shuttlecock ballyhoo and other true stories

Honestly, I'm a little bored with the title "freelance writer." I've been working sans regular paychecks for a modicrum of freedom during the past three months, so I should be able to dictate my job title, right? Henceforth, I shall refer to myself as "expert towel boy, soft-shoe specialist, tuneful laundry engineer, geriatric cat caregiver and badminton critic at large." I appreciate you granting the first of what is sure to be a long list of wishes, cn

'We worked our way up through the trenches'

Had a great time over the holiday, hung with friends from all over in Punta Banda, 15 miles south of Ensenada in Baja California. As Bukowski would say: "To all my friends..."

I wrote up a little article for the Union-Tribune on San Diego band Counterfit. They're real good, so if they come to your town check them out.

Here's the article:

Counterfit, Jan. 15, 2003 -- Union-Tribune

January and February are going to be busy months. Here's a rundown of the articles I have planned tentatively: Greyboy All Stars, Travis, The 88, The Shins, Rickie Lee Jones, Starsailor, P.O.D., Bob Weir/Ratdog, A Perfect Circle, The Crystal Method and Flogging Molly. Great bands, all of them.

I just added my top albums from 2003 along the left-hand rail of this page. You may have to scroll down a bit. Let me know your thoughts and your picks. Cheers, cn