The First Two Pages Of Frankenstein Review
I have to admit that despite being a Cincinnati native who has long supported the local music scene, I’ve never been too much into The National. It was guitarist Aaron Dessner’s collaboration with Taylor Swift on the albums Folklore and Evermore that made me pay attention. And I’m so glad I did. Though now I’m disappointed at not having become a fan sooner.
Once Upon a Poolside, featuring Sufjan Stevens pulls you right in. This is hipster lounge music. Matt Berninger’s silky smooth delivery is fantastic and the addition of Stevens is perfect.
On Eucalyptus, the band plays their indie credibility card calling out The Cowboy Junkies and fellow Cincinnati indie rock luminaries, The Afghan Whigs across a sprawling, echoey indie rock dreamscape.
Songs like New Order T-shirt and Ice Machines are the kind of melodic, dreamy indie pop you expect from The National. Grease in Your Hair and Tropic Morning News pick up the pace a bit with the Dessner brothers rocking out a bit. Matt Berninger’s voice is solid, smokey, and wistful throughout, the perfect indie rock front person.
For me, it’s the collabs that stand out here. My favorite female vocalist, Phoebe Fucking Bridgers appears on two songs adding her angelic, god-like voice to an already impressive presentation of indie rock perfection. And of course, the obligatory Taylor Swift cameo on The Alcott is outstanding. Aaron Dessner’s friendship and professional collaboration with Swift will no doubt continue to pay dividends for years to come.
The First Two Pages of Frankenstein is polished, mature indie rock. The National has probably even been around long enough for them be classified in the dreaded “dad rock” category. Regardless, of classification this is accessible pop, polished rock, full of catchy, melodic engaging songs.
Godzilla Minus One is a Plus a Million
The hype is real. While American audiences are still haunted by the specter of Roland Emmerich’s Godzilla 98, we’ve been gifted with a new take on the classic kaiju that we certainly don’t deserve. Godzilla Minus One is glorious. A Hollywood blockbuster better than anything Hollywood had given us in ages. A film that is deeply rooted in the classic monster movies that came before it but carefully crafted as a serious well well-made drama.
A period piece set in post-war 1940’s Japan, Godzilla Minus One looks fantastic. The color pallet, the set pieces, and the machines of war all look incredible. Unlike the more recent American Monsterverse movies with their heavy-handed CGI and unremarkable stories, Minus One is a monster movie that matters.
At its heart, Godzilla Minus One is a family story told among the horrors of World War II and well the post war emergence of the nuclear-powered monster known as Godzilla. Koichi, played by Ryunosuke Kamiki, is a dishonored and disgraced kamikaze pilot who chose to ditch his suicide mission and land on Odo Island. The mechanics on the island quickly discern his treason but allow him to stay, one mechanic is even sympathetic to his decision. Godzilla soon appears, his herald a group of deep see floating fish who appear on the surface before Godzilla. Godzilla wreaks havoc on the island, killing everyone, while Koichi freezes up when he had this chance to kill the monster.
Koichi suffering from crippling PTSD and mental anguish, returns home to find his parents dead and his home destroyed but standing. A neighbor recognizes his treason by the fact he’s alive and shuns him.
Soon, Koichi meets Noriko (Minami Hamabe) and the infant Akiko (Saki Nakatani). Noriko agreed to take Akiko from her dying mother, and soon the trio form an unlikely and uneasy family. While the relationship between Koichi and Noriko always remains platonic, there is clearly love there and this is a family you’re ready to root for.
Koichi lands work as a minesweeper off the coast of Japan, which soon puts him and his crew face to face with a now fully grown Godzilla. They are given instructions to slow Godzilla’s approach to Japan and succeed for a bit.
The glory of this film is that while it is definitely a monster movie, you care about these characters. You invested in the family and were concerned for the crew. Major Jaws vibes as they hunt and fight Big G for the first time.
Everyone here puts on a good performance. Whereas the original Godzilla was an allegory on the terrors of the nuclear age, Godzilla Minus One is a treatise on the modern family and the global mental health crisis. Kamiki’s performance is nuanced and brilliant. He expresses the anguish, grief, and emotion befitting his character’s experiences.
Eventually, Godzilla reaches Tokyo, and all hell breaks loose. This scene is no extended CGI nonsense. It’s short, terrifying, and tense. Director Takashi Yamazaki does an amazing job of presenting horror and tension while still showing us the shock and awe of a monster attacking and destroying the city. There’s a key moment here I won’t ruin but it’s shot expertly and the emotional pay off hits like a ton of bricks.
From here plans are made to go after and kill Godzilla. There’s lots of nerdy science talk as they prepare for battle and it’s just too fun. The final battle is thrilling the only negative at all to this movie is Godzilla looks a little stiff and fake during the scenes on land here. It’s not enough to distract from how fantastic the movie is otherwise.
Godzilla Minus One is a great movie. It’s well written, expertly directed, and the acting is top notch. The movie looks fantastic more like a classic movie from the 70’s and less like a bloated modern Hollywood mess. It’s engaging, emotional, and entertaining. Koichi’s hero arc is outstanding. This is a monster movie for everyone. Don’t miss out.
Hackney Diamonds Review
I’ve never been that big of a Rolling Stones fan. I like a lot of hits, of course, but I’ve never owned a record, seen them live, or done a deep dive of the group. When Steel Wheels came out in 1989, I remember really liking Mixed Emotions. When A Bigger Bang was released in 2005 I recall really enjoying Rough Justice. Those minor flirtations with really good songs didn’t really inspire me to go much further with the band. Now, 18 years since their last release, The Rolling Stones are back with Hackney Diamonds, a new collection of rock and roll tunes for the geriatric set. Or is it?
It’s not news that rock music-the sort of masculine-dominated “sex drugs and rock and roll” guitar-driven rock that dominated arenas in the 70’s , 80s and 90s- has been on a sharp decline. Of course, no one told the olds. This type of music still packs stadiums and arenas, flows freely from car stereos and even dominates much of the catalogue music sales charts. While the Stones are necessarily going to or even trying to appeal to a youthful audience, their upcoming tour is sponsored by AARP after all, they apparently WERE interested in making a great straight forward rock record. With an eye on keeping things modern, they retained the services of producer du jour Andrew Watt. Watt has parlayed an early career of working with pop stars like Justin Bieber into an impressive career working studio magic with everyone from the likes of Post Malone, Dua Lipa and Miley Cyrus to rock legends Ozzy Osbourne and Pearl Jam. Watt has an ear for guiding artists to make listenable music that connects with the intended audience and beyond. His success creates a bit of a buzz. That is certainly what piqued my interest.
