Rambling On News Archive
December in Review
As the year winds down we focus on the best new music with the Rambling On Top 20 Albums of 2015. #20-#11 include local talent, power pop, punk, dirty blues, and classic rock; #10-#1 new releases from rock, gospel, and country immortality and more.
The Ghosts that Haunt us: A Honest Assessment of the Contemporary Music Scene
12/28/2015
Many people who love new music don't want to admit it, but the past haunts the contemporary music scene. Are musicians creating anything as cool, creative, or interesting as what was being released in the '60s or '70s? Or even the '80s or '90s? In this article Erik critiques where music is today and looks to the future.
November in Review
The Kansas City Royals win the World Series and new Gopher football coach Tracy Claeys makes a controversial call; new music from members of Pink Floyd, the Rolling Stones, and the White Stripes; looking back at the misdeeds of Richard Sherman; the Vikings and the Packers surprise; the Vikings and the Packers don't surprise.
October in Review
A month that begins with hope ends in tragedy. The Vikings and Twins improbably surge; just as quickly the Vikings and Twins regress; some words on wisdom; baseball playoffs and a fresh Minnesota championship; bored with the NFL; remembering Flip Saunders, saluting Torii Hunter, thoughts on the retirement of Jerry Kill.
September in Review
Best New Music featuring the dirty, deep blues of James Leg and Gary Clark Jr.'s tasteful blues and soul soup; an NFL prophecy and two St. Paul boys make good; new melodic power pop from underground legend Tommy Keene and West Coast indie punk from the Wollen Men; the Vikings surprise and Suh doesn't; Family of the Year mixes Fleetwood Mac and Maroon 5; all about snooker (and Stephen Davis); organic, weird Detroit hip hop from Guilty Simpson.
2015 NFL Predictions
9/11/2015
It’s finally here: the push to the baseball playoffs! The NFL begins this week too, so here are the predictions of a great football mind. What is the most middle of the road division? Where will the Vikings end up? Who will be in the Super Bowl? Find out the answer to these questions and more in our 2015 NFL predictions.
Week in Review 8/30-9/5/2015
We say farewell to the Weekday Ramble series (until next spring/summer) with some personal articles from Rambling On founder Erik Ritland. The week begins with two Forgotten Vinyl features highlighting songs Erik listened to as a kid from Charlie Daniels, Uriah Heep, the Kinks, Focus, the Fabulous Poodles, and Trillion; memories of his first concerts with Foreigner, Kansas, and Loverboy; favorite live performances from Fleetwood Mac, Paul McCartney, and Greg Lake/Ringo Starr; a goodbye potpourri from the Band, Stella, Jimmie Rodgers, Son House, and more.
Week in Review 8/23-8/29/2015
An American folk hero who was a real estate genius and specialized in hard cider; the beaver hat wearing legend whose nickname was Tick Licker; Carl Jung isn't a ladies man and disappointments from Bill Buckner and the Minnesota Vikings; scraping the bottom of the #Quote/Picture/Video barrel with a feature on flowers; cassette tape memories from the Who and Roger Waters.
Indian and Christian Wisdom at a Mystic River 8/25/2015
An Indian proverb teaches compassion, peace, liberation, and not being a fraud. Erik explores how it is similar and dissimilar to the Christian tradition, and how each can help with gaining wisdom.
Celebrating the Spirit of Rock N' Roll: The 2015 Roots, Rock, and Deep Blues Festival 7/20/15
2015's Roots, Rock, and Deep Blues Festival was about hot weather, cold beer, and the best bands that keep rock n' roll alive at its foundation. The variety of the 2015 lineup did not disappoint, featuring hill country blues (Kent Burnside and the New Generation), loose western swing (Bernie King and the Guilty Pleasures), authentic country blues (Jimmy "Duck" Holmes), filthy blooze rock (Catl, Left Lane Cruiser), hot jazz (Black Market Brass), stomping acoustic folk and blues (Spider John Koerner, Charlie Parr), and the cosmic soup of country western, delta blues, Americana, and rock n' roll that is Jimbo Mathus.
