95 North. . . The Newspaper

A fantastic map produced by Slate Magazine details all of the locations that Bob Dylan has mentioned in his songs. It can be found  right over here.  Sadly, Connecticut is no where to be found, however, he does show up in New England at one point (in Boston at some restaurant). Manhattan References abound.  While they might not literally reference specific geographic locations in New England, there are other songs that conjure up New England for me in some way. Don't be alarmed that things get specific. It's all for the sake of the exercise, and the locations are particular to where I've been: Heatin' up those coffee grounds amidst the snow. . . "On a Night Like This" = Cabin in Vermont's Northeastern Kingdom (Canadian border) Walking down the road with a fishing pole in your hands and your jeans rolled up to your knees. It might rain. . .  "Down the Highway" = R oad in Eastern CT, perhaps Rt 16 A scene is observed from a 5th floor a...

The late 1980s. . . before Bob Dylan was on his "Never Ending Tour". . .he came up with some awesome tour names: Alone and Together,  Temple in Flames and True Confessions.  Temple in Flames Alone and Together True Confessions In the 1970's, it was the famous Rolling Thunder tour in New England. . . Rolling Thunder Since the late 80s, he's been on the Never Ending Tour (not an official name):

Patterson Hood's long obsession with history is showcased in the excellent tune "Sands of Iwo Jima". In many ways, the song "Three Great Alabama Icons" is kin to this song as Hood skillfully weaves together familial history with that of the United States. This knitting is done purposefully by Hood, and serves as a prelude to a larger point he makes about war, the media, and patriotism. Here, Hood's acoustic guitar is accompanied by a sensible, melodic touch from the band, complete with swirling keys, tasteful lead guitar licks, and steady bass n' drums. Hood's awkward falsetto explores the story of his grandfather, George A, and his commitment to both family and his misfortune of getting drafted into World War II. In a subtle way, "Sands of Iwo Jima" is an anti-war song, shaking a fist at Hollywood for presenting images of war and false glory by the likes of John Wayne, sanitizing the savagery for the American public post-fact.  As Hood s...

Remember when I said Patterson Hood needs to prove he's the smartest one in the room? Hear his sweeping, spoken word lecture over a steady, chugging guitar, as Hood weaves together personal narrative, civil rights history, popular music legend, and the "duality of the southern thing" all into one. Hood tells the story of not only the understood south, but the misunderstood south. He understands the deep offense of the racist symbol that the star's n' bars represents, while also acknowledging the goodness, unfortunate poverty, and dignity of those that might fly it on the back of their truck. The shameful politics and open racism of Alabama is all over this one, too, as Hood ruminates on segregationist Alabama politician George Wallace. He understands that "states rights" is code for white supremacy. Music history also breaks it's way into Hoods grand lecture, as he acknowledges the complexity of the band Lynyrd Skynyrd and their song ...

I recently read  The Nine Nations of North America  by Colin Woodward. Woodward argues that the United States is really just a federation of nations held together by a common government. Thus, the features of that government have been compromise and division. Here, the framework runs much deeper than the Sesame street inspired red state/blue state narrative that you hear on cable news. Instead, Woodward examines each of these 11 nations and how they live together. Compromise, alliances, war, it's all there if you look for it. These 11 distinct cultures and regions developed based on sentiments of their early settlers. As new immigrants moved in, they assimilated to the dominant culture. For example , "New Netherlands" which encompasses the great NYC area has long valued internationalism, social tolerance, capitalism, and materialism from the start. Neighboring Yankeedom's love for education, local politics, and a sense of moderation stands in sharp contrast to N...

A beautiful shot of a Metro North train on the New Haven line.

I moved back to my "homeland" of Connecticut after spending a few years in South Carolina. Needless to say, I missed the winter dearly. When I was younger, I would stay up all night and watch the world fill up with snow under the glow of the streetlights. Since then, not much has changed. Here, I'll document each winter weather event I encounter. Enjoy! Pictured below: the SC/GA line on 95 northbound.