A few music friends I respect began really heaping praise on Hackney Diamonds shortly after its release. Then, I heard someone say wow, The Rolling Stones made a Hanoi Rocks album. And I agree, they did! Let’s back up. Hanoi Rocks is a Finnish rock act from the 80’s best known for having their drummer get killed in a car accident with Motley' Crue’s Vince Neil. It’s a shame, because if you’re a fan of the better bands of the 80’s hard rock and metal scenes (think Guns N Roses), you’d probably really like Hanoi Rocks. The lack of stateside success and the untimely death of the aforementioned Razzel Dingley ensured Hanoi Rocks were more of a footnote than a global phenomenon. But their blues-based glam rock sound always reminded me of what a punk version of The Rolling Stones would probably sound like. With Hackney Diamonds, The Rolling Stones deliver on that promise.
I was eight songs into the record before I realized I was smiling like a goon and tapping my feet the entire time. The goofy lyrics on Live by the Sword finally took me out of my stupor, but even that song with its rollicking piano and gang vocals is pretty good. By the time Jagger growls “Gone gone GONE!” before the guitar solo, I was back on board. Hackney Diamonds is the kind of straight forward rock record that shines with moments of brilliance while chugging along solidly the entire time.
Opener, Angry, has the kind of instantly recognizable one-two punch of Stones guitar riff/Jagger vocals that instantly grabs you and reminds you why guitar-based rock was so popular and dominant for so long. The chorus is catchy, the music is fun and the video with Sidney Sweeny driving through LA in her best black rock attire is a throwback.
Get Close continues the standard formula, simple guitar riff, Jagger swagger, catch chorus, guitar solo, rinse repeat. Jagger growls with confidence and sounds better than ever. As the music pulses and rises around him he leads this rock and roll circus with a swagger of a man three quarters his age.
The band slows things down with Depending on You, a meandering Whose Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses type ballad befitting of middle career stones before kicking thing back into gear for the next few songs. Bite My Head Off and Whole Wide World are rockers and remind me most of Hanoi Rocks. Catchy melodic choruses are built on top of a sturdy combination of punk-influenced blues-based rock foundations. You can SEE Jagger snarling “they want to break your walls in those slimy walls”. Featuring a killer guitar solo and a slow post solo breakdown, this is an absolute bop.
It’s understandable to be wary of Sweet Sounds of Heaven, the 7 minute epic featuring Lady Gaga. But don’t be. Sure, it’s long. Sure, it’s bloated, but in the best November Rain way possible. Jagger and Gaga go after each other, hitting crazy notes as the song builds to a ridiculous crescendo before going off the rails in a buzzsaw of screams, oh oh ohs, yeah yeah yeahs, and some other nonsense. It’s way too much but it’s incredibly fucking fun.
Finally, if the lo-fi cover of Muddy Waters tacked on the end of this album isn’t intended to be a fare the well to the Stone’s recorded catalog, I don’t know what is. Often, these blues covers feel unnecessary, a throwaway add-on but this feels intentional.
Hackney Diamonds is not an album we need. It’s not an album we expect. And it certainly is not something that you’d expect to be as good as it is. Rock music like this is not often in regular rotation on my turntable or phone but this long play has definitely earned a post there. And a mention as one of the best albums of the year.
Blondshell Review
Blondshell, the self-titled debut long play from L.A.-based indie rock artist Sabrina Mae Teitelbaum, better known as Blondshell, continues the tradition of the 90’s rock renaissance spearheaded by artists like Snail Mail and Soccer Mommy and perfected by artists like Pom Pom Squad and beabadoobee.
Blondshell’s music includes the kind of loud quiet loud bombast exemplified by bands like Nirvana in the early 90’s with a modern sophistication and pop sheen that makes each song a potential earworm. Pop culture-aware opening song Veronica Mars weaves in and out of the lot quiet loud model and rolls right into Kiss City, which punctuates that formula with softer moments accompanied by piano contrasted with moments of shouting and searing guitar solos. It’s complex indie rock. Emotional, raw, and engaging.
Lead single Olympus is a meandering, quiet, acoustic guitar-based number that could easily be mistaken for a Nirvana, Radiohead, or Noel Gallagher song, depending on where you drop in.
Many of these songs have an echoey, dramatic sound. Blondshell does an excellent job building the drama in each of these songs. Her voice is engaging whether she’s whisper quiet or shouting at the top of her lungs, it’s powerful, unique and steady. Explosive guitars, loud drums, ringing keyboards and even the occasional epic guitar solo make this album pretty accessible to a broad range of rock fans.
This album reminds me a lot of Pom Pom Squad’s 2021 release Death of a Cheerleader. Great, melodic indie rock with pop sensibilities and something to say. Thematically, Blondshell tackles issues of rage, toxicity, heartbreak, relationships, queerness, religion and so much more.
Blondshell is a terrific release. If you like music like Liz Phair, Nirvana, Pixies, or Belly this is for you. ****
I Had Breakfast at Skyline Chili, and I Have Thoughts
Breakfast is a critical component of diner culture to which, Cincinnati’s own Skyline Chili shares some DNA. While not a diner, of course, Skyline Chili is a chili parlor. The regional institution shares some similarities with diner culture; it’s very popular, has regulars, and the food is served on china. But unlike a typical diner, Skyline does one thing, and one thing well, in this case Cincinnati style chili. So it may seem bizarre to have breakfast at Skyline, it’s honestly not that great of a leap. Many independent parlors have breakfast and even serve burritos that incorporate Skyler Cincinnati style, chili, goetta, or other staples of the standard Cincinnati diet And there are vague memories that certain Skylines used to serve breakfast. But now Skyline Chili is bringing its wares to the Cincinnati Northern Kentucky airport, and to accommodate travelers that are traveling at all times of the day they’re going to offer breakfast exclusively at this location. To celebrate this announcement, Skyline chili served their new breakfast items at Fountain Square today for anyone to try. As a long time as a native Cincinnati and a longtime fan of Cincinnati style chili, I couldn’t resist and if the line at 8 AM when they began serving breakfast, was any indication, other Cincinnatians felt the same way.
Now Cincinnati chili may be considered something of an acquired taste. Though most Cincinnatians acquired that taste as part of their birth right. When talking to area transplants, many of them turn their nose up at our popular local cuisine, although you will find some fans and converts. But again, for most not all, but most native Cincinnati and Skyline chili is part of our heritage. We’ve been eating it since we were children, and it’s now part of our bloodstream, in my case probably 1 to 2%. I should note that my favorite Cincinnati style chili comes from a mom and pop shop in Western Hills. J&J on Glenway has always been my favorite Cincinnati style chili and always will be. But I digress let’s get back to the topic hand, which is breakfast at skyline chili.
There are four items on the breakfast menu at Skyline. Of course, a breakfast burrito, a breakfast Chito, breakfast tots, and the breakfast Coney. I imagine the breakfast coney is probably the item that most people are interested in it. It’s clearly most representative of what most people eat at Skyline chili which is the cheese coney, a hotdog served on a warm bun with chili and cheese. You can add onions and crackers but that’s the basics here for breakfast. The miniature hotdog is replaced with a breakfast sausage, onions are replaced with eggs. This is the item I tried, because I figured it was going to be the most representative item and the one that would also be most like something that you would eat regularly at Skyline. As you could see the single picture I took before trying, it looks like a coney with its mountain of signature cheddar cheese, which every person recognizes is as at the same time way too much and somehow just right. The cheese is piled high on top of breakfast sausage, egg, and chili all on that signature warm bun.
