Sam Amidon – Maggie
Why reinvent the wheel when there are plenty of good ones strewn about the copyright-free ground that is the public domain? In this economy, no less. Sam Amidon chooses the thrift route, taking old folk wheels for spins on the modern roads of funk, electronica, and ambient music.
“Maggie” (originally “Little Maggie”) is a breakup song written somewhere in England at some point in the 19th century (see: the First Industrial Revolution, and it’s consequences). Amidon and band lay a blanket out in an ethereal garage before Sam invites us to do a dance on it that we know only from distant genetic memory.
Play in: your covered wagon that has new rims.
Sam Hirsch – No No
This isn’t the most car-friendly newsletter. But if you’re driving a Ford Pinto below the speed limit on deserted California mountain roads to Santana-infused, psychedelic sax-laced jazz-rock, well, I’ll let it slide.
And if you’re also one of the founding members of southern indie-folk forerunners Hiss Golden Messenger, well, just try to stay to the right of the double yellow.
Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever – My Echo
A forecast of mid-60s and a battle of sun versus rain calls for two wheels, some potentially wet socks, and earbuds full of Rolling Blackouts’ new single from their upcoming album The Way it Shatters.
The New South Whalers deliver some straight-to-the-point Aussie rock that will fit comfortably on any playlist that yearns for t-shirt weather and post-8pm sunsets
Wells Fargo – Coming Home
A wise man once asked: which came first, the bank or the Rhodesian rock group? A wiser man asked: which one paid over $3 billion to the SEC following a fake account scandal where employees created 1.5 million unwanted accounts in customers names?
And which one stood up in defiance to an authoritative state in what is now Zimbabwe, often facing beatings from its secret police?
I know which Wells Fargo I’m banking on.
Good Looks – 21 (Live on Audiotree)
Sometimes you find bright music in dark places. Jake Ames, lead guitarist for Austin-based band Good Looks, was hit by someone driving a car last night (April 10, 2022) following a sold-out performance in the band’s hometown. He’s in stable condition but suffered head trauma and has an uncertain recovery timeline.
I hadn’t heard of Good Looks until I read the tragic press release this morning. Car fatalities are just so woven into our culture that I suppose it was only a matter of time before I “discovered” a band this way.
Jake’s a stellar guitarist and I hope he can get back to practicing his craft soon.
Caption this: “No U-Turns sign posted at the Panama Canal” or “Law school contracts professors salivate at the endless hypotheticals arising from the cancelled deliveries.”
If you’ve ever wondered why public/green space and housing are in such short supply in American cities, the massive amounts of space devoted to single-occupant car trips is good place to start.
<===> The Massachusetts governor’s Democratic primary is down to two candidates, Attorney General Maura Healey and State Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz, and some are starting to take notice that Healey has gone thin on actual policy positions. Like no “issues” page on her campaign website thin.
Healey’s seems to be trying to run out the clock on Chang-Diaz. And there’s a good amount of clock left before the primary in September. Chang-Diaz is fighting just to get some name recognition and has called for several summer debates.
The Healey campaign responded to these challenges with a “yeah, I’d love to debate you, just let me check my calendar…”
<===> Ever wondered why some people drive with ice in their veins while others can barely merge onto the highway? Several studies point to cortisol response (or more accurately, the lack thereof) in reckless drivers.
Researchers found that reckless drivers, including those with DUI convictions or speeding tickets (or both) exhibited a muted cortisol response to dangerous driving compared to control groups who got stressed while speeding or swerving.
So next time you’re driving with a friend who looks a little too cool in the far left lane, tighten that seat belt.
<===> Finally, Vancouver businesses have come around to bike lanes:
I’m seeing people of all ages and abilities that are riding in the bike lanes that I wouldn’t have seen five, ten years ago… We were Doubting Thomases but certainly, we now have it included in our five-year strategic plan that we want downtown to be accessible by all modes of transportation.”
Charles Gauthier, director of the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association
I’m not sure what a “Doubting Thomas” is but it sounds like a really nasty Canadian insult.