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The Avengers comes out this weekend, another comic book come to life featuring an ensemble of superheroes. I'm not a huge comic-book nut, but it is fun to imagine being Superman, or Captain America, in this case. For some reason, though, I find the plausible far more intriguing and exciting than the fantastical; and there's the inspiration behind today’s Top Five Day... Top 5 Real-Life Super Powers 5a. Super Strength. In the past decade, there have been two reported cases of babies born with a gene that blocks the production of myostatin , a natural protein that keeps your muscles from growing too large. The result is that, even as infants, the children were quite strong, with bulging biceps and six-pack stomachs. No one knows yet how this will affect them as they age, since the human body is such a delicate machine; tendons, organs, and other tissues may not be able to keep up. (Think about adding a 600-hp engine to your Honda Civic: sounds good, but in reality it wo...

Hello, everybody, and happy Spring! First things first: I'm playing a St. Paddy's Day show this Friday at Lucky's Lounge in South Boston. Now, I know what you're thinking: "Southie" + "St. Patrick's Day" = @$%!-fest. But I assure you, Lucky's is a classy joint with terrific food. So come say slainte!   Friday, March 16 Lucky's Lounge 355 Congress St. (corner of A Street, no sign) Boston, MA 02210 4:30pm-8pm / No cover Also, if you missed it amid the holiday hubbub, I released a new full-band EP in December called "The Things You Keep." You can buy it on iTunes , CDBaby , Amazon , or Bandcamp , or stream it free on Spotify and Bandcamp. It's my first CD in six years; I hope it was worth the wait! And the biggest news of all is actually pretty small, weighing in at just over eight pounds. Please welcome to the world our daughter Genevieve Gorey, who has been melting my heart for just over a week.  Enjoy the b...

It's been a while since we had a good old-fashioned Top Five Day . As you may know, I work smack in the heart of downtown Boston. It's awesome. After working for years at the fringe of civilization on the outskirts of Brighton, it's been an invigorating and exciting change of scenery. Steps from my office you'll find any meal you can imagine (and probably some that you can't, a few blocks south in Chinatown); the world is my oyster. I mean that literally: there are like four places that serve fresh oysters nearby, including $1 oysters deals at Marliave (from 4pm-6pm) and the Green Dragon (all day). What's more, the competition keeps prices in check. There are so many competing delis and restaurants and take-out spots that no one is able to extort the legions of working stiffs looking for a good bite to eat. Still, it's not all a foodie's dream around here; there are some real duds, too. Allow me to take you on a to...

 Our first dance. Photo by Kate Rose . When Gina first moved in with us on Commonwealth Ave. in 2003, I was working on a bunch of new songs (most of which appeared on Indeed! ). But one in particular was very important to me: I was trying to write a song that I would play for my future wife, whoever she may be, on our wedding day, whenever that may be. It was a daunting endeavor, and I struggled with it for a couple of years. But it got much easier once I realized whom I was writing about. And so, on Sept. 1, 2007, I serenaded my new bride (Gina, if you haven't figured that out by now) with "On and On," a song I'd written especially for the occasion. (I somehow managed to get through it without crying like a sap in front of all of our friends and family.) While it would have been a perfect first dance song for us, we couldn't exactly pull that off, of course -- what with the microphone and guitar in the way! But now that it's recorded, maybe someon...

Some of my oldest friends call me "Hot Rod." No, I’m not all that into cars. It's a sarcastic reference to the fact that I tend to do things... very... very... slowly. I like to stroll rather than stride. I'm always the last one to finish eating (unless my dad’s around). And I'm chronically late. If you're reading this, there's a good chance you've been stuck waiting for me -- you might be waiting right now! -- or will be eventually. For that I'm sorry! And so, I guess unsurprisingly, it’s taken me about six years to record a new batch of songs. Six years?! Yeah, I couldn’t believe it’s been that long either. (WTF, time? Why the relentless marching?) But anyway, I think it was worth the wait! I present to you my new full-band EP, The Things You Keep – produced by my friend Will Dailey (and featuring a number of his band mates, The Rivals). It’s available for download right now on Bandcamp , where you can preview it for free, and you should ...

Are those fondue pots on the wallpaper? Yes. Yes they are. We've been planning to do a kitchen makeover for a long time now -- since the moment we bought our house three years ago, in fact. But we kept putting it off, partly because everyone says you should wait to see how you use the room -- it will tell you what it needs and what it doesn't as you live in it -- and partly because, well, we knew it would require a daunting amount of both hard work and money.  And oh my, did it ever. It's true, though, what they say about discovering what the room really needs. Our early, more ambitious plans were pretty much scrapped in favor of keeping the layout almost as is... we found it actually worked quite well for us. (Of course, cost also played a role in the decision.) What's even weirder is that we started growing accustomed to -- almost fond of -- the garish, muddy yellows of our ca. 1974 wallpaper, wood paneling, and linoleum. Almost. Anyway, when our crappy ...

Yesterday I spent a full 12-hour day recording a batch of new songs with out-of-my-league musicians at Q Division -- where rock goddesses such as Kay Hanley have recorded masterpieces -- courtesy of my friend and musical godfather Will Dailey . I use the term "new" rather loosely, since some of these songs have been kicking around since 2006 -- like the one I played to Gina at our wedding, nearly four (!) years ago. But there are a couple of brand new ones, too -- and, I gotta say, they're sounding damned good! Cut to the chase, man! So the point is, I'll have a new 6-song EP coming your way in a few months' time. Maybe more, maybe less -- it all depends on how our kitchen remodeling goes down. When you're 35, leaky sinks don't give a crap about your rock-star dreams! This also means it's time to clear out some old inventory -- by which I mean the 1,200-some-odd copies of Indeed! stacked up in our basement. You can now buy the CD or d...