Strom Thurmond kept society in order and when Eisenhower's brinkmanship policy elevated fears of a nuclear world war to the point where people built bomb shelters in their yards. Geesh.

Someone on the Allman Brothers Band listserv questioned whether Derek Trucks would continue with the band in March as his stint with Eric Clapton would interfere with the ABB's annual Beacon run in NYC. Someone replied, claiming that Derek would surely be there but there would be some changes. That means that either Eric's going to be popping in with the band or Dickey's returning. Will Warren be leaving? Will Clapton lead the ABB in the most amazing version of Layla? Makes me wish I lived in Manhattan, but there are, of course, countless other reasons to make me feel that way.

I've been sick now for over a week and would really like to take a day or two off from work but am worried what that would do for my classes so close to the end. The only movie I can think I'd show to my rock history class is Spinal Tap and I doubt the sub would appreciate that one, eh?