Or are you also disgusted with the price of live music these days?  I'm not going to kvetch about the little indie bands that you see in the clubs (even though they also seem to be costing $10 more than they did a few short years ago), but rather the "big" bands that play the arenas and stadiums.

I"m going to use Rush as a current example.  It's not to pick on them in particular, but they are one that is on my mind right now.  Rush was big when I was in high school and college, and I could have seen them back in the day for the equivalent of about $40 in today's money.  Good deal, but also typical for the era - I saw Led Zeppelin for $7.50 in 1977.  I wasn't that into Rush at the time, and didn't go.  Since then, I've grown to appreciate about 10 of their songs and thought maybe I'll go see them this summer while they are on tour.

Note that the band touring as Rush doesn't include Neil Peart who is deceased.  So it's 2 of the 3 original guys out there this summer.  And how much are tickets in Philly?  I just looked at Ticketmaster and they're basically all over $300 (and some over $400) per ticket.  Multiply that times 2, add in parking and concessions, and you're looking at a trip to Florida rather than a concert by a group whose heyday was decades ago.  Hmmmm.

Can I afford to go?  Yes, no problem.  Will I go?  Nope.  I see it as overpriced and I'm just going to skip it (and probably go to Florida instead, haha).  I've read all the arguments about artists getting the money rather than the ticket sellers and while that resonates somewhat with me, it doesn't change my internal calculus of "is it a decent enough deal for me to go."  Rush can find someone else to fill the seat that I would otherwise have filled, and life will go on.

But the question I have is this:  who is paying this much?  I keep reading about "affordability" and things being overpriced, and I understand that the inflation in the previous presidential administration debased the US currency by 20% in 4 years, but damn, does that mean that $300+ per ticket is now a good deal?  To whom?  And are there that many Rush diehards that are willing to pay this amount?  I guess so.  Like I said, I like about 10 of their songs, and that's enough to have a decent time at a concert.  But it's not like the Beatles, Stones, Petty or some of the other bands where I like dozens of their songs and would understand paying the freight required.

Anyway, I used to quote Rush at my old job because we sometimes had a hard time making a decision and would simply kick it down the road.  I used to say "if you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice."  That's a Rush line, and a good one at that, but this time I have made my decision and it's not to kick it down the road.  

Glad I got that off of my chest, and I thank you for letting me whine.  And grind.
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If you're of a certain age, you know the term TSOP.  The Sound of Philadelphia was a music movement driven by the songwriting duo of Gamble and Huff, and the song TSOP itself was very identifiable as the theme song of Soul Train.  It's crazy good.

Flash forward 4 or 5 decades, and Philly bands are still putting out a lot of great music.  Sheer Mag, Low Cut Connie, The Tisburys, War on Drugs, Dr. Dog.  Must I go on?  Well, yes, I must so that I can identify my new fave Philly band, Gladie.  Do you remember Cayetana?  Well, Augusta Koch from Cayetana has teamed up with Matt Schimelfenig (ex Three Man Cannon) to lead the new Philly band Gladie.  They're getting a fair amount of local airplay and for good reason.  They rock!

Here's one of the tracks that I'm really into - Car Alarm:
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And here's another great tune, Future Spring:
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I've always been a sucker for that garage band, full throttle guitar sound that Gladie is pushing.  Too bad more modern music doesn't sound like this, but hey, I'll take it where I find it.  

​Enjoy!

It's getting close to Christmas and I'm busy.  So here's an old song by Lene Lovich that sounds like it could have been released in 2025.  Good tune, good vibe and fun to boot!  Enjoy!

I get this question a lot.  I guess when you blog about music, it's a natural thing to be asked.  But if you give the question any real thought, it's a tremendously difficult question.  For instance, do you mean a current band, a past band, an "all-time" favorite, etc.  And what about moods?  If I'm in an upbeat mood (which is most of the time), then the answer will be different that if I'm in a mellow or bummed out mood.  The Style Council talked about their ever-changing moods years ago:

A guy at work asked me who my favorite band was and I sort of stumbled around, named about 5 bands, and then turned the question back at him.  Unlike me, who had trouble identifying one band, he answered immediately:  "Belle and Sebastian."  Wow, just like that he knew!  And while I was aware of Belle and Sebastian, I had never really given them a big listen.  I went home and popped up some B and S songs, and was ... disappointed.  Don't get me wrong, there are some tracks that I liked such as this one:

But overall, they just didn't do it for me.  Which is cool - if everyone liked everything the same, that wouldn't be much of a world, right?  But for this guy to call B and S his favorite band, well, ahem, please explain.  This is a world where the Beatles, Stones, Clash, Elvis, Talking Heads, AC/DC and many many others exist.  And yet, he chose B and S?  Man, that's a mind blower for me.

