I very nearly shared the video of Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit playing “If We Were Vampires” live on Austin City Limits, but I changed my mind. The studio recording just can’t be beaten. Maybe if I had been in the audience during the ACL recording I’d feel differently. Or seeing them perform the…
Recommended to me by my sister-in-law (and then vouched for by my father-in-law), ššŖšš„: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail is one of the most captivating memoirs Iāve read. Strayed’s prose is honest, vivid, and raw. Recounting her 1,100-mile solo hike along the Pacific Crest Trail, she brings the reader along the…
City and Colour is the stage name of Dallas Green (get it?) and he is one of those happy discoveries. “Two Coins” was on a shared playlist I created a long time ago with my wife and I thought she added the song. She thought I did. Eventually, I proved it was me. I just…
What is the first thing you think of when someone mentions ZZ Top? Okay, now that we’ve acknowledged the chest-length beards, what do you think of next? I imagine that casual fans perhaps think of mid-1980s classics like “Legs” and “Sharp Dressed Man.” Maybe you also think of Ford coupes and sheepskin-covered guitars as seen…
Fact: it’s not hard to sing a song better than Ozzy does it. I love Black Sabbathāparticularly the first five albumsābut the strength of that band lies more in Geezer Butler and Bill Ward than anything. That’s not a dig on Tony Iommi or Ozzy Osbourne. At any rate, Charles Bradley doesn’t just do a…
What do I say about this woman when my feelings for her are ineffable? Jessica suggested I say she had straight teeth. Because āsheād like thatāā¦ Jess is right. She had beautiful teeth. Everything about her was beautiful. But still. A eulogy? Iām not good at speeches. Iām too soft-spoken to be a wonderful orator.…
After Lara got her Stage IV cancer diagnosis, one song she often requested was Blue Ćyster Cult’s “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper.ā She even asked my dad’s band to play it at her fundraiser. My dad wanted to even though he didn’t think he could through the lyrics. But the only other guy in the band…
A year ago Lara rang the bell signaling that her treatment for breast cancer was complete. She was eager to finish that chapter and begin a new one, rebounding back into health and adventure. Gage was eagerly counting down the days until she returned to Georgia with us. We all were. My countdown was shorter…
Not every song grabs me the first time I hear it and Joshua Burnside’s “Whiskey Whiskey” is one such song. “Oh, another song about booze and the reason I want to dull the pain,” I think I thought to myself. But as it came up in the rotation more and more, it began to grow…