John Montagna: Blog

Autumn seems to be making an early appearance in NYC; 69 degrees and a little cloudy today.  I don't mind, since I have some slick long-sleeved shirts that have been lonely for too long.  

Today I'm home, after a weekend HippieFest hit: Saratoga CA, and Austin TX.  Both splendid in their own ways.  Austin owes me one; we were there for less than 24 hours, which left us no time to check out the city.  Was bummed that I couldn't make it to Stubb's BBQ, or to the Music Hall where Dr. John was playing that same nite, etc.  I consoled myself a little bit with some compulsive shopping at the airport (snazzy "Austin City Limits" t-shirt).  

Tomorrow starts a 4-show HF run, the final bit of road work for the summer (Westbury Music Fair here at home, followed by Louisiana, then a pair of Florida dates).  After that I'm a Dad and a local NYC Cat once again.  The Road has definitely changed me for the better; chops are stronger (bass playing, singing, stage presence, etc), and living with less has made it easier to consider doing so at home (more trips to the Salvation Army thrift store).  These changes will make themselves evident over time.  

Listening to "Turtle Soup," The Turtles' final LP (produced by Ray Davies).  My curiosity about this album was piqued over the summer during the Happy Together tour; the "Turtle Tracks" compilation CD that Flo & Eddie have at the merch table includes the 60s radio ad for TS.  ("THIS...is dynamite!  THIS...is Turtle Soup!")  The quick montage of sunny 60s song clips told me that this could be the LP for me.  But I didn't want to just download it from iTunes; I figured the CD would have some liner notes worth checking out.  Unfortunately, the Sundazed Records CD reissue from 1997 has been out of print for a while, impossible to find in stores (yeah, I looked), with copies on Amazon going for upwards of $30.  I mean, I like them and all, but come on.  So last nite I finally capitulated, launched the iTunes Store and clicked on "Buy Album," and within minutes there was Turtle Soup in my Mac.  

It's pretty tasty, with all those 60s elements that I'm a sucker for: sweet harmonies, jangly guitars, super-compressed unmuffled drums, etc.  But what's truly staggering is the ease with which I grabbed this album; 25 years ago I would have ransacked the racks at Tower, Sam Goody's, etc., looking for the LP.  If I were lucky enough to find it, I'd bring it home (studying the cover the whole way), put it on the turntable and sit still thru the entire thing.  Eventually I'd copy it on to tape for subway Walkman listening.  Today?  I type the words "Turtle Soup" into a computer, and the audio arrives THRU THE AIR in a matter of minutes.  Oh, the times we live in!

The only thing that hasn't changed since then is the fact that I'm making time in my life for the stuff I love.  Groovy. 

Be well

JM