Near my home in Austin, Texas, there is a great, old refurbished motel that I recommend to people when they come to visit our fair city. It not only is right on the famed Congress Avenue but also has a keep-it-real attitude that is expressed right on its iconic marquee: “No additives, no preservatives, corporate-free […]
Austin
Posted inMusic
Rosie Flores
A frequent visitor to Springfield since her appearance at The Alley in the early days of the Sangamon Valley Roots Revival, Rosie Flores never makes it back soon enough. The “Rockabilly Filly” is making a quick trip this week up from Austin, Texas, through Tennessee, Chicago, Grand Rapids, Mich., Indianapolis and Virginia – Illinois, that […]
Posted inMusic
Rosie blooms
Few other Americana artists spent a lifetime as creative, consistent and challenging as Rosie Flores. From her early days with the Los Angeles cow-punk, rockabilly scene to a current life-defining record, her work from constant live performer to recent record producer follows the music muse. I first met her in June of 1999 at the […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Epic scope, intelligence save Z
Beset with an ending that had to be reshot over seven weeks at great expense, causing the release date to be pushed back, which only contributed to its already skyrocketing cost, World War Z has been plagued with no shortage of problems. Burdened with a budget somewhere between $170-200 million, the film has quickly gone […]
Posted inOpinion
Let us commence toward the common good
Ironically, June is both the month of the summer solstice and of America’s biggest annual blizzard. I don’t mean a weather event blowing in from the Arctic, but a merciless storm of words blowing from commencement speakers at high school and college graduation events. This year, I was one of the blowhards, the chief speechifyer […]