So how does it taste? Well, it’s Skyline chili for sure. The egg adds an interesting texture to the meal. The sausage is a little savory not too spicy and basically mostly covered up by the taste of the signature chili anyway, it’s an interesting item and one that I think native Cincinnati would probably not mind eating for breakfast as they travel out to their destination from the Cincinnati Northern Kentucky airport. I mean why not? What are your other options? Bruegger’s Bagels? McDonald’s? Jack-in-the-Box? Big Kahuna burger? I’m a Cincinnati native I’m gonna go for Skyline. Most Cincinnati residents palates are so tuned to Cincinnati chili that for us it’s just another item like eating a salad, a burger or a regular breakfast. Since chili is just part of what we eat and part of what we love. I love that Skyline is doing this. It makes sense to try it on a trial basis at the airport. It’ll be interesting to see how they react to the lines for the launch and reviews like this one as they possibly consider rolling this out to further locations. But for now if you missed the launch at Fountain Square the only way to get breakfast is skyline chili is at the location at the Cincinnati Northern Kentucky airport again. The items that are available are a breakfast Coney breakfast Burritobreakfast Chito and breakfast tots you can find more details at skylinechili.com.
The Afghan Whigs Gentlemen Review at 30
Gentlemen, the major label debut album from Cincinnati alternative rock legends, The Afghan Whigs was released 30 years ago today. Having a band from my hometown sign to the same label as Mötley Crüe, 10,000 Maniacs, The Cure, and The Doors seemed like a big deal. Here was a band I grew up seeing in tiny smoke-filled clubs on Short Vine near the University of Cincinnati showing up on MTV, Late Night with David Letterman, and on the radio (sure, on 97X which played them since go, but still).
Gentlemen solidified the band’s maturity from a club band to a national recording artist. Big Top Halloween and Up In It were great records but were raw, unpolished, almost unrefined punk records. Congregation was a bridge between the two eras, a more refined sound with throwbacks to the edgy, raw sound of their earlier releases. Gentlemen was produced by Greg Dull at Ultrasuede Studios in Cincinnati and sounds polished, unique, professional, mature, and beautiful. Everyone gets their chance to shine in the mix. From John Curley’s bass on the title track, to Rick McCollum’s meandering lead on the back end of When We Two Parted, to Steve Earle’s pounding, almost tribal-sounding drum beat on Fountain and Fairfax the album sounds absolutely incredible. Mr. Dulli’s voice of course is nested in the mix perfectly, his rich baritone and guttural screams are given a wide berth to shine through the record.
Most people outside of Cincinnati know this band from the song Debonair which received some regular rotation airplay on MTV outside of 120 Minutes. I vividly recall seeing it after class one day at around 4:30 and thinking, “Woah, the boys made it”. Honestly, it’s not a bad place to start. Each member’s unique signature sound is represented here. With Curley’s slithering bass and Dulli’s quiet, loud, scream vocal path on brilliant display here.
But, of course, the album is so much more than Debonair. As with any Whigs album, Gentlemen is a treatise on love lost, regret, despair, sex, forlorn desire, and yearning. Imagine any teenage Gen X boy’s journal but much darker, more coherent, and brilliant. Even if we hadn’t yet felt heartbreak, desire, yearning, or despair at the levels on display here, we felt the angst, we felt the burning and Greg’s lyrics and vocal delivery amplified every emotion we were feeling. And it left you scarred. I recall sobbing uncontrollably during a live performance of When We Two Parted in 2012, a point in my life where I was a grown man, a happily married father of two, literally obliterated by a then 19-year-old song.
The brilliance of Gentlemen lies in the journey. These songs take you to certain moments in your life. Your first kiss. Your first breakup. The first time you felt yearning. The first time you felt despair. Your first apartment. The highs and lows of your first love. Music like this allows you to go to dark places and release those emotions. An Afghan Whigs record is the soundtrack to a movie that was never made, an Afghan Whigs concert a church revival of a religion you actually believe in. And in 48 minutes across 11 songs Gentlemen represents all of these things.
While the tones are dark, the emotions raw, and definitely on the sleeve, this is still a rock record. On Fountain and Fairfax and What Jail is Like in particular, the band goes all out, with heavy, crunchy guitars and screaming vocals that are totally unhinged and off the rails. The title track and Debonair are also guitar-forward tracks that are at home next to any rock song on alternative or rock radio. Even the more tender songs like When We Two Parted and My Curse (featuring a haunting vocal from Marcy Mays) still have heavy parts built around the emotional, building melodies.
I always wonder why this isn’t the biggest band in the world. Everyone has that band they want to shout about from the rooftops, the band you want to grab people by the shoulders and shake until they get it. But at the same time, I adore having this band almost to myself. Talking about them online or enjoying a show with like-minded fans, fans that are so passionate and I tune with what the band is saying, is something else. These are more than rock stars to me, they are teachers and preachers, cooler older brothers, poets and artists, and Gentleman is one of the canonical ancient texts from which they preach.
While Black Love has my heart and soul, Gentlemen is a close second, an incredibly important record in the Rich Richmond timeline. I was a much different person at 20 than I am at 50, but Gentlemen is still the same record at 30 as it was at launch, an emotionally draining, hard-driving, timeless alternative rock album that feels as genuine and relevant today as it did in 1993.
Uh, I Walked Here
We’re about a month and a half out from my surgery and things are looking up. My main recovery goal to get to the Taylor Swift concert in Nashville is complete! We made it and other than my olde man knees, I felt fine!
My incision is finally clear of any glue and scabbing. It is still tender and sensitive, but pretty much healed. The chest area is getting better still rough to cough or sneeze. But not as much pain as a few weeks ago. I had my last meeting with my surgeon last Friday. He said for three more weeks not to lift more than 10 pounds, but after three weeks I could “do whatever I want”.
The last stage of recovery is cardiac rehab which I started today at Mercy Anderson HealthPlex. It’s Monday, Wednesday and Friday for 6 weeks. After my session today they asked if someone drove me or if I needed help to my car and I said “Uh, I walked here”. I don’t think they expected that. LOL.
Anyway, thank you for continuing to check in on me. I appreciate the texts, calls, and hangs. Busy week this week with rehab and other assorted doctor appointments. Now, I can really begin thinking about nutrition and exercise to keep this thing going for another few years.
Taylor Swift Red Review
Red (Taylor’s Version) Originally Released October 22, 2012 (Taylor’s Version) Released November 12, 2021.