The Evolution of Jimbo Mathus 7/18/15
Jimbo Mathus contains all the multitudes of his Clarksdale, Mississippi home - not to mention its varied pedigree of folk, blues, country, and rock. Take a trip through the backroads and inroads of his varied career.
Minnesota's Bluesman: An Exclusive Interview with Charlie Parr 7/17/15
Charlie Parr keeps Minnesota's blues tradition alive with his unique mix of folk, blues, and old time music. He's also a really nice guy. He took some time this week for an exclusive, energetic talk with Rambling On. Topics included his upcoming dates with Bentonia bluesman Jimmy "Duck" Holmes, what he likes (and doesn't like) about the recording process, the dueling influence of Captain Beefheart and pre-war blues, and his new record, Stumpjumper, his most fully realized recording to date (and his first with a band behind him).
Jimmy "Duck" Holmes: A Blues Legend in Minneapolis 7/16/15
Jimmy "Duck" Holmes is one of the last living links to one of the most powerful forms of 20th century music, the country blues of the 1920s and '30s. The liveliness intensity of his performances prove the eternal vitality of the genre. Check out this review of his show at Minneapolis’ own 331 Club.
The Filthy Blooze Rock of Left Lane Cruiser 7/14/15
Gearing up for the Roots, Rock, and Deep Blues Festival on Saturday, here's a profile of one its headliners, Indiana's gritty Left Lane Cruiser.
Music Brings St. Paul Alive: The Twin Cities Jazz Festival 6/29/15
The 2015 Twin Cities Jazz Festival was the most impressive yet. While the music is at the forefront, the best part is how well it showcases St. Paul. It was a truly special event in its magnitude and breadth of talent. Published in three parts (part one, part two, part three).
Week in Review 6/28/15-7/4/2015
A controversial Wild contract and the Twins regress to the mean; cricket (the sport), crickets (the insect), and crickets (Buddy Holly's band); a classic basketball team, a debate about who was the first superhero, and some fun science; Gene Autry's baseball team, John Mellencamp hates America, and the perils of pinball; classic and unexpected flops from The Doors in honor of the anniversary of the death of Jim Morrison.
Week in Review 6/21/15-6/27/2015
Pete Rose is caught cheating again and a celebrity has a mean-spirited Father's Day message; a dead country star gets resurrected in a disturbing way; hip Minnesota radio station The Current surprises; Neil Young and Donald Trump have a kerfuffle; the Timberwolves' stock rises and Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson gets greedy.
Wild Update 6/29/2015: Of Goaltending, Defense 6/29/2015
Our Wild correspondent Peter Ripka breaks down the signing of Devan Dubnyk and other goings on with the team.
Rock Around the Clock: MSRA's Back to the '50s 2015 6/26/2015
Good old fashioned family fun at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds.
Love Wins? The Hypocritical Hatred of Those Who Preach "Love" 6/26/2015
In a landmark decision today the Supreme Court ruled in favor of legalizing gay marriage in the United States. The popular hashtag for discussing it on social media is #LoveWins. But are the people saying this actually filled with love?
Week in Review 6/14/2015-6/20/2015
The Twins finally call up top prospect Byron Buxton and we celebrate Waylon Jennings; our popular #FunFacts feature returns with bits about the theologian who created basketball, how well Paul McCartney can count backwards, and Monty Python’s Holy Grail; satire videos teach us about cute cats, conspiracies, and hipsters who are too good to watch sports; and the shooting in Charleston inspires solemn mourning and a beam of hope.
Week in Review 6/7/2015-6/13/2015
The movie Roger Ebert called “aggressively bad, as if it wants to cause suffering to the audience” and more of his underrated humor; #FunFacts about the Minnesota Vikings, cocaine, Bruce Springsteen, a blues legend, soccer, and American youth; legends take over the #1 spot on the country charts; why Garth Brooks doesn’t allow his songs to be downloaded digitally.
