essay Archive
02 Dec 2010
What I’m Listening To, and When, and Why
People often ask me — honestly, they actually do — how I decide what music to listen to at any given moment, considering that I have a large collection. (At […]
07 Oct 2010
The Top Five Things I Learned at Margaritaville
I’ve been playing in cover bands on and off — mostly on — since around 1980. With the exception of some years — the late 80s to early 90s — […]
28 Sep 2010
The Buzztones’ Show of Excellence
Way back in 2002 I put together a band to play covers of some of my favorite music. Then as now I was especially into mid 60s garage, psych and […]
13 Sep 2010
Travel Diary: Sun Studio, Memphis TN
Some people get really, really worked up over Elvis Presley. Their slavish devotion fuels a marketing juggernaut that has yet to abate. It’s not just about the music; in fact […]
11 Aug 2010
Travel Diary: Branson MO (part one)
I recently returned from a musical pilgrimage to Memphis TN and Branson MO. Stay with me: I had a very good reason to visit Branson. No, really. Over the coming […]
19 Jul 2010
Cratedigging in Charleston
I just returned from a brief (and mightily needed) weekend getaway to Charleston SC. To say it was hot and humid would be a gross understatement — July is not […]
31 May 2010
Crate-digging at the Dog Groomers
It’s so long ago now that I can’t nail down a specific date – and even the year is something of a guess – when it took place. And my […]
27 Apr 2010
Five Years On, a Re-memorial
Five years ago today we held a memorial concert for my friend and band mate Dave Jones. It was pretty cool: even though the band we were in together had […]
16 Apr 2010
A Look Back at “Psychedelic Siren”
Regular readers of this page will know — because I rarely go any amount of time without bringing up the subject — that in the early-to-mid part of the naughties […]
09 Apr 2010
Remembering Rena Rent-a-Record
As Record Store Day (April 17) approaches, my thoughts turn to an experience I had when I was a high school senior. I was looking for a summer job to […]