Red is when it starts to get real. Taylor Swift is already a genuine global superstar after her first three albums but Red would catapult her to the next level big time. While she is still working with previous collaborators that made her first three record country hits, Red began to have songs firmly rooted in pop. Even the title track which has banjo/twangy guitars up top, quickly pivots to a pop friendly arena anthem.
I love this record. I recall specifically MTV making a big deal out of the debut of the video for I Knew You Were Trouble. Clearly this song showed Taylor’s future aspirations in both sonic tone and visuals in the video. Listening to these songs then made me a super fan and revisiting them on the definitive Taylor’s Version is a thrill.
The hits here are big and hit hard. The aforementioned I Knew You Were Trouble, the title track, and the legendary ballad All Too Well would be enough to make this Taylor’s best album to date but for me it’s the poppy, sing along tracks 22, and We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together that really drive this album and put it over the top. One of my favorite live performances ever is a decidedly not country performance of 22 from the Billboard Music Awards. It’s such a fun song that just captures the energy of being young and living your best life.
It’s amazing that we’ve touched on some really monster songs and haven’t even yet mentioned Everything Has Changed, her powerful duo with Ed Sheeran, the bouncy, fluffy ear worm Stay, Stay, Stay or her collab with Gary Lightbody from Snow Patrol (an early indication of her future indie rock aspirations perhaps?)
Taylor’s Versions bring more depth and maturity to the performances here as well as of course the legendary All Too Well (10 Minute Version) [Taylor’s Version] [From the Vault]. Despite the awkwardly punctuated and lengthy title, this legendary song lives up to the hype expanding on the response to her breakup with Spider-Man: Far From Home’s Jake Gyllenhaal in spectacular fashion.
Red is a ridiculously good album, full of pop hits, powerful introspective ballads, and just incredibly fun songs that instantly became classics in the Taylor Swift catalogue. Taylor’s Version of this album puts it among some of the best albums of the century. 10/10 Highlights: Red (Taylor’s Version), I Knew You Were Trouble (Taylor’s Version), 22 (Taylor’s Version), We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together (Taylor’s Version), Stay Stay Stay (Taylor’s Version), All Too Well (10 Minute Version) [Taylor’s Version] [From the Vault]
Taylor Swift Speak Now Review
Speak Now Originally Released October 25, 2010
By 2010 Taylor Swift was far removed from playing rubber duck regattas and ready to abandon opening slots for the arena country artists of the day.
On Speak Now, Taylor Swift stretches farther away from country music and begins to address the trauma in heart. A trend that would allow Miss Swift to connect to millions of teens and young adults experiencing heartache and also open her to criticism about being vengeful and petty in her “attacks” on her ex boyfriends. But what’s the first rule of writing? Write. What. You. Know. And no one knows heartbreak like Taylor Swift.
Her critics are Taylor’s first target with the scorching track Mean. While seemingly and probably actually targeted and a single individual telling her she could t sing, it’s more likely that Mean is a coordinated middle attack on everyone who had levied criticism on Taylor as her career careened at supersonic speed toward global superstardom.
The song is twangy country punctuated by piercing banjo perhaps in itself a response to critics saying Taylor was already too far away from her country roots. Of course Taylor doesn’t give a shit building an incredible scaffolding of melodic pop around the country twang of Mean.
Dead and Co. Guitarist John Mayer is widely believed to be the subject of the not so subtly titled Dear John. Get it together John. At least you’re not Jake Gyllenhall. Buckle up for that Jake. Dear John doesn’t pull any punches and yes, established one type of Taylor Swift song, the breakup atomic bomb. No it’s not the only type of song she writes but yes she does it as artfully and skillfully as a yearning poet reflecting on long lost love. A weepy ballad that wistfully says exactly what everyone wanted to say to the John Mayer in their own personal heartbreak diary.
Speak Now has its own one two punch of breakthrough hits. The Story of Us and Mine are spiritual of not direct sequels to Love Story and You Belong With Me from Fearless. Story of Us is again a perfect pop song built on pop country principals. Teens in cowboy boots or sneakers were both screaming along to this song when she played it live. The opening track Mine is a typical story song telling the love story of a young couple finding their way through the world together. There might be a steel guitar in there and Taylor occasionally slips back into twangy Taylor but this is a song for everyone who’s ever been in love.
Speak Now is probably the last “country” record Taylor made or will make but the blueprint for her transition to pop is fully in place. once she’s old enough to drink I think Taylor is ready to broaden her fan base to well, everyone. 8.5/10 Highlights: Mine, Sparks Fly, Back To December, Speak Now, Mean, The Story of Us.
Taylor Swift Fearless (Taylor’s Version) Review
Fearless (Taylor’s Version) Originally Released November 11, 2008. Taylor’s Version April 9, 2021.
*Ed. Note: When possible I’ll be reviewing Taylor’s Version of these albums as they represent the artists definitive version of these albums.
Fearless (Taylor’s Version), the re-recorded version of Taylor Swift’s sophomore album already begins to demonstrate her move toward pop. Sure, this album is pure country but it’s already more mature and sophisticated than her debut showing a songwriter starting to grow and flourish as she understands who she is as a person and musician. While still a teenager and rooted deeply in the country music scene Swift is also already starting to assert her independence that would eventually become full on feminist and activist in later years. The opening and title track Fearless is that declaration a perfect pop song that sounds contemporary and relevant as ever on this re recording. It’s interesting to hear some of these songs reinterpreted by an adult Taylor. Fifteen for example is the kind of high school reflection that was fresh on her mind and heart when she wrote it. All these years later she’s a young woman who has had her heart broken a million times. But adult Swift sings the song with an earnestness that captures the original record while still somehow sounding like it’s being sung by someone far more mature and knowledgeable and sad.
Fearless includes the songs that propelled Taylor to superstardom Love Story and You Belong With Me. Diary entries to love lost and love unrequited these songs smashed onto radio and into the heads of millions of girls (and their moms and dads). Perfectly poppy, hooky af, and fun as hell these songs captured the imagination of the world and remain among Swift’s most popular and enduring songs. The “new” versions here are punchier and louder than their originals while still sounding eerily like the originals.
Fearless (Taylor’s Version) is an incredible set of music that includes huge hits, low key fan favorite deep cuts and a slew of previously unreleased and unheard songs from the original sessions that demonstrate even more of Taylor’s process and progress as a songwriter. 8.5/10. Highlights: Love Story (Taylor’s Version), You Belong With Me (Taylor’s Version), Mr. Perfectly Fine (Taylor’s Version).
Taylor Swift Debut Review
Taylor Swift Taylor Swift Originally Released October 24, 2006
Taylor Swift’s debut album is unapologetically country. Swift was 17 when she released her debut album, a self titled collection of tracks she’d been crafting since she was barely a teen. Reaching deep into the country music she loved at the time there’s little here to indicate the juggernaut Swift would become when she began to crossover into the mainstream and eventually covert to pop and eventually indie rock. (And back to pop again!) However what is here is Swift’s ability to craft perfectly catchy songs that are authentic and real. From the sappy but earnest ballad Tim McGraw which introduced Swift to the world to the revenge scorcher Picture to Burn to the twangy mid tempo Our Song, Taylor is full on country - banjos, twangy vocals, and references to pickup trucks remind the listener where this album belongs.
