I love the guitar. Specifically, I love the electric guitar. It has to have some crunch to it, it should be biting, and it has to be loud. If it’s not loud, why even bother. Might as well play an acoustic guitar.

My love for playing loud guitar explains my bad hearing. If you call Shore Fire and I answer the phone, chances are, I will ask for your name. At least twice. Sorry about that… Anyway, these are some of my favorite guitar records. In alphabet order by artist.

The Byrds “Eight Miles High”
The Byrds were a great singles band in the mid-60’s. And this one features the classic 12 string Rickenbacker sound (probably through a top boost Vox AC-30 I would imagine) that every jingle jangle pop guy has tried to recreate for the past 40 odd years. The lead guitar track is such a monster.

Green Day “Longview”
I’m really not a Green Day fan but I love how the guitar sounds on their records. I saw a VH1 Behind The Music where they said one of the reasons they signed to Reprise was that the A&R rep knew guitar tone. That makes sense when listening to this single.

Guided By Voices – anything on Isolation Drills
The guitars on this record sound amazing. Punchy, loud, driving. I love the early GBV records, but Pollard’s songs really came alive with this cleaner, punchier production.

Jesus & Mary Chain – anything on Psycho Candy
Buzzsaw, squealing distortion and feedback. This record could not have had a better title.

My Bloody Valentine – anything on Loveless
You can’t talk about guitar and not talk about this band and this album. I love the “Strawberry Wine” era stuff, but this… Kevin Shields figured out how to make a guitar sound like whales &*@ing. Holy crap. Stacks of Marshalls. Tape saturation. Loud beyond belief.

Radiohead – anything on Okay Computer
The fact that Johnny Greenwood laid down these kind of performances to tape is why every record they released after, while all really great in scope, imagination, and creativity, will always leave guitar lovers wanting.

The Smiths “How Soon Is Now”
The twin assault of the tremelo rhythm track, and the wailing swell track is genius. Johnny Marr is a genius. How the &*ck did he do that?

Sonic Youth “Teenage Riot”
A former co-worker once said they were over-rated. He wasn’t a guitar player which explains how he could say something so completely wrong.

The Who “Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere”
I’m pretty sure this was when Townshend used a Rickenbacker through a Marshall. To awesome effect. I like the fact that he used the guitar as a weapon, to assault the audience. His guitar would never gently weep. Thankfully.

Thanks to the North Shore Animal League (a no kill shelter that I couldn’t praise more), my partner and I are now the proud parents of a 4 year old Akita/Shepard mix named Maude. She enjoys playing with her yellow ball, chew toy, and the dog run at McCarren Park.

Years ago I got in a heated argument with friends originally from California when I was talking about the superiority of corn and tomatoes grown in NJ. They talked about all the farms in California and how good the produce is there, etc etc. I countered with, “I know but I’m talking specifically corn and tomatoes. There’s no comparison.” They were still in disbelief.

It’s not surprising. When people think of New Jersey, they think of the smell of the NJ Turnpike shortly after leaving NYC. I come from South Jersey (moved to NYC from Ocean City, NJ in ‘94), a world away from what people have called “the armpit of the nation.” It’s a region, due to its proximity to Philadelphia, where people eat “hoagies” and have a weird way of pronouncing words, particularly those with the letter O, as in: “Nah, I’m goeing hooeme noaw. Awight. Laater.” [if you still can't hear the accent I'm referring to, watch Hardball with Chris Matthews on MSNBC] The Phillies and Eagles are religion, as are sweet white corn and beefsteak tomatoes. Some people take fishing (I hated it), surfing (I was obsessed) and boating (was way above my family’s pay grade) pretty seriously as well. For me, sweet white corn and beefsteak tomatoes is a pretty serious religion this time of year.

The season runs from July 1st until about mid-September. During this time, I try to get to a farmer’s market as often I can, and consume as much as I can. My partner has learned to live with this quirk and laughs when I inform him on Tuesdays and Thursdays, “I got corn and tomatoes.” Which means he is supposed to come up with something for dinner that involves corn and tomatoes.

There’s about a month left of the season. If you’re reading this and have never bitten into a tomato or ear of corn from Jersey, I highly recommend locating the nearest farmer’s market. If you’re in the New York Metropolitan area, chances are they have ‘em. Make a tomato salad, season with a little salt and pepper, and oil and balsamic vinegar. Boil the corn until when you put your nose above the boiling water, there’s an overwhelming smell of corn. Season the corn with a little salt and butter. What you choose to have to accompany this is up to you. I guarantee that you will leave the table exclaiming “God damn that was good corn. And those tomatoes were amazing!”

As the resident authority on football (soccer) at Shore Fire Media, I feel compelled to write a preview of the first USA match at this year’s World Cup being held in South Africa.

On June 12 USA faces off against England. Here is some background and interesting factiods that will hopefully wet your appetite for this grudge match:

• This is the first time the two countries have played each other in the World Cup since 1950 when we stunned England, and the world, with a 1-0 win. That was our best World Cup showing since the first World Cup in 1930. We wouldn’t qualify for the World Cup again until four decades later.

• US star Landon Donovan, who plays for MLS team LA Galaxy, was on loan this winter to the English Premiership club, Everton FC. During one match Donovan tackled the left back for Chelsea FC, Ashley Cole, and broke his ankle in the process. Cole is also the left back for the English national team. His prospects to participate in the World Cup were very much in question until recently, leading some in the press to cry foul. Unfortunately for us, it seems like he will be fit in time for the World Cup.

• International celebrity, bending wizard, and husband of Posh Spice, England’s David Beckham tore his achilles heel while on loan to AC Milan this winter so he will not be Bending it like Beckham in South Africa this summer. This is good news for the USA.

• Arguably the best footballer in the world right now, England’s Wayne Rooney was out with injury but now looks like he will be fit enough to join the England squad in South Africa. This is bad news for the USA.

We are very much the underdog in this match. Everyone on the England squad plays in the top football leagues in the world. While a number of Americans now play in Europe, only a handful play or have played in England’s Premiership or Italy’s Serie A. I don’t think England will make the mistake of not taking us seriously. However, there are some players on the England who have huge egos. And so much of this game is mental discipline. The stage is set for the re-match from 1950… So… Where will YOU be on June 12th?

I went to see the New York Red Bulls usher in a new era with the grand opening of a new 25,000 capacity stadium in Harrison, NJ this past Saturday March 20. They hosted Santos FC from Brazil on a spring night that felt more like late May than late March. It was a perfect night for football. And as it turns out, a perfect night for winning. Santos FC is one of the best clubs in Brazil (it was Pele’s former club)… And we beat them handily — 3 to 1. A new era indeed. Go energy drink!!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Xd5cbO4rl0]

So one of the bands on my label, Les Sans Culottes, got this gig opening for this heavy metal tribute to the Bee Gees called Tragedy. I’m typically really skeptical of the tribute band thing. Then I found out this band featured former members of Satanicide. And then I saw them last Friday at Bowery Ballroom. Tragically, it was to be Tragedy’s farewell show.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuCmSIX1bh8]