The College Crowd Digs Me

"Garage Country" - Uncle Ben's Remedy (2026 )       From various small towns of Western New York, Uncle Ben's Remedy delivers a satisfying square of edgy, poignant, rockin' alt-country, double-dipped in outdoor Americana sauce.  It's fun, and it's real.  The band sounds totally locked and loaded and make it sound easy, like a spatula working flapjacks.  Their latest album  "Garage Country"  dropped October 16, 2026, and it's a player.        "Garage Country" is filled with real fire and passion, casting out one winner after another, with some songs having an almost country-rock Drive-By Trucker vibe and a little Todd Snider wink.   But just a little.  UBR bring their own ball to the court, and the listener quickly knows they’re in good hands.  Tongue-in-cheek one minute, heart-on-sleeve the next, and a whole lot of raucous joy.   And as good as the musicianship is and it's solid, it's  Ben...

"Flash And The Pan" - Flash And The Pan (1979)      Here is a good cheapie I found at the Maize Record Show a few weeks ago.  I went with a psych album intent, and if I didn't find anything that popped my cork, I would at least leave with a couple of low-dollar fun finds.  And that's exactly what I did.  I found Flash And The Pan's self-titled debut album at "Garageman G's" table for a measly $3 and snagged it.  I'd heard "Hey, St. Peter" from this very album the night before on KSHE's playlist, a song I had always liked but completely forgotten about. And the kismet stars just lined up for me to find it the very next day.  Things like that happen to me from time to time.  And what a surprising treat.  Just excellent.         Only after taking it home, spinning the square, and reading about the band did I learn they had more than just a bit of music cred.   Harry Vanda  and  George Young, wh...

"Vagabonds Of The Western World" - Thin Lizzy (1973 )    My gateway album for Thin Lizzy was "Vagabonds of the Western World."   It's the one I heard first.  And listened to a lot.  I loved it then and still love it.  It doesn't have the familiar twin-guitar Lizzy sound that later studio albums would possess, and where the band did their real banking.  But "Vagabonds..." , their last album as a trio, is an incredible album in its own right.       Phil Lynott's songwriting is wonderful, as are his warm vocals and his bass playing, which is always a good time.  Phil Lynott,  with co-writers Eric Bell and Brian Downey, delivers the definitive macho jammer, "The Rocker," then turns around and kills us with his kindest of ballads, "Little Girl in Bloom," a song that offers so much hope.  It's a beautiful ballad…and his best.  Longtime drummer Brian Downey is on time as ever.   And the often underapprec...

"The Forest Of My Mind" - Paul Parrish (1968 )      This is all flowers, patches, peace, love, and maybe something to pass around while everyone is in...the forest.  Looking a bit like Freddie Mercury trying to decide what to bag up at the Nifty Nut House, Paul Parrish brings us a cool, groovy spin for the mind-palette.  Included in The Acid Archives , the album "The Forest Of My Mind" is filled with well-written songs, with good melodies and nice arrangements, each lightly dusted in various shades of psychedelic folk-pop bliss.  A cash-in of the lysergic variety, perhaps, but the album sounds much better than that.  Nothing on this square is a mind-blow.  Nothing here is deepy-deep by any means.  However, "The Forest Of My Mind" is presented in such good faith that the spin makes it nigh on impossible to stay in a bad mood.        Bonus still, it's a square that somehow gets better with each new listen....

The Complete Sherlock Holmes, Vol. One & Two Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1930)  Hardcover, 1122 pages NO SPOILERS:      The two volumes include 56 short stories and four novellas.  I began  The Complete Sherlock Holmes Volume One flipping imaginary pages on my Paperwhite.  With Volume Two , I grabbed the hardback version. (see pic above.)  Either way, it was a blast getting to know these famous fictional characters - Sherlock Holmes and his bestest friend, Dr. Watson.   Sir Arthur Conan Doyle sure had himself a winner when he began writing his Sherlock mysteries in 1886.  The stories are clever and don’t waste much time dancing around.  Each mystery is quickly set in motion.  No dawdling.  Just kick back and read how Detective Holmes uses his powers of deduction to the nines.  Plenty of details and suspense, and sometimes a laugh or two.           Sherlock is a one-of-a-kind ...

"Lyle Lovett" - Lyle Lovett (1986 )       "Closing time.  Unplug them people."   I've been a fan of Lyle Lovett ever since watching him on Austin City Limits.  As I recall, he performed several songs from this album.  He had the audience in his back pocket.  I also remember watching a clip of him performing at a small summer outdoor get-together, before his name meant anything, where some people half-listen and the other half do whatever.  It reminded me of doing comedy at nowhere bars where they kept the TV on while you're trying to get some laughs.  You just keep doing what you set out to do, telling yourself somebody's listening.  And that's just what Lovett did.  Sang his songs like he's selling fresh butter for hot biscuits.  His debut album sounds a lot like that.  Even when his tongue is firmly in cheek, we still hear echoes of truth.  Drop the needle at the end of a long day, and it's a deep sigh. ...