There are glimpses of what’s to come. A Place In This World and Should’ve Said No demonstrate the pop sensibilities that would eventually dominate Taylor’s approach to songwriting. They are endlessly catchy, easy to sing along with and get stuck somewhere between your heart and your head an impossible location from which to dislodge an ear worm.
I’m a sucker for 90’s pop country Shania Twain, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill and of course Garth Brooks, the type of country songwriters that crafted songs that seeped into the mainstream and obviously influenced young Taylor Swift as she was learning to write songs.
Taylor Swift is my least favorite Taylor Swift album. Not that it’s bad, it’s pretty great but it wasn’t until Speak Now that I became a causal fan and Red for me to become a full on Swiftie it’s just that mid 2000s country from a 17 year old girl wasn’t on my radar. A fun listen for sure and important to see the building blocks of what’s to come next. 7/10. Highlights: Tim McGraw, Should’ve Said No, I’m Only Me When I’m With You, Teardrops On My Guitar.
April 5
My dad died on April 5, 1990 when I was 16 years old. He died of a massive heart attack in the middle of the night. This year, as I recover from quadruple bypass open heart surgery, I am missing him terribly, questioning if there was something he could have done more to prevent his death, and I am particularly reflective about mortality and fatherhood.
My dad was pretty great. I know he tried his best. He adopted me when I was very young, but I had essentially lived with him since I was born. My biological parents were young and not great, so Ray raised me. My mom Joanne died soon after they adopted me so for awhile it was just me and my dad. He worked, a lot, as a journeyman press operator for US Playing Card so I was the textbook definition of a “latchkey kid”. Yes, I wore my house key around my neck, until I got my first pair of Kangaroos of course. I made my own breakfast, and walked a mile to school and back home. Being a parent and working in a parenting center has taught me a lot about parenting. I know it’s the most important and toughest job you ever do. There’s no manual. Most parents are just feeling around in the dark, falling back on how they were parented, and stumbling as often as they have a “parenting win”. My dad tried his best and I loved him for it. I’ve now lived so much more of my life without my dad than with him. My memories are like faded photographs. The strongest being the last time I saw him. Fortunately, the last thing we said to each other was “I love you”.
I am lucky to have discovered my heart issues and had them fixed before I unintentionally abandoned my kids like my father did. But today as I miss ad grieve my dad, I am overcome with sadness about what my kids could have gone through and what they will go through when I do pass. I worry about how they’ll cope and grieve. I worry that it will hold them back. For now, all I can do is let them know I love them every day and hope thier memories of me are good ones.
About 4 years after my dad passed, Kurt Cobain died. It his me like a ton of bricks. I was still mourning my dad and quite frankly was kind of spiraling in my life. I was in college, in a tough relationship, out on my own and was feeling a bit rudderless. My generation was different than previous ones. Pop culture was our religion. We connected to movies, music, television, books, and celebrities differently and more deeply than our parents and certainly our grandparents. Artists spoke to us though their words and pictures. The “cult of personality” inextricably tied us to the artists we adored. We found in these people a connection, an outlet, a resonance. And for many in my generation, Kurt Cobain was our voice. A guttural scream through the chaos. He was an artist, a father, and just one of us-a product of the latchkey decade, a victim of the Reagan years, a conflicted and complex soul trying to navigate a world that we didn’t understand.
I heard the news in my apartment on MTV News. MTV was where Gen X got their news, learned the importance of voting, and became activists. I went through all the stages of grief in seconds, nearly collapsing on the spot. Kurt was a father. That meant nothing to me at the time. There was a famous interview where he fed and dotes over Francis Bean while talking about all things Kurt, Nirvana and the world. Watching they interview now, watching him stumble like any new father, carefully cradling FB he was like any dad. Exploding with love for her, while not having a clue what to do.
Kurt’s demons eventually consumed him and he took his own life, abandoning Francis and altering the trajectory of art and the world. Now Cobain is remembered as important, yet a cautionary tale, a Nirvana t-shirt now means very little when worn by a Gen Zer who wasn’t there when Nirvana changed the world but decided the shirt looked great in an Instagram story. For me Kurt is still the most important artist in my life and like me, a dad who struggles with his demons and doesn’t know what the hell I am doing.
When my heart surgery happened I promised to be better an do better. And I am goin to try to do just that. To honor two man I love, miss, and grieve today and every day.
Not Dead Yet Post Surgery Reflections
It’s pretty amazing the range of emotions you feel when you experience a major health setback. Fear, anger, regret, confusion, despair, depression, anxiety. Those are just a few things that washed over me like tsunami waves over the last few days. Emotions come and go as they do. The thing that triggers the emotion occurs then your brain and your body react. Usually it’s something simple a fleeting. A good belly laugh at a funny scene in a movie. A moment of fear when you receive some bad news. Elevated anxiety when you’re running late on an assignment at work. Of course there are more long term feelings of you suffer from chronic depression, have experienced trauma, or are grieving a loss.
But when you receive unexpected health news or experience a traumatic accident the feelings come and go like those crashing waves on the beach. But rather than being exhilarating or refreshing these waves of emotions crash hard every time. Each one unexpected and different. Hitting you in a way you feel you have no control over. While at the same time you’re being pulled under. The emotions swirling at your feet trying to take you down. You’re overwhelmed and the only thing you can do is try and maintain your balance.
I have to say from the moment Rebecca asked my cardiologist, “So, what does this mean?” And he replied “He had to have open heart surgery.” I somehow began to be balanced. Yes, every single emotion imaginable washed over me and swirled around me. Confusion, fear, desperation were and are among the top things I’ve felt and continue to feel. But among the chaos of emotions, hope. Hope that the science and modern medicine would do their thing. Hope that “God” whatever that actually means would be there guiding what was meant to happen. As an agnostic that does not and cannot subscribe to any organized religion I don’t dismiss the possibility of a God or something that started it all. I certainly don’t think she’s an olde white dude judging us from the clouds or that he supports nearly anything modern Christians do and say, but I digress. I’ve seen things and felt things in my life that support my beliefs so that’s what I’m sticking to.
Anyway, from the moment the bombshell news dropped I felt a strange calm in that this was now not out of my hands. It was in the hands of science and god, whomever she may be. My surgeon said that this is more art than science. He knew what he needed to do, but didn’t know what he was going to do until he got in there. Surgery went textbook, as “routine” as it could have been. Using a vein harvested from my leg, Dr. Okum bypassed the blockages in my heart and saved my life. I mean the guy literally held my heart in his hands.
