Category Archives: Music

Gods Without Men

My Favorite Books and Music from 2012

I meant to post this closer to New Year’s Day, but so go the resolutions. Here are the books and music I particularly enjoyed last year (no matter when they were released).

Books

I don’t know if these were truly the best books I read, but they are the ones I remember, that particularly enthralled me or have stayed in my mind.

Music

Again, these may or may not be the best but the numbers don’t lie. Here are my top 20 most-listened-to artists, tracked by Last.fm. Proving that, while I try to listen to new music as much as possible, most of my musical DNA set fast in my twenties.

Not represented is the music listened to in my car (since Last.fm doesn’t scrobble my old-fashioned mix CDs). If we factor that in, I’m sure you’d see a much higher representation of They Might Be Giants, Tegan & Sara, Fitz & the Tantrums, and Girl Talk.

I know.

  1. The Mountain Goats
  2. Metallica
  3. The Beatles
  4. Sufjan Stevens
  5. Phish
  6. Rush
  7. Beastie Boys
  8. fun.
  9. Fucked Up
  10. Bob Mould
  11. Anthrax
  12. Yo La Tengo
  13. S.O.D.
  14. Diana Krall
  15. Weezer
  16. Grateful Dead
  17. D.R.I.
  18. Group Love
  19. Brian Eno
  20. Frank Ocean

A Century of the Vic

The Vic Theater

The Vic Theatre — home to vaudeville, porn and now rock ’n’ roll — turns 100

Oh, man, do I love the Vic.

Some of my best musical memories have been made here. From watching thrash bands like Testament and Bad Brains during high school to spending several surreal minutes hanging with Les Claypool after a Primus show, to later years seeing Wilco multiple times during their home stands.

And more to come as we’ll be there again in March to see TMBG.

Just so many memories, and I had no idea it had such an interesting history.