"songs for parents who enjoy drugs"

Last night I saw a great concert, someone I really need to plug here. Ed Hamell, aka Hamell on Trial (that's the name he uses to record and perform) is playing six shows this week and next week at The Knitting Factory here in New York.

Hamell is fascinating, especially live. He's a 50-ish, bald (think Michael Jordan) punk rocker who takes the stage with only an acoustic guitar, and plays it like a chainsaw. He's also hilarious. His shows include his often intensely political (and usually funny) songs, long-winded but funny introductions to the songs and, you know, jokes and spoken word tangents. It's like a cross between a concert and a one-man show. To give you an idea of his sensibility, he named his latest album--it comes out this week, and is the reason for the run of shows at The Knit--"Songs For Parents Who Enjoy Drugs." And that isn't just talk: much of the new material relates to Hamell's experiences as the father of a four-year-old son. (I'd quote lyrics here, but they're not online and I don't want to get them wrong.)

You can read more about him and hear song clips at http://www.hamellontrial.com. Personally I think his recorded output doesn't do justice to the experience of seeing him live. Highly reccommended if you ever get a chance.