1980 was one of those seminal years for me - in college, growing up, shedding my early skin. Music was still a constant, and my musical palate was widening. 1980 was a great year for music, and I'll be playing some today.
There was a lot to choose from, so there may be a part 2. Most of these songs are more or less mainstream - not a lot of deep cuts, but the importance of the music remains. So let's step back 40 years (40 years!) and listen to Pretenders, Talking Heads, the Jam, Elvis Costello, Diana Ross, Chic, Stevie Wonder, John Lennon, the Undertones, Dire Straits, Steely Dan, Peter Gabriel, Split Enz, and Joe Jackson.
This podcast is, as always, available to stream or download at brennick.net. There should be more content there, and I will try to put more things up this year. The podcast is also available to download as a podcast at your favorite podcast streamer - iTunes, Stitcher, etc. The podcast is called brennick.net. Check that out sometime. I welcome suggestions and comments, too - leave them as you will. Thanks for everything you do to encourage me.
I'm 60 years old, and have many friends who are both older and younger than I am. It is inevitable, now that I am getting older, that friends of mine will pass away. I want to think that I can accept the fact that friends will die and move on from here, but it always hits me hard.
My friend Mark was an old high school friend with whom I had many adventures. We had many great conversations and did many things, not always smart, when we hung out. He was part of one of the few perfect days in my life, and for that, I will always be thankful. The day? It's not exciting or interesting - not much happened - it was just a great, lazy summer day that I spent with Mark and Liz. We didn't do much, but their friendship, their company, and the weather just made it a perfect day.
I'll always have that day to remember. Mark and I had vague plans to meet "soon," but soon never came, and now never will. This is for Mark, and the other friends lost along the way.
This week let's take some time to remember all of the loved ones lost, as well as those who gave up their lives for our country, with X, the Smiths, Blur, My Morning Jacket, Rosanne Cash, Gillian Welch, Lucinda Williams, Michael Kiwanuka, Robert Cray, the Housemartins, XTC, and Christina.
This podcast is, as always, available to stream or download at brennick.net. There should be more content there, and I will try to put more things up this year. The podcast is also available to download as a podcast at your favorite podcast streamer - iTunes, Stitcher, etc. The podcast is called brennick.net. Check that out sometime. I welcome suggestions and comments, too - leave them as you will. Thanks for everything you do to encourage me.
Know the feeling. People you know, leave - and it's disheartening. My first and best school friend died last October from cancer. The girlfriend I had just before I met my current wife was murdered by Chicago police in Feb of 2017. A family member died of COVID-!9 just two weeks ago. The list will continue.
...and I kinda think of musicians that I've grown up with - close to my ears on a daily basis - dying as the years go by.
...but the alternative of dying before they do can certainly put an end to that, so that keeps me in line.
Last day in May - finally. Let's see, that would make it May 72 - wait, I'm being told that it's actually the 31st. May was much longer than that, wasn't it? It's another forever month in a series of forever months.
As the weather gets warmer, we start to feel a little (just a little) more optimistic that lives will begin to be a bit more...normal's not the right word, but something like normal. No big blockbuster movies for me this year, and certain places (like the beach) will be too crowded to try, but we can be outdoors more often. We even saw fiends outside last week - a start to return to normalcy.
I hope everyone's getting more optimistic about summertime, but not so much that we don't observe social distancing and masks - we still need masks when shopping, etc. Help keep everyone safe (need a mask? Go to lily-mcclure-handmade.com to get your mask. I got the Shark Mask and Kate got the Monkey Wrench. They're great).
To help, much of the music today is sort of optimistic. So start your day with Donovan, Todd Rundgren, the Turtles, Spanky and Our Gang, the Monkees, Fred Neil, Nick Drake, Jason Isbell, Shelby Lynne, the Jayhawks, Badfinger, the Move, and Jellyfish.
This podcast is, as always, available to stream or download at brennick.net. There should be more content there, and I will try to put more things up this year. The podcast is also available to download as a podcast at your favorite podcast streamer - iTunes, Stitcher, etc. The podcast is called brennick.net. Check that out sometime. I welcome suggestions and comments, too - leave them as you will. Thanks for everything you do to encourage me.
Turning and turning in the widening gyre The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity.
Surely some revelation is at hand; Surely the Second Coming is at hand. The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert A shape with lion body and the head of a man, A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun, Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds. The darkness drops again; but now I know That twenty centuries of stony sleep Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle, And what rough beast, its hour come round at last, Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?
Let's slouch with Lush, Anna Burch, Elastica, Echobelly, Big Star, Gorillaz, the Pains of Being Pure at Heart, the DiVinyls, Alison Moyet, Lower Dens, the Auteurs, Gordon Lightfoot, Steeleye Span, and Lindisfarne.
This podcast is, as always, available to stream or download at brennick.net. There should be more content there, and I will try to put more things up this year. The podcast is also available to download as a podcast at your favorite podcast streamer - iTunes, Stitcher, etc. The podcast is called brennick.net. Check that out sometime. I welcome suggestions and comments, too - leave them as you will. Thanks for everything you do to encourage me.
