Getting out and about really is good for the soul.

Photo by Nora.

Y’know, after three years of not getting more than a few miles away from my house—the longest I have been that stuck in one spot in … my entire life?—this year really has thrust me back into the world in all the best ways. I’ve been to Ohio, Tennessee, Wisconsin, New York, Colorado, London, Paris...and I even made it all the way out to Elgin, IL! And my travel for the year isn’t done yet.

I have occasionally felt drained and exhausted since it really does take a pretty seismic internal reorientation to suddenly reengage with the world in so many different locations and on so many different levels. But it has been so worth it, and I find my soul feeling fuller and more refreshed than it has in years.

Another unexpected experience this year? Finally getting to see so many people I hadn’t interacted with since 2019 (or well before) and realizing how genuinely happy and excited I am to see every single one of those faces! Even more unexpected? So far, they’ve all seemed genuinely happy and excited to see me too! And I confess, that is not something I expected, and the fear people would react to my reappearance otherwise probably kept me secluded longer than it should have.

Get out of your comfort zone and you really do reap benefits far beyond your expectations. I know, I know, such a cliché. Roll your eyes and I won’t judge you. But also, so true. 

One of my favorite bands makes their long-awaited return to the stage tonight!

In 2005, I put together one of my favorite bills ever at Double Door, but it was also a bill I didn't want to create, since it was constructed to serve as Woolworthy's last show ever.

Welp, while I usually view reunions with a skeptical eye, I can tell you in full truth that the surprise album and unexpected return—they managed to keep it a secret even from me, until the 11th hour!—from Woolworthy means I finally get to see them again. TONIGHT!

There's tons of good stuff on this bill, and I expect it's gonna be an amazing and emotional night all around.

The best part? Woolworthy is making their return with ther best album yet! It's a win-win-win-win situation all around.

See you tonight?

'Stop Making Sense' blew my senses.

Despite Stop Making Sense being the first Talking Heads tape I bought in the '80s—primarily due to its collection of song titles I recognized at the time functioning as a sort of "greatest hits" to adolescent me, concerned as I was by stretching every dollar spent on music as far as possible—I never actually saw the movie until a few weeks ago.

And I hadn't even realized that was the case until I dug through my memories and realized I had constructed a version of Stop Making Sense (the film) in my head by reading about it over the years, and seeing a fair amount of the footage from the film as snippets over the years. But I had never sat down to watch the whole thing as a complete piece!

I am fascinated by what a powerful documentary it is, and how incredibly fresh and exciting it feels despite me being old enough to recognize how even the wilder moves Demme and the band undertook at the time have become some of the most basic components of the modern concert film.

I will also be eternally thankful that my first full experience with the film was on a big screen with a great sound system, instead of the grainy VHS I would have otherwise imbibed after its release. (Despite my love of music, as a teenager the idea of spending money on a full price movie ticket to watch "a long music video" would have never even entered my consideration set. I similarly skipped Rattle & Hum at the theater just 4 years later for similar reasons. Too expensive for little me, at the time!)

It also served as an important lesson: I really need to go back and reinvestigate what "classics" I've missed that I thought I saw!