I don’t know what’s lasted longer: my time away from family and the US or the months (years?) since I’ve seen live music. I’m sure many of you music fans reading this are in the exact same boat. What a wearying time we’ve all had. You feel the disconnect almost daily, but you feel the... Continue Reading →
The Coolest Weekend in Hong Kong
It’s been a few days but I’m still buzzed from my Clockenflap experience. Kil Sun Moon, Rachael Yamagata, The Skatalites, Clean Bandit, Earth, Wind & Fire Experience, Swervedriver, cold beer, good food, best friends, EO and YO having a blast. And I haven’t even mentioned Sunday night! Oh Lord. But before I get to that... Continue Reading →
Guys & Concerts: An Education
Randy from Baton Rouge Randy from Baton Rouge who was a great dancer not so great kisser took me to the Propaganda concert Fall semester which I thought was a date but asked me after to reimburse him for the ticket not that I would have minded if the evening had been prefaced by this... Continue Reading →
From Chicago to China and Back Again: Susan Blumberg-Kason
Not long ago I had the pleasure to meet Susan Blumberg-Kason, author of the recently-published memoir Good Chinese Wife. The book is a very honest and brave look at Susan's difficult marriage to a charismatic mainland scholar and musician, Cai. They met in Hong Kong, spent time in China and settled in San Francisco, where... Continue Reading →
’80s Week Continues: A Rock Playlist
So I set two small goals for myself this summer: to read Middlemarch and to watch the FOUR-hour, Peter Bogdanovich-directed Tom Petty documentary: Running Down A Dream. It's slow going on both fronts, but I am loving each one. Friends had warned me that George Eliot's writing wasn't quite as 'readable' as say Jane Austen,... Continue Reading →
Monday Morning Music: ’80s ALL WEEK
Hi all, how's your summer going? It's EIGHTIES WEEK at therockmom as I revisit and revise one of my most popular posts: Can It Really Be Summer Without '80s Music? New! Improved! Now with Spotify playlists! It's a funny thing, nostalgia. Recently, I found myself sitting in the way back of my stepmom's minivan listening... Continue Reading →
Monday Morning Music – YAZ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdV-5ivltkc You do realize that the '80s are to our children what the '60s were to us? A fascinating period of ancient history that produced a lot of good music, and fashion that was both embarrassing and strangely inspiring. I don't know how many Hong Kong boys I see around town these days dressed in their porkpie hats,... Continue Reading →
Further Up The Coast
"I must have got lost… I must have got lost..." If you had told me when I started this blog three years ago that I was going to be writing about Peter Wolf of the J Geils Band, actually writing about him in a semi-serious fashion and not comically or sarcastically, I would have said... Continue Reading →
UPDATED: Can it really be SUMMER without ’80s music?
It started with Haircut 100. My search, that is, for summer songs to play in the car with the kids - on the way to the pool, beach, movies. I was looking for clean, happy songs. I thought first of The Go-Go’s, of course. Playful songs with a girl power streak – just what my... Continue Reading →