I came across the Wrecking Ball CD in the late 1990s, pulling it from the racks at the Vernon Parish Public Library in Central Louisiana. The cover alone — a high-contrast black-and-white close-up of Emmylou’s face blurred and streaked as though dissolving into shadow or motion, pierced by a single vivid yellow glow that cuts through theContinueContinue reading “Dark Room, Yellow Light: How “Wrecking Ball” Remade Emmylou Harris”
Category Archives: Stories & Sound
Hearing a Soul Mid-Sentence
There are songs that arrive already sorted out. Clean lines. Clear message. You know where the singer stands by the second verse, and nothing in the bridge is going to change that. And then there are songs that sound more like a man sitting at a kitchen table early in the morning, coffee going cold,ContinueContinue reading “Hearing a Soul Mid-Sentence”
The Slim That Outran Wisdom
THE TRUTH: This is a work of fiction. It’s inspired by real reports about popular weight-loss injections like Ozempic and Wegovy (both use a drug called semaglutide). These shots were first made for people with type 2 diabetes, but lots of people use them just to lose weight—often 15% or more of their body weight—becauseContinueContinue reading “The Slim That Outran Wisdom”
Ivan & Alyosha – Running For Cover (Live on KEXP) – YouTube
We (The Plain Travelers) heard this band with the odd name of Ivan & Alyosha back in the mid-2010s at a club in Austin called The Parish. I’m rediscovering them today, and this tune, “Running for Cover” has some heavy lyrics wherein I’m hearing about a garden, a fall, and taking the blame… If IContinueContinue reading “Ivan & Alyosha – Running For Cover (Live on KEXP) – YouTube”
Christopher Tolkien Remembered: Steward of Middle-earth
As January unfolds, a season often reserved for reflection and new beginnings, we remember Christopher Tolkien, who passed on January 16, 2020. For many, he was more than a scholar or editor; he was the quiet guardian of a world that had captured our hearts for generations. Though he rarely sought the spotlight, his workContinueContinue reading “Christopher Tolkien Remembered: Steward of Middle-earth”
Veni. Vidi. Scripsi. 