book review: the rolling stones 1972 (jim marshall)

Throughout his entire career, Marshall battled for access. Without free access, he couldn’t do what he did – breathe in the moments and freeze them on film. — Joel Selvin, in the introduction This is a photo book that highlights the importance of access; not of being friends with the musicians that you shoot (though…

tame impala @ cat’s cradle

I wrote about the Tame Impala show for Speakers In Code. Full set is here. (Credentials courtesy Shelley at Modular People, and I was genuinely grateful for the barrier / photo pit at the Cradle last night, because I didn’t have to fight in the sold-out, hyped-up, very fun crowd to get good shots. I…

frontier ruckus @ local 506

The thing about Frontier Ruckus is that everything about their music is dense; their new record, Eternity Of Dimming, features over 50,000 words in the lyrics of 20 songs. Matthew Milia knows how to make words work for him. His lyrics are visceral, raw, intimate, and always the perfect word at the perfect time. What…

album review: roger knox – stranger in my land

Roger Knox & the Pine Valley Cosmonauts – Stranger In My Land. Out 2/12, Bloodshot Records. One of the reasons I love Bloodshot Records — besides the fact that they release consistently great records, and also that they love me back, which is all I ask for from a record label — is that they are…

scott h. biram @ local 506

I’m slowly working my way through Scott H. Biram’s back catalog; slowly enough that I don’t know the titles to most of the songs that he plays, but fast enough that I love the hell out of everything he does. A “one dirty old man band”, Scott is a great songwriter, and what he does…

quoth the raven, ‘sack kaepernick’

“Just witnessing a Baltimore ritual. I’ve lived here all my life and never visited Poe’s grave, much less seen the Visitor. That’s akin to never going to Fort McHenry or watching the Orioles play.” “Bunch of bums.” Rainer frowned. “I hate the American League.” “Where did you grow up, Detective?” “Jersey. I’m a Mets fan….

book review: the polaroid book (taschen 25th anniversary edition)

I have a Polaroid. It was my maternal grandmother’s, and it came with two packs of expired, unusable film. I haven’t bought any film from the Impossible Project yet, because I never have any money, but I love Polaroid cameras, and photos. I love the instance of it; the whole point of it, really. I…

read what i had, volume two

In January, I resolved to only read books that were on my GoodReads to-read list on January 1. This went … sort of well. What I ended up reading in January: Second Chance Summer, Morgan Mattson Carry The One, Carol Anshaw Gone, Gone, Gone, Hannah Moskowitz Teeth, Hannah Moskowitz Ryan Adams: Losering, A Story of…