Folk and/or Rock and/or Roll: Welaware at Palmer's 5/31/2015
Underground folk/rockers Welaware bring their edgy music to Palmer's. Featuring clever lyrics, a rowdy crowd, and folks doing blow in the bathroom.
Week in Review: 5/31/2015-6/6/2015
#FunFacts about skinny Buddha, fat Prince Fielder, Hanks Williams and Aaron, and the North Star; celebrating the Rolling Stones; celebrating the Wu Tang Clan; the movie that Roger Ebert claimed was worse than watching his colonoscopy.
Week in Review 1/11/15-1/17/15: Minnesota Sports Team Futility, Dylan and the Chairman, Elvis is Still the King, more 1/17/15
This week in our Weekday Rambles: Peyton Manning should retire and Minnesota sports teams disappoint; Dylan does Sinatra, kids react to the Beatles, and 1995 in music; Revolution #9, and Mo Williams; Elvis Presley in the '70s; AFC and NFC Championship games, country western classic "A Satisfied Mind."
St. Paul Represents for Hockey Day in Minnesota 2015 Week of 1/11/15
"The State of Hockey" may be little more than a marketing gimmick at this point, but Hockey Day in Minnesota is still like a holiday. The sport is celebrated at all levels and this year my hometown was the host.
Cowardly Duke Gives in to Misguided Protestant Franklin Graham Week of 1/11/15
A lengthy article about Duke's decision to submit to pressure and not allow Muslim students to broadcast a prayer from their bell tower.
The Lunatics Running the Asylum in Cleveland Week of 1/11/15
Things aren't going as planned for the Cleveland Cavaliers so far in 2015. It's early, though.
Huckabee Discusses Obama, Media Stirs Pot Dishonestly Week of 1/11/15
The mainstream media uses buzz words to try and make stories out of nothing. As they did this week when they accused Mike Huckabee of "slamming" the Obama's parenting.
Better than the Bit (but not Ice Bowl II) Week of 1/11/15
In a game that certainly lived up to the hype, the Green Bay Packers beat the Dallas Cowboys 26-21. It’s sad that this, one of the only legitimate classic games of the 2014 NFL season, isn’t being correctly heralded because of a general misunderstanding of a questionable rule. I don’t usually agree with Joe Buck but he nailed it in his analysis of the Dez Brant non-catch: “Common sense tells you that was a catch but by the letter of the letter of the law and the rule book he didn’t control it going to the ground.”
Week in Review 1/4/15-1/10/15: The Lions lose, mourning J.P. Parise and three others, MLB Hall of Fame, McCartney/Kanye, more 1/9/15
The first week of our new series, the Weekday Ramble, has wrapped up! Each weekday Rambling On founder, lead writer, and podcast host Erik Ritland provides seriously fun commentary on sports, music, culture, and more.
This weeks topics: the Detroit Lions lose in a heartbreaker, the MLB Hall of Fame is a joke, McCartney and Kanye go together well, Americana songwriter Erik Brandt releases a video, Erik is a crazy cat guy, Minnnesota sports teams can't win, Wilco's A Ghost is Born gets another listen, our top 15 albums of 2014 are revealed, and mourning the loss of polka master 'Big' Joe Siedlik, country legend Little Jimmy Dickens, North Stars immortal J.P. Parise, and sportscaster Stuart Scott.
Wild Report 1/6/15: Tired, Lackluster, and Downright Awful 1/6/15
Things don’t look good for the Wild going into 2015. With the amount of talent on the team there is no reason for such terrible performance. If they don’t right the ship soon it’ll sink really fast.
Introducing the Weekday Ramble! 1/5/15
New year, new series! Each weekday musician and journalist Erik Ritland, the founder of Rambling On, will give a short, readable piece of seriously fun commentary on sports, music, culture, and more. Check out the first, which covers the Gophers loss to Missouri, the fallacy of the phrase "but I'm a good person!," and a couple old school Catholic Bishops.
