and Joey Ramone would be 60 today…

My daughter Lily, AKA “BruiseHer”, got to open for The Texas Rollergirls bout at the Austin Convention Center Sunday. She’s the little riot grrrl third from left. Heck yeah I’m proud! The Austin Derby Brats is a roller derby team for girls eight and up. It’s run by The Texas Rollergirls and is a heck of a lot more fun than Soccer! If you have a daughter and live in Austin you should check it out!

My Triode TRV-35SE integrated amp just showed up direct from Japan. It was a boring, rainy day until it did! I made room for it next to the Naim CD5i, plugged everything in and hooked it all up to the Zu Omens (which, BTW, are breaking in quite nicely!). I powered everything up and inserted Bryan Ferry’s Mamouna CD…

Ya know, sometimes I just really nail it! Hit it squarely, right on the head! For all the times I have made idiotic decisions on gear, I can honestly say I have made up for it these past few months. This combo is reeeeeeaaaaally freakin’ good. In fact, it even matches. The sangria finish on the Omens are a near perfect match with the red finish on the Tri. The fit and finish is A+. Nice wooden sides just like the Lebens. Japanese attention to quality and detail is apparent. I know the Omens have been breaking in but after hooking up the Tri’s EL34 tubes they really took on a whole different persona. Zu really shine with tubes. I like the third input being on the front next to the headphone socket. A very nice touch indeed.

I’m definitely getting more Tri amps in. The TRV-A300SE 300B integrated looks sweet as does the TRX-PM84. A unique Integrated Amp with USB DAC for computer audio, USB memory input, headphone and MM Phono Stage. Covers pretty much all the bases right? If you are looking for a esoteric hi-fi without the snotty price, you have to come hear this combination. I have a really big grin on my face. Tri + Zu = music. It’s kind of neat thinking that a few decades ago we were killing each other. Now a Japanese / American system is making sweet music together.

The Pogues, If I Should Fall From Grace

moment of zen
old man…
pocket turntable
free gong button
Caledonia Dreamin
yo la tengo
No Joy..
National Jukebox

read it HERE Come by the shop to hear ’em!

After 18 years, my wife Donna is closing down her coffee shop, Little City. She will continue to roast coffee. The beans will still be available at the website and local grocery stores.

these speakers are the bomb! I’ve been breaking in the Zu Omen loudspeakers and Mission cables through a variety of different systems. The Omen simply express exactly what’s going on in every system I’ve paired them with. Leben, Naim, Rega, LFD, basically everything I have at the shop I’ve thrown at them. I haven’t done an A/B with other speakers yet. I want to break them in really good and let my ears get completely used to their sound. I already know they’ll be vastly different just from their design and use of full range drivers. My first impressions of the Omens were they had that classic USA sound of the 70’s, ala Klipsch, but after they’ve been breaking in they are morphing into a whole different beast. I’ve been playing with placement a bit, but they don’t seem to be insanely fussy. The Mission cables were an eye opener. I knew Sean Casey, Zu’s CEO, used to work for Kimber Kable, so I had the Hero interconnects hooked up to the Dynavector P-75 phono pre. I switched them out with the Missions and immediately heard tons more focus and a clearer presentation. They aren’t even broken in yet! The Mission speaker cables are very well made and use (if ordered) a locking banana plug I have never encountered before. You unscrew the end and stick it into the speaker. You’re left with a long pin that you then insert and screw down, locking the connector into the speaker. I’m looking forward to getting a Zu cartridge in (orders been placed) and eventually the Soul Superfly which are evidently a match made in heaven for tube rigs. The best part of the Zu experience for me is dealing with the guys from Utah. Zu need to be commended for making quality gear at a reasonable price 100% in America. Remember the days when we made stuff and had jobs? Zu are proof that it’s not too late or impossible for a US manufacturing renaissance. They just have the balls to do it. They are American after all! Don’t be a pinko commie! Come demo some Zu!

I got to see Bill Hicks perform at the Comedy Workshop in Houston. My parents were big fans of comedy clubs in the early 80’s. I wish I had known what and who I was witnessing at the time but I was only a tweenager and Bill was a unknown, local comic. I can’t help but think he planted a seed in my soft, impressionable brain that night.

Play from your F@#KING HEART!
The Beatles
Crime in England
Sane Man in full