Music
The Night We Almost Missed Paul Simon
We went to see Paul Simon last night. He’s 84 and likely on his last tour. I can’t adequately describe the show — epic, beautiful, career-spanning, emotional. I’m still singing songs from it in my head.
That’s part of what I love about live music: a brief escape from daily life, a connection to thousands of strangers feeling the same thing at once. I’ve listened to Paul Simon my whole life — Simon and Garfunkel, his solo work, all of it part of my soul.
The show was quiet in places, his voice strong but a little wavery. A full two-and-a-half-hour set with a short intermission. The first half covered the entirety of his latest album, “Seven Psalms,” a quietly questioning album, most likely his last. It’s beautiful, poetic, and seemingly a sort of exploration of life from someone who’s lived one. It’s different than a lot of his other work, but definitely worth a listen. The second half was a career-spanning set — he opened with “Graceland”, performed many hits, crowd favorites, and his personal favorites, whether they were hits or not. His wife, the wonderful Edie Brickell, joined him for several songs. I loved her work with the New Bohemians and her solo records, and seeing them perform together was something else entirely. He closed his second encore with “The Sounds of Silence” — performed alone on stage, just him and his guitar. There wasn’t a dry eye in the place. We gave him several standing ovations, all of them earned.
We almost missed the show. I somehow had the date wrong on my calendar. We’d just settled on the couch after dinner, debating what to watch, when I came across a Reddit post asking about traffic heading to Starlight Theatre considering the FIFA crowds heading towards the nearby Arrowhead Stadium. “Wait — tonight?!” I thought. I checked our digital tickets. Sure enough, the show started in just under two hours. I told Maura, we changed clothes, put on our shoes, took the dogs out for one final potty break, and drove the fifteen minutes to nearby Starlight. If I hadn’t seen that post, we’d have missed it entirely — and we would have been devastated.
During the short intermission, we decided to stay in our seats rather than fight the crowds heading towards refreshments and bathrooms. While we sat talking, a bird took aim and fired — it missed my head, but the blob landed squarely on my leg. I’d been sneezing earlier, so I had a tissue handy and wiped most of it off, but I couldn’t stop thinking about the precision it must take to hit one person in a crowd that size — windspeed, trajectory, all of it. I’ve heard that it’s good luck to get pooped on by a bird, the odds being what they are. Hey, I’ll take it.
Paul Simon has been a staple in so many homes across the country, over the decades. He is beloved by all and that showed, the audience was rapt, even when we sang along it was at a respectful sound level and the applause was truly genuine — you could feel the love flowing up to the stage.
David Byrne, May 2026
Maura and I went to see David Byrne last night at Starlight Theater for the fourth time — it was an amazing show, again. I’ve loved him since his Talking Heads days — ‘77 was my first album — I followed him when he started his solo career — I’ve loved his collaborations with other talented artists and musicians. He makes the mundane profound. My heart soared last night as we listened to each song — I was singing along and cheering the whole time. Because I am on a sort of sabbatical, I didn’t have the stress of the day to wash away, I was able to take in the music, the visuals, the crowd so much better. Live music is very much an escape from reality, a mini vacation, but it was less that for me yesterday, it was a different experience — I was much more present. I tend to get emotional at shows, but last night I was tearing up from the sheer joy of seeing David and his band celebrating life through music — they put themselves out there for the world to see. That kind of joy is contagious.
Movin' Right Along
My wife Maura and I recently went to visit a good friend in a nearby town, about 45 minutes away. As we drove out of our neighborhood, she commented on a house that’s being built. She said, “Moving right along”, which triggered a song in my head “Moving Right Along” by Kermit and Fozzy of The Muppets. Since we were on the road, I thought it would be a great time to listen to the original Muppet Move Soundtrack. It’s such a great, upbeat and positive soundtrack and I love every bit of it.
I know this will date me, but I remember watching that movie in the theater when I was a kid and just feeling so inspired and empowered, especially when the giant Animal emergesfrom the building in the background to save the day. As silly as the Muppet Movie was, it had a pure spirit, a powerful message about following your dreams and the perpetual fight against those that want to keep us down. I remember walking out of the theater feeling 100 feet tall (like Animal was!) Even now when I hear the music or watch the movie it brings me right back to those feelings.
Those feelings were reawakened in high school when one of my English teachers introduced me to Joseph Campbell. I internalized his idea of “follow your bliss” — essentially, if you do what makes you truly happy, things will work out. I don’t know how much I believe in fate or destiny, but sometimes the Universe sends unmistakable messages. Two Bit Consulting is growing at a good pace. Good things are in motion. I feel more centered and excited for the future than I have in a long time. Hearing Maura say those words, having it trigger that song and the feelings and memories that came with it felt like the Universe confirming the momentum. I’m moving right along.
You are not the weight you carry
You are not the weight you carry
Clip the strings and float away
Live inside a sanctuary
Lose yourself to find your way
This is from the Tune Yards’ latest album, Better Dreaming from a song called Sanctuary. I’ve been listening to the album a lot, it’s so good! But this song hits me hard in the feels, especially right now. It’s exactly what I need to hear right now.
We saw them live in St. Louis several weeks ago at a small venue, Off Broadway - it was a fantastic show, so cool to see them and be so close to the stage! Music has always been important to me, but it feels especially healing right now.
Call me sentimental, a hopeless romantic, sappy, whatever you want to call it. I feel in love with the movie Somewhere in time the first time I saw it. I don’t know how many times I’ve seen it, but I pretty much have it memorized. I’ve always wanted to visit the Grand Hotel at Mackinac Island, which plays a significant role in the movie. That wish came true yesterday, kind of.
