Favorite albums of 2014

by | Jan 7, 2015 | Uncategorized | 0 comments

There are 3 major problems with my year-end “favorite albums” list:

  1. No one listens to albums anymore.
  2. No one listens to me.
  3. Sometimes the list maker will pad the list just to get to a magic number.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aU4pyiB-kq0

But here are some albums I thoroughly enjoyed in 2014, in no particular order:

Spoon – They Want My Soul

Sharon Van Etten – Are We There

Lykke Li – I Never Learn

Ryan Adams – Ryan Adams

Ty Segall – Manipulator

Strand of Oaks – Heal

Alvvays – Alvvays

Hurray for the Riff Raff – Small Town Heroes

Lucinda Williams – Down Where The Spirit Meets The Bone

Wussy – Attica! 

Robert Ellis – The Lights From The Chemical Plant

The Rural Alberta Advantage – Mended With Gold

The Both – The Both

The War on Drugs – Lost In The Dream

Sons of Bill – Love and Logic

First Aid Kit – Stay Gold

Tweedy – Sukierae

Drive-By Truckers – English Oceans

Tycho – Awake

Reigning Sound – Shattered

Nikki Lane – All Or Nothin’ 

Thompson – Family

Bob Mould – Beauty & Ruin

Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires – Dereconstructed

King Tuff – Black Moon Spell

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – Hypnotic Eye

The Apache Relay – The Apache Relay

Bob Forrest, a monster talent

by | Jan 3, 2015 | Uncategorized | 0 comments

Waaaay back when, I heard an L.A. band called Thelonious Monster, and fell in love with their album “Beautiful Mess.” Thelonious Monster was like a West Coast version of The Replacements. They both wrote great songs, and both groups’ drinking and drugging could turn their live shows into beautiful messes, or just plain messes.

The lead singer and main songwriter for TM was Bob Forrest. After Thelonious Monster imploded thanks to his addictions, Bob cleaned up his act and put out an album with Josh Klinghoffer (now guitarist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers) under the name The Bicycle Thief. The album was entitled “You Come And Go Like A Pop Song” and it was – and still is – a hidden gem. Here’s my favorite song from that album, as done live by Bob and Josh:

Another great one is Rainin’ (4am):

These days Bob is a rehab counselor. He was on VH1’s “Celebrity Rehab” apparently, but I never saw an episode of that. He wrote a memoir recently. I just wish he’d make more music.

See less of yourself in 2015

by | Jan 3, 2015 | Uncategorized | 0 comments

Have you made a New Year’s resolution to get in better shape in 2015? Congratulations, you’ve chosen one of the most popular resolutions of all time. And one of the most easily broken ones too. I’ve tried myriad diet/exercise plans in the past, and usually about two days into them I’m constantly hungry, cranky and headache-y. Needless to say, I bailed out on each of those plans.

fat bastard

But in early 2014 I read a book called 4 Hour Body by Timothy Ferriss, and tried his plan. I lost 25 pounds in about 4 months, and have managed to keep those pounds off in the ensuing 6 months without feeling hungry all the time. I feel better and less bloated too. It’s worth checking out.