Pavements — the 2025 quasi-documentary which tracks the impact of the band Pavement from their beginning in Stockton, CA in 1989 through their ups and downs in the 1990s until the present — is anything but a simply-told story. Writer/director Alex Ross Perry has stuffed his film with every idea he possibly can to makeContinue reading “Some Thoughts on Pavements”
Category Archives: One-Offs
The Haunting Sound of Jackie Mittoo’s “Drum Song”
About 10 years ago during a late night family hangout while on vacation in an isolated cabin in Canada, my brother-in-law — the ultra-talented piano player and composer Peer Neumann — took control of the music selection process and put on a recording that I had never heard of before. Strangely enough, Peer stopped pickingContinue reading “The Haunting Sound of Jackie Mittoo’s “Drum Song””
Some Other Dimensions In Yo La Tengo
In researching my Yo La Tengo’s Guitar Sculptures piece for Aquarium Drunkard, I came across a previously unknown project to me while reading Big Day Coming: Yo La Tengo and the Rise of Indie Rock by Jesse Jarnow. Between 1999 and 2003, there was a series of collaborations between Yo La Tengo and the freeContinue reading “Some Other Dimensions In Yo La Tengo”
“Bluebirds in a Fight” & the Songwriting of Ryan Davis
Listening to a song written by Ryan Davis for the first time can be an exhilarating, yet overwhelming experience. His songwriting features a cavalcade of images, wordplay, metaphors, and jokes that come in a rush. It’s similar to flipping too quickly through a book of photographs by William Eggleston. The abundance of color and outlandishContinue reading ““Bluebirds in a Fight” & the Songwriting of Ryan Davis”
A Good Year for Stephen Malkmus
Stephen Malkmus had a good year. It was also a busy one for the singer, songwriter, and guitar deity as it included the launch of a new band, more reunion tour dates with foundational 90s indie band Pavement, high-profile interviews, and the premier of a movie which featured his younger self. What follows are 10Continue reading “A Good Year for Stephen Malkmus”
Period Piece Music: Cindy Lee’s Diamond Jubilee and Jack Name’s Fabulous Soundtracks
In 2023, the director Kelly Reichardt appeared on WTF with Marc Maron and she and Maron raved about their mutual love of Robert Altman’s 1971 film McCabe and Mrs. Miller. Reichardt spoke about how her own movie First Cow explored similar territory as the Altman classic. She went on to say how so many filmContinue reading “Period Piece Music: Cindy Lee’s Diamond Jubilee and Jack Name’s Fabulous Soundtracks”
Papa M’s “I Am Not Lonely with Cricket”
In the latter half of the 1990s, I lived in the greater Los Angeles area, specifically in Venice Beach near the Pacific Ocean. My work was in Santa Monica, so my daily commute was relatively short compared to other Southern Californians. It was also strikingly and stereotypically beautiful. To avoid the traffic of other peopleContinue reading “Papa M’s “I Am Not Lonely with Cricket””
Roadhouse
A few months ago, I took to social media to officially pronounce my separation from the word “choogle.” For those unfamiliar with the term, it’s a musical description — some even may refer to it as a genre — that originated with Creedence Clearwater Revival’s 1969 song “Keep on Chooglin’.” During the song, John FogertyContinue reading “Roadhouse”
LCD Soundsystem’s “All My Friends”
On February 29, 2024, I participated in the storytelling series Listen To This: Stories and More on Stage. The theme for the show was “That Night a DJ Saved My Life” – true tales of times when music made a difference. Below is the full version of the piece I told onstage. I want toContinue reading “LCD Soundsystem’s “All My Friends””
Occapella
This piece was written in 2015 for a now-defunct arts publication. It starts with bass and drums. Three notes on the bass and then repeated with the same three notes. The drums are in lock-step with the bass. The first five seconds of the song could be looped for a 15 minute song resulting inContinue reading “Occapella”
Recliner Notes 