Last week I made a sly appeal to the Fates, suggesting we could all use a little break from the chaos of the front page and the never-ending news cycle of battery and degradation. It’s tricky putting out overtures like that because the sincerity of desire and the hope of fulfillment is usually tempered with […]
Over Yonder
Posted inMusic
Laugh It Up
I’m happy to report I finished last week with a show that absolutely repaired my mood and gave me just enough oomph to get back to the working week. I am, of course, talking about the Eureka Symphony’s amazing season finale. I will be brief because there is new business at hand, but two things: […]
Posted inMusic
Microphone Season?
I’ll make this quick, for once. I have included both open mics and karaoke gigs here in the Setlist this week, with the obvious elephant of two-plus years of plague looming in the room. I can’t make any decisions for you, thankfully, but I am curious what people think about sharing a common microphone with […]
Posted inMusic
Make Fun, Not Fire
I’m settling back into the swing of things here at the Setlist. It was nice getting feedback from some of you about the return of this little column. Even nicer was snagging some free drinks as a result of my bartender shout-out last week. Free booze is truly the Olympian ambrosia for a gadabout town. […]
Posted inMusic
Dust into Dust
In 1859, when Edward Fitzgerald published his English translation of the collected poetic quatrains attributed to Omar Khayyam, the Persian polymath from what is now Northeastern Iran had already been dead for more than seven centuries. The Rubaiyat was a popular hit with a Victorian English audience thirsting for the romantic Orientalism Edward Said would […]
Posted inMusic
In and Out of Love
I am tired and the delightful Les McCann reissue from 1966 I am listening to nonstop is putting me down at the coda of a long working day. So instead of blathering, I will share a quick thought with you: As much as I like this record, I’m glad people don’t just casually write break-up […]