POLITICS: Molly Ivins, RIP

This one really hurts. A major loss...

STEVE ROCK: Finn's Motel Rock Video

Rock video for Recent Linear Landscapes.

MUSIC: Farewell Mississippi Nights

Stalwart St. Louis rock club institution Mississippi Nights closed its doors last night. A wrecking ball will hit it and a shiny new casino will soon be in its place. The club may open in another location, and maybe it won’t. I’ve been seeing rock shows there for thirty years. Many rock shows! So many great shows in fact, it’s next to impossible for me to shake the cobwebs of my memory and assemble a complete listing. So I’ll put it this way instead: The very first show I ever saw at Mississippi Nights was AC/DC with Bon Scott in 1977 and the very last show I ever saw at Mississippi Nights were the New York Dolls in 2006. To say I saw everything in between would be a major understatement, my all-time favorites being the Dwight Twilley Band on the Twilley Don’t Mind tour in 1978 and Roxy Music on the Manifesto tour in 1979.

I also had the pleasure of performing at Mississippi Nights several times over the years with several different bands. Each and every time I performed there I was treated by the club with the highest degree of respect and professionalism—something extremely rare in this nutty business. I could easily fill a book recounting the personal good times I had and great shows I saw and got to play myself at Mississippi Nights. Deepest of thanks to owner Rich Frame and the lifetime of incredible memories his club has provided.

MUSIC: Denny Doherty RIP

And then there was one...

MUSIC: 96 Tears Fund

As you may already know, ? And The Mysterians were recent victims of a fire in which they lost everything. Jeff Kopp and the good folks at GaragePunk.com are bringing the band to town for a benefit show. Read all about it and make a donation if you can, here.

POLITICS: KO!

WHAT HE SAID!

STEVE ROCK: Finn's Motel Live Clip

Finn's Motel performing "Arizona Sandstorm" live at Off Broadway, St.Louis, 12/21/06, by way of YouTube, here.

There's also a nice little article on Finn's Motel (and a great photo of Joe!) in the new issue of MAGNET Magazine. Cat Power's on the cover, on sale now...

MUSIC: Faves Of 2006

My favorite music of 2006,
presented in alphabetical order
and with blurbs when inspired:

Jon Auer---Songs From The Year Of Our Demise
www.myspace.com/jonauermusic

Rosanne Cash---Black Cadillac
www.rosannecash.com

Cheap Trick---Rockford
www.cheaptrick.com

Ray Davies---Other People’s Lives
At age 62 Ray releases a record as great and as important a statement as any he made during his 20's & 30's.
www.raydavies.info

Def Leppard---Yeah!
www.defleppard.com/index.html

Bob Dylan---Modern Times
www.bobdylan.com/moderntimes/home/main.html

Alejandro Escovedo---The Boxing Mirror
Teamed with the brilliance of producer John Cale, Escovedo marks his return to better health by delivering the best rock album of the year.
www.alejandroescovedo.com/

Phil Judd---Mr.Phudd & His Novelty Act
Most original rock album of the year, bringing new astonishments and wonders with every listen.
www.philjudd.com

Mark Knopfler & Emmylou Harris---All The Roadrunning
All The Roadrunning

Jerry Lee Lewis---Last Man Standing
www.jerryleelewis.com

Magic Christian—"Turn Up The Heat" b/w "All The Stars" (single) www.myspace.com/magicchristian1

Don McGlashan—Warm Hand
www.donmcglashan.com

New York Dolls---One Day It Will Please Us To Remember Even This
A staggeringly enjoyable record, so easy to embrace and celebrate as the perfectly appropriate exclamation point on the legendary & influential careers of David Johansen & Sylvain Sylvain.
Standout cut "Dance Like A Monkey" is as good as rock gets in 2006. www.myspace.com/newyorkdolls

Willie Nile---Streets Of New York
www.willienile.com

Primal Scream---Riot City Blues
www.primalscream.net/www/

The Rugs—The Rugs
www.myspace.com/therugs

Sloan---Never Hear The End Of It
www.sloanmusic.com

Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs---Under The Covers Vol.1 www.myspace.com/sidnsusie

Tom Verlaine---Songs And Other Things
Tom Verlaine---Around
Tom Verlaine

Teddybears---Soft Machine
Stuff this far out and wacky can only come from Sweden.
Includes "Punk Rocker", my favorite single of the year, featuring Iggy Pop’s finest vocal performance on a record since "Candy".
www.myspace.com/teddybears

Paul Weller---Catch-Flame (Live At The Alexandra Palace)
www.paulweller.com

Yo La Tengo---I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass
Continued rock excellence from The Little Band That Could...
www.yolatengo.com

Pete Yorn---Nightcrawler
www.peteyorn.com

Favorite Live Shows (in alphabetical order):
ABC---Pridefest, St. Louis
The Bangles—House Of Blues, Chicago
The Bats—End Of An Ear Records, Austin
Cheap Trick---Live On The Levee, St. Louis
The Chesterfield Kings—Mississippi Nights, St. Louis
The Dirtbombs—Beachland Ballroom, Cleveland
Alejandro Escovedo—The Duck Room, St. Louis
The Hazey Janes—The Drink, Austin
Joan Jett & The Blackhearts---Mississippi Nights, St. Louis
The Minus 5---RFT Awards, St. Louis
The New York Dolls—Mississippi Nights, St. Louis
The Plimsouls—Finale, St. Louis
The Plimsouls—Club Exodus, Austin
Son Volt—Taste Of St. Louis, St. Louis
Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs—The Drink, Austin
Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs—Dog & Duck Pub, Austin
Steve Wynn & The Miracle 3—Dog & Duck Pub, Austin
Steve Wynn & The Miracle 3—Caribbean Lights, Austin

Parting shot, 2006:
Sorry kids, but that highly praised TV On The Radio record is JUST AWFUL! A very bad rock band with very bad singers doing very bad reinterpretations of Brian Eno’s first two solo albums. Dreadful...