Monthly Archives: September 2013

What we’re listening to today — The Hustle is On by T-Bone Walker

Along with Charlie Christian, Texas blues man T-Bone Walker revolutionized the use of the electric guitar in popular music directly before, during and and after WWII. A disciple of Blind Lemon Jefferson and featuring a smooth and easy vocal delivery to go along with his virtuoso guitar playing, Walker’s brand of big band jump blues is not always how most people think of the genre. The playing and arrangements are spotless and more often ecstatic than forlorn, whatever the lyrics might be saying. And one can hardly picture such a raconteur as T-Bone, legendary for his athletic live showmanship, going through any real trouble with the ladies. But his suave style is one of the pleasures of the blues canon and a rollicking pre-Rock burner like “The Hustle is On” makes clear where future legends like Chuck Berry jumped off from on their own epic musical journeys:

The faster-than-normal tempo, tight horn arrangements and bouncing locomotive back beat all provide T-Bone’s trademark Gibson ES-5 lead and unmannered vocals the proper urgency and punch. And his rhythm work on the sax break is equally forceful, a precursor to the less-is-more philosophy of Steve Cropper and Keith Richards. Whether it’s poker night with the boys or cocktails with a special lady, T-Bone Walker’s brand of blues always gets the evening off in fine style.

Recommended for further listening: The Complete Imperial Recordings, 1950-54. A double disc set, this 52-track collection is an essential and beautifully polished example of the master in his prime and with super tight backing personnel. Not a dud in the bunch.

Bonus video: An awe-inspiring performance from 1966’s Jazz at the Philharmonic in the UK–with Dizzy Gillespie, Teddy Wilson and other luminaries in the backing band:

Watch Collector’s Notebook: So… why watches?

There are a lot of hobbies out there and a lot of collectibles. So how is it that one guy chooses comic books or baseball cards or Impressionist paintings and another guy chooses watches? Well, I can only speak for myself and my own obsession with wristwatches but I wouldn’t be surprised if all of those interests had a common source rooted in our childhood.

For me, the watch enchantment started when I was a kid and my dad and I would take long drives up to his house in Western New York (Upstate, as we always called it, the term Upstaters love to hate). Now this was a long drive in an old red Volvo so it took a bit over 5 hours on a good day. My parents being separated, these road trips had a special magic for me, to spend so much alone time with my dad while he steadily drove northward away from the City. And aside from our talking and catching up, he would invariably hand me his Omega chronograph, which I believe he had got working as an ad man on the brand’s account. It took me some years to remember it correctly but I finally realized it was this one:

SpeedyMkIITrit-2_edited-1

A Speedmaster Professional Mark II with exotic “Racing” dial. Continue reading →

What we’re listening to today — Wherever You Go by Built to Spill

First let me say that I think Doug Martsch of Built to Spill is a certified rock guitar genius and if you do not know of his work, you really should. While the facile comparison to Neil Young is frequently deployed because of his singing style (and encouraged by the epic cover of “Cortez the Killer” on 2000’s Live, which clocks in at a massive but fantastic 20+ minutes), his playing also displays flashes of Jeff Beck, Hendrix and Tom Verlaine.

“Wherever You Go” from 2006’s You In Reverse shows BTS and Martsch at their tightest and is a fine representation of their style: slow-winding buildups to intense peaks; swirling multilayered production; cryptic and knowing lyrics; and that searing guitar soaring and punching through it all. With legendarily difficult and technical arrangements, BTS comes across as a jam band with a major difference: there is no noodling. There is only precision and ambition, even when the songs are long and circular. While they may never release another album as Built to Spill and they were never a huge commercial success, I feel strongly that Martsch and his mates will be looked back upon as a high water mark for real instrument Alternative rock in the 90s and early 2000s. Listening to them certainly proves that one well constructed and original song–and even more so, an album of them–is infinitely more satisfying than an iPod full of the pap produced by the latest interchangeable artificially manufactured bands and network karaoke winners. They may not be telegenic but they sure do kick ass. And their heart will wear you down.

What we’re wearing…Shirts by David Reeves

casual-shirts
One of the great decisions (and good investments) a man can make in life is to dress himself in good clothing. By good, I don’t necessarily mean a well known name or a huge price tag. I mean well thought out, well cut, well constructed. By this logic, a perfectly tailored suit, a high quality boot, and a really good pair of jeans all fit neatly into the same category. You want to steer away yourself away from the idea of “fancy”, and concentrate on “fine”. Finely made things look good and last. Which means they make you look good. For a long time. That’s a good deal.
Some of the finest clothing I’ve found in a long time is made by David Reeves, of David Reeves Bespoke here in New York. Having cut his teeth on Savile Row at famous houses like Gieves & Hawkes and Richard James, David struck out on his own here in NYC, and has been making beautiful things ever since.

Mr. Reeves is probably best known for his finely crafted bespoke suits, but today I’m going to focus on his shirts. Like everything from David Reeves, the thing that distinguishes his shirts from the rest of the pack is attention to detail. The construction is flawless, and he throws in very cool (and labour intensive) flourishes like hand gathering of the sleeves at the cuffs, instead of a traditional pleat. Or, say you happen to order a check pattern shirt…you can count on the patterns lining up flawlessly at every seam, pocket, and cuff. These may seem like little things, but they make a huge difference in how the shirt looks on you. The details are so precise that they’re not something most people will readily see, but they’ll feel them, and that’s true tailoring.