Sometimes this old world lets me down, and then forces come into play to give me hope. Let's hope it's sustained and we see some real change, and not drift back into the ways things were always done.
Today's podcast starts off a bit political, then drifts back into the way things were always done. My optimism wanes quickly these days. So listen to Pink Floyd, Modest Mouse, Eno/Hyde, Pere Ubu, Blood on the Saddle, Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen, Graham Parker, Liz Phair, the Coral, the Zombies, the Pretty Things, the Action, Bob Dylan, Tim Hardin, Tim Buckley, and Richie Havens.
This podcast is, as always, available to stream or download at brennick.net. There should be more content there, and I will try to put more things up this year. The podcast is also available to download as a podcast at your favorite podcast streamer - iTunes, Stitcher, etc. The podcast is called brennick.net. Check that out sometime. I welcome suggestions and comments, too - leave them as you will. Thanks for everything you do to encourage me.
I miss baseball. The weather's gotten hot, and I'm usually paying attention to the local 9 as they slog their way through June. We may lose what there is of a baseball season - I know many of you don't care, but I'm one of the ones who do. Really, maybe they shouldn't play this year, but that doesn't make it any easier for this scoreboard watcher. That awful West Coast trip is just around the corner, isn't it?.
I'm sure that among today's artists, there are (were) many baseball fans So let's wait for "Play ball" with Bessie Banks, Brain Auger with Julie Tippetts, Howlin' Wolf, Bob Dylan, Los Lobos, EOB, Lucinda Williams, Johnny Winter, Marcus Hook Roll Band, Flash & the Pan, the Easybeats, Jason Isbell, and Drive-by Truckers.
This podcast is, as always, available to stream or download at brennick.net. There should be more content there, and I will try to put more things up this year. The podcast is also available to download as a podcast at your favorite podcast streamer - iTunes, Stitcher, etc. The podcast is called brennick.net. Check that out sometime. I welcome suggestions and comments, too - leave them as you will. Thanks for everything you do to encourage me.
I miss baseball. The weather's gotten hot, and I'm usually paying attention to the local 9 as they slog their way through June. We may lose what there is of a baseball season - I know many of you don't care, but I'm one of the ones who do. Really, maybe they shouldn't play this year, but that doesn't make it any easier for this scoreboard watcher. That awful West Coast trip is just around the corner, isn't it?.
You aren't the only person missing the game Bremble - even here over the Pond. Who are your local heros?
Well, growing up it was the outfield of Yaz, Reggie Smith and Tony Conigliaro. George Scott was a long-time favorite as well. Overall Willie Mays was my favorite player then (and probably now, all-time).
Well, growing up it was the outfield of Yaz, Reggie Smith and Tony Conigliaro. George Scott was a long-time favorite as well. Overall Willie Mays was my favorite player then (and probably now, all-time).
I see what you did there. A Red Sox man eh? I once stood outside Fenway but it wasn't game day and I had a large bag of cds and was on my way to Victoriaville (Victo Festival). I did get to see an Expos game in their last season on that trip. My only MLB game to this day.
Last weekend of June - this month went by with some pep. May was endless, but there was some optimism that hit in June, and while some states are seeing a decline in the rate of Coronavirus spread, others are hitting new peaks. And no, it's not just because we're testing more.
Surprisingly, 80% of the deaths that have occurred in New Hampshire are assisted living related. I noticed that in my county the number of deaths (or new cases, really) hasn't increased in a long time. I think it's because most people are remaining socially-distanced and masks are still de rigueur. There's been some lessening of mask-wearing, but it's a very small amount of shoppers (my unscientific view).
Fireworks apparently have been a problem. If we have to stay home, why not release some tension by setting off fireworks? They're illegal in Massachusetts, but that hasn't stopped people from coming to New Hampshire to buy fireworks (there's a reason that there are many fireworks stores conveniently located just over the border of Massachusetts). They can be legal in New Hampshire (I believe it's town-by-town), and I haven't noticed that there has been an increase in fireworks (we've always had a bunch of fireworks on weekends here - someone close by always seems to be setting some off). All I have to say is that safety needs to be taken not only in wearing masks and remaining socially distant, but also with explosives. People do get their hands blown off, and a few years ago someone in New Hampshire burned down their house when fireworks got out of hand.
Speaking of fireworks, I've got a firecracker of a podcast this week (not really, but it's a transition. Work with me here). So listen up keenly to Stereolab, Nightmares on Wax, !!!, R.E.M., Llyod Cole & the Commotions, the Bats, David Bowie, Mott the Hoople, the Dandy Warhols, Sebadoh, Paul McCartney, and Jefferson Starship.
This podcast is, as always, available to stream or download at brennick.net. There should be more content there, and I will try to put more things up this year. The podcast is also available to download as a podcast at your favorite podcast streamer - iTunes, Stitcher, etc. The podcast is called brennick.net. Check that out sometime. I welcome suggestions and comments, too - leave them as you will. Thanks for everything you do to encourage me.
Hope everyone is having a fun and safe 4th of July weekend. Would like to say we had a quiet 4th, but since the local fireworks shop had its best year ever, the private fireworks shows were all around us last night. They needed to be more coordinated, though. Only good thing was we didn't hear the fire trucks, so apparently nothing burned down.
