The Hold SteadyOpen Door Policy Thank god for this album, folks. Thank GOD! I think I’ve said this before, but the Hold Steady are one of those bands that suffers from Monty Python syndrome, in the sense that it’s good, but the most annoying people in the world will not shut the fuck about it. Have you met a Hold Steady fan? If you’re not sure, then you haven’t. The real Hold Steady fans are annoying as hell. As such,...

WHO: Mikey Erg WHAT: Selftitled WHY: Mikey Erg might best be known for being the go-to drummer for every band on earth and his work in seminal pop punk band The Ergs! but the man has a solo career every bit as interesting. His new self-titled album serves as a back-to-form of sorts from the more experimental stuff he’s been putting out and it’s got all the hard-hitting pop punk hooks, riffs, and girl songs you’d expect from someone with...

Joe StrummerAssembly It’s strange to think how Joe Strummer’s music is essential, considering his output isn’t exactly large. Or maybe it’s just right and easy to grasp, which is what makes it easier to reckon with. As far as the Clash is concerned, that music is just required listening and everyone should be familiar with it. Yes, all of it, including Cut the Crap. The Clash’s music has withstood the test of time and there are numerous compilations to introduce...

Kent State: Four Dead in Ohioby Derf Backderf Take a really good look at this book and know that to look into Derf Backderf’s Kent State is to look at the real potential in comics. I used to drink the cool-aid just like everyone else and thought that comics meant Batman and Superman, or even worse, just DC or Marvel. But eventually I put on my big boy pants and realized that comics are just a form of expression and...

Acceptance (Southern Reach Series #3)by Jeff VanderMeer The Southern Reach series started out with quite a bang with Annihilation. It was equal parts creepy, compelling, engaging, and suspenseful. It was loaded with interesting characters trying to make sense of a strange situation. That book had me at hello. Then came authority which completely shifted perspective from the internal to the external. Some questions were answered but more were posed. I was a little hesitant about it, but remained on board,...

Aesop RockSpirit World Field Guide I remember the moment that the world of Hip Hop was opened to me. Years ago, I was interviewing Dillinger Four at the Trocadero in Philadelphia, talking to their bass player about music. He said something along the lines of mainstream rap being in a deplorable state; to the effect that standards and quality control didn’t exist anymore — in his opinion. Lucky for me, I had a rap aficionado friend who immediately approved of...

Lord of the Rings Trilogy If you’ve ever wanted an example of New Zealand’s kiwi can-do attitude look no further than the Lord of the Rings. The cultural impact these movies have had on our society has been monumental. It not only brought hobbits, elves, and wizards to the mainstream, it made fantasy cool again. The nerds and jocks could be united as one (that is, until the Marvel universe completely dominated the entire stratosphere of culture). But...

Who Says You’re Dead? Medical and Ethical Dilemmas for the Curious & Concernedby Jacob Appel Who Says You’re Dead is the book we didn’t know we were going to love. This is such a peculiarly delightful book, mostly because it does so many things right. First of all, it’s incredibly interesting and a borderline page-turner; covering topics we didn’t know were right in front of us the whole time. We live in such a protocol-driven world that we don’t always...

Jaws45th Anniversary We can argue all night about what the best New England movies are, but for my money nothing comes close to Jaws. OK Second Sight might be a worthy contender, but the sheer terror of Jaws probably still overpowers it. Jaws is one of these movies that terrified us as kids and manages to stay with us in our deep consciousness. And for me, I also grew up on an island with sandy beaches. I’ll let you...

Mastodon Medium Rarities There’s a reason why Mastodon is currently one of the biggest metal bands that still matters. They don’t pack in stadiums, I know, but they’re not playing tiny venues either. They’re big enough to play all the late night shows (I’ve seen them on Letterman, Kimmel, and Fallon), and even occasionally do the oddball appearance (remember when they were on the Human Giant show?). Also, they have a sense of humor about themselves. These are all good...