During an immediate post op visit from my family, I felt and heard them all stop to see me. The moment that really sticks out is when Rebecca was talking to the nurse holding my hand I began to feel like I was choking. I started trying to trace “choking” on Rebecca’s hand. She figured it out, told the nurse and she cleared out my throat.
I’ll spare you the gory details of recovery. It involved a steady regimen of yanking stuff out of me and sticking stuff into me. It wasn’t pleasant but I was cared for by a host of amazing nurses who I hope I never have to see again.
My wife, my children, my in laws have been incredible. I know this is hard on them too and besides the pain and physical recovery I cannot imagine the emotions they are and have experienced.
I’m home. I’m recovering. I’m feeling better each day. Last night I even got in bed by myself! Today I am having some muscle pain that is both equally painful and annoying. My last obstacle is getting OUT of bed. As it stands now, I cannot get out of bed on my own and I cannot see a path to get there. It’s frightening and constricting. But I am sure I’ll get there eventually.
I’m feeling a bit of depression and loneliness right now. People reaching out diminishes significantly as you get further from the event. I am also surprised by the people who did and who did not reach out. I’m feeling like I am not as popular as I thought I am. But I have good mental health support in place and as they say-this too shall pass. Reach out to your friends you never know when they may need you.
Monday Morning Mixtape
Here we go again.
I love making playlists. So I am going to try to do it again on the regular. Apple Music only. Sorry, everybody else. Let me know your thoughts. May last a week. May last forever. Here’s volume 1.
A Love Letter To The Chuck Taylor II
On July 28, 2015 Converse released a sequel to arguably the most popular and recognized sneaker of all time, the Converse Chuck Taylor All Star. Originally basketball shoes, the original Chuck Taylor or “Chucks” became a fashion icon seen on every one from superstar rock drummer Tommy Lee to Tommy the kid down the street. Black canvas, white laces, the classic logo made Chucks the quick, easy, fashion choice that goes with everything. Hell, I wore a pair in my wedding.
There was one small problem with Chucks. A problem that became more pronounced as Gen Xers who adopted them as their footwear of choice began to notice as they aged. Comfort. Originally designed in 1917 to 1917 standards comfort was not a consideration. These were basketball shoes meant to be worn on the court, not all day on college campuses and all nights in bars discovering grunge music. So, it was time for a sequel.
The Chuck Taylor All Star II started with the standard design, but then modernized it, made it slicker looking using modern fabric, more lightweight rubber, a wider toe box, and as a result of Converse joining the Nike corporation Lunarlon technology. The Lunarlon insert meant a revolution in comfort for long time Chuck wearers.
I headed to the Kenwood Towne Centre as soon as they were available and went home with one pair of all three colors, red, black and white. Personally, I loved the look. It was a modern, more sleek look that the original. An almost wet look fabric that was at the same time modern and classic. Available in classic high tops and low tops, these shoes spoke to me. They felt great, looked cool and became an instant staple of my daily wardrobe. More colors came including blue, maroon and eventually more bold choices.
I wore these shoes almost daily, the times I made a fashion choice to wear one of my many pair of classic Chucks I instantly longed for the comfort of Lunarlon technology. I bought more pairs of these beloved shoes eventually being able to match any outfit with Chuck IIs. It was glorious.
Of course, I was blissfully unaware of market forces working behind the scenes to destroy my life. While I adored the shoes and spoke their benefits to wide footed friends and family who had long shunned the original Chuck Taylor, apparently I was in the minority. I saw the shoes on friends, and in public, but suddenly I was hearing about Chuck 70 and noticed my beloved shoes were no longer on store shelves and in marketing emails. Despite the great look (IMHO) obvious comfort, and modern technology, audiences were not connecting with these shoes. And apparently weren’t buying them either.
I found myself in a unique situation. My favorite shoe all time was no longer available. I found a pair of low-cut black Chuck Taylor shoes which had become my primary foot vehicle and put them in a closet. I should have bought 100 pair.
Remarkably in addition to the new design, apparently these shoes also included by choice of material a surprising resiliency and longevity not seen in original Chucks or any other shoe id ever owned. I’m not a sneaker hear and I didnt really do anything special to maintain the shoes other than a quick cleaning when necessary and replacement laces as needed, the shoes still wore well, felt great and looked pretty good.
I recently took all of my shoes and gave them a deep clean, brightened the toe caps and sides with the magical Magic Eraser and re-laced them all. I could probably get years more use out of these.
So here we are. I’m an old man wearing a shoe no one liked and loving them like they are red carpet fashion. Chuck Taylor All Star II, I love you, I miss you, and I’ll wear you with pride until you disintegrate off my very feet.
Best Albums of 2022
Best Albums of 2022
2022 was another banner year for music. Some amazing releases from across the spectrum. So, just under the wire here is my official list of the best albums of 2022. Apple Music subscriber? Listen to these albums here.
Taylor Swift Midnights
Afghan Whigs How Do You Burn?
Beabadoobee beatopia
Wet Leg Wet Leg
Momma Household Name
Soccer Mommy Sometimes, Forever
Joywave Cleanse
The Lumineers Brightside
Jack White Fear of the Dawn
The Linda Lindas Growing Up
The Regrettes Further Joy
Pixies Doggerel
Pixey Dreams, Pains and Paper Planes
Gladie Don’t Know What You’re in Until You’re Out
Archers of Loaf Reason In Decline
Envy of None Envy of None
The Sherlocks World I Understand
Eddie Vedder Earthling
Jack White Entering Heaven Alive
Spoon Lucifer on the Sofa
Is The Thanksgiving Leftover Sandwich The Most Important Sandwich Of The Year?
If you’re like most Americans, aren’t gluten-free and aren’t super healthy, you probably love sandwiches. The lunchtime staple is versatile, delicious, and endlessly customizable. You can really put anything between two slices of bread to make a sandwich. Ed. Note: before we go much further we need to agree that a hotdog is categorically NOT a sandwich. If you think it is, this isn’t the website for you.
Sandwiches usually contain the aforementioned sliced bread, meat, cheeses, vegetables, toppings, and condiments. Popular ingredients include sliced deli meat, lettuce and tomato, mustard or mayonnaise, peanut butter, jelly or jam, but one sandwich stands alone and above the rest; the thanksgiving leftover sandwich.
In the United States, Thanksgiving is celebrated the fourth Thursday of November. Traditions typically include gathering together with family and friends around a large meal consisting of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, vegetables, and a host of other sides that may include macaroni and cheese, sweet potato casserole, various green bean or broccoli casseroles, dinner rolls and assorted pies for dessert. The mass quantities of carb heavy foods usually create vast quantities of leftovers which are stored in Tupperware and call to you like a siren from the refrigerator just minutes after you put them away.
A popular way to enjoy these leftovers is he humble sandwich format. Which begs the question, is the thanksgiving leftover sandwich the most important sandwich of the year? Hyperbole Free argues, yes, absolutely. Let’s dig in.
