Stephen Mejias

I’ve been infatuated with Damien Jurado’s new album, Saint Bartlett, due to be released on May 25th from Secretly">http://www.secretlycanadian.com/onesheet.php?cat=SC192">Secretly Canadian. Its twelve songs take us on an emotionally powerful trip, from the drunken sway of “Arkansas” to the jaunty swagger of “Wallingford” to the heavyhearted confessions of “Kansas City.” Altogether, Saint Bartlett is deep and beautiful and addictive.

The Super Deluxe Mega Awesome Edition of the Rolling Stones’ classic Exile On Main Street, considered by some to be the greatest rock and roll album of all time&#151complete with two CDs, including ten previously unreleased tracks, two LPs, a DVD, and a 50-page book&#151is now available. Damn.

Recent open house events at Innovative Audio Video Showrooms have been outstanding: well-attended by curious and passionate audiophiles; featuring beautiful, high-quality gear; showcasing excellent music played back on vinyl, disc, and via computer; and with several industry leaders on hand to provide demonstrations and feed interesting discussion.

(The last time I visited Innovative for one of these events, I stayed far too long and walked out into a man-eating ice storm that nearly shattered my soul, but, even then, it was still worth attending the event.)

So, I’m definitely looking forward to next Wednesday’s event, in honor of Dan D’Agostino and his new Momentum monoblock power amplifiers. Guests will have the opportunity to learn more about D’Agostino and his latest product, while enjoying music in a special environment. Members of Innovative’s staff are friendly, intelligent, knowledgeable, and eager to share their eclectic tastes in music and gear.

Refreshments will be provided, the weather should be decent, it should be a good time. Space is limited, so be sure to reserve your place: (212) 634-4444 or info@iavny.com.

Innovative Audio Video is located at 150 East 58th Street, New York, NY. I hope to see you there.

"I don't understand it," I said to John. "With all of these people out there listening to their iPods, how is it that the entire city isn't dancing like mad?"

The thing about Tuesday is that I've got my therapy session at 6pm. I spend the day processing submissions for our Buyer's Guide. I go through each Excel spreadsheet making sure things look the way they're supposed to. It's a tedious, generally unfulfilling, task. A task measured out in columns, rows, and cells. I have found no way to incorporate art or love. I transfer the tidied files from one folder on our server to another. Cut and paste. Control X, Control C. Kristina then collects the new file and transfers it to a Master spreadsheet. It is a strange kind of communication, this digital dance we do.

Peachtree Audio's David Solomon was bursting with excitement over his new Nova integrated amplifier with USB DAC. It may have been the hottest product at Stereo Exchange's Spring Fever event. I believe David sold about fifteen units in the five minutes that I spent in his room. I am exaggerating, but only a little.

I know I haven't taken many days off.