I have books in my collection that go all the way back to about the 5th grade. There have been so many bookstore visits in between: used bookstores, local establishments, major & minor chains. Occasions have included everything from the obligatory first day of vacation “fill-up” to the much moreRead More

by Mark Saleski No harm meant by this remark: I’d rather listen to John Mayer than Elliott Smith. So there, I’ve said it. Not to illustrate that I’ve got no indie cred. That I apparently have no taste in music. Not even to piss off the legions of Smith fans.Read More

by Mark Saleski This song, from Captain Beefheart’s Trout Mask Replica, wouldn’t feel out of place on Harry Smith’s Anthology of American Folk Music. Part field holler, part rambling genius. Well I put down my bush ‘n I took off my pants ‘n felt free The breeze blowin’ up meRead More

I wasn’t familiar with the work of vibraphonist Bill Ware (though a quick Allmusic search said that he’s played with the Jazz Passengers, Groove Collective and even Steely Dan) but I was, then as now, a sucker for the sound of vibes. What’s more, I’ll buy anything with the nameRead More

Greetings ends not with a happy postcard from the Jersey shore, but with the tough-as-nails “It’s Hard To be A Saint In The City. You May Also Like: Reevaluating Bruce Springsteen’s ‘The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle’

by Mark Saleski I pride myself on knowing a fair amount about music. Of course, what this really means is that I’ve spent way too many hours sitting around listening to records — while no doubt thumbing through some rock publication … Rolling Stone, Creem, etc.) What you might notRead More

by Mark Saleski Many artists, when asked to pick a favorite from their own discography, will lean toward their most recent release. Sure, I can see that. You work on new material, it’s fresh and exiting, and right there in the front of your mind. I’ve wondered what Pat Metheny’sRead More

One more time before … What? Let’s back up a handful of years. At that point, me and TheWife™ had been married for going on ten years and were living out here in the country in our big ‘ole house, working and taking care of my parents You May AlsoRead More

by Mark Saleski When this album arrived in 2003, part of me wanted to say that nothing much had happened since Blood Sugar Sex Magik. But the thought was really closer to “I haven’t gotten off on much of their stuff since BSSM. You May Also Like: When John FruscianteRead More

And now we have Greetings‘ cast of characters — Wild Billy, Killer Joe, Hazy Davy, G-Man, and Crazy Janey — heading out for a Saturday night of wild abandon up at Greasy Lake. You May Also Like: Reevaluating Bruce Springsteen’s ‘The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle’