Here’s a little context: when this live, solo performance in Ann Arbor, MI, was recorded, Young was only 22 years old, had previously enjoyed moderate success in Buffalo Springfield (they had that “Stop, children, what’s that sound, everybody look what’s going’ down” song which was apparently the soundtrack to the Vietnam War, if Hollywood is to be trusted.

I guess it was just constantly blaring out of speakers in the jungle while firefights were raging) and his first solo album would be released approximately a week later.

Sugar Mountain is the third installment in the Archives collection of some of the best live Neil Young performances spanning the course of his career. Young, backed only by his acoustic guitar, sings songs from his debut album as well as others he wrote for Buffalo Springfield.

His voice is high and wavering as it also is today, and something about the stripped down nature of the performance lends a power and immediacy absent from the more fleshed-out album versions. He plays in front of what appears to be a small crowd at a small venue, and Young spends a lot of time chatting between songs and making jokes, sometimes at his own expense.

It’s a side of Young most fans have never really heard or seen, and is made even more interesting when one considers the extraordinary career that would follow this performance from 40 years ago.

If you’re a serious Neil Young fan, you’ll probably want to get this album because it’s remarkable document of a musical icon who’s just coming into his own as an artist and a performer.

It might be a good place for the uninitiated to test the waters as well.

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But in order to truly appreciate the finer things in life, one must also experience the bad, am I right?  Yin and yang!   In the spirit of ‘taking one for the team,’ consider this CD review my personal form of self-flagellation, as if I am that crazy albino guy who whips himself for penance in The DaVinci Code.

I am eating every last bite of this huge, horrible sandwich so that none of you will ever have to.

I do not watch American Idol, so I have no idea who David Cook is.  I have a sneaking suspicion, however, that he is not so good.  I base this solely on a Google image search that revealed to me Mr. Cook’s edgy, rock and roll-by-way-of- Abercrombie & Fitch-style!  I think he’s trying to look dangerous, but dangerous men do not use hair care products.  Let’s see how edgy and radical his music is.

The first song is called Declaration and it involves a piano and overwrought, emotional singing.  Twelve seconds in, Cook sings “I’m lookin’ for that magic rainbow on the horizon.”  Me too, David.  Me too.

The next song starts out with rock and roll guitars!  Wow is this guy going to strap on a pair and belt it out or what?  The answer is: no, he will not.  This is a rock power ballad with acoustic guitars and a country sensibility.  I guess you have to cover every demographic possible in order to make it on American Idol.

Song 3:  this sounds like that stupid Creed band.  No thanks.

The next track on the album is called Come Back To Me.  Maybe it’s about all of Cook’s friends who ditched him when he started getting all weird and serious about singing karaoke.  Come back to him!
He came, won the world’s biggest karaoke competition, and then put out a crappy album!  Come back!

The next three songs all seemed to blend together.  From what I remember, they were mid-tempo power ballads dripping with, well, passion is not the right word.  They were dripping with something that was just awful.

I about had it with David Cook.  He did not run off with my woman or shoot my dog or anything like that, but he is treading on thin ice here.

Whoa!  The next song is another piano ballad, but Cook is singing with power and intensity.  Some of the lyrics are about “holding your hair out of your face,” which I guess is supposed to be romantic.

For me, it conjures images of Cook holding some girl’s hair out of her face while she is puking all over his tour bus.  Wow, I think I just made David Cook kind of interesting!

Well that did not last long.  There were a few more songs on the disc, but frankly I lost interest and stopped listening.  Sorry.  This disc was not horrible, it was just so aggressively bland that I could not take any more of it.

I know these American Idol contestants get hooked up with top-notch producers and “hitmakers” and I suppose there is some measure of craft involved in the whole thing, but what a soulless exercise in mediocrity.

Luckily, I do not care about any of this stuff, because I do not have to.  But, if this is your thing, I say to you:

“Middle-aged women and young girls rejoice, for the soundtrack to your imaginary romantic lives has arrived!  Behold your muse, he of the strategically tousled hair. Ladies, guard your hearts and gird your loins as I present to you the one, the only: David Cook!  David Cook, everyone, David Cook!”

Grade: A+++

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All Americans can take pride in and celebrate the Obama presidency as a symbol of progress in the struggle for equality and civil rights.

Race has long been a sore subject in America; it is perhaps the greatest source of resentment, marginalization, and division in history.

Perhaps the Obama presidency will begin to bring about reconciliation in a nation plagued by old resentments.

However, I’m left with the thought: this guy is the first black president?  I was never an Obama supporter because I found his positions on important issues to be too far to the left for my liking.

As the campaign wore on, I learned that apart from writing a few books, “community organizing,” and voting “present” in the Senate, he brought a remarkably barren resume to the table.

Somehow, propelled by the thin bromides of hope and change offered up to a nation fatigued by eight years of Republican leadership, he has become the most powerful man in the world.

Obama has inspired many people in this country and embodied the American ideal that anyone, no matter their race or creed, can make it here.  But to what end?

Now that the Democrats are in charge, there is talk of reinstating the Fairness Doctrine and Obama has stated “we’ve got to have a civilian national security force that’s just as powerful, just as strong,” as our military in order to achieve national security.

Why, an alarmist might be led to believe that the first things on our new president’s agenda are the squelching of dissent and subversion of the Posse Comitatus Act.  When did these things become American ideals?

The Obama presidency isn’t a sign that racism has been eradicated, but it does show that attitudes toward race are changing in this country, which I’m all in favor of.

It is his ideas and actions, the criteria by which we are to judge people if we really wish to create a colorblind society, that bothers me.

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They have been making great music for 30 years though, so there is no reason to be too ashamed of yourself for liking them.  Who among us has not pretended at one time or another that they were dancing awkwardly on a cliff above the ocean with a head full of hairspray and pancake makeup pining away for the love of some girl, like in that Just Like Heaven video?  None of us, that is who. 4:13 Dream was originally recorded as a double album, with one side half being the happy, poppy Cure and the other half being the depressed, run a warm bath and sharpen your razor Cure.

I’m a fan of both iterations, but the band decided to keep the upbeat material for 4:13 Dream and release the downer stuff at a later date.  It’s a pretty solid, if not especially groundbreaking album, but after 30 years it’s nice to see Smith still has some emotional and melodic depths left to plumb.

The songs on 4:13 Dream cover some familiar territory for Cure fans—hopeful and bittersweet, with a few quirky numbers that hearken back to late 80’s albums like Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me much more than their considerably darker recent albums.   Why, it almost sounds as if The Cure is having fun in the studio!  I can’t imagine those guys having fun.

Do you think it is fun to party with The Cure?  Somehow I think they drink expensive wine and discuss poetry when they party.

At any rate, I would recommend this album to anyone who likes the more upbeat, radio-friendly Cure that became famous in the 80’s and 90s.  It’s not great, and there are much more essential albums in their canon, of course, but 4:13 Dream is a pretty satisfying listen.  I give it a B-. It should also be noted that as Robert Smith edges closer to 50, he is starting to look really, really creepy in the lipstick and eye shadow, and I’m thinking he could fill in for Heath Ledger if they make another Batman movie.  Just throwing that out there.

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Lewis is the rare Hollywood success story, the former TV child-star who avoids the pitfalls of fame and goes on to become a respected singer and songwriter in adulthood.

Lewis’s rich, soulful voice and her poignant, witty, songwriting-as-confessional approach really define Rilo Kiley’s overall sound and over the past few years she has become the face of the band, despite sharing singing and songwriting duties with band mate Blake Sennett.

In addition to her lovely singing voice, Lewis is a totally hot chick!  Superficial as that may be, it surely accounts for some of the band’s popularity.  Speaking on behalf of beautiful people everywhere, I can assure all of you common rabble that the gift of physical beauty is both a blessing and a curse.  Such is our lot in life, carrying this burden. Pity us.

Acid Tongue is the second solo album Lewis has released apart from her output with Rilo Kiley, and a marked departure from the pop-oriented material that comprised Rilo Kiley’s 2007 release, Under The Blacklight.

Lewis veers from country to gospel on the gorgeous title track, and then from southern rock to garage rock on more gritty, down and dirty tunes like Next Messiah and See Fernando.  Throughout the course of Acid Tongue, Lewis shows herself adept at crafting an eclectic and diverse album that manages to remain stylistically and tonally cohesive.

Lyrically, Acid Tongue explores the same themes Lewis sings about in Rilo Kiley.  Jilted love and broken-hearted regret color the character sketches Lewis creates of the down and out in her home, Los Angeles.  At times she reminds me of a contemporary Patsy Cline, only transplanted from the open plains to the city.

She has got that same world-weary twang, though, of someone older and wiser who’s done a lot of living.  Pretty impressive for someone who spent their childhood appearing in sitcoms and made-for-TV movies.

Special guests, as wide-ranging as M. Ward, Elvis Costello, and Chris Robinson of the Black Crowes all make appearances on Acid Tongue.

I would be pretty stoked if I was recording an album and I could get those guys to sing on it.  I think that reflects just how ambitious this album is, and the respect Lewis has earned for herself due to the quality of the music she has been creating for the past 10 years.

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He pulls down his dust mask, smiles, and says “Yeah I was pretty much born to do this.”

Arment, 34, owns his Susquehanna Skateboard Company, of the only local manufacturers of skateboards in Lancaster County, and is actively involved in the design and planning of the Millersville Skate Park.

That’s right, skateboarders in Millersville will now have their very own community skate park to ride in. The proposed park will be built upon the seldom-used and deteriorating tennis court adjacent in the Millersville Park adjacent to John Herr’s Market.

Designers plan to install new facility in phases, the first of which being the construction of concrete transitions including: a quarter-pipe and a section of a bowl, as well as concrete boxes and ledges that stimulate the terrain favored by skaters for doing grinds and flip tricks.

As additional funds are raised, subsequent phases which will include more challenging obstacles are planned to be implemented in the park.

Arment, who grew up in Denver, is a lifelong skater and recent skate park designer, having gotten involved in planning and advocating for public works in Columbia, Lancaster and York.

He first learned of the proposed Millersville park a year ago and began to attend borough council meetings where the issue was being discussed by frustrated parents and council members.

Liability and insurance for the park, as well as funding for its construction, were topics of debate at council meetings.

Millersville borough ordinances prohibit skateboarding on streets, sidewalks, and private property, which has created problems among skateboarders, their parents and local police.

Interest in constructing a public park has stemmed, in part, from the growing number of underage skaters being cited for riding on streets and sidewalks.

Police are often called to disperse skaters from business parking lots and public thoroughfares. Safety and wear-and-tear on public property are chief concerns.

When asked about the new park, a borough police representative said, “The idea is to give the kids a safe place to play, and hopefully this will work out best for everybody.”

The most important step in getting approval for the park’s construction was educating parents and council members as to why a park was needed and what it would consist of.

A non-profit advocacy group for the park project, Skate Millersville, (sk8mlvl) as well as raise funds for its construction.

Skaters, parents and other Millersville community members make up the organization which has been hosting concerts, barbeques and other fundraisers to raise money.

The group aims to collect funding for the park through fundraisers and private donations, with no burden on local taxpayers for the proposed 10,000 square foot facility.

Ollie Wilson, 29, has been attending the council meetings with hopes that the park’s blueprints will soon become a reality.

Lancaster has seven free public skate parks throughout the county, with more being planned in addition to Millersville’s.

A Denver Park and Recreation spokesman said their park, built in 2006, “by far, the skate park is the most used facility in the Denver Park.”

Chad Kramer, 36, a former professional skater who now designs and builds wooden and concrete ramps and parks throughout Pennsylvania, stresses the importance of having experienced skaters help with the planning of this kind of investment.

“Sometimes parks end up getting built and designed by playground equipment companies who have no grasp of skateboarding.

Community officials don’t always know who to talk to about a potential community skatepark and too often these prefab playground outfits are all too eager to ‘help’.”

Most skaters prefer concrete or wooden parks to less challenging and less durable prefabricated ones, and some, like Arment, get involved in council meetings to ensure the community does not get saddled with a substandard park designed by people who do not understand the sport or know how to arrange ramps and obstacles to maximize a park’s fun and overall utility.

Arment helps his three year-old son, Oliver, maintain his balance atop a miniature skateboard as we chat at his Millersville home.

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Apart from the traditional mudslinging that accompanies every election, this year’s campaign has been marked by the growing public perception that the press is not doing the job they’re supposed to be doing: vetting both candidates equally.

There is a growing distrust that the media is coloring their reporting to influence election results.  In the past week, the media has gone on an all-out slash and burn offensive against an average citizen who had the temerity to ask a question of Barack Obama about his proposed tax policies.  Enter Joe the Plumber.

Obama met Joe Wurzelbacher while canvassing neighborhoods and campaigning in Ohio. Wurzelbacher, a plumber, expressed concerns that Obama’s tax plan would hamper his pursuit of buying and expanding a small business and asked Obama if his taxes, as a small business owner, would be raised.

In a rare, unguarded moment in front of the TV cameras, Obama admitted that he would raise taxes on small businesses and he thinks “when you spread the wealth around, it’s good for everybody.”

It is amazing that Obama admitted (in perhaps the worst gaffe of the entire campaign) that he believes in wealth re-distribution.  What is even more astounding is how the media sidestepped the fact that he came right out and advocated socialism as tax policy, choosing instead to make Joe the Plumber the focus of the story.

One can almost hear the claxons ringing out in newsrooms across the country.  “A commoner has made the Chosen One look bad!  Destroy him!”

Soon Wurzelbacher’s voter registration, tax records, business license information, and any other public records about him were plastered on websites and in news stories all around the country.  The media besmirched his character and questioned his credibility simply because he had the audacity to ask a question that made their guy look bad.

The irony of these attacks is that they have energized the McCain campaign and the vast American working class who identifies with Joe the Plumber’s plight.

The media sent a clear message in their attacks that they would brook no criticism of the Obama campaign, and now the working class distrusts them more than ever before.

The effects of all of this on the upcoming election remains to be seen, but it does not speak well of the media, nor of the Obama campaign, to attack American citizens for speaking their minds and asking questions of those who wish to lead them.

Of his experience with the media Wurzelbacher said, “You know, when you can’t ask a question of your leaders anymore, that gets scary.”

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After giving this driver the one-fingered salute, and unleashing a debased torrent of insults questioning her intelligence, breeding and chastity, I calmed down and realized I had almost been in a really bad accident.

I hope it was a really, really important conversation she was having, like she’d just found the cure for cancer and was calling the Center for Disease Control to say “Hey CDC, normally I wouldn’t call you while driving because it’s so amazingly rude and dangerous to myself and others around me, but I just found a way to beat that whole cancer thing and I really had to let you know!”

In 2006, researchers at the University of Utah found that talking on a cell phone while driving was as dangerous as driving drunk and that drivers who talked on their cellphone while driving were four times more likely to be involved in crashes resulting in injury.  None of this is brain surgery.

Studies show that text messaging is just as dangerous as talking because it distracts drivers and takes their eyes off the road.
I am sure most people reading this have driven while on the phone and are well aware that it really does indeed distract you when driving.

I have done it, too, but I learned my lesson after almost crashing into the car in front of me at a red light one time, like a complete jackass.  It was a close call and a lesson learned.

It really is a lot cheaper to just pull off the road if you have to take a call while you driving.

I mean, compared to paying your deductible and then increased insurance rates in the future after you totally rear-end somebody and mess up both their car and yours, and then having to stand there going “Whoops!  Sorry, didn’t see you there because I was on the phone,” like an idiot while waiting for the tow truck to arrive, it should be a no-brainer.

And that’s just assuming the worst doesn’t happen, and an ambulance or coroner’s van does not have to be called.  Bummer.

