I hope you play along with 2007’s final edition of Dugout Chatter. If you don’t know how it works, just share your gut answers to the following questions and you can’t go wrong!

What band or album that you’d previously not cared for or got finally hit you in 2007? In other words, what was your most significant “rock conversion moment” of the year?

I’m trying to remember the name of a 1-hit wonder circa 1980 who was formerly a roadie for The Who. I seem to recall an American flag guitar and a gray pompadour. I’m almost certain it’s not Jon Butcher Axis I have in mind. Who is this artist whose name I cannot remember?

Solo or coda?

Here’s one for the musicians (of any ilk – don’t be unnecessarily humble): When you’re being introduced to a new song by a songwriter, what parts of the song and/or which fellow musician do you typically key in on?

How long of an instrumental intro to a song should be allowed before the song has to “declare” itself an instrumental? Think of Television’s “Little Johnny Jewel”, for instance: by the time the vocals enter, do you think to yourself, “Why bother?”

What’s your favorite song by a fictional band?

What musician’s onstage beverage most recently made you sit up and take notice?
Continue reading »

One of the many super powers yielded by your very own The Back Office is the ability to review the internet search terms that resulted in hits to this digital rock refuge of ours. Sadly, it wasn’t until I started to put this together that I found out that the system only archives the previous 623 search terms, which isn’t even two weeks worth.

But still, here’s a choice selection from the previous 623:

Continue reading »

Today I’d like to take a few minutes to reflect on the voices that have made Rock Town Hall interesting and fun over the past year.

As you know, any monkey with a keyboard and an Internet connection can throw up a blog and spout off on whatever subject he or she would like you to believe matters. Fair enough. We do this every day. However, it’s not so much how right we are that matters as it is whether we’ve built a foundation on which to bullshit. Who among Townspeople who’ve launched a Main Stage has not felt the disappointment of a seemingly surefire conversation starter that went nowhere?

Other times a self-described “hit and run” post on a busy day leads to fruitful, unexpectedly passionate banter of the sort most of us don’t get out of coworkers and other everyday squares, maaaannnnn.

In fact, it’s the beyond-our-wildest-dreams comments that make this place worth my time and effort. Continue reading »