The return of Rocktober (in spirit)!

I think I’m going to have to stop labeling myself as largely being a hermit! I’m back to going to at least one or two shows a week, though these days it’s mixture of music, comedy, interviews, theater, and spoken word getting me out and about instead of just 5 concerts or something like that. 

Just last week we saw my old friend Rachael Yamagata perform a stunner of a show at City Winery and then caught one of the hilarious tapings for Chris Fleming’s forthcoming HBO special. This week I’ll be at a taping for Slate’s Political Gabfest (I attended their very first taping during Obama’s first inauguration and try and catch them every time they’re in town).

And November is even more stocked with events I’ve committed to and will not miss!

The world is a scary place right now, and I can’t overstate how much the recent events in Chicago have impacted my stress levels. For the first time in years my resting heart rate has spiked for a sustained period of time, if that gives you any clue as to just how much tis city feels like it’s under attack by our own government. (If you're interested in my thoughts about that, I try and post reasoned commentary on Threads, so you can follow me there.

This makes out even more important to feel connected to others, and celebrate community. So I feel lucky that my own ability to socialize more often happens to coincide with a time when we all need human contact the most.

Shredding riffs and Super Creeps.

Dave Suh & the Dirty Wings, photo by me.

I had a really great time at LiveWire Lounge Chicago last night seeing Dave and Skid’s bands play. I’ve known Dave for most of his musical career, beginning with helping his old band Emil Muzz out (and even helping to get them onto an MTV reality show at one point!) so it’s been a true joy to see his musical evolution in the years as he played both sideman and frontman in variety of bands, currently landing on a group that sounds more “him” than any that’ve come before; Dave Suh & the Dirty Wings. I saw them about a year ago and that was good, but last night’s show was nigh perfect. 

Super Screeps, photo by me

I’ve booked shows with Skid’s numerous bands throughout the years as well, and he’s always been a consistently great entertainer with an amazing ear for new-wave and danceable rock. So when he started fronting the local David Bowie tribute band Super Creeps I knew it would be good, but since I’ve been such a hermit the last couple of years I hadn’t had a chance to check them out until last night.

Holy heck, they are GREAT! And that’s coming from a guy who’s seen a couple Bowie tribute bands that included actual former Bowie band members! 

Due to the Cubs game*, the night went late and I could only catch the beginning of Super Creeps' set, but over those few songs they showed they could tackle every era of Bowie’s career with equal comfort and magnetism, and I am eagerly awaiting my chance to see them again and catch a full set!

If you see shows coming up featuring either Dave Suh & the Dirty Wings or Super Creeps, take it from a person who has seen thousands of shows over the years—you will NOT be disappointed!

*Sorry for your loss Cubs fans, but their last World Series win knocked us onto the worst timeline, so I’m not terribly eager to see them win another one, for fear of what that might do to the world. Then again, maybe another Cubs World Series win would knock us back onto a better timeline?

A more personal, positive check-in.

I did a reset on my eating and some other health-related habits* over our vacation a few weeks ago and am now at the level of toxin-free sobriety where my brain is firing on all 10 cylinders, and what I thought was an already inhuman forward drive has kicked into almost frightening levels.

I thought I was operating at a higher level over the last couple of years since I quit drinking**, but I haven’t felt this preternaturally sharp since I was a teenager! (And now with (hopefully) more wisdom!)

It’s kind of scary…but really exciting. And here I thought I was destined to remain a distant hermit, hanging as a shadow over my previous accomplishments. But now I feel a whole new chapter of possibilities opening before me.

(If I can ever quit smoking—the one addiction I've yet to be able to shake—I can only imagine what that would do for me. But for a guy who didn’t think he was going to live to hit 50, the way I feel now I makes me think I could make it to 90 (depending on which side of my family’s genes end up deciding the whole longevity thing…)!)

*For the curious, I excised a few bad health habits, but the one that's made the biggest immediate difference has the radical reduction of my sugar intake. I had gotten to the point where I was stress-eating 1–2 pints of Jeni's ice cream a night, and while that was delicious, it appears that was really throwing a lot of sludge into my system and slowing me down.

**It just occurred to me this is something I haven't talked about at all in this space, preferring to work through the first couple of years of freedom from my addiction to alcohol, only sharing progress with friends and family through Facebook. This has been because I've never been sure what I can offer to others with similar struggles to mine. But I've been free from alcohol for over 6 years now, and perhaps it's time for me to try and figure out better ways to share some of those experiences in hopes they will help others. Sorry for the digression, but since I broke the seal on that topic here for the first time, I figured a bit of context would help. Though I also imagine longtime readers put 2 and 2 together about this topic long ago.***

***I also realize that when I started this site as an extension of the original Tankboy email newsletter back in 2002, I often mixed my personal life with my cultural critical thoughts, and I think if I'm going to be more active in this particular space, I'll have to get comfortable mixing those two things more readily again.

Happy Bandcamp Friday! Check out these new releases (and one surprise)!

First of all, head on over to Third Coast Review to see my recommendations for Bandcamp Friday. I mean, these are my recommendations every day, but perhaps knowing all dough goes to the artists will spur you to check them out and pick up the ones you like today!

And while you're on Bandcamp, Tuff Tamale (Kip and I) have finally released our "proper" debut album The New Masters Of Tuff as a free download for all to enjoy! (And it's also available on all the usual streaming services for those who prefer that route of listening.)