"You could be back before you know, back before you go." - J Mascis and The Fog.

Muriel Carpenter Evans :: 3/3/1906-3/9/2005

My grandmother died this morning at the age of 99. She was a music teacher and mom and great grandmother and choral singer and library volunteer. She was just a whole lot of fun. The best kind of storybook grandmother you could have. We're sorry to have her go, but it was definitely time. Her father, my great grandfather, was a church organist and composer at the turn of the last century in Wilmington, DE. Perhaps I will post one of his compositions later this week, as performed by this fellow Marcantonio Barone.

Pitchfork reviews the new Coctails box set. One of my favorite records is The Coctails' self-titled final effort, which has amazing songs like "Cadali" and "When I Come Around." In fact, I think the first four songs of that record are an amazing way to spend about 16 minutes. I would often listen to them all in a row like that on a Walkman on wintry walks between 51 Fountain and WESU. I can remember a particular moment of clarity walking across the lawn of the Wesleyan library, snow melting on the ground, icy breath making a cloud below my chin, thinking that this was the perfect way to hear the record. Good times. Anyway, it sounds like the box set is more all over the place (no surprise, given the breadth of styles the band was comfortable with), but if I saw it at a good price I would pick it up, pretty much just because it sounds like a really neat package.

Tiny Mix Tapes has a funny bit about the Dinosaur Jr. reunion. Mostly false, but funny all the same. I plunked down $30 bucks earlier today with Insound.com to get the remastered first three Dino Jr. records in a package deal. As MLE, admitted to practice in the great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, quipped earlier to day, Mascis has been rockin' so long we might have to start calling him Dinosaur Sr. OK, it was a lot funnier when he wrote it.

All of which reminds me, I've been re-reading Rollins' Get In The Van. At one point The Flag is in San Francisco and they go see Dinosaur (not Dinosaur Jr.). Rollins, of course, hates them, and all the hippies who were on the scene. Then again, the book makes pretty clear that Rollins hates most everyone. Rollin likes to tell people they can get bent, which I like and might have to start saying myself. He also likes to tell people they can go get f***ed, but I can't see being able to work that into casual conversation too often.

A lot of great records are just being released, including the new Stars full-length, a Sam Prekop record, The Evens debut full-length, the list goes on and on. It is also a week of ridiculously large box sets. Now Pat Dinizio of the Smithereens wants to sell you a 21-disc box set featuring 500 Smithereens songs for $100. Check it out.

That is all.