Bursting out the gate: Popdose, reviews (of course), and more

In which the new year gets off to a running start...

Popdose launched on January 1 as the new, improved, much more content intensive second coming of jefitoblog. Some of my fellow Bullz Eye writers have been contributing regularly, while unfortunately my current circumstances only allot me enough time to be an occasional contributor. I just finished my first contribution, which should probably be running next week. I was asked to write what would have been a "Complete Idiot's Guide" in the past, but what is now a "Popdose guide," to the catalog of the artist who, among other things, was a recipient of both a Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award and the Pulitzer Prize in music last year. It's a long one, so short attention spans need not apply. Stay tuned...

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Meanwhile, I have three new reviews up on Bullz Eye (actually they're 5 days old now, but who's counting?):


The Brother Kite's new The Moonlit Race EP contains one of my favorite songs from last year, an alternate mix of the title track of their second album, Waiting For The Time To Be Right. Every fan of Pet Sounds era Beach Boys needs to hear this one!

I included the Spring Heeled Jacks Original Swinging Jass Band's first album The Dicky Comstock Show in my top ten album picks of 2007, but didn't get around to submitting a full review of the record till after the first of the year. It's an amazing album, musically diverse, well produced and arranged, and the price is right too.

My review of Leigh Marble's Red Tornado prompted the first artist response to one of my reviews, where Marble called me on misquoting one of his lyrics. The misquote has since been corrected.

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I have one new review in Performer this month:

The Purrs' The Chemistry That Keeps Us Together turned out to be my favorite album reviewed for Performer to date. They sound like drunk yet disciplined Americans who have a thing for the same British influences of the Brian Jonestown Massacre. Big difference though is that The Purrs can write concise, catchy, fully formed pop songs. I'm very curious now to hear their live show.

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And it looks like I'll be playing music again as well as writing about it, getting back into the bass groove in a new band workshop, starting on Saturday. Which means another performance coming up in late March or early April.

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Finally, on a non-musical related note, I'm scratching my head over the fact that it took a chance stroll through a Waldenbooks during my recent trip back East to discover What Color Is Your Parachute? Seems nearly everyone knew about it except me! OK, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but the number of people who have responded "oh yeah, the classic" when I tell them what I recently read has astounded me. How is it that nobody ever recommended it to me before? No matter, I found it at the right time, and the exercises have begun. My goal now is to have my own personal strategic plan in place by mid-year. And then, the real action shall begin!