Like what you're reading? Throw a little something in the tip jar. That's the only monetization this site has. Thanks for your support!
-
Recent Posts
- New single and music video from Safe Houses: “I’ll Be Bad to You”
- Introducing University of Space Recording Company
- Heavy Breathing with the Scam Call Center
- The Best Lesson I Ever Learned About Soloing, I Learned When I Was 16
- New Single and Music Video from Safe Houses: “Someday Is Starting Now”/”I Don’t Feel Like Dancing”
Archives
Categories
Old Stuff
Category Archives: Arts and Culture
On the Three-Part Creative Cycle: A Suggestion
During the first few months of the Covid pandemic in 2020, there was a lot of chatter about how we all can “use this time.” The presumption was that “sheltering in place,” staying at or close to home, our social … Continue reading
I Was a Teenaged Ska Kid: A Mostly Unapologetic Confession
In 2017, my former colleague Brian Slattery (author, Spaceman Blues, Lost Everything, and more) invited me to contribute a “long personal essay” to the journal the New Haven Review, where he’s a long-time editor. Because it is essentially unthinkable for … Continue reading
Posted in Arts and Culture
Tagged diy, New Haven Review, punk, ska, ska-punk, Tune Inn, Webster Theater, youth culture
Leave a comment
ICYMI: The Band I’m In Is Called Shelter Dogs
I’m the primary singer, guitarist and songwriter in the garage rock/powerpop band Shelter Dogs, and that isn’t new. But in the time since this blog went on hiatus, Shelter Dogs came out of its own hiatus, and we’ve been up … Continue reading
That Summer When Jeff Lynne Really Understood My Pain
Here’s something I haven’t done in a while: A long-form music feature published somewhere other than this blog. My buds Jon Mann and Derek Hawkins — two men of many talents, whom New Yorkers of a certain persuasion might recognize … Continue reading
Three Alt-Weeklies, My Own Salad Days and One Long Goodbye to Them All
This morning, the final editions of the three alt-weekly newspapers that serve Connecticut — the New Haven Advocate, Hartford Advocate and Fairfield County Weekly — all hit newsstands. The Hartford Advocate, which I discovered on the floor of my high … Continue reading
I FIGURED OUT THE FORMULA FOR SUCCESS
I GOT it. FINALLY. It’s so SIMPLE. All of my problems are solved.
Just Like Sister Ray Said
As news of Lou Reed’s death made the rounds today, I saw countless appreciations of Reed’s work, of the impact his music had had on people’s lives, on his regal position as an artist and innovator. It’s difficult to summarize … Continue reading
Posted in Arts and Culture
Tagged lou reed, obituaries, rock'n'roll, sister ray, velvet underground, white light white heat
Leave a comment
This Summer’s Contest of Hipness: The 2013 Bushwick Games
Who says Brooklyn hipsters are lazy? Why, they engage in feats of strength and endurance as a matter of course. Finally the hardiest, quickest and most adroit among them will be recognized for their years of training this summer, competing … Continue reading
Posted in Arts and Culture, Old Stuff
Tagged block party, brian larue, brooklyn, bushwick, dance party, diy, hipsters, O, rooftop party, satire
1 Comment
Happy Valentine’s Day. Have a Mope-Rock Maxi Single!
Hey, it’s Valentine’s Day! When I was in my early 20s, I preferred to observe Valentine’s Day by listening to all of my Black Flag records in chronological order. Nowadays, I feel much more comfortable with my circumstances, and I’d … Continue reading
Posted in Arts and Culture
Tagged brian larue, brooklyn, daniel kasshu, dialogue from a silent film, indie rock, jim bentley, jon chapman, post-punk, shoegaze, the fort
Leave a comment
Hey, It's Brian LaRue 