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I mean “good” as opposed to bad people like Russian email spammers, Nazis and people who work for collection agencies.  Slimfit are a swell bunch of fellas who will always share their beer with you and tell you funny stories.

Slimfit is also kind of blowing up right now.  They play what I would call “roots rock,” a mix of country and rock-and-roll that makes for some raucous, good live shows filled with rock- and- roll abandon and down-home, country twang.  Their new CD, Make it Worse, has been getting many repeat plays in my playlist.

It is damn catchy and fun, but it also has a lot of heart.  Rockers and ballads.  It has also been getting played on WXPN radio, which gets broadcast all over Pennsylvania.  Sweet.

I would recommend Slimfit to any fans of Tom Petty or alt-country bands like Uncle Tupelo and Son Volt.  I’ve always been a fan of that kind of distinctly “American” sounding music, for lack of a better word, that appeals to working class people and reflects their stories, ideals, and sentiments.  Make it Worse kicks off with the lonesome ballad Midnight Blues, which name Lancaster and contains a lushly orchestrated string section that kind of blew my mind.

Slimfit performs acrobatics as they rock out live to a local Lancaster audience. Photo by Jason Tabor.

Wow guys, nicely done.  Guest musicians from other Lancaster bands are all over this CD, adding strings and slide guitar and extra hoots and hollers during some of the more barn-burning tunes.

It sounds like they had a lot of fun while recording this.  Wrong Is Wrong, one of the more badass rockers on Make it Worse will get stuck in your head for a day or two like it did in mine.

On their Myspace site, the band describes their music as “songs about all the news that’s fit to sing about.  Nieces, for example.  Or, say, the greatest sandwich ever made.  Our latest album, ‘Make it Worse’ is full of songs that move you in all the parts of you that like to be moved.”

I have always thought the appeal of this kind of music is that it’s about real people and real life and I can not do any better than that, really, other than to suggest you check out their CD or live shows if this is the kind of music that floats your boat because they do it very well and their live shows are always a blast.

Also, Slimfit does not flood your email inbox with fake Viagra advertising or give your computer a virus, so like, hugs all around!

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Since 2001, the NYC-based quintet have been releasing albums that have garnered critical acclaim and have been described as an experimental, avant-garde blend of rock and electronica with soul-tinged, multi-layered vocals, distorted bass, and non-traditional rock elements such as horns and strings.

I have always liked the fact that their music has a sort of dark and brooding tension that never descends into overwrought goth silliness (my apologies to Hot Topic patrons and “cutters”; your pain is special, really, it is) and tends to have that “gets stuck in your head” catchiness that demands multiple listens.

With the release of Dear Science, TVOTR leaves the rock behind and heads to higher, funkier ground.

When I say funky, I mean funky like the polar opposite of Crosby, Stills & Nash.
It kind of sounds like they were listening to a lot of Prince before writing this album, just not the parts with the insane Prince guitar solos.

I am totally digging Dear Science and couldn’t stop moonwalking and cabbage-patching while listening to it and my friends got worried because that is not something I normally do and it was almost Intervention-time like that show on A&E.

This is not to say TVOTR has put out some mindless dance album. The songs are lush and sonically dense with layer upon layer of guitars, drums, horns and electronic chirps and orchestrated noise.

The net effect is an album full of shimmering, aching anthems that straddle the line between melancholy and hopeful.

It is sad and pretty without being sappy and it’s hard not to bob your head along while listening.  Love Dog and Family Tree stand out as my personal favorites; swirling and transcendent ballads that rise from sparse, orchestrated softness to triumphant affirmation and edification.

It is heady stuff, and yes, I am in fact, a complete pussy.

Dear Science represents an interesting change in direction from a band who has always defied labels and attempts at categorization.

They have reigned in some of the rock and roll bombast of previous efforts and replaced it with more focused R & B influences while retaining their signature etherealness and wide pallet of musical brushes.

Dear Science is much better than that strained metaphor of mine suggests.  They are much better at music than I am at writing about them and I like them a lot, but just as friends.

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