Bits and Pieces
I’ve been a bit busy lately and have not posted as much as I planned to. I spent most of January preparing to leave my job of almost six years just as they filed bankruptcy. I spent most of February ramping up to speed at my new job where I hope to be for a very long time. My music musings have suffered but my listening has not. A few bits and pieces below of what has come across my eyes and ears lately.
The Decemberists – The King Is Dead. Get this album, get it now. Wow, it is by far the best album I have heard this year and reminds me of Wilco’s Sky Blue Sky in the way that it’s simply an album of great songs. It does not try to be anything more than that and it rocks. Add Gillian Welch and Peter Buck into the mix and you’ve got a great musical experience.
John Hammond at the Aladdin Theater in Portland – Every time I see this man live I get chills. He is an absolutely amazing blues singer and I love to go see him live. Every time I’ve seen him I’ve been close enough to see the spit fly when he’s blowing his harmonica. Truly one of the last great traditional acoustic blues singers.
Bob Marley – Live Forever. A nice historical piece of his last recorded concert. I still strongly prefer Live at the Roxy but any live Bob is good Bob.
REM – Collapse Into Now. Ugh. REM has become like the Author Terry Brooks for me. I keep getting their new stuff thinking “this will be the one that recaptures what they once had” and I keep getting disappointed. A bland shadow of what they once were.
I have finally got around to reading Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain. I did not read it when it was all the rage for one reason or another. It is taking me back to my days as a chef and I am laughing hard quite often while reading it. I’m sure the people on the train into town think I’m a bit crazy with my random bursts of laughter but I’m really enjoying this one. A bit of advice, do not read while eating lunch in a restaurant. Even though I worked in them, reading some of the things while waiting for my food to be prepared was not a good plan…