One other thing about this question.  I like certain bands tremendously for some of their work, but can also recognize when they have laid a lot of eggs, too.  Their catalog is not consistent and brilliant across the board.  Weezer is a great example - many strong albums and a number of duds, too.  How about David Byrne?  Awesome with the Heads, inconsistent on his own.  Morrissey is the same.  Heck, this applies to Paul McCartney and John Lennon, too - those guys absolutely set the bar for everyone else when they worked together, but their solo careers proved that they needed each other to make consistently great music.  

It's a tricky question and I can't answer it.  But I can post a couple of songs that have been favorites for a number of years.  How about that?

I think that answers why I can never choose a favorite band.  There are just too many great ones out there.  Just like there are so many fantastic songs that exist and that come at us from all over time, geography, and genre.  Let's love the variety and leave it at that.  Who's with me?
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I thought this was hilarious!  Enjoy.
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TPJ?  What you say?  

Ever heard of Tito Puente, Jr.?  If so, you know.  If not, he's awesome.  Salsa, baby, salsa.  TPJ is the inheritor of the salsa percussion big band from his father, Tito Puente.  I don't know much about him, but he and his band often play at the Arts Garage in Delray Beach.  I've been wanting to see him for a long time as I love live music that makes you want to move and that has tons of horns and percussion.  Unfortunately, every time I see that he's playing at the Garage, it's either just before we get to Florida or a day or two after we have left.  C'mon, man!  Can't a brother catch a break? 

Luckily, we have YouTube which can give a flavor for the man.  Want to see what I'm talking about?  You wouldn't have read this far if you didn't, right?  Here you go:

Doesn't that look like fun?  It does to me.  Bring it on TPJ!

Are you a Sugar fan?  I don't mean the sweetener, I mean the band Sugar fronted by Bob Mould?  Well, if you are, get excited.

Sugar is back, they are touring (well, in a very limited way right now but let's see how it plays out in 2026), and they have new music.  The trifecta!  Here's the new track that is out right now and it rocks.

After the breakup of Husker Du, Mould got together with Dave Barbe and Malcom Travis to form Sugar in late 1991.  The band put out some incredible albums like Copper Blue and File Under Easy Listening before breaking up in 1995.  I once saw someone describe Sugar as the ultimate college radio band, and perhaps they were, but I think of them more as fuzzed-out garage rockers with a punky edge.  And never, ever losing the pop catchiness and guitar-heavy sound that BRP loves.  Regardless, the band rocked and was an all-time BRP favorite.  

It's great to see the boys back releasing new music and touring again.  Let's hope that some dates in Philly get added soon!  How about another track to prove that I'm 100% correct about these guys?  Sure thing!  Here's Your Favorite Thing ​from ​File Under Easy Listening:
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​Sweet, right?

I don't know how it works for you, but there are days when I wake up and I've got a song stuck in my head.  I have no idea how it got there or why that particular song is ear-wormed.  For me today, it's Led Zeppelin's Fool In The Rain.  I do like that song quite a bit, but it's not my favorite way to get the Led out.  Nonetheless, there it is.  It's playing while I write this post, and yeah, I guess I ought to link the video because God knows that LZ needs some exposure, right?

I know how some songs get stuck in my head.  You see a commercial on TV that features it, someone else is singing it, you hear it when you're out and about, etc.  But where do these one-offs come from?  Do they arise Phoenix-like from dreams?  Are they buried deep in the subconscious and some trigger lights the fire?  I have no clue.

I sometimes say that I have a hankering for a song and I just need to hear it.  It happens frequently in the morning right after I get up, but it can pop up anytime.  I recently had a hankering for a particular track from James Brown.  Get Up Offa That Thing!  Maybe it's because I'm a bit of a lazy sod now that I'm retired?  Hahaha, I hope not.  But check out this tune and JB.  My word, I wish I could move like that!

