quarter notes | Daniel Lanois, Imperial Theatre, Sarnia, ON, August 8, 2026
This is the kind of show that breathes.
Latest
The Rolling Stones, "Foreign Tongues"
The Rolling Stones need you to know they’ve put out a new record and they need you to take it seriously.
quarter notes / The Gories, Paris Bar, Detroit, MI, July 31, 2026
The Gories / Hentchmen / Brood X | Paris Bar parked the car in a field / woman at the door drew a star on the back of my hand / S. stole a barstool out of the photo booth & propped it against the wall / we missed most of Brood X (but would see
Glen Hansard, 1970-2026
...who walked through the callow mist.
Mike Campbell & the Dirty Knobs, Strand Theater, Pontiac, MI, July 12 2026
Running down a dream.
"Land of Hope and Dreams 2026" tour roundup
I wrote a great deal about this tour because I think it is one of the most important (and greatest) things Bruce Springsteen has ever done. This is a roundup of the substantive pieces for your convenience! “Say something! Do something!”: Bruce Springsteen’s tour is a call to actionThe
The Afghan Whigs, Cleveland, OH, May 5, 2026
Down at Fountain and Fairfax.
Peter Wolf & the Midnight Travelers, Detroit, MI, April 17, 2026
Doing the Detroit breakdown.
Springsteen Tour Opener & More
War! What is it good for? Absolutely nothing.
Fun Facts! About "Tommy" on its 50th Anniversary
This is not any kind of review.
Adam Weiner, The Ark, Ann Arbor, March 5, 2026
Shake it, little Tina
Patti Smith, Michigan Theater, Ann Arbor, March 11, 2026
"“I’m trying to look 68."
Richard Lloyd Trio, Lager House, Detroit, MI January 12, 2026
Richard Lloyd was in town tonight, and it felt like a message from the home country, back before we had email and flying cars in our pockets, when you needed to talk to someone from another place to find out about that place. The last time I saw Lloyd he
Patti Smith
new book - three chords and blessed noise: a patti smith tour chronicle
The tl;dr - I wrote a short book about the five shows I saw on Patti Smith's Horses 50th anniversary tour and you can buy it now! buy paperback!buy the ebook In November, Patti Smith & her Band went out on the road for the 50th anniversary
Patti Smith
remnants: "The Ritual of 'Horses'"
I know these songs. I know them. They know me.
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello & the Imposters featuring Charlie Sexton, Royal Oak Music Theatre, October 9, 2025
They leave him half way to paradise They leave you half way to bliss
Chasing History: Chuck Mitchell and Mitch Ryder
When I was in my late teens/early 20s, one of the worst pieces of advice I ever got from “older” folks -- not my parents or that generation, but people maybe 5-10 years older -- was to not bother going to see older artists. This was the late 70s/early
Pilgrimage
pilgrimage: Visiting Kent State
in honor of Allison Krause, Jeffrey Miller, Sandra Scheuer and William Schroeder
Concert Reviews
Neil Young & the chrome hearts, Pine Knob, August 13, 2025
live music is better | bumperstickers should be issued
Concert Reviews
Daniel Lanois Trio, Aeolian Hall, London, Ontario, July 11, 2025
The Daniel Lanois Trio played two nights at the Aeolian Hall in London, Ontario, an ancient and gorgeous venue a two-hour drive from Detroit that is apparently one of the top 10 halls in Canada, according to the CBC. It was an intimate space with great resonance and that
Documentaries
IT’S NEVER OVER: JEFF BUCKLEY
if you love his music you should see this, and if you don’t know what I’m talking about you should definitely watch it.
Fandom
the number of shows you have seen is the world's most uninteresting fandom metric.
We all need to work to end the annoying habit of asking people at a concert how many times they’ve seen the artist.
Documentaries
ONE TO ONE: John & Yoko | YOKO by David Sheff
I have a pathological need to identify every location in NYC that appears in a film or tv or random photo, so when the first shot of ONE TO ONE : JOHN & YOKO appears on the screen, out of focus, fuzzy, zooming in on a crowd of people, I immediately
Concert Reviews
Michael Monroe, the Machine Shop, Flint, MI, April 5, 2025
He’s one of those people who was born to be onstage.