28 August - Span of Sunshine

THIS WEEK'S COMMUTE
M: The Who - Who's Next
T: Elbow - The Take Off and Landing of Everything
W: David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust
F: Span of Sunshine - This Must Be The Present

This Friday: Steve Koziol writes all the songs for Span of Sunshine, and our shared appreciation of the band XTC is wonderfully evident in the ones on this record. Steve can actually capture that sort of madcap atmosphere much better than I ever could (trust me, I've tried and failed numerous times). There are whimsical turns of phrase, and delightful shifts in the structures of each tune that bounce between harmony and intentional discord all at once. Fun stuff. Span of Sunshine isn't copying another band, but the soul of its influence shows - gloriously.

21 August - The Fawns

THIS WEEK'S COMMUTE
M: X - Alphabetland
W: Garbage - Bleed Like Me
F: The Fawns - A Nice Place to Be

This Friday: Today's CD is the 2006 album from The Fawns, another wonderful band on Rub Wrongways Records. The Fawns are fronted by songwriter (and fellow fan of Gretsch guitars) Lesa Bezo. We've been sharing bills for ages now, and it's always a splendid time. A chance to hang out with these folks makes any venue a nice place to be. Also, be sure to check out their brand new release: TLA

14 August - Gentle Hen

THIS WEEK'S COMMUTE
M: Eric Johnson - Ah Via Musicom
T: The Go-Go's - God Bless The Go-Go's
W: Beck - Odelay
F: Gentle Hen - The Bells on the Boats on the Bay

This Friday: This 2016 Rub Wrongways release from Henning Ohlenbusch's marvelous band Gentle Hen is a gem. It's lighthearted and poignant all at once, and I adore the arrangements and vocals that surround and support Henning's voice. A particular fave is "Somebody Else's Problem," but they're all a ton of fun. By the way, I can promise you now that you're going to see many discs in these posts that come from the stable of musicians and songwriters that make up the roster at Rub Wrongways Records. Which is also Henning's record label. No it's not. Inside joke. Go listen.

13 August - Transperformance

It's happening. Join us. Click this link to learn more:
TRANSPERFORMANCE 30: LIVE AID, A Benefit Music Festival

11 August - Humidity

We're going through another sticky string of days. Yes, I know it's Summer in New England, but this year seems unusually unpleasant. Now here's the thing. I freeze all Winter long, and feel wholly justified in vocalizing my displeasure during the colder months. Because of this, I have been determined to never complain about the Summer heat. And I don't. But the current level of humidity is another matter entirely. And this is me bitching about it.

7 August - Ray Mason

THIS WEEK'S COMMUTE
M: George Harrison - Brainwashed
T: Elvis Costello - Mighty Like a Rose
W: R.E.M. - Monster
F: Ray Mason Band - Three Dollar Man

This Friday: Ray Mason is a Valley legend. He's also a friend and neighbor, living less than a mile down the road. He's a better guitar player than he'll tell you he is, and he's a marvelous bass player, too. Besides all that, he's an encyclopedia of musical history. He knows all the records, all the songwriters, all the personnel, the labels and years of release, all of that. In concert, he's one of the best storytellers around, and is a charming and kind soul off stage - a joy just to be around. He's put out a great big pile of terrific records, and I've seen him (solo, and with the full band) so many times I've lost count. This is a fun album. If you listen real hard, you can hear me singing backup (along with Sue Burkhart and Joe Blumenthal) on "You'll Never Play Here Again." Also, the songs "The Newsboy's Toss" and "Reverb and a Zip Code" are among my all-time faves by anyone, anywhere.