dgriff8

What an amazing thing to come home to. Contributor’s copies of HIT REPEAT UNTIL I HATE MUSIC, ed. by Ander Monson and Megan Campbell have arrived! //Lovingly published by the terminally hip , this is a must-have for all lovers of music writing. //It’s an embarrassment of riches. Essays by and so many other writers that I admire.//Huge thx to all who made this beautiful object a reality.

Book and record shopping in Chicago.

Self-care.

Been waking up at 5:30 for the last several months to read and write and listen to music and ease into the day. This morning I spent some time with side B of Dylan’s DESIRE, which turned 50 yesterday. Two observations: 1. Dylan is the unsurpassed master of the story song. 2. Emmylou Harris’ background vocals are a revelation, especially on “Joey,” which is 11 + mins long.

January.

The year in writing. Thanks to all the editors, readers, and collaborators (.peets 👀) who helped bring my writing into the world in 2025. //Links in bio. //Lots of new work forthcoming in 2026.//RIP David Lynch

One great thing about being a jazz trombone fan is that most people aren’t looking for jazz trombone recordings, and most record shops underprice them. Lucky me. If you don’t know the name Curtis Fuller, you’ve no doubt heard him. He’s the trombonist on Coltrane’s iconic “Blue Trane.”

Pretty great day at the record store. All this for under $20: The Cannonball Adderly Quintet recording is LIVE and has a version of “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy” that is unreal due in part to the crowd’s response. I’ve owned this record in multiple formats over the years. I first had it as a dubbed cassette in high school. I got it on CD in grad school and wore it out. The audience is so loud and appreciative you can’t help but grin the whole time. Also the solos are absolutely burning.//The Pete Seeger album is new to me, but I bought it mainly for the song “Pittsburgh Town” and also all the records are gems.//The Schütz recording is also a new one for me. I just really love these Classical from the 60s. The cover art is amazing.// The All in the Family soundtrack has been at the record store for many months and I’ve kept overlooking it until now. Those were the days…

Mishawaka Ave, Mishawaka, IN

Silent Night