The SFB

Random musings from a Gen X life lived on the edge… of nothing except Lake Erie. 70s and 80s pop culture and music.

reviews

  • How was 1986 forty years ago? This is the first in a series of essays about THE perfect songs from that long ago spring. Blackwell Hall on the Circle of William Smith College. Some fun was had here! I Can’t Wait by Nu Shooz is THE perfect song. That distinctive bass and hand clap is… Read more

  • Going Solo Part 3

    Here I go again….. Over Thanksgiving I attended two shows at the Town Ballroom in Buffalo, a very nice smaller venue with great sight lines and acoustics.  It’s a cool place if you don’t mind standing for a show.  There are some seated areas but mostly reserved for people with extenuating circumstances.  This is a… Read more

  • MUSIC DELIVERY SYSTEMS

    From turntables, boom boxes, to the Walkman and the Discman, it’s back to a record player for me. Growing up Gen X, there was nothing quite as cool as your record player.  Except maybe your boom box. But listening to record albums on a turntable was the ultimate and best music experience next to an… Read more

  • On my road with Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo at the Warner in Erie, PA  May 12, 2025 I desperately wanted to go see Devo in Cleveland on May 11 but I am concert buddy-less.  I mean my husband will go to shows… Read more

  • Let’s go back to 1979. Lately, for some reason I’ve been completely taken with the song Candy-O, which surprisingly was never released as a single. I’ve spent a good amount of time watching different live versions of The Cars perform this song. If you’ve read my previous work, or watched my YouTube channel, you know… Read more

  • Donnie Iris and The Cruisers February 22, 2025 Robins Theater Warren, Ohio There’s just something about seeing a show in a smaller venue.  I’ve seen my share of arena concerts; Rolling Stones, Grateful Dead, Bruce Springsteen, U2, Fleetwood Mac, The Police, The Moody Blues.  Aretha Franklin at Radio City Music Hall.  Saw a seriously spiritual… Read more

  • That Midnight Special Reel

    It’s been a year and my obsession with The Cars hasn’t abated one bit. So after watching The Cars perform Just What I Needed on The Midnight Special for about the millionth time I am inspired to write about it in depth. Because as you already know I am obsessed. The Midnight Special was a… Read more

  • Cap’n Swing and Magic Pants were floatin’down the street. I’ve had a thing for rock singers my whole life. I mean who hasn’t, right? Way back when I was seven years old in second grade I fell under the spell of the boy who played the part of  the Artful Dodger in the local high… Read more

  • Another take on the New Wave cred of my current favorite old band and a little review of the musical bounty of 1978. Here’s a topic that is adjacent to my obsession with The Cars:  the music of 1978. I’ve hopped in the way back machine and have been reliving my past; specifically when I… Read more

  • WHAT A SHOW! It captured a moment in time and the fun this band was having at the start of their amazing run. I just re-read for the second time the 1997 Goldmine article The Cars: Shake it  Up, Drive It Out by Steve Roeser.  I had read parts of it several months ago but… Read more