Let's not burn anything down, but take some time out of our busy weekend to listen to this week's podcast, with special guest stars Jason Isbell, Nicole Atkins, Monks Road Special, Hirth Martinez, Curved Air, Stealer's Wheel, Tee Set, Jamie Liddell, !!!, Jane Wiedlin, Barrence Whitfield, the Cowsills, Gilberto Gil, and Astrud Gilberto.
This podcast is, as always, available to stream or download at brennick.net. There should be more content there, and I will try to put more things up this year. The podcast is also available to download as a podcast at your favorite podcast streamer - iTunes, Stitcher, etc. The podcast is called brennick.net. Check that out sometime. I welcome suggestions and comments, too - leave them as you will. Thanks for everything you do to encourage me.
We're taking care of dogs this weekend. They're easy dogs to care for, but it's very different than what we've been used to when we had our own dogs. We owned two dogs for twenty-five years, but have been without a dog for 6 years (six! It's been a long time). Neither of our dogs was very food-centric, so we could put food in their bowl and it could last all day there. With these two, the food is gone within seconds. Look, pups, it's not a race. We don't expect you to eat one kibble at a time (our black lab), but this is ridiculous. When we went to training for our husky, she was not doing what she was supposed to, and the trainer was confident that by rewarding her with a treat she'd behave. "she doesn't care much for treats," we said, and when he was unable to lure her at all with treats, looked at us and said that we were in trouble with this one. We know, we know.
They're also extremely friendly (or, emotionally needy). Our black lab could occasionally get underfoot, but the yellow lab we're sitting is constantly following me. Right now she's laying down behind me, so it'll be hard for me to get out of the chair without moving her. The Chihuahua is a needy lap dog who wants to be in my arms all day and all night.
I guess that I'm saying that although we miss having a dog in our lives, we're not going to be getting one soon. They're nice to visit, but we don't want to handle a dog that would be needier than what we're used to. And we like the freedom to up and go anywhere without having to make sure the dog is taking care of while we're gone.
Got a fun podcast for you today - I know you'll like it. We 're listening to Evie Sands, Caught a Ghost, Bryan Ferry, Lucinda Williams, Norah Jones, Garland Jeffreys, Shelby Lynne, the Hollies, Wire, the Jesus & Mary Chain, Graham Parker, XTC, Hooverphonic, Mazzy Star, and Swans.
This podcast is, as always, available to stream or download at brennick.net. There should be more content there, and I will try to put more things up this year. The podcast is also available to download as a podcast at your favorite podcast streamer - iTunes, Stitcher, etc. The podcast is called brennick.net. Check that out sometime. I welcome suggestions and comments, too - leave them as you will. Thanks for everything you do to encourage me.
We have a very nice neighbor couple who are just horrible when it comes to dogs. They look at special breeders to get their labs (always labs) instead of getting one that's needed from a shelter and they never train them to be obedient, so they're always doing the wrong things. They never get them fixed, so that exacerbates the problems. Walks with the dog always involve the dog yanking the owner around - with, at least twice, actually causing damage to the neighbor (shoulder pull, being dragged to the ground where they get scrapes and bruises, etc). This latest dog pulls up patches of grass in the yard and eats them - and they have to pick up extra sticks in the yard because the dog will eat those too. Last night we had a big wind storm come thru and this morning, the neighbor was in her yard picking up excess sticks. The dogs have always barked so loud (and often) that we can hear them next door even with all of the windows closed. As you arrive at (and after you're inside) the house, the big dog will always jump all over you and in order to get the dog off of you, the owner will call it away from you and offer it treats (!) - thereby rewarding the dog for his bad behavior. The couple are about 70 years old.
Hi - we went up North to do some hiking in the White Mountains National Forest. We didn't have a set trail to walk on - we were just looking for one that wasn't too busy. Unfortunately, thousands of people descended on the White Mountains National Forest as well. We couldn't find a place to park either in the parking lot or along the road, so we gave up after a while. It's good that people are getting out, but we're worried about too many people together walking on the trails. Be safe and wear a mask.
Lots of new music to share with you today - 5 new releases and 3 from last year. Whew - so much new. Let's give a listen to Stereolab, Brix Smith, Phoebe Bridgers, Jessie Ware, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Richard Thompson, Jimmie Vaughan, Coco Montoya, the Cash Box Kings, Luke Winslow-King, the Love Language, the Essex Green, and Christine & the Queens.
This podcast is, as always, available to stream or download at brennick.net. There should be more content there, and I will try to put more things up this year. The podcast is also available to download as a podcast at your favorite podcast streamer - iTunes, Stitcher, etc. The podcast is called brennick.net. Check that out sometime. I welcome suggestions and comments, too - leave them as you will. Thanks for everything you do to encourage me.
Hi - let's check the weather report - Hot hot, hot with Thunderstorms, hot, hot - it's summer. Enjoy while you can and how you can. And as the nag says, be safe - wear masks in stores and in what could be crowded areas. It's not too much to ask.
