Roll the Stone Away: Jethro Tull’s ‘A Passion Play’ at 50
Sean MurphyDuring the years between my senior year in high school and my sophomore year of college Jethro Tull went from being an important band in my life to, by far,…
Original Poem: Ghost Poem
A night image of train tracks heading towards the Milky Way Galaxy in the USA. I'm always appreciative of the great work Washington Writers' Publishing House does, and if you're…
Original Poem: South Loudon Street, First Sustained Frost
Big thanks to Plum Tree Tavern for publishing two of my poems in their latest issue, which explores the topic of Homelessness. (And thanks to them for bearing witness; with…
Jethro Tull’s ‘Aqualung’ at 50
Whatever one’s feelings about progressive rock, Jethro Tull’s Aqualung is a rare album that remains at once part of, and above, the fray. It is, to be certain, a cornerstone of the…
Original Poem: We Were Too Young to be That Old
The author as a young idiot I'm grateful to Nine Cloud Journal for publishing my work (you can read it by purchasing the issue at Amazon -- a great way…
Rock Island: 1989-2019
Fall '89 My good friend, and brother Tony James reminds me that today is the 30th anniversary of Rock Island. It was love at first listen and, in hindsight, the…
Faith and Fiction: The Story Behind the Story (of a Story)
i. True story: my sister, during her junior or senior year at Boston University, called to talk about what I didn't yet realize was a classic college cliché, disguised as…
The 100 Best Classic Progressive Rock Songs Part 5: 20-1
Yes: “Awaken” (from Going for the One) 1977 was not only about clothespins and green-toothed sneers: just as punk was gaining steam, Yes, the band that represented everything everyone hated…
The 100 Best Classic Progressive Rock Songs Part 4: 40-21
Jethro Tull: “Heavy Horses” (from Heavy Horses) Meanwhile back in the year… 1978? It’s an embarrassing commentary on how close-minded so many folks are that they’ve probably never even heard…
The 100 Best Classic Progressive Rock Songs: Part 3, 60-41
Rush: “Cygnus X-1 Book One: The Voyage” (from A Farewell to Kings) Rush is now, rightly, in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (not that this dubious honor from…