A Birthday Roadtrip Around New England
My New Year begins on my birthday.
I visited five of the six New England states this past week. It all began on Tuesday, my birthday, with a morning matinee of the Jeff Buckley documentary, and rolled forward with a mix of celebration and reflection that always seems to come mid-August.
The days already feel a little shorter, the light shifting just enough to remind me that summer doesn’t last forever. Music, as usual, carried me through the week, from the albums that I discovered during my travel to the late-night listens that slowed everything down.
Albums That Defined the Week
I re-listened to the debut EP from Photay (2014, Astro Nautico), which was reissued on vinyl in 2020. I had the digital version available, so I pushed play while traveling through Massachusetts and into Rhode Island. It was a perfect mix of electronic jabs, beats, and soul for the highway. It helped move through traffic just outside of Worcester on Route 146, and it seemed to push all the right levers as traffic dissipated as I headed south towards Route 295 in the Ocean State.
After a crazy thunderstorm somewhere around Canton, Massachusetts, where the sky seemed darker than night, I put this classic early 90s album on. I hadn’t heard it in a while and was reminded of it from the recent Jeff Buckley documentary I saw last Tuesday morning on the big screen. Chris Cornell’s powerful vocals were on full display across this album, but Outshined and Slaves and Bulldozers top the list. He had quite a range, and I always felt that he and Layne Staley were the best singers to come out of the ‘90s Seattle grunge scene.
I also listened to this wonderful compilation I recently purchased on the last Bandcamp Friday. It’s called Maybe I’m Dreaming (2025, Anthology Records), and it’s a collection of 20 songs mostly in the vein of soft rock, indie folk, and pop that’s easy to listen to and has many tunes that you can sing along with — my favorite? Tessa On A Magazine by Jim Huxley. It’s still stuck in my head!
A Surprise On the Radio
I was listening to WFMU on Tuesday night. It was The Frow Show with Jesse Jarnow, and he played a new track from The Necks called, Causeway. Immediately after its conclusion, I preordered the CD. What a wonderful surprise to hear new music from one of my favorite contemporary ambient jazz groups. Are you a fan?
You can listen here:
Vinyl Finds
While visiting my sister in the Mystic Seaport area of Stonington, Connecticut, I popped into Mystic Disc to see what was happening. I browsed pretty much the entire store and left with a few albums — one a true classic that I only had on CD, and reviewed earlier this year here on amplified… it was Abraxas by Santana. A 2018 version, still sealed and in great condition. I also picked up a 1980 release from Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays called As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls (ECM Records). It was the first time Metheny used synths on an album…
Work & Creativity Balance
It felt relaxing and enjoyable to get away, even though it was just for a few days. I rarely see my sister, so it was nice to just walk around and tour her neighborhoods, meet her friends, eat our way through Westerly, RI & Mystic, CT, and catch up on life. Seeing Peter, a college friend, who I consider one of the smartest people I know, was also delightful. I cannot believe we’ve known each other for more than 30 years now!
Exploring the White Mountains, visiting Jackson, New Hampshire, for dinner at the Christmas Farm Inn, and going for a day hike were among my highlights of the summer. My wife and I used to hike a lot more often, but life always seemed to get in the way. I’m so proud of her and all she’s accomplished, so far. It was nice to have downtime and just chill in the woods and see the clear blue sky, smell the trees, and hear the water gently running off the rocks — together.
Meeting an old pal on the shores of Kittery for dinner to talk music and movies, enjoying the fresh air and local flavor, and then getting together with a group of friends to celebrate my birthday, share stories, and food, was a great way to close out the week. I don’t take this life for granted.
There never seems to be enough time, which is why balancing work, life, creativity, and relationships are important. I want to make more time for friends, family, and myself. This was a brilliant beginning to managing my time more wisely and taking time to breathe. Vacations are good for the soul, no matter your destination.
What’s Ahead
I’m looking forward to seeing a lot of live music in the next month, beginning with Neil Young in Gilford, New Hampshire. I’ve seen him live, as an interview, but never heard him play live, so this will be a treat.
After seeing the legend, I’ve got tickets for Kendra Morris, Sharron Van Etten, Kassa Overall, Makaya McCraven, and Tortoise in NYC later this fall.
By the end of the week, I kept circling back to how music marks time in ways the calendar cannot. A record pulled off the shelf, a song heard on the radio, or even a new release, like the Stan Getz Quartet’s The Steamer reissue (Verve Records), can help define the season, or a time. I still listen to U2’s Achtung Baby every fall, since it reminds me of the autumn leaves falling as my friend and I drove around the Seacoast in his red Jeep Cherokee after high school. Music makes memories…
With summer sadly winding down, I’m holding onto these moments and looking ahead to what’s next in listening, collecting, seeing live in concert, and the rhythm of the weeks to come.
Hang own, summer. ☀️ Please don’t disappear so soon…
Thanks for reading. - JB