Record Store Day with Charlotte
Amazingly, I kept my purchases under $50. As I was looking through the Magnetic Fields section for the Love Songs box, I look to my left and Charlotte Gainsbourg is flipping through the racks. Kinda like that time at the NYC Record Fair when Thurston Moore was nudging me over to get into my section. Well, not like that at all, but records rule.
If I Was Going to Coachella....
I went last year and that was enough. It was pretty enjoyable, especially given that some good friends had a very comfy house near the event, but it's too much of a scene for me. That said, sets by Brian Jonestown, Leonard Cohen and Okkervil River were fantastic.
Nonetheless, my picks (bold are must sees):
Friday:
I likely wouldn't arrive until 2pm
210-255: Deer Tick
320-405: Avett Brothers
545-535: She & Him
650-740: Lucero
805-855: Grizzly Bear
905-1000: LCD Soundsystem
1050-end: Jay-Z
Saturday:
1205-1245: Frank Turner
100-150: John Waters
215-300: Portugal the Man
300-350: Old Crow Medicine Show
425-515: Beach House
Get a chicken parm
755-845: Faith No More
Get another chicken parm
1150-1245: Devo
Sunday
1255-140: Soft Pack
7-8 cotton candies
425-510: Matt & Kim
510-530: Sunny Day Real Estate
535-620: Julian Casablancas
745-855: Pavement
900-end: Thom Yorke
The Life of Alex Chilton
This story in The Times-Picayune is so moving that it bears repeating. Some may find it odd, but this portrait of Alex, to me, is a life lived honestly and a life worthy of admiration. There is so much focus and value placed on monetary success in our society and Alex didn't seem to care for it. He lived how he wanted to live. He lived how he felt he was meant to live. He didn't need the spotlight. He didn't need people fawning over him. He wanted a normal, simple and comfortable life among the people of New Orleans.
Hero is a grossly overused term in our society, but when pressed to name some of mine, I always start with Martin Luther King, Jr. To me, he was the embodiment of good, courage, humility, justice and altruism. I then toss around folks like Bruce Springsteen, Woody Guthrie, my grandfather, my mother, Jeff Tweedy, William Faulkner, Paul Wellstone and a few others. Folks who either inspired me and others or played a direct role in impacting my life. But if pressed to add another, Alex Chilton would make the short list. I loved Big Star the moment I heard them, and that love only grew and grew as the years passed. They only released three records, yet every one, now 30+ years later, sounds not only fresh, but absolutely alive. The music business failed them. And Chilton stepped away for a quiet life. Big Star maybe wouldn't have been as big as The Beatles, but those three records prove that they were almost as good. Many say that they defined and were the forefathers of power pop. To me, they were much more: rock and roll, beautiful songwriting, spirituality. Listen to #1 Record and you'll quickly move from jumping out of your seat on "Feel" or "In the Street" to soaking in the beauty of "The Ballad of El Goodo" and "Thirteen." The quintessential power pop band, some say. The quintessential band, I say.
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