Today we have rock, rockabilly, funk, and college rock. Listen keenly to Khurangbin, Paul Weller, the Beths, Frankie Rose, Johnny Winter, Jack Rabbit Slim, the Louvin Brothers, Gene Vincent, Jerry Lee Lewis, the 9th Creation, Hot Chocolate, the Bamboos, the Electric Peanut Butter Co., Miracle Legion, the Dream Syndicate, and the Connells.
This podcast is, as always, available to stream or download at brennick.net. There should be more content there, and I will try to put more things up this year. The podcast is also available to download as a podcast at your favorite podcast streamer - iTunes, Stitcher, etc. The podcast is called brennick.net. Check that out sometime. I welcome suggestions and comments, too - leave them as you will. Thanks for everything you do to encourage me.
Check another month off the 2020 calendar. July’s done – how will this August be? As hot as July? Right now the forecast is for the weather to be in the 80’s – quite a comedown from the 90s that dominated July. That’ll be a nice change.
I’m rushing it today – babysitting while the parents pack to move into their new digs. So enjoy today with music from Stevie Ray Vaughan, Los Lobos, the Who, Bryan Ferry, My Morning Jacket, John Hiatt, Sam Phillips, David Ruffin, Jon Cale, Willy DeVille, Rusted Root, the Midnight Hour, Lina Gayle, and Long John Baldry.
This podcast is, as always, available to stream or download at brennick.net. There should be more content there, and I will try to put more things up this year. The podcast is also available to download as a podcast at your favorite podcast streamer – iTunes, Stitcher, etc. The podcast is called brennick.net. Check that out sometime. I welcome suggestions and comments, too – leave them as you will. Thanks for everything you do to encourage me.
It’s another Owen weekend – too busy to do much, as he wants to help, but really, what does an 8-month baby know about writing? Probably as much as me.
So, to hold off the baby from taking over the writing, we’ll soothe him with music from The Ramones, Liz Phair, Elvis Costello, Hole, Roxy Music, Syd Straw, the Merry-Go-Round, Samantha Fish, Bonnie Raitt, Norah Jones, the dB’s, George Harrison, and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
This podcast is, as always, available to stream or download at brennick.net. There should be more content there, and I will try to put more things up this year. The podcast is also available to download as a podcast at your favorite podcast streamer – iTunes, Stitcher, etc. The podcast is called brennick.net. Check that out sometime. I welcome suggestions and comments, too – leave them as you will. Thanks for everything you do to encourage me.
Weather broke so the weekend’s not too hot. It’s temporary, though - we’ll be back in the high 80’s by the middle of the week. I’ll take the brief respite.
Not sure what we can do - pressure the politicians to do something- but let’s save the Post Office. It really is important. They’re the only organization that delivers mail to everyone. Every single household in the United States, on a daily basis (well, not on Sundays). No other company does that. UPS even uses the post office to deliver some packages.
I’ve seen some people say that as a Capitalist society we should have some private company take over and have them deliver mail. One of the first things this company would do is stop delivering mail on a regular basis to rural areas. Not cool. Postage would also increase, and thee’d be different rates depending on where one sends mail. Bad system.
The USPS receives no money from the government, so they’re already operating independently, as a private company would do. The pre-funding of benefits, that no other company has to do, is why they have a deficit.
We should also buy stamps and send out mail. In this pandemic, let’s return to simpler times where we write and actual letter and say hello to people.
So let’s write some letters and listen to this week’s podcast, which features Amy Winehouse, Seratones, Erykah Badu, Youth Meets Jan Wobble, Hollie Cook, Peter Tosh, Etta James, Wilson Pickett, Solomon Burke, Van Morrison, Material, Peter Gabriel, and Kate Bush.
This podcast is, as always, available to stream or download at brennick.net. There should be more content there, and I will try to put more things up this year. The podcast is also available to download as a podcast at your favorite podcast streamer - iTunes, Stitcher, etc. The podcast is called brennick.net. Check that out sometime. I welcome suggestions and comments, too - leave them as you will. Thanks for everything you do to encourage me.
One thing that's seemed normal to me this summer is the laziness that seems to spread over late summer. Is it the numerous hot days that lead to this, or is there some other effect that causes my torpor? I start putting off tasks I should take care of. Wasn't sure it would be this way in COVID times, but it's happening again.
I'm not helped by Kate having me take her to places and otherwise taking my time, even though she's assigned me some of these tasks. That's COVID-related in part, as she can't be as social as she usually is in the summer.
So I'll just take it easy today and try to organize the things I have to do. Since I can't have a real vacation, maybe I'll take some time off work and get those things done.
And when I do start doing these tasks, I'll be listening to music from folks like Courtney Barnett, Black Grape, Lydia Loveless, Nicole Atkins, My Morning Jacket, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, PJ Harvey, the New Pornographers, Jenny Lewis, Neko Case, Elvis Costello, Irma Thomas, the Neville Brothers, and Bobby Blue Bland.
This podcast is, as always, available to stream or download at brennick.net. There should be more content there, and I will try to put more things up this year. The podcast is also available to download as a podcast at your favorite podcast streamer - iTunes, Stitcher, etc. The podcast is called brennick.net. Check that out sometime. I welcome suggestions and comments, too - leave them as you will. Thanks for everything you do to encourage me.
