test - deer tick

When listening to Born on Flag Day, it's really hard to tell that Deer Tick front man John McCauley is from Rhode Island. No, seems like the casual listener would take one quick listen to the Red Dirt songs and McCauley's predilection for taking his songs out onto the vast, open midwestern skies and bellowing a big ol' howl at the moon, and said listener would guess Mr. McCauley is from T-E-X-A-S. This version of Red Dirt or Americana (an distinction i'd guess the band wanted folks to take from the record, based on it's Mellencamp-esque album title) is what the kids in Dillon, Texas listen to when they're driving their beat up pickups down a dirt road, looking for direction, and a party to boot. The album sounds a little like it was recorded to sound good and a lot like it was recorded to sound like

Album Review

See my reviews on Discosalt. Here's the new one for the new Joe Pernice solo covers album.

Stories from the YMCA Locker Room

"Jimmy" - Westside Y, NYC
While dressing, and still partially nude, man comes by the row of lockers where I am. I recognize man and have been giving a courteous nod hello, mostly because when I first saw him walking around I thought he was veteran character actor Ray Wise. I'm dressing quickly as he gets on the scale.
"Well, i've lost 5 pounds"
me - "well congrats, pal. i've gained 5"
"oh, but you don't need to lose any weight. you. look. great."
he then chats me up about where i'm from & where i live. i somehow did not mention that i work(ed) at Sesame Street, which would've had Single White Female potential if i would've. given my habit of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time, it's a miracle i didn't. anyway, he then says:
"here. let me give you my card. give me a call, i'll take you out to dinnah"
2 days pass, i walk into room with machines at the Y. he's on the first one, facing out towards the door. i walk to the farthest, most hidden machine in the room, and one that is facing a wall, and i have my iPod on & headphones in & volume UP. i'm using said machine when i feel a tap-tap-tap on my shoulder. i say:
"hey jimmy, what's up?
him - "oh, i was just thinking about you today...i went to the post office today, i went there because, because i had to get some stamps. i went there because i, i wanted to get some Love stamps, but then i thought of you, because i saw that they have Oklahoma stamps."
"great. i'll tell my friends back home"
him - "hey, when are we gonna get that dinner?"

Stories from the YMCA Locker Room

Park Slope Y
VERY Brooklyn dude walks up to me as i'm getting dressed and sitting in front of my locker. I put on my T-Shirt, which has a logo and the name of a band, The Deathray Davies. Dude checks out the shirt, says:
"Hey, what's your shirt mean?"
me - "oh, it's just some band"
"Oh yeah? Never heard of 'em"
me - "yeah, it's a friends band from Texas"
"Oh yeah? Still never heard of 'em"