95 North. . . The Newspaper

John Prine recently released a single, his first original work in years, entitled "Summer End". The tune is classic Prine all the way, complete with a gently plucked acoustic guitar and Prine's unforgettably causal, yet world-worn delivery. While the song is indeed titled "Summer End", it manages to move through all the seasons, from New Year's Eve to Easter- all to suggest that its best to "come on home", wherever or whatever form home might take on. For Prine, home marks a return to a relationship instead of starin' at the ceiling or gettin' your heart burned at random. For everyone else, home could represent going back to the faith of your raising. It could mean surrounding yourself with people you feel supported and uplifted by. It could mean pursuing the career you always knew you should but never have. It could mean a house, or perhaps a hometown. Whatever or wherever home is, Prine suggests it's time to go there, the place wh...

. . . is the "Brass Bonaza", the theme song of the former NHL team the Hartford Whalers. Coincidentally, not only did the Whale posses the greatest song in the history of sports but rocked the all-time coolest uniforms, thanks to their ingenious logo, which forms an "H" for Hartford in the negative space as the W dovetails into a Whale. What I'm trying to say is this: I hope the Hartford Whalers return, and sometime soon. Just maybe it'll happen. The journey of a thousand miles does begin  with one step .

No one but our favorite big-hearted pal Patterson Hood could write a song like "Guns of Umpqua", a gem of a track off of the band's critically acclaimed 2016 album American Band.  "Guns of Umpqua"   discusses the shooting at Umpqua Community College in Oregon (2015, killed 10, injured 7) over a steadily strummed acoustic guitar, clean piano, and a melodic, and overall confident band that settles in for the journey. Mike Cooley throws a few flares of sunlight on the track with his tasteful lead guitar licks, as images of the deep green forest, evergreen giants, salmon jumping in the river, sunlight, fog, and morning coffee fill in. Here, these images of a beautiful life lived sit side by side with sounds of shots in the hallway, bringing to life the real devastation of public shootings in the United States. We hear about how great life can be. Then we hear how life can be. The song is a testament to a life well lived, outside of chaos, and i...

Imagine a long road. At one end of the road is the soaring voice of Adele, and at the other end rests the songwriting and guitar chops of Gillian Welch. Somewhere in the middle, there, under partly sunny skies is Brandi Carlile, driving an over-sized Chevy Suburban with a feeling or two to let loose. Carlile has just enough of the Hollywood magic in her to gain some degree of mass appeal, but not enough to render her songs shallow. In fact, she's an amazing songwriter, great singer, and keen observer of the human condition. Recently, Carlile's 6th studio album was released- By the Way I Forgive You . "Mother, the 7th track, is a pretty good one: Thank you to my sister Rach for turning me on to Carlile's unique talent!

photo cred- flikr/creative commons Johhny Cash joined the famed band U2 for a hot minute- well, literally, an apocalyptic, spiritual few minutes on their 1993 album Zooropa . Here, you'll hear Cash's booming voice sing right through the heart of the universe and straight to your gut. Since the backing is done by U2, gone is the boom-chika-boom-country of his band, as an understated, slowly moving tap-tap framework of keys, delayed electric guitars, and bass paint the colors to Cash's narration. It's all a mind trip to the nth degree. Fittingly, the original title for the song was "Johnny Cash Walks on the Moon". The man in black is the highwayman again, wandering human lands until he finds the one beyond. 

I recently read Finding God in the Waves , a spiritual memoir by Mike McHargue. In Waves  McHargue explores the story of his own Christian faith, documenting his journey from good ol' Southern Baptist boy to atheism, all the way back to Christianity again.  The book is peppered with neuroscience, as McHargue attempts to square his spiritual experiences with what we know about the brain. The book is largely divided into three parts: McHargue's upbringing and comfortable evangelicalism, his subsequent (secret) conversion to atheism, and finally, his merging of science and faith, brought on by a mystical experience early in the morning on the beach. Needless to say, I recommend this book for anyone who has struggled to square religion with doubt, science, and what we know empirically about the world. My favorite quotes are below: On Prayer : "These days, my intercessory prayers are an act of surrender- a way to voice my hopes and my hopelessness, my power and ...

If you haven't heard SZA sing, run over to the record store and give her album CTRL a spin. Soon enough, you'll discover that she's created the freshest album in R&B since Solange's 2016 masterpiece A Seat at the Table , which I wrote about  here . While Solange's masterpiece focused on playing the long game, with drawn-out beats, lingering baselines, and vocal meditations that looked deep into the past, in many ways, SZA is the complete opposite. Her music is fresh. Immediate. Emotions? Raw. She's even sometimes crude. The world that makes up her songs is entirely relatable and real. She ponders work, being late to work, eating tacos, obsessing over TV shows, jealousy, emotional insecurity, carnal pleasures, sadness, joy, Las Vegas, New Jersey,  and everything else in between. In other words, it covers the same terrain the Bible does. As Cat Power once said, "and I'm not kidding". A few key songs: "Supermodel"  is drenched in ...

Below, I'd like to post an exchange between an NPR host (Ari Sharpio) and the mayor of Stockton, CA, Michael Tubbs. Sharpio's line of questioning poses age-old,  traditional arguments against the idea of a universal, basic income. I think Tubbs does an excellent job at beating back the attack lines, as he frames UBI as part of a larger package of basic human rights that affirm humanity dignity, worth, and value: SHAPIRO: One principle of capitalism is that if you work hard, you'll get ahead. And you can argue whether or not that that's true. But the idea is that it gives people incentive to go to a job every day and earn money, even though it may be an unpleasant experience. This program and the idea of a guaranteed basic income seemed to guarantee that people will get money whether or not they earn it. Does that undermine the incentive for people to have a job and be productive members of society? TUBBS: I would disagree. But I also think as a human being, the...

If you're human like me, you sometimes get angry: angry listening to morning radio, and how the advertisements are so loud and obnoxious (but you still want to hear Bob Maxton's weather forecast anyway on WTIC 1080 ), angry when reading political news, and angry when the car behind you kindly tailgates ya' all the way to work. Sometimes, I think about sacrificing the '04 Camry just to make a point. Heck, the other morning all it would've taken was a light tap on the break. Of course, the better angels of our nature often show up when we need them. For some, these angles come knockin' when we need them most. As long as we keep them fed. Here are some songs that can help us all along the way: Jason Isbell: "Something to Love" Neil Young: "Good to See You" Tammi Terrell and Marvin Gaye: "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" Willie Nelson: "Amazing Grace" Nina Simone: "Feeling Good" Lo...