That whole, "It's not you, it's me?" thing? Complete bullshit. It is you.

I've been taking note of stores, shops, places I never go, and never will go. It inspired me to make this list of places you won't find me.

Your fearless editor muses on why it seems she never has time to blog.

Appearing live in New York City Oct. 18: PLAYBACK:stl, Bigfatcat, John Boy's Courage, Skidmore Fountain, Go Motion and Loyal Divide.

Mark today, July 31, 2007, as an absolutely brilliant music day.

 Let's take responsibility for our own actions, how 'bout it? Let's honor our commitments. Let's be true to our words.

I just finished an entire carton of cherries by myself.

"After the show, everybody give this guy a hug."

"Don't. Fucking. Do that."

Writing isn't just for sharing; it's about processing, interpreting, filtering. It's about understanding, or attempting to understand, or admitting you don't have a clue.

Catching up, or...Advice for bands, or...God hates Venus Envy, or...Work it.

I love what I do. I love my life. I love my job(s).

Last night we got shut out of the songwriters in the round and wandered instead to Barsuk. Saw Rocky Votolato, avoided Jesse Sykes & the Sweet Hereafter and were awaiting Aqueduct when we got a tip of a free Rapture show down the street at 1 a.m.

Listening to nothing but independent music. Unsigned bands. Stuff most people haven't heard yet; stuff that moves me beyond words.

This isn't just about appreciation; this is about how bad things tend to strike in threes (or even fours), and how everything happens for a reason: obstacles are placed in our path so that we learn, grow, change, reach, experience.

You'd think sleeping and eating and having sex and dreaming less than 10 feet away from someone would mean you had things in common, got along, waved hello, looked out for each other.

Radio's not getting any better, so here's my suggestion...

Age shouldn't really matter; it's all about what's inside and what's driving you and what you want to accomplish out of life.

Thoughts and observations during our songwriters-in-the-round performance Saturday night at Finale, featuring Cameron McGill, Geoff Koch, Noah Harris and Corey Saathoff.

Through it all, you were experiencing and doing and trying new things. And then comes a day when, quite out of the blue, it hits you: this is who I am.

If you saw him, you'd have to agree that Claude is the cutest kitten ever in the history of kittens in the world.

Sometimes, I find things: colored stones, ferret toys, once a 20-dollar bill.

The tree sculptures—many of them still with brightly colored leaves intact and perfectly preserved—were breathtaking.

There are far more positive things we could all be doing with our time than standing on a street corner, blindly protesting.

I'm still woefully short on free time. Time to breathe. And me time? Forget it.

"OK, Marco, let's see what you can do!"

The few, the proud, etc.

I love working with—and for—musicians. Really, I do. But...

The thing I've found in working for yourself is you work harder than you ever did working for someone else.

It's time for a change on our Web site. 

It's as if the cool breeze has ushered in a contentment, of sorts.

Some of my favorite bands are coming to town this week. Some shows I booked; some I did not. Miss them and it's like you crushed my heart with the heel of your shoe.

Musings at the end of a dog leash.

Feel that? It's the wind of change, blowing again.

I've been reminded that most white guys still can't dance.

Lollapalooza correspondent and podcast impresario Kiernan Scrima posts another daily update from the Media Tent. Read on for Day 2...

Lollapalooza correspondent and podcast impresario Kiernan Scrima is up in Chicago, soaking up the Midwestern sun and as many bands as possible at this year's Lollapalooza. In addition to sending frequent text messages to her editors and making us supremely jealous, Kiernan's also offered the following daily update from the Media Tent. Which has free beer. (See? I told you we were jealous.) Read on for Day 1...

Random thoughts from this weekend's Forecastle Festival in Louisville, Ky.

Literally...

Is it fair to recommend a show that I booked?

So my brain is full. Dog walking helps, as does listening to music on headphones.

Sign Up, Download, and Groove

Yeah, so it's already the weekend. There was a holiday in there; it messed me up. I'm just now getting started!

Chicago's MOBfest celebrated its 10th anniversary this weekend, with three nights of shows, a handful of panels, and some invite-only parties. On the final night, we caught one of associate editor Jim Dunn's favorite bands, Radio 4.

I've decided to start something new: a weekly list of editor's picks. What shows you've really got to see, and why. Sometimes they'll be PLAYBACK:stl-sponsored shows, which often means we booked 'em and we love 'em. Sometimes they'll just be amazing bands you shouldn't miss. In any event, welcome... Got your calendar handy?

What is it about the 4th of July that brings out the redneck in so many Americans? Something in the excuse to fly your flag high means you've got to fly your freak flag alongside it?

Let's face it: most of the things I get truly excited about are concerts.

In the park today, a man was playing trumpet to the trees.

The dogs weren't having it; it was jump on me or nothing. So rather than my usual exercise, I fended off two beautiful but overzealous mid-sized dogs for 30 minutes.