Ramblings

The way place and time play on our minds and affect our memories has always been wild to me. How a day in some nearby place can make it seem like a week has passed upon your return, but events in our lives that happened years ago can be so vivid. I'm reminded of this often when I think for a moment that I recognize a passerby, but then realize the person I'm recalling would by now have aged years beyond the face I see, or perhaps he lives far from wherever I am.

Semi-related: the way setting can affect our reception of music at a given time. Last night I spent an hour or two swigging on a tasty merlot (which I only today realized must have been a gift, and was actually pretty expensive) and cooking some mofongo con camarones (which, to my surprise, turned out okay) with my entire music library on shuffle, and every song seemed just right. But this morning on an over-crowded 51-C which smelled vaguely of mildewed gym shoes and baby food, I skipped just about every track that came on until, finally, I stepped off the bus and, ta-daaaa, the right song clicked with me.

Something about winter gets me leaning on Americana and quasi-electronica. Maybe you've noticed the occasionally changing playlists in the sidebar lately. That's what's happening. I'm still digging the current one right now, but I'm feeling a shift back toward something more organic. I sense some Tom Waits in the next one. Maybe a bit of mandolin, too.

Anyhow, this is probably sounding like filler. Fluff. Sorry for the interruption. This January's been a slow month musically, but some good shows are in town this weekend: Richie Havens, Langhorne Slim and Flotation Walls, all tomorrow night. Pick your pleasure. Looking ahead, all kinds of good things are happening in February. So keep your ear to the sod, and stay off that miserable 51-C.

UPDATE: Courtesy of Infinonymous, a few more shows to fill your weekend.