As the year winds down we focus on the best new music with the Rambling On Top 20 Albums of 2015. #20-#11 include local talent, power pop, punk, dirty blues, and classic rock; #10-#1 new releases from rock, gospel, and country immortality and more.
The Ghosts that Haunt us: A Honest Assessment of the Contemporary Music Scene
12/28/2015
Many people who love new music don't want to admit it, but the past haunts the contemporary music scene. Are musicians creating anything as cool, creative, or interesting as what was being released in the '60s or '70s? Or even the '80s or '90s? In this article Erik critiques where music is today and looks to the future.
November in Review
The Kansas City Royals win the World Series and new Gopher football coach Tracy Claeys makes a controversial call; new music from members of Pink Floyd, the Rolling Stones, and the White Stripes; looking back at the misdeeds of Richard Sherman; the Vikings and the Packers surprise; the Vikings and the Packers don't surprise.
October in Review
A month that begins with hope ends in tragedy. The Vikings and Twins improbably surge; just as quickly the Vikings and Twins regress; some words on wisdom; baseball playoffs and a fresh Minnesota championship; bored with the NFL; remembering Flip Saunders, saluting Torii Hunter, thoughts on the retirement of Jerry Kill.
September in Review
Best New Music featuring the dirty, deep blues of James Leg and Gary Clark Jr.'s tasteful blues and soul soup; an NFL prophecy and two St. Paul boys make good; new melodic power pop from underground legend Tommy Keene and West Coast indie punk from the Wollen Men; the Vikings surprise and Suh doesn't; Family of the Year mixes Fleetwood Mac and Maroon 5; all about snooker (and Stephen Davis); organic, weird Detroit hip hop from Guilty Simpson.
2015 NFL Predictions
9/11/2015
It’s finally here: the push to the baseball playoffs! The NFL begins this week too, so here are the predictions of a great football mind. What is the most middle of the road division? Where will the Vikings end up? Who will be in the Super Bowl? Find out the answer to these questions and more in our 2015 NFL predictions.
Week in Review 8/30-9/5/2015
We say farewell to the Weekday Ramble series (until next spring/summer) with some personal articles from Rambling On founder Erik Ritland. The week begins with two Forgotten Vinyl features highlighting songs Erik listened to as a kid from Charlie Daniels, Uriah Heep, the Kinks, Focus, the Fabulous Poodles, and Trillion; memories of his first concerts with Foreigner, Kansas, and Loverboy; favorite live performances from Fleetwood Mac, Paul McCartney, and Greg Lake/Ringo Starr; a goodbye potpourri from the Band, Stella, Jimmie Rodgers, Son House, and more.
Week in Review 8/23-8/29/2015
An American folk hero who was a real estate genius and specialized in hard cider; the beaver hat wearing legend whose nickname was Tick Licker; Carl Jung isn't a ladies man and disappointments from Bill Buckner and the Minnesota Vikings; scraping the bottom of the #Quote/Picture/Video barrel with a feature on flowers; cassette tape memories from the Who and Roger Waters.
Indian and Christian Wisdom at a Mystic River 8/25/2015
An Indian proverb teaches compassion, peace, liberation, and not being a fraud. Erik explores how it is similar and dissimilar to the Christian tradition, and how each can help with gaining wisdom.
Celebrating the Spirit of Rock N' Roll: The 2015 Roots, Rock, and Deep Blues Festival 7/20/15
2015's Roots, Rock, and Deep Blues Festival was about hot weather, cold beer, and the best bands that keep rock n' roll alive at its foundation. The variety of the 2015 lineup did not disappoint, featuring hill country blues (Kent Burnside and the New Generation), loose western swing (Bernie King and the Guilty Pleasures), authentic country blues (Jimmy "Duck" Holmes), filthy blooze rock (Catl, Left Lane Cruiser), hot jazz (Black Market Brass), stomping acoustic folk and blues (Spider John Koerner, Charlie Parr), and the cosmic soup of country western, delta blues, Americana, and rock n' roll that is Jimbo Mathus.