The world can be a terrible place—shootings, hurricanes, the pandemic – bad. So my mantra for today is enjoy yourself and have fun – we’ll get back to the bad things later.
Enjoy yourself with these tunes from these artists in this week’s podcast: Squeeze, Crowded House, the Go-Betweens, Crosby/Nash, Neil Young, Crazy Horse, Faces, the J. Geils Band, the Allman Brothers Band, Jimi Hendrix, Funkadelic, Frankie Rose, Wild Nothing, and the Pains at Being Pure at Heart.
This podcast is, as always, available to stream or download at brennick.net. There should be more content there, and I will try to put more things up this year. The podcast is also available to download as a podcast at your favorite podcast streamer – iTunes, Stitcher, etc. The podcast is called brennick.net. Check that out sometime. I welcome suggestions and comments, too – leave them as you will. Thanks for everything you do to encourage me.
Comments
1980 was one of those seminal years for me - in college, growing up, shedding my early skin. Music was still a constant, and my musical palate was widening. 1980 was a great year for music, and I'll be playing some today.
There was a lot to choose from, so there may be a part 2. Most of these songs are more or less mainstream - not a lot of deep cuts, but the importance of the music remains. So let's step back 40 years (40 years!) and listen to Pretenders, Talking Heads, the Jam, Elvis Costello, Diana Ross, Chic, Stevie Wonder, John Lennon, the Undertones, Dire Straits, Steely Dan, Peter Gabriel, Split Enz, and Joe Jackson.
This podcast is, as always, available to stream or download at brennick.net. There should be more content there, and I will try to put more things up this year. The podcast is also available to download as a podcast at your favorite podcast streamer - iTunes, Stitcher, etc. The podcast is called brennick.net. Check that out sometime. I welcome suggestions and comments, too - leave them as you will. Thanks for everything you do to encourage me.
I'm 60 years old, and have many friends who are both older and younger than I am. It is inevitable, now that I am getting older, that friends of mine will pass away. I want to think that I can accept the fact that friends will die and move on from here, but it always hits me hard.
My friend Mark was an old high school friend with whom I had many adventures. We had many great conversations and did many things, not always smart, when we hung out. He was part of one of the few perfect days in my life, and for that, I will always be thankful. The day? It's not exciting or interesting - not much happened - it was just a great, lazy summer day that I spent with Mark and Liz. We didn't do much, but their friendship, their company, and the weather just made it a perfect day.
I'll always have that day to remember. Mark and I had vague plans to meet "soon," but soon never came, and now never will. This is for Mark, and the other friends lost along the way.
This week let's take some time to remember all of the loved ones lost, as well as those who gave up their lives for our country, with X, the Smiths, Blur, My Morning Jacket, Rosanne Cash, Gillian Welch, Lucinda Williams, Michael Kiwanuka, Robert Cray, the Housemartins, XTC, and Christina.
This podcast is, as always, available to stream or download at brennick.net. There should be more content there, and I will try to put more things up this year. The podcast is also available to download as a podcast at your favorite podcast streamer - iTunes, Stitcher, etc. The podcast is called brennick.net. Check that out sometime. I welcome suggestions and comments, too - leave them as you will. Thanks for everything you do to encourage me.
My first and best school friend died last October from cancer.
The girlfriend I had just before I met my current wife was murdered
by Chicago police in Feb of 2017. A family member died of COVID-!9
just two weeks ago. The list will continue.
...and I kinda think of musicians that I've grown up with -
close to my ears on a daily basis - dying as the years go by.
...but the alternative of dying before they do can certainly put an end to that,
so that keeps me in line.
Last day in May - finally. Let's see, that would make it May 72 - wait, I'm being told that it's actually the 31st. May was much longer than that, wasn't it? It's another forever month in a series of forever months.
As the weather gets warmer, we start to feel a little (just a little) more optimistic that lives will begin to be a bit more...normal's not the right word, but something like normal. No big blockbuster movies for me this year, and certain places (like the beach) will be too crowded to try, but we can be outdoors more often. We even saw fiends outside last week - a start to return to normalcy.
I hope everyone's getting more optimistic about summertime, but not so much that we don't observe social distancing and masks - we still need masks when shopping, etc. Help keep everyone safe (need a mask? Go to lily-mcclure-handmade.com to get your mask. I got the Shark Mask and Kate got the Monkey Wrench. They're great).
To help, much of the music today is sort of optimistic. So start your day with Donovan, Todd Rundgren, the Turtles, Spanky and Our Gang, the Monkees, Fred Neil, Nick Drake, Jason Isbell, Shelby Lynne, the Jayhawks, Badfinger, the Move, and Jellyfish.
This podcast is, as always, available to stream or download at brennick.net. There should be more content there, and I will try to put more things up this year. The podcast is also available to download as a podcast at your favorite podcast streamer - iTunes, Stitcher, etc. The podcast is called brennick.net. Check that out sometime. I welcome suggestions and comments, too - leave them as you will. Thanks for everything you do to encourage me.
so I’m definitely staying inside.
From William Butler Yeats, The Second Coming:
Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out
When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi
Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.
