Category Archives: Arts and Culture
Product Review: Żywiec Session IPA
I lived for about six and a half years on the outskirts of Greenpoint, Brooklyn (New York City’s Little Poland), and for the last two and a half years I’ve lived in Ridgewood, Queens (NYC’s other Little Poland). In that … Continue reading
In Appreciation of the Fourth of July, the Greatest of the Cookout Holidays
There are a lot of positive, cool things about the Covid vaccine becoming widely available here in NYC, and one of them is the timing. If you’re a reasonably social person, losing a social summer is a gigantic bum-out. Two … Continue reading
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
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
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