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Guy Style–Lift your lid

Man cannot live by baseball caps alone (god forbid). That’s why the sophisticated gent knows that a well-selected hat can spice up a fellow’s wardrobe from the top down. Take some of these classics from Bailey, which can help you look stylin’ without breaking the bank:

Bailey Darron

Bailey Darron

Bailey Silko

Bailey Silko

Bailey Wynn

Bailey Wynn

The venerable Goorin Bros. also has a wide range of sporty and handsome chapeaus for the modern gentleman:

Goorin Edison Gold

Goorin Edison Gold

Goorin Dark Forest

Goorin Dark Forest

Goorin Blues

Goorin Blues

If you’re really serious about your headgear, you can splurge for a classic high end brand like a Borsalino. But I find Bailey and Goorin Bros. cover similar styles as that admittedly great brand while still leaving some drinking money in your pocket. Plus a good hat is a bit like a potato chip: bet you can’t buy just one. A hat will change the way your entire outfit appears and having several in the repertoire is a fine idea for maximum versatility. And with the cooler weather coming along, it’s a natural time to debut your new lids while keeping your melon warm.

The best place I’ve seen for Bailey on the Web is San Diego’s Village Hat Shop, which has a great selection and free delivery for orders over $75 clams. (For whatever reason, you can only shop Bailey’s current seasonal collection at their own site and not their full range–odd and none too clever.) In contrast, Goorin Bros.’ site is excellent and all you need to buy one of their products: you can shop it direct and there is a ton of stuff to browse, both old & new. Or you can visit one of Goorin’s many shops across North America and try them on in person.

Either way, pick a lid that suits your own inimitable style and soon when folks see you comin’ they’ll be saying: Hats off to ya, you stylish devil!

Humphrey Bogart

 

 

 

What we’re listening to today–Mambo Sun by T. Rex

Let’s kick Friday off with this slinky ditty from T. Rex:

Now, one can carp that T. Rex really only made one song throughout their long career. “(Bang a Gong) Get It On”, “Children of the Revolution”, “Jeepster”, etc are all variations on a theme with a little instrumental variety here, a little tempo change there. But there is something surely sweet sounding about the Marc Bolan groove and his childishly simple lyrics. Nobody else sounds like T. Rex, glam or otherwise (although this Grant Lee Phillips song, “Johnny Guitar“, is a pretty good homage). But when you hear them, they always tickle the ear and the tunes never sound stale 40+ years on.

Mambo Sun is primo Rex, all attitude, fuzzy guitars, low key reverbed vocals and female worship, not to mention a great first track for 1971’s seminal Electric Warrior. Plus, Bolan helped make it cool for rock guys to look a little like chicks–he arguably inspired Bowie to go glam–so there’s another lasting contribution. On second thought, that kind of led to Poison so maybe that wasn’t such a great thing. Whatever we think about that, put on your top hat and feather boa and get ready to rock out this weekend!

I personally think Electric Warrior belongs in every rock fan’s collection and you can get it at Amazon and iTunes, of course.

What we’re wearing – Grenson Boots

Grenson Sharp High Shine boot

A good boot is hard to come by. Lots of my old faithful brands have moved their production facilities to China and the quality has suffered terribly, making them a waste of time and money. Others brands are just too specific. One a bit too dandified, another too utilitarian, making it difficult to find a brand you trust to suit your sartorial needs across the board. But there is one company that consistently hits on all cylinders, and that company is Grenson. A UK outfit founded in 1866, Grenson has a good long history in the shoe-making business. Nearly knocked out in the early-mid 20th century (and saved by the need for soldiers boots in WWII), Grenson has gone on to thrive, and today makes a wide range of stunning high-end boots and shoes.
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What we’re listening to today– Riders on the Storm by The Doors

Somehow long car trips make me think of this morose tune from the last gasp of the genius that was Jim Morrison and the Doors. Plus it’s been raining and thundering all day, so it fits the mood…

It’s also interesting that what used to be a time-honored mode of transport on the cheap since the advent of he car, which arguably reached its romantic apotheosis with the hitchhiking-friendly On the Road by Kerouac, quickly morphed into No fucking way am I picking up some straggly looking kid in the space of about 15 years or so.

Here are some cool articles on why that happened, with the gist of it being that horror stories and a general hostility to drifting free spirits by local and federal law enforcement conspired to give hitching a bad and dangerous name:

What Killed Hitchhiking? from NBC News

Hitchhiking’s Time Has Come Again from the New York Times

But the final nails in hitchhiking’s coffin might really have been the fallout from the Manson Family murders and the creepy but awesome (and almost certainly related) “Riders on the Storm” here. Rutger Hauer didn’t help with any potential revival in the 80s either:

And with that: Drive safe, kids!

You can find “Riders On the Storm” on The Doors last studio album, L.A. Woman, available for download at Amazon.com.