The darkness drops again; but now I know
That twenty centuries of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?
Let's slouch with Lush, Anna Burch, Elastica, Echobelly, Big Star, Gorillaz, the Pains of Being Pure at Heart, the DiVinyls, Alison Moyet, Lower Dens, the Auteurs, Gordon Lightfoot, Steeleye Span, and Lindisfarne.
This podcast is, as always, available to stream or download at brennick.net. There should be more content there, and I will try to put more things up this year. The podcast is also available to download as a podcast at your favorite podcast streamer - iTunes, Stitcher, etc. The podcast is called brennick.net. Check that out sometime. I welcome suggestions and comments, too - leave them as you will. Thanks for everything you do to encourage me.
Sometimes this old world lets me down, and then forces come into play to give me hope. Let's hope it's sustained and we see some real change, and not drift back into the ways things were always done.
Today's podcast starts off a bit political, then drifts back into the way things were always done. My optimism wanes quickly these days. So listen to Pink Floyd, Modest Mouse, Eno/Hyde, Pere Ubu, Blood on the Saddle, Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen, Graham Parker, Liz Phair, the Coral, the Zombies, the Pretty Things, the Action, Bob Dylan, Tim Hardin, Tim Buckley, and Richie Havens.
This podcast is, as always, available to stream or download at brennick.net. There should be more content there, and I will try to put more things up this year. The podcast is also available to download as a podcast at your favorite podcast streamer - iTunes, Stitcher, etc. The podcast is called brennick.net. Check that out sometime. I welcome suggestions and comments, too - leave them as you will. Thanks for everything you do to encourage me.
I'm sure that among today's artists, there are (were) many baseball fans So let's wait for "Play ball" with Bessie Banks, Brain Auger with Julie Tippetts, Howlin' Wolf, Bob Dylan, Los Lobos, EOB, Lucinda Williams, Johnny Winter, Marcus Hook Roll Band, Flash & the Pan, the Easybeats, Jason Isbell, and Drive-by Truckers.
You aren't the only person missing the game Bremble - even here over the Pond. Who are your local heros?
Last weekend of June - this month went by with some pep. May was endless, but there was some optimism that hit in June, and while some states are seeing a decline in the rate of Coronavirus spread, others are hitting new peaks. And no, it's not just because we're testing more.
Surprisingly, 80% of the deaths that have occurred in New Hampshire are assisted living related. I noticed that in my county the number of deaths (or new cases, really) hasn't increased in a long time. I think it's because most people are remaining socially-distanced and masks are still de rigueur. There's been some lessening of mask-wearing, but it's a very small amount of shoppers (my unscientific view).
Fireworks apparently have been a problem. If we have to stay home, why not release some tension by setting off fireworks? They're illegal in Massachusetts, but that hasn't stopped people from coming to New Hampshire to buy fireworks (there's a reason that there are many fireworks stores conveniently located just over the border of Massachusetts). They can be legal in New Hampshire (I believe it's town-by-town), and I haven't noticed that there has been an increase in fireworks (we've always had a bunch of fireworks on weekends here - someone close by always seems to be setting some off). All I have to say is that safety needs to be taken not only in wearing masks and remaining socially distant, but also with explosives. People do get their hands blown off, and a few years ago someone in New Hampshire burned down their house when fireworks got out of hand.
Speaking of fireworks, I've got a firecracker of a podcast this week (not really, but it's a transition. Work with me here). So listen up keenly to Stereolab, Nightmares on Wax, !!!, R.E.M., Llyod Cole & the Commotions, the Bats, David Bowie, Mott the Hoople, the Dandy Warhols, Sebadoh, Paul McCartney, and Jefferson Starship.
This podcast is, as always, available to stream or download at brennick.net. There should be more content there, and I will try to put more things up this year. The podcast is also available to download as a podcast at your favorite podcast streamer - iTunes, Stitcher, etc. The podcast is called brennick.net. Check that out sometime. I welcome suggestions and comments, too - leave them as you will. Thanks for everything you do to encourage me.
Hope everyone is having a fun and safe 4th of July weekend. Would like to say we had a quiet 4th, but since the local fireworks shop had its best year ever, the private fireworks shows were all around us last night. They needed to be more coordinated, though. Only good thing was we didn't hear the fire trucks, so apparently nothing burned down.
Let's not burn anything down, but take some time out of our busy weekend to listen to this week's podcast, with special guest stars Jason Isbell, Nicole Atkins, Monks Road Special, Hirth Martinez, Curved Air, Stealer's Wheel, Tee Set, Jamie Liddell, !!!, Jane Wiedlin, Barrence Whitfield, the Cowsills, Gilberto Gil, and Astrud Gilberto.
This podcast is, as always, available to stream or download at brennick.net. There should be more content there, and I will try to put more things up this year. The podcast is also available to download as a podcast at your favorite podcast streamer - iTunes, Stitcher, etc. The podcast is called brennick.net. Check that out sometime. I welcome suggestions and comments, too - leave them as you will. Thanks for everything you do to encourage me.