The Evolution of Jimbo Mathus 7/18/15
Jimbo Mathus contains all the multitudes of his Clarksdale, Mississippi home - not to mention its varied pedigree of folk, blues, country, and rock. Take a trip through the backroads and inroads of his varied career.
Minnesota's Bluesman: An Exclusive Interview with Charlie Parr 7/17/15
Charlie Parr keeps Minnesota's blues tradition alive with his unique mix of folk, blues, and old time music. He's also a really nice guy. He took some time this week for an exclusive, energetic talk with Rambling On. Topics included his upcoming dates with Bentonia bluesman Jimmy "Duck" Holmes, what he likes (and doesn't like) about the recording process, the dueling influence of Captain Beefheart and pre-war blues, and his new record, Stumpjumper, his most fully realized recording to date (and his first with a band behind him).
Jimmy "Duck" Holmes: A Blues Legend in Minneapolis 7/16/15
Jimmy "Duck" Holmes is one of the last living links to one of the most powerful forms of 20th century music, the country blues of the 1920s and '30s. The liveliness intensity of his performances prove the eternal vitality of the genre. Check out this review of his show at Minneapolis’ own 331 Club.
The Filthy Blooze Rock of Left Lane Cruiser 7/14/15
Gearing up for the Roots, Rock, and Deep Blues Festival on Saturday, here's a profile of one its headliners, Indiana's gritty Left Lane Cruiser.
Music Brings St. Paul Alive: The Twin Cities Jazz Festival 6/29/15
The 2015 Twin Cities Jazz Festival was the most impressive yet. While the music is at the forefront, the best part is how well it showcases St. Paul. It was a truly special event in its magnitude and breadth of talent. Published in three parts (part one, part two, part three).
Week in Review 6/28/15-7/4/2015
A controversial Wild contract and the Twins regress to the mean; cricket (the sport), crickets (the insect), and crickets (Buddy Holly's band); a classic basketball team, a debate about who was the first superhero, and some fun science; Gene Autry's baseball team, John Mellencamp hates America, and the perils of pinball; classic and unexpected flops from The Doors in honor of the anniversary of the death of Jim Morrison.
Week in Review 6/21/15-6/27/2015
Pete Rose is caught cheating again and a celebrity has a mean-spirited Father's Day message; a dead country star gets resurrected in a disturbing way; hip Minnesota radio station The Current surprises; Neil Young and Donald Trump have a kerfuffle; the Timberwolves' stock rises and Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson gets greedy.
Wild Update 6/29/2015: Of Goaltending, Defense 6/29/2015
Our Wild correspondent Peter Ripka breaks down the signing of Devan Dubnyk and other goings on with the team.
Rock Around the Clock: MSRA's Back to the '50s 2015 6/26/2015
Good old fashioned family fun at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds.
Love Wins? The Hypocritical Hatred of Those Who Preach "Love" 6/26/2015
In a landmark decision today the Supreme Court ruled in favor of legalizing gay marriage in the United States. The popular hashtag for discussing it on social media is #LoveWins. But are the people saying this actually filled with love?
Week in Review 6/14/2015-6/20/2015
The Twins finally call up top prospect Byron Buxton and we celebrate Waylon Jennings; our popular #FunFacts feature returns with bits about the theologian who created basketball, how well Paul McCartney can count backwards, and Monty Python’s Holy Grail; satire videos teach us about cute cats, conspiracies, and hipsters who are too good to watch sports; and the shooting in Charleston inspires solemn mourning and a beam of hope.
Week in Review 6/7/2015-6/13/2015
The movie Roger Ebert called “aggressively bad, as if it wants to cause suffering to the audience” and more of his underrated humor; #FunFacts about the Minnesota Vikings, cocaine, Bruce Springsteen, a blues legend, soccer, and American youth; legends take over the #1 spot on the country charts; why Garth Brooks doesn’t allow his songs to be downloaded digitally.