While sandwiches are on the menus and diets of millions of Americans every day-we often don’t give them the thought or the respect they deserve. We spread our peanut butter and jelly on slices of store bought wheat bread, smash them together, toss them in a lunch pail, and enjoy them at noon as rote. Maybe it’s ham and cheese. Perhaps sourdough. Occasionally we’ll get some crusty French bread, some farm fresh tomatoes and some thick cut bacon to assemble and enjoy delicious BLTs for a special dinner. But in general the sandwich is regulated to midday fuel to power us through the rest of our work or school day.
But, Thanksgiving, that’s something special. We look forward to it. We build anticipation with every ingredient we buy, knowing deep down that the true endgame for that 20 pound turkey, those to be mashed potatoes, an those boxes of stuffing isn’t the dinner table on Thanksgiving Day-its the sandwich we build on Black Friday.
To be honest, I’m pretty new to the Thanksgiving Leftover Sandwich game. in my youth I’d dutifully and mindlessly pile all those leftovers on a plate the next day replicating my plate from the day before-nuking it into oblivion in the microwave. It was never the same the next day-good but not great. A few years ago I started stuffing those leftover ingredients INTO leftover dinner rolls. It was an epiphany, the start of something special and new. Soon I began piling those ingredients on crusty bread purchased specifically for the purpose of making the Thanksgiving Leftover Sandwich joining a culinary fraternity of sandwich lovers and foodies across the country creating similar masterpieces each year.
The true beauty of this sandwich is that it can be made in a staggeringly vast array of ways and that it is universally beloved. Some of content to simply throw some cold turkey between two slices of Wonder and call it a day. Others, like Hyperbole Free, begin planning weeks in advance. Mentally and physically preparing for the most important sandwich of the year. One thing that adds a bit of mystique to the whole affair- you don’t know what is going to be leftover. Turkey is usually a given, but depending on the size and the hunger of your crowd you could be left with different ingredients to build your sandwich from. This year, we had leftovers of pretty much everything so this year’s sandwich was legendary.
I purchased a loaf of fresh baked ciabatta this year on Wednesday. I also grabbed some lettuce from 80 Acres Farms too. I was ready.
This year I put the turkey on the ciabatta and put in in the oven. I then put a scoop or 2 of mashed potatoes and stuffing, a large scoop of my mom’s legendary mac and cheese, and a bit of sweet potato casserole on a separate plate and nuked that into oblivion for nostalgia sake. After a few minutes being showered in radiation, I took the two components out and began assembling the sandwich. The “base” was a combo of the potatoes and stuffing. Then I returned the turkey to its rightful spot in the middle of the sandwich. Moms mac and cheese, the tiny bit of sweet potato casserole were next. Lettuce and sharp cheddar provided the final blanket of flavor for this year’s sandwich. A bit of Miracle Whip on the top piece of bread and the whole thing went back in the over for just minute or so to let the ingredients get to know each other a little better.
Needless to say the whole thing was delicious. Much better than the plate of for from the previous day because I made it myself.
There you have, the most important sandwich of the year! How do YOU enjoy your Thanksgiving leftovers.
End Of An Era, Saying Goodbye to The Community Press
During the early days of our marriage, Rebecca and struggled a bit financially. We married young, and thought we could take on the world with our combined retail and teacher salaries. When we had our first child, we had to make an important financial and developmental decision for our family. We decided that daycare was not only too expensive, but that we wanted to raise our kids ourselves day to day. That meant me working part time at Apple evenings and weekends. The drop in salary wasn’t as much as day care would have cost but it did make things tight. My mother in law noticed that The Community Press, the local neighborhood newspapers were looking for freelancers. I tossed my hat in the ring and spent the next decade or so covering high school sports for the Press.
Now, several years after I stopped freelancing, the print editions of these remaining newspapers are coming to an end effectively ending the era of local and hyperlocal print journalism in the Cincinnati region.
No, no the irony that a person who hates sports spent nearly a decade writing about them is not lost on me. Nor is the fact that I am blogging about the end of local print newspapers. But here we are.
Mark Motz, known around my house as “Uncle Mark” (he’s the uncle on one of my son’s grade school buddies) was my first editor. I had tossed my name in the hat for freelancers and Mark took a chance on me. Now, I did not attend journalism school. I had actually planned to be a teacher until I did my first round of student teaching and realized that it was NOT for me. I did write for The Northerner, the student run paper at NKU, while I was in college, but that was the extent of my writing experience at the time. I finished my degree in English and do what all English majors do, continued my retail career. But eventually I started writing fairly regularly for the Press.
For my first assignment Mark sent me out on a boat. Really. Ben Quisno of Loveland was looking to break into pro bass fishing. So, I jumped on his boat and we went fishing. The story was printed and Mark kept giving me assignments. As did Dick Maloney and Melanie Laughman. I wrote hundreds of stories, mostly recaps of football games, and fall sports previews. It wasn’t all recaps and box scores. I was able to interview an Indian Hill kicker who never missed a field goal as he persevered after his father’s unexpected death. I wrote about my nephew’s t-ball team. And covered McNicholas High Schools district baseball championship, long before my kids ever thought of going there.
I’d go on to write for The Amazing Colossal Website, Choremonster, and various personal blogs. All now defunct. lol.
Eventually, both of my kids started school and I returned to full-time work. Eventually landing a gig as a full time writer at a local non-profit.
Many years later the circle continued as both of my kids became junior carriers delivering The Forest Hills Journal in our neighborhood. You think you get to know who your neighbors really are when the political signs go up? You should see how adults treat small children collecting $2.00 a month for a newspaper. (Spoiler alert-we’re in trouble, folks.) Eventually the junior carrier program was eliminated and now…the community papers have been eliminated.
It’s sad beyond being a veteran of writing for the paper, I was also a fan. I liked the local coverage of events in my neighborhood written by folks who lived there. It seemed genuine though a bit old fashioned. The contraction of the newspaper world has been tough to watch-many of those writers headed to other news organizations, but many headed into marketing and social media. I think its unfortunate that these papers are going away. Local news is important and having someone report on issues that affect you and your neighbors is too. I’m fortunate to have had these experiences and look back on this time fondly. RIP The Community Press.
Won’t Get Fooled Again…A Review of The Who
There’s never been a time in my life as a Cincinnatian and as a fan of live music that the specter of the 1979 tragedy at The Who concert at Riverfront Coliseum hasn’t hung over me. I was just 6 at the time, but remember it being a big deal. My dad talked about it. It was all over the news. And later there was even an episode of WKRP in Cincinnati that addressed the tragedy. For those who don’t know, on the evening of December 3, 1979 11 people were killed outside The Who concert in Cincinnati as the crowd rushed the only open door at the arena when a trailer for Quadrophenia convinced them the show had begun. The show went on as the band was unaware of the tragedy that unfolded before the show began. My cousin knew two of the kids who died. He recalled the day a limo with the band went down his street to visit and console one of the families. The aftermath of this disaster influenced safety at concerts in Cincinnati and the rest of the country for years to come.