We're taking care of dogs this weekend. They're easy dogs to care for, but it's very different than what we've been used to when we had our own dogs. We owned two dogs for twenty-five years, but have been without a dog for 6 years (six! It's been a long time). Neither of our dogs was very food-centric, so we could put food in their bowl and it could last all day there. With these two, the food is gone within seconds. Look, pups, it's not a race. We don't expect you to eat one kibble at a time (our black lab), but this is ridiculous. When we went to training for our husky, she was not doing what she was supposed to, and the trainer was confident that by rewarding her with a treat she'd behave. "she doesn't care much for treats," we said, and when he was unable to lure her at all with treats, looked at us and said that we were in trouble with this one. We know, we know.
They're also extremely friendly (or, emotionally needy). Our black lab could occasionally get underfoot, but the yellow lab we're sitting is constantly following me. Right now she's laying down behind me, so it'll be hard for me to get out of the chair without moving her. The Chihuahua is a needy lap dog who wants to be in my arms all day and all night.
I guess that I'm saying that although we miss having a dog in our lives, we're not going to be getting one soon. They're nice to visit, but we don't want to handle a dog that would be needier than what we're used to. And we like the freedom to up and go anywhere without having to make sure the dog is taking care of while we're gone.
Got a fun podcast for you today - I know you'll like it. We 're listening to Evie Sands, Caught a Ghost, Bryan Ferry, Lucinda Williams, Norah Jones, Garland Jeffreys, Shelby Lynne, the Hollies, Wire, the Jesus & Mary Chain, Graham Parker, XTC, Hooverphonic, Mazzy Star, and Swans.
This podcast is, as always, available to stream or download at brennick.net. There should be more content there, and I will try to put more things up this year. The podcast is also available to download as a podcast at your favorite podcast streamer - iTunes, Stitcher, etc. The podcast is called brennick.net. Check that out sometime. I welcome suggestions and comments, too - leave them as you will. Thanks for everything you do to encourage me.
They look at special breeders to get their labs (always labs) instead of getting one that's
needed from a shelter and they never train them to be obedient, so they're always doing
the wrong things. They never get them fixed, so that exacerbates the problems. Walks
with the dog always involve the dog yanking the owner around - with, at least twice,
actually causing damage to the neighbor (shoulder pull, being dragged to the ground
where they get scrapes and bruises, etc). This latest dog pulls up patches of grass in the
yard and eats them - and they have to pick up extra sticks in the yard because the dog
will eat those too. Last night we had a big wind storm come thru and this morning, the
neighbor was in her yard picking up excess sticks. The dogs have always barked so loud
(and often) that we can hear them next door even with all of the windows closed. As you
arrive at (and after you're inside) the house, the big dog will always jump all over you and
in order to get the dog off of you, the owner will call it away from you and offer it treats (!) -
thereby rewarding the dog for his bad behavior. The couple are about 70 years old.
We're cat people for a reason.
Hi - we went up North to do some hiking in the White Mountains National Forest. We didn't have a set trail to walk on - we were just looking for one that wasn't too busy. Unfortunately, thousands of people descended on the White Mountains National Forest as well. We couldn't find a place to park either in the parking lot or along the road, so we gave up after a while. It's good that people are getting out, but we're worried about too many people together walking on the trails. Be safe and wear a mask.
Lots of new music to share with you today - 5 new releases and 3 from last year. Whew - so much new. Let's give a listen to Stereolab, Brix Smith, Phoebe Bridgers, Jessie Ware, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Richard Thompson, Jimmie Vaughan, Coco Montoya, the Cash Box Kings, Luke Winslow-King, the Love Language, the Essex Green, and Christine & the Queens.
This podcast is, as always, available to stream or download at brennick.net. There should be more content there, and I will try to put more things up this year. The podcast is also available to download as a podcast at your favorite podcast streamer - iTunes, Stitcher, etc. The podcast is called brennick.net. Check that out sometime. I welcome suggestions and comments, too - leave them as you will. Thanks for everything you do to encourage me.
Hi - let's check the weather report - Hot hot, hot with Thunderstorms, hot, hot - it's summer. Enjoy while you can and how you can. And as the nag says, be safe - wear masks in stores and in what could be crowded areas. It's not too much to ask.
Today we have rock, rockabilly, funk, and college rock. Listen keenly to Khurangbin, Paul Weller, the Beths, Frankie Rose, Johnny Winter, Jack Rabbit Slim, the Louvin Brothers, Gene Vincent, Jerry Lee Lewis, the 9th Creation, Hot Chocolate, the Bamboos, the Electric Peanut Butter Co., Miracle Legion, the Dream Syndicate, and the Connells.
This podcast is, as always, available to stream or download at brennick.net. There should be more content there, and I will try to put more things up this year. The podcast is also available to download as a podcast at your favorite podcast streamer - iTunes, Stitcher, etc. The podcast is called brennick.net. Check that out sometime. I welcome suggestions and comments, too - leave them as you will. Thanks for everything you do to encourage me.
Check another month off the 2020 calendar. July’s done – how will this August be? As hot as July? Right now the forecast is for the weather to be in the 80’s – quite a comedown from the 90s that dominated July. That’ll be a nice change.
