A highly talented singer-songwriter from Lowell, Massachusetts, Bob Martin released Midwest Farm Disaster in 1972 - a record that is generally acknowledged as his masterpiece and a genre benchmark. Martin's voice is gravelly, weathered, soulful and honest. Think of a strange Kevin Coyne, Van Morrison, or Bob Lind blend and you're right on target. The lyrics [...]
Hey there folks. I'm back from my music rut with some thoughts/questions for you about how we experience our favorite music. What I'm getting at here are the different factors that influence why music fans enjoy a particular song or artist or value certain records in their collections. My thinking is shown in the Venn Diagram above. (By the way, I love Venn Diagrams. We need more of them around here.) After doing a little research in the STWOF laboratory, I've come to the conclusion that there are three distinct reasons why I may [...]
I wholeheartedly agree with The Rising Storm's selection of Bob Martin's Midwest Farm Disaster as the best reissue of the year . Go there to read about the album and for links to more reviews. In a nutshell, it's a perfect folk record. Strong songs that grow better with age. The fact that an album as strong as Midwest Farm Disaster , recorded way back in '72, could exist for so long under the radar really makes you wonder what other masterpieces might be hiding out [...]
This post about the Los Angeles post-punk scene of the early 1980's comes from my poker buddy Dave (a.k.a. "davesap"). Dave was the first person ever to post a comment on STWOF . His comment inspired me to ask him to put together this guest post--and here it is! Take it away Dave... Dave here. After a business trip to Seattle, I had a few hours to kill and decided to rent a bicycle next to the Green Lake pathway. Unfortunately, it was raining (in [...]
I have mixed feelings about theater. While there are works I love, I often have trouble dealing with the artificiality of the form. There you sit, in a large room with a lot of other people, while actors stand on a raised platform pretending you’re not there, shouting out as they parade back and forth on a set. Don’t try to argue me out of this stance; I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with theater. I’m just telling you what's wrong with me. Most of the works that make up what [...]
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