I don’t remember how old I was when my brother told me our grandfather had passed away. I could look it up, I have the paperwork in a lockbox in a room downstairs. There’s all kinds of paperwork in there. Birth certificates, marriage licenses, and death certificates. The cliff notes version of the story of... Continue Reading →
Driving home today I randomly got some lines from “Isis” by Bob Dylan stuck in my head. I wasn’t listening to Dylan at the time, and hadn’t heard the song in a while, but nonetheless there it was. Specifically it was the 5th verse. I was thinkin' about turquoise, I was thinkin' about gold I... Continue Reading →
Better Man by Pearl Jam starts slowly. It opens with a single guitar playing long, almost sinister notes with a few bass notes scattered around. It’s reminiscent of “Once” from their debut album, “Ten.” It sets you up for a burst of energy, but instead, there is a quick beat of silence, and then a... Continue Reading →
My best friend passed away suddenly two days after Christmas. This piece isn't really about that, but it should probably start there because otherwise, it's going to come in the middle, and that doesn't feel right. It would sound like a twist in the plot. His sudden death was the impetus for the whole story,... Continue Reading →
When I first heard Paul Simon’s Graceland, it was in my father's car. I don't remember the date of course, just that I was young. If I had to guess, I was probably 11 or 12. Just on the cusp of being a teenager, but still going to my father's house on the weekends. The... Continue Reading →
A few years back, I was at a punk rock festival out in Ohio. One of the groups in the lineup was a band called 'The Street Dogs.' They were an outfit out of Boston made up of guys from other, possibly more well-known, bands like Dark Buster and the Dropkick Murphys. I had gotten... Continue Reading →
Every city and town has a distinct sound if you have the ears to hear it. Some are subtle and delicate; some are angry and bombastic; some are coated in grime and desperation. The sound that comes from New Jersey is a kind of primal scream that leaves your throat raw and bloody. The lineage... Continue Reading →
The other day I ran seven miles. I averaged 12:54 per mile, with my quickest mile being 12:28 and my slowest, the final cool down mile, 13:55. I’ve run quicker miles and done longer runs, but this one felt different. The Reservoir I hadn’t run for a few days prior so when I headed out... Continue Reading →
It’s the Fourth of July, the fireworks are still going strong, the air is thick with smoke and humidity, and I’m thinking about Lou Reed. Fear Street Part One: 1984 This evening I watched a movie called “Fear Street Part One: 1994.” It’s a very fun movie if you like horror movies in the vein... Continue Reading →
Whenever I first hear a new record, I always hear it as a collection of influences. I'll hear bits of this artist and that artist, but it takes a few listens before it begins to sound entirely like the artist. When I first put on the new Trapper Schoepp record, I heard Bruce Springsteen, Tom... Continue Reading →
SHOUTING STREET 