That arena, now Heritage Bank Center, would not host another general admission show until 2002 when Bruce Springsteen asked the ban be lifted for his show on November 12th. In the years between 1979 and 2002 many shows skipped Cincinnati at least in part because our main arena didn’t host GA shows. The Springsteen show changed the GA policy in town but the pall of the tragedy remained. I’ve attended countless shows at that arena but would not see a GA show there until 2011.
Almost any time I find myself in a tight crowd, whether at a concert, sporting event, airport, or really anywhere I would think about The Who tragedy. Often, I or someone nearby would worry aloud about a “Who situation”. Not in a joking manner, but in a genuinely cautiously anxious observation. CIncinnatians may not always be polite but this is one event we all collectively approach with reverence.
There’s been several concerts, Guns n Roses in Dayton in 1991 and Green Day in Columbus (at a club) in 2016 come to mind, where I was genuinely concerned for my safety. I always know where the exits are and I always plan for a safe entrance and exit from any big event. My kids get the speech before any big event they attend…and they always will.
I love The Who. The influences most of the bands I love. Their songs are covered from everyone from Pearl Jam to Van Halen to the aforementioned Guns N Roses. But I never thought I’d see them live, and certainly not in Cincinnati. But on Sunday May 15th, 2022 that’s exactly wha happened. My buddy approached me with tickets to the show and of course I said yes! 43 long years after they last played Cincinnati, The Who ended their self imposed exile and returned to town as part of their The Who Hits Back! tour.
Now a lot of time has transpired. It’s actually amazing that these guys are even touring in their late 70’s. The crowd was full of 50-80 year olds - rock isn’t the music of the young anymore. The show took place at TQL Stadium, a brand new soccer stadium in Cincinnati’s west end, just a few miles away from the arena. It was the first concert hosted at the stadium. It turns out its a great venue for stadium rock and the weather cooperated as well. It was a beautiful night in the East End as thousands -safely- packed in to the stadium. Its clear that the band carefully considered how to address the tragedy. The opening band comprised of Finneytown graduates who were friends with some of the folks who lost thier lives in 1979. It was a good old fashioned cover band and they did great. And while that was an insanely cool gesture, we were there for one thing. An evening with The Who.
Before the show, the names of the eleven were scrolling on a screen around the stadium. A short video tribute shared photos of them in a nice, appropriate tribute. Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder, who was apparently supposed to attend the show, sent in a nice video instead.
And then, it happened. For the first time in 43 years, The Who hit the stage in Cincinnati. And it was glorious.
There was almost s shudder in the stadium, a collective sigh of relief, and no doubt a few tears were shed as the lights turned off and Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend, joined by longtime drummer Zak Starkey, the rest of the band, as well as a full orchestra came on stage. The first four songs, Overture, 1921, Amazing Journey and Sparks were clearly arranged in such a manner as to protect Roger’s voice. Truth is, he sounded great out of the gate. But once he warmed up, around Pinball Wizard, he sounded fantastic. And for a man of his age-he sounded almost otherworldly.
This was a night full of cathartic moments. Every Pete windmill, Roger growl, and familiar intro was met with unbridled enthusiasm, as if each note was offering an emotional release 43 years in the making. Playing with an orchestra added depth to the songs. They sounded full and rich, familiar but newly revitalized. Familiar songs like Eminence Front and The Seeker went down as well as the new songs they added to the setlist to keep things fresh.
But it was of course the mega hits that brought the crowd (average age 62?) slowly to their feet. You Better You Bet, Won’t Get Fooled Again, Who Are You, and Behind Blue Eyes; each song met with a response as if it every one was every single person’s favorite song.
The highlight of the show was Won’t Get Fooled Again. The hit was met with the loudest pop of the night. Starkey drove the song hitting the drums like a mad man -channeling Keith Moon just for a moment. Townshend windmilled like a maniac and the showcase moment-the past breakdown scream from Paltry was present, accounted for and unexpectedly amazing. Seriously. At near 80 years old Roger Daltrey is delivering a legendary scream for a legendary moment.
Midshow, Pete took a brief opportunity to address the tragedy. He was humble, soft-spoken, and clearly moved by the gravity of it all. He said its time to not move on but to move forward. And I feel like we all finally can start to move forward and out of the shadow of this tragedy that has long cast a pall over the rock loving community in Cincinnati.
By the time the opening of Baba O Riley hit, everyone in the stadium, the band, the fans, the entire city was emotionally exhausted but rocked out to the classic hit as though it was the last song of a concert that started over four decades ago.
This was far and away one of the best shows I have ever seen. I’ve seen countless shows at clubs, arenas, stadiums, the basement of abandoned buildings and even the back of a restaurant. I’ve seen new bands, classic acts, and living legends, but this was something special. The talent is undeniable, the songs legendary, and even at their advanced age Roger and Pete played with the energy, power, talent, and enthusiasm of a band more than half their ages. This was more than a rock show, it was an experience that brought closure and healing to a city that needed just that.
Wet Leg Dominates the Conversation and With Good Reason
The hype behind Wet Leg’s debut album has been at a fever pitch. Now that the album is here, the question is…does it live up to the hype?
Short answer? Yep.
Wet Leg, a British indie pop duo, burst on to the scene with their viral hit Chaise Longue last year. The post-punk viral hit featuring a line from Mean Girls was a bit divisive, with some dismissing the repetitive hit, while most were intrigued by the catchy tune.
Wet Dream another infectious, melodic tune followed, setting the band up to have to deliver on their first long play. And deliver they did.
It’s interesting that this band makes such a big sound and big impact with just two people. The songs that populate their self-titled debut LP are short, punchy, catchy and FUN. And I think that is what the hype is all about. This is fun music, that is expertly crafted and delivered. The songs are short, but not without substance.
There is a certain deadpan delivery to the lyrics and melodies. The beats are repetitive and driving as if each song was specifically designed to cause you to bop your head and sing along. The sing songy nature of the songs is a little repetitive, but by the time it gets to be too much the song is over and you’re on to the next earworm. The vocals are good, the musicianship is solid and you just want to listen over and over again.
There are surprises everywhere. The 30 second scream near the end of Ur Mum. The sincerity of songs like Piece of Shit and loving you. The guitar, bass, drums, synths, and other instrumentation come together cleanly and the production is top notch.
Wet Leg continues a tradition of being basically an homage to the music of the 90’s. Songs like Angelica and Supermarket are sufficiently British, quirky, interesting, weird, reminiscent of bands like Blur and Lush. That said, the album is fresh, modern and innovative. It will be interesting to see how things shake out with this band. With Phoebe Bridgers and Japanese Breakfast nominated in big Grammy categories in recent years (and unfortunately losing) Wet Leg may be the indie band to take home the gold.
This album is good enough to have legs, and should be an excellent album to jam to all summer long. We’re fans. Check it out.
