Written and directed by Paul Schrader “First Reformed” tells the story of Reverend Ernst Toller, a pastor at an old church that has been mostly forgotten. Its contributions to the community are largely ceremonial, with more visitors interested in taking a tour or browsing their gift shop rather than any real spiritual journey. Toller finds himself tasked with counseling a young couple as he struggles to make sense of his faith, the world and his place in both. I found myself struggling with the plot through much of the film. The pace is slow and plodding, and the use of environmental issues feels a bit heavy-handed on the surface. Toller’s heal turn also feel extremely abrupt and jarring. His interactions with Michael and Mary are brief and do not really justify Toller’s sudden shift ...
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Age Nowhere is a relatively young band. Formed in Dayton, Ohio in 2017, the Americana-leaning quintet has been far from complacent. They are set to release their debut album “Airport Sounds” on March 23, and already have the makings for a follow-up well underway. Paul Monnin serves as the singer/songwriter of the group. He also plays keyboards for another Dayton band Neo American Pioneers. On this episode, we deep dive on the 2008 release “We Have Cause to Be Uneasy” by Wild Sweet Orange. I also take some time at the top to discuss two documentaries – one you shouldn’t watch (“Leaving Neverland”) and one you definitely should (“Free Solo”). As always, thanks to Frontier Folk Nebraska for use of their track “Cut You Loose” from their 2017 EP “WARPIG.” ...
Read MoreIt’s difficult to overstate the impact Thelonious Monk had on jazz. One needs to only look at the list of musicians he performed with over the years to understand just how vital he was to the genre. It’s a virtual who’s who of the style’s giants – Art Blakey, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker and Buddy Rich, just to name a few. He stands as a towering figure in modern music, performing for more than 30 years and inspiring virtually every jazz artist since he first hit a key. So, it would be difficult for an author to not produce a compelling story when presented with such a rich and fertile subject. However, Leslie Gourse somehow found a way to not find a story. Leslie Gourse's "Straight, No Chaser" provides a clinical, scholarly look at one ...
Read MoreDystopian fiction often paints a dark and gritty picture of a far away future. The masses usually become subjected to a small ruling class that maintains order with strict and barbaric methods. It’s strange to me that they found a pocket of relevance in recent years with the box office success of “The Hunger Games” film franchise and the critical lauding of the TV series “The Handmaid’s Tale.” I’m sure people of a certain political persuasion would say this has to do with the current climate we find ourselves in. Maybe that’s true. However, it could also be true that as technological advances push us further from our hunter/gatherer roots, the prospect of total societal collapse feels more eminent than it ever has. “Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley often finds itself on the “Best Dyst...
Read MoreI am an unapologetic fan boy of virtually everything Jeff Tweedy has done. I won’t claim knowing about Uncle Tupelo while they were still making music, but I was lucky enough to catch part of Wilco’s second stage set at the Horde Festival in 1995. We were milling around in the main pavilion when my buddy Jason Bryant recognized one of their songs and dragged us all out to one of the saddest little stages I’ve ever seen. I don’t remember a whole lot about the songs we saw, but I do remember some nappy haired freak of a guitar player playing one of the fastest and amazing runs I had ever heard. From that point on, I was a convert and the devotion would only grow over time. Jeff Tweedy's memoir "Let's Go (So We Can Get Back)" features stories about his childhood, his family and his ba...
Read MoreDon Thrasher’s status on the Dayton, Ohio rock scene is unquestioned. He’s been making and writing about music for decades now. However, it might surprise people to know that Thrasher has an intense love for hip hop. The bulk of the episode is devoted to an album that Thrasher describes as virtually perfect, Kanye West’s “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” from 2010. The discussion took place this summer. Before we dive into that, I give my thoughts on the new Freddie Mercury biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody.” While audiences have loved it – my wife included – I had some problems with it and felt like the pod was the perfect place to air those grievances. As always, thanks to Frontier Folk Nebraska for use of their track “Cut You Loose” from their 2017 EP “WARPIG.” Smug Br...
Read MoreI’m not waiting for Dec. 31 to make a New Year’s resolution. I’m vowing to put one of these “shows” up every week for the foreseeable future. Put it on the board – commitment = made. I kick things off this week by recommending a few podcasts. They are by no means new, but they are new to me. The first is “99% Invisible” hosted by Roman Mars. I couldn’t remember Mars’s name while I was recording, and rather than editing out my ignorance, I leaned into it. It’s a great show that tells engrossing tales about seemingly mundane topics. It is flawlessly executed and always enlightening. As I was catching up on a few shows I missed, Mars recommended “the memory palace” hosted by Nate DiMeo. DiMeo deals in more long form essays rather than relying on interviews. His writing style ...
Read MoreWell, well, well... look who's back. After a long hiatus, Side Tracks is back in your eardrums with a brand spanking new episode. This special Thanksgiving edition is chock full of goodness. If you need a break from your family and all the Trump talk, you've come to the right place. On this episode, I talk about the HBO series “The Deuce,” before bringing back friend of the show Travis Talbert. Travis is the lead guitarist for the band Frontier Folk Nebraska – which you may recognize from the pod’s theme music – and he has a new album under the moniker Mavis Guitar. “Porch Songs” is a collection of meditative and cerebral songs that draws from a wide range of influences. We talk about the differences between how the two albums came into the world, how Travis began playing music like...
Read MoreIn 2017, Rolling Stone magazine celebrated its 50th anniversary. To commemorate the occasion, many tributes took place. Two of the most exhaustive were the documentary "Rolling Stone: Stories from the Edge," directed by Alex Gibney, and "Sticky Fingers: The Life and Times of Jann Wenner and Rolling Stone," written by Joe Hagan. I watched the movie and read the book, noticing some points that I felt deserved a closer examination. As always, thank you to Frontier Folk Nebraska for use of their song "Cut You Loose" as our theme music. Check out this episode!...
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As this little show continues to Little-Engine-That-Could its way up the Podcast Mountain, I've started to look at how I can make things better. That means it's time to start experimenting. I have some big plans for 2019, but I felt like episode 25 was a good time to mix things up. I added a short intro last week before getting into the interview segment. I've started trying to bank as many interviews as I can ? doing a bunch and having them in reserve. As such, sometimes the conversation veers into current events which make no sense when the pod finally posts. This intro gives me a chance to fill in those blanks. I can also use this to address any issues that might have popped up from previous episodes. This week doesn't really fall into either of those categories, so I came ...
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