by Mark Saleski One of my favorite guitar players, Ribot defines ‘angular.’ While some of his finest stuff has happened as a sideman (good gawd, he’s all over the fricken place on Tom Waits’ Rain Dogs … and now that I think of it, he applies extra twangosity on ElvisRead More

by Mark Saleski Good gawd, the man is a veritable Fort Knox of ideas. From barroom stompers to pensive ballads to clattering percussion to spoken word oddities. Waits reciting Bukowski? Yes, please! Waits is the weird uncle you’re fascinated by and scared of at the same time. You still loveRead More

Vacation Part 2. Oh my, it feels so good to downshift. With no daily work regimen to get the stress train moving (beyond making sure that there’s enough coffee for the next day), the relaxation response takes over. You May Also Like: Chad Bradford, “Friday Morning Rain” (2015): One TrackRead More

by Mark Saleski  Tomorrow would have been Jack Kerouac‘s 89th birthday. I often wonder what the mad & exuberant fool would have been writing today, had he been able to overcome his drinking demons. Would he be distraught at the fact that his beloved jazz has fallen to the veryRead More

by Mark Saleski In the recent Southern Music issue of the Oxford American, musician John Engle speaks of “The Vastness,” the idea that the world’s store of knowledge is so vast that “if you tried to take it all on at once it would crush you.” It’s true. And thereRead More

by Mark Saleski “Every man has inside himself a parasitic being who is acting not at all to his advantage.” -William S. Burroughs.This seem true enough, and mine wants to live in that house. He whispers in my ear to leave almost everything behind. We get into these major fightsRead More

by Mark Saleski OK, so let’s get the list over with quickly. Here are your 2011 nominees for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Alice Cooper, Beastie Boys, Bon Jovi, Chic, Neil Diamond, Donovan, Dr. John, J. Geils Band, LL Cool J, Darlene Love, Laura Nyro, DonnaRead More

by Mark Saleski After listening to certain Tom Waits songs, I get to thinking about what the man might have stored in his garage. Sure, it’s become sort of a cliché, doing a mental inventory of Waits’ collection of bullhorns and whatnot, but it sure is fun. Even more funRead More

by Mark Saleski From the cool & creepy photo of the record left on Elvis’ turntable the day he died (“The Stamps”) to the beautiful and somewhat bittersweet picture of Johnny Cash and June carter, Annie Leibovitz’ American Music is just filled to overflowing with photo portraits of a wideRead More