My mom, who lives outside of Detroit, is turning eighty in September, but we won’t be able to make the trip to see her then so we decided to drive up this Summer. We picked her up and drove to the UP to a nice little AirBnB in St. Ignace.
We plan to explore several places, but first on the list was Mackinac Island. It was a full day of fudge, horse drawn carriages, an old fort, and beautiful views of Lake Huron. We didn’t end up making it into the hotel, but we rode past it on a horse drawn tour of the island. Did you know that the original stucture was built in 93 days? It’s a HUGE hotel, and they built an addition in the 1980’s that basically doubled its size. It’s a truly grand hotel, over looking the Lake:
Of course we came back to the cottage and watched Somewhere in Time, which they just happened to have on DVD. Post Superman Christopher Reeves and Jane Seymour challenge the constraints of time to fall deeply but oh so briefly in love. In my opinion, the kiss is the most beautiful of all movies ever, so pure and poignant. And then there’s the paradox of the pocket watch and that dreadful penny.
Until today, I didn’t realize that I’m not the only one, there’s a whole cult following and a fan club. I might have to join!
Freight Train Rabbit Killer at Gigantic Records
One of my favorite local bands, Freight Train Rabbit Killer, performed last night at the grand opening of Gigantic Records. They were also celebrating the release of their new album The Ten Year.
FTRK are really hard to describe, but they rock - Doom Blues, American Roots Opera, whatever you want to call it, it’s genuinely unique. Kris Bruders (Freight Train) and Mark Smeltzer (Rabbit Killer) play the crap out of their guitars and Mark’s custom built instruments. They have a dark aesthetic to go along with the music and an ever evolving mythology. They have worked many times over the years with KCAI’s Illustration students to create truly creative, interactive performances. It’s a sight to behold and a sound to melt your brain!
The grand opening last night was fun, but it was also kind of sad. My friends Ann and Marion decided at the end of last year to close their shop (Records with Merrit) and retire. They were hoping to sell the record store to someone they knew (I was tempted!) and they finally handed over the reigns to another friend of theirs who will do a great job, I’m sure. It’s so nice to have a record store half a block from my house! Though I have to say, my wallet has been happier while the shop has been closed the last few months…
If you get a chance, check out Gigantic Records and absolutely catch a Freight Train Rabbit Killer show if you have the chance. They often play at The Ship, in fact, they are going to do another Halloween show with the Illustration students this year.
Check out the video below:
Talking Heads - Psycho Killer
Talking Heads recently released a video for “Psycho Killer” off of their debut album ‘77 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their first live show at CBGB’s - opening for the Ramones (another favorite!)
‘77 was one of the first albums (on cassette) that I purchased with my own money, at the mall. The other was Joan Jett and the Blackhearts’ “I love Rock ’n Roll”.
I remember my mom expressing some concern about an album with a song called “Psycho Killer.” I told her that they sing some of the song in French, it can’t be too bad! I have been a fan of Talking Heads and David Byrne for as long as I can remember being aware of music. I’m proud to be able to claim them as one of my first albums! His quirky lyrics and moves were, and are, a huge inspiration. I’ve seen David Byrne several times but sadly never saw Talking Heads. I keep hoping for some kind of reunion announcement with their anniversary, but it would probably be a very limited tour, possibly only one show and VERY expensive. It would be AMAZING to see them!
My Morning Jacket at the Uptown Theater
Two days after the Iron and Wine show, we went back to the Uptown to see My Morning Jacket. They always put on a good, energetic show. We had a good time, even though it was a Monday night show. I couldn’t take the next day off, so I was dragging; for a couple of days. I’ve been a fan for years and we’ve seen them four or five times now.
Someone in the front got the set list and posted it:
The opener was pretty good too, Grace Cummings an Australian singer/songwriter with a powerful voice. I’ll have to check out more of her music for sure.
Iron & Wine at the Uptown Theater
We saw Iron & Wine last night at the Uptown Theater. It was such a great show! Sam Beam and his band always entertain; I love his folky grooves and chill sounds. Plus, for the backdrop, Manual Cinema were creating imagery with paper puppets, other object and even themselves, live as the music played. It was very simple but very effective and added a very cool element to the show
The opener, Jobi Riccio, was pretty great too! She has one album out so far and it’s well worth a listen:
She’s from Morrison, Colorado, near one of the greatest venues in the US, Red Rocks, she grew up with music and you can hear it in her voice and guitar. I always love finding new musicians when they open for bands I like. Plus I got a chance to chat with her at the merch booth, where she signed her LP for me!
A Few Upcoming Concerts
We have a few concerts lined up over the next few months. There is nothing live seeing a band or musician you like perform live. We’re going to see Iron and Wine in a couple of weeks at the Uptown Theater.
Then, two days later, We’re going to see My Morning Jacket at the same venue. I love the Uptown, it’s a relatively small, brightly painted old theater, we’ve seen hundred of shows there over the years. My Morning Jacket’s latest album, Is, is fantasticI’m also going to the Record Bar in May to see another favorite Messer Chups.
Messer Chups is a Russian Surf Punk band who do a lot of fun covers along with originals. They are a blast to see live!
Small update: I forgot to mention the Nick Cave show I’m going to in May. I’ve seen him once before, he’s a fantastic musician with heartfelt lyrics. His latest Album, Wild God, is excellent.
He’s written a couple of great, though dark books and he has a newsletter, The Red Hand Files that’s worth subscribing to. I can’t wait for this show! It’s at the Music Hall at Memorial Hall - I haven’t been there in decades!