Happy Holidays
Stephen Mejias
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Waiting for FedEx to Open
I spent a part of this morning sitting in the warm lobby of 10 Exchange Place in downtown Jersey City, waiting for FedEx to open. I had some gear to return. While I waited, I decided to listen to music. I undid the two front latches on my black canvas bag. From one pocket, I pulled out the">http://blog.stereophile.com/stephenmejias/052407eliminate/">the Red Wine Audio iMod, from the other I removed the">http://blog.stereophile.com/stephenmejias/030107shure/">the Shure SE310 earphones.
Record Mart Reopens!
I've been telling you—I've been telling everyone, actually—that old-style New York City salsa is making a major comeback. Major.
Complaint Choirs
One of my very favorite television shows is Sunday">http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/sunday/main3445.shtml">Sunday Morning on CBS. I look forward to it all week long, and when I wake on Sunday mornings, it's the first thing that comes to mind. I usually wake with just enough time to brew a pot of coffee and get comfortable in front of the television.
Affordable?
Way back when, I mentioned that I'd discovered Tangent Audio while working on the 2007 Buyer's Guide. Initially, I was attracted to the Tangent gear because of the affordable prices. Later, that attraction grew. First because I'd seen how">http://blog.stereophile.com/stephenmejias/072806sleek/">how handsome the gear was, and then because Richard">http://www.vmax-services.com/home.html">Richard Kolhruss, Tangent's US distributor, sold me on the company's attention">http://blog.stereophile.com/stephenmejias/080706loctite/">attention to detail. I was intrigued, and wondered if I'd wandered into something special and new.
This Rush to Make the Future Happen
Fourteen years ago this week, when I was 16 years old and spending all my spare time memorizing the lyrics to Ini Kamoze's "Here Comes the Hotstepper," John Atkinson was busy penning this">http://www.stereophile.com/asweseeit/294awsi/">this "As We See It" essay.
Finally, at JA's
Finally">http://blog.stereophile.com/stephenmejias/120407bayridge/">Finally, at JA's, you'll have a cup of coffee and sit down to listen to some music before packing up the big and beautiful 200-lb speakers. The freight service is scheduled to arrive in just a couple of hours, so you don't have much time. The speakers had sounded so good that JA just couldn't bear to pack them up any sooner. In fact, they may have been the very best speakers JA's ever heard in his room.
Next Generation Classical
When I realized that I knew most of WGUC's">http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16741721">WGUC's Top Classical CDs of 2007, I had to stop and wonder: "What the heck is going on with me?"
Kissing On Magazine Photos
In the middle of my salsa and son craze, Iron & Wine's The Shepherd's Dog has come as a surprise. It got me wondering what other albums I might've missed along the way. Lots, I'm sure. If I end up with some spare cash after the holidays, I think I'll take some time to revisit my indie-pop/folk fascination, starting with the following:
Stubborn Boys with Big, Green Eyes
Hey, have you guys heard the new Iron & Wine album, The Shepherd's Dog? It's been out for awhile now, but Robert just let me borrow his copy. I don't know what it is about Sam Beam, but his music has a way of getting me all nostalgic for every love I've ever felt. Then I imagine myself older, looking out of some unfamiliar window, a scene dressed in orange and green and blue, warm air, some trees, alone and feeling alright.