I’m rushing it today – babysitting while the parents pack to move into their new digs. So enjoy today with music from Stevie Ray Vaughan, Los Lobos, the Who, Bryan Ferry, My Morning Jacket, John Hiatt, Sam Phillips, David Ruffin, Jon Cale, Willy DeVille, Rusted Root, the Midnight Hour, Lina Gayle, and Long John Baldry.
This podcast is, as always, available to stream or download at brennick.net. There should be more content there, and I will try to put more things up this year. The podcast is also available to download as a podcast at your favorite podcast streamer – iTunes, Stitcher, etc. The podcast is called brennick.net. Check that out sometime. I welcome suggestions and comments, too – leave them as you will. Thanks for everything you do to encourage me.
It’s another Owen weekend – too busy to do much, as he wants to help, but really, what does an 8-month baby know about writing? Probably as much as me.
So, to hold off the baby from taking over the writing, we’ll soothe him with music from The Ramones, Liz Phair, Elvis Costello, Hole, Roxy Music, Syd Straw, the Merry-Go-Round, Samantha Fish, Bonnie Raitt, Norah Jones, the dB’s, George Harrison, and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
This podcast is, as always, available to stream or download at brennick.net. There should be more content there, and I will try to put more things up this year. The podcast is also available to download as a podcast at your favorite podcast streamer – iTunes, Stitcher, etc. The podcast is called brennick.net. Check that out sometime. I welcome suggestions and comments, too – leave them as you will. Thanks for everything you do to encourage me.
Weather broke so the weekend’s not too hot. It’s temporary, though - we’ll be back in the high 80’s by the middle of the week. I’ll take the brief respite.
Not sure what we can do - pressure the politicians to do something- but let’s save the Post Office. It really is important. They’re the only organization that delivers mail to everyone. Every single household in the United States, on a daily basis (well, not on Sundays). No other company does that. UPS even uses the post office to deliver some packages.
I’ve seen some people say that as a Capitalist society we should have some private company take over and have them deliver mail. One of the first things this company would do is stop delivering mail on a regular basis to rural areas. Not cool. Postage would also increase, and thee’d be different rates depending on where one sends mail. Bad system.
The USPS receives no money from the government, so they’re already operating independently, as a private company would do. The pre-funding of benefits, that no other company has to do, is why they have a deficit.
We should also buy stamps and send out mail. In this pandemic, let’s return to simpler times where we write and actual letter and say hello to people.
So let’s write some letters and listen to this week’s podcast, which features Amy Winehouse, Seratones, Erykah Badu, Youth Meets Jan Wobble, Hollie Cook, Peter Tosh, Etta James, Wilson Pickett, Solomon Burke, Van Morrison, Material, Peter Gabriel, and Kate Bush.
This podcast is, as always, available to stream or download at brennick.net. There should be more content there, and I will try to put more things up this year. The podcast is also available to download as a podcast at your favorite podcast streamer - iTunes, Stitcher, etc. The podcast is called brennick.net. Check that out sometime. I welcome suggestions and comments, too - leave them as you will. Thanks for everything you do to encourage me.
One thing that's seemed normal to me this summer is the laziness that seems to spread over late summer. Is it the numerous hot days that lead to this, or is there some other effect that causes my torpor? I start putting off tasks I should take care of. Wasn't sure it would be this way in COVID times, but it's happening again.
I'm not helped by Kate having me take her to places and otherwise taking my time, even though she's assigned me some of these tasks. That's COVID-related in part, as she can't be as social as she usually is in the summer.
So I'll just take it easy today and try to organize the things I have to do. Since I can't have a real vacation, maybe I'll take some time off work and get those things done.
And when I do start doing these tasks, I'll be listening to music from folks like Courtney Barnett, Black Grape, Lydia Loveless, Nicole Atkins, My Morning Jacket, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, PJ Harvey, the New Pornographers, Jenny Lewis, Neko Case, Elvis Costello, Irma Thomas, the Neville Brothers, and Bobby Blue Bland.
This podcast is, as always, available to stream or download at brennick.net. There should be more content there, and I will try to put more things up this year. The podcast is also available to download as a podcast at your favorite podcast streamer - iTunes, Stitcher, etc. The podcast is called brennick.net. Check that out sometime. I welcome suggestions and comments, too - leave them as you will. Thanks for everything you do to encourage me.
The world can be a terrible place—shootings, hurricanes, the pandemic – bad. So my mantra for today is enjoy yourself and have fun – we’ll get back to the bad things later.
Enjoy yourself with these tunes from these artists in this week’s podcast: Squeeze, Crowded House, the Go-Betweens, Crosby/Nash, Neil Young, Crazy Horse, Faces, the J. Geils Band, the Allman Brothers Band, Jimi Hendrix, Funkadelic, Frankie Rose, Wild Nothing, and the Pains at Being Pure at Heart.
This podcast is, as always, available to stream or download at brennick.net. There should be more content there, and I will try to put more things up this year. The podcast is also available to download as a podcast at your favorite podcast streamer – iTunes, Stitcher, etc. The podcast is called brennick.net. Check that out sometime. I welcome suggestions and comments, too – leave them as you will. Thanks for everything you do to encourage me.