Folk and/or Rock and/or Roll: Welaware at Palmer's 5/31/2015
Underground folk/rockers Welaware bring their edgy music to Palmer's. Featuring clever lyrics, a rowdy crowd, and folks doing blow in the bathroom.
Week in Review: 5/31/2015-6/6/2015
#FunFacts about skinny Buddha, fat Prince Fielder, Hanks Williams and Aaron, and the North Star; celebrating the Rolling Stones; celebrating the Wu Tang Clan; the movie that Roger Ebert claimed was worse than watching his colonoscopy.
Week in Review 1/11/15-1/17/15: Minnesota Sports Team Futility, Dylan and the Chairman, Elvis is Still the King, more 1/17/15
This week in our Weekday Rambles: Peyton Manning should retire and Minnesota sports teams disappoint; Dylan does Sinatra, kids react to the Beatles, and 1995 in music; Revolution #9, and Mo Williams; Elvis Presley in the '70s; AFC and NFC Championship games, country western classic "A Satisfied Mind."
St. Paul Represents for Hockey Day in Minnesota 2015 Week of 1/11/15
"The State of Hockey" may be little more than a marketing gimmick at this point, but Hockey Day in Minnesota is still like a holiday. The sport is celebrated at all levels and this year my hometown was the host.
Cowardly Duke Gives in to Misguided Protestant Franklin Graham Week of 1/11/15
A lengthy article about Duke's decision to submit to pressure and not allow Muslim students to broadcast a prayer from their bell tower.
The Lunatics Running the Asylum in Cleveland Week of 1/11/15
Things aren't going as planned for the Cleveland Cavaliers so far in 2015. It's early, though.
Huckabee Discusses Obama, Media Stirs Pot Dishonestly Week of 1/11/15
The mainstream media uses buzz words to try and make stories out of nothing. As they did this week when they accused Mike Huckabee of "slamming" the Obama's parenting.
Better than the Bit (but not Ice Bowl II) Week of 1/11/15
In a game that certainly lived up to the hype, the Green Bay Packers beat the Dallas Cowboys 26-21. It’s sad that this, one of the only legitimate classic games of the 2014 NFL season, isn’t being correctly heralded because of a general misunderstanding of a questionable rule. I don’t usually agree with Joe Buck but he nailed it in his analysis of the Dez Brant non-catch: “Common sense tells you that was a catch but by the letter of the letter of the law and the rule book he didn’t control it going to the ground.”
Week in Review 1/4/15-1/10/15: The Lions lose, mourning J.P. Parise and three others, MLB Hall of Fame, McCartney/Kanye, more 1/9/15
The first week of our new series, the Weekday Ramble, has wrapped up! Each weekday Rambling On founder, lead writer, and podcast host Erik Ritland provides seriously fun commentary on sports, music, culture, and more.
This weeks topics: the Detroit Lions lose in a heartbreaker, the MLB Hall of Fame is a joke, McCartney and Kanye go together well, Americana songwriter Erik Brandt releases a video, Erik is a crazy cat guy, Minnnesota sports teams can't win, Wilco's A Ghost is Born gets another listen, our top 15 albums of 2014 are revealed, and mourning the loss of polka master 'Big' Joe Siedlik, country legend Little Jimmy Dickens, North Stars immortal J.P. Parise, and sportscaster Stuart Scott.
Wild Report 1/6/15: Tired, Lackluster, and Downright Awful 1/6/15
Things don’t look good for the Wild going into 2015. With the amount of talent on the team there is no reason for such terrible performance. If they don’t right the ship soon it’ll sink really fast.
Introducing the Weekday Ramble! 1/5/15
New year, new series! Each weekday musician and journalist Erik Ritland, the founder of Rambling On, will give a short, readable piece of seriously fun commentary on sports, music, culture, and more. Check out the first, which covers the Gophers loss to Missouri, the fallacy of the phrase "but I'm a good person!," and a couple old school Catholic Bishops.