Here's another song that has buzzed in my head recently.  It's by Big Audio Dynamite, the post-Clash band led by Mick Jones.  That band featured a lot of samples and electronica and still seems pretty modern.  I like(d) them and have a bunch of their CDs.  While this song is really strong, again it's not my "go to" BAD song.  Yet it pushed its way into my brain and wasn't satiated until I listened to about 10 times.  

That song seemed to kick-off a need to hear other bands from waaaay back (70s and 80s).  The Buzzcocks are one of my all-time favorite bands, and could very well have put on the best live show I ever saw - it is certainly in the top 5.  And this track is one that I just LOVE.  RIP Pete Shelley.  One last thing - check out the video for the lip-synching - best seen when watching the drummer and listening to the track.  Hahaha!  Top of the Pops it is!
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Another song that gets stuck a lot is by the English Beat.  Save It For Later is just an all-time classic and sits firmly in the BRP Hall of Fame.  But this video so dated!

Are you at work?  Great, you can listen to a few more tracks.  Just lean into the computer so people think that you're concentrating hard.   Keep a grim face, too.  And don't let anyone see that screen, haha!

Here we go.  Up first, it's Semisonic with The Rope.  Great track and only two years old, too!  I like the video and I love dogs, but don't you think the dog love (over, say, having kids and loving them?) is getting a bit overdone?  C'mon, kids are harder but they're better.  

Big mood shift on this tune.  Delbert McClinton!  Let's all head to Texas and enjoy this fun track.  If you walked into a juke joint in Austin and this track was playing, you would think "oh hells yes!"  And you would be right!
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Wait, don't leave!  One last song, ok?  I was hoping that these guys were playing live when I was in England recently, but no such luck.  This song is awesome, and this band, Hard-Fi, is great, too.

​I hope you wake up tomorrow and one of these songs is stuck in your head.  Why?  Because they're all GREAT!  See you soon.  Logo time!
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We were early adopters of Netflix.  We became subscribers when they used to send you DVDs in the mail.  I think we started with a $7.99 per month subscription.  As Netflix morphed into a streaming service with original content, we continued to subscribe.  Our last monthly charge?  $28.60.  Wow.  But here's the even crazier thing:  we're watching it less and less.  I enjoy their sports programming, but there are very few other shows that I watch.  

You know what I watch a lot of now?  YouTube.  I've found some really great shows on YouTube and the best part of it is that they are FREE!  You know that BRP really likes FREE, right?  And not just the band (although I like them, too).  Check out this video - love the crowd!

I started watching a guy named Finn McKenty, who called himself the punkrock MBA, but apparently he was a complete poseur and never really liked the music.  It's crazy because I watched his Black Flag and Weezer episodes, and they were pretty good.  He says he did it just for the money.  Crazy story, right?  I happen to like both Black Flag and Weezer, and am pretty disappointed about how this story evolved.

I mean, how can you not like this Weezer video?  It's creative and features a great song to boot:

I get that Black Flag isn't to everyone's taste.  But I think they have a bunch of good songs like this one:
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But you know what's great?  I didn't pay a dime to watch the punkrock MBA channel.  It's not like Netflix that serves up a ton of lightweight or woke garbage and I pay for it.  

You can also find a bunch of great music on YouTube.  Like the XTC documentary which is awesome.  XTC is one of my favorite all-time bands and YouTube is full of content on the band.  Here's a great song by a great band:

And I take it that you are into art, too?  I am big-time even though I'm a complete hack and amateur at art appreciation.  Nonetheless, I found this fantastic YouTube channel called Great Art Explained by James Payne.  Here is Payne's explanation of what he is trying to achieve:

"I am on a mission to demystify the art world and discover the stories behind the world’s greatest paintings and sculptures. Each episode will focus on one piece of art and break it down, using clear and concise language free of 'art-speak'. ​"

The dude is great as he puts the artist in context as he explains the single masterpiece, and the episodes are short enough so that you can stay tuned in.  Highly recommended.  Here's one example:
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How did you like that?  Want to hear another song just to come full circle?  Of course you do.  Here's Philly's own Tisbury's:

In the words of Arnold, I'll be back.  Check out these hippos from South Africa and I'll catch you on the flip side: