Three is a Magic Number by Steven Uhles: Bands, VP Plans, and Scholastic (Traffic) Jams
Pythagoras, Sesame Street and De La Soul all agree that it is three that’s a magic number.
Who am I to disagree?
With that magic in mind, every week I’ll lay claim to this space and spotlight three things affecting the cultural landscape. It might be that movie everybody – or nobody – is talking about. It might be a story dominating the headlines. New discoveries. Old favorites. Anything. Three has two rules. There will always be three and they will always be things that, in the week prior, have captured my interest. Here’s this week’s magical three:
The Dusty Angels
I feel like I’ve been circling this Augusta-based alt-Americana act for years without our schedules quite pairing. I’ve noted their appearance as a local opener on a few bills and as a headliner at the regular suspect venues around town. I even took a spin through their recently released EP “Old Friends”. But, despite my best intentions and efforts, I’ve missed seeing this talented ensemble’s live act.
Shame on me.
Drawing from the same school of homespun sounds as Jason Isbell, Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris and the late, great Uncle Tupelo, Dirty Angels is the kind of country that doesn’t pander and the sort of rock band that understands that not every head has to bang. The group, which recently stole the show opening for Drivin N Cryin at Miller Theater, is clearly becoming an Augusta-area favorite – and the reasoning is sound. Stellar songwriting, nimble playing and a charismatic performance style makes Dirty Angels an Augusta music standout. I look forward to hearing much more from them in the future.
Back to School
There is much moaning and gnashing of teeth in the Uhles household as summer wanes and the prospect of another school year begins to feel real.
My kids aren’t all that excited either.
And while I haven’t had the luxury of spending late mornings in bed and leisurely afternoons by the pool, I find that my lifestyle still takes a hard turn when kids return to school. Morning traffic, which has been holiday-light for months, suddenly becomes more difficult to navigate. Schedules, which felt free and easy during the summer, are now considerably tighter and far less flexible. Even household spending – with the prospect of new backpacks, parking passes and activity fees looming on the horizon – feels far more business in front than party in the back.
So for all you parents prepping to pack up lunches, offer algebraic aid and otherwise trudge through another academic season – you have my sympathy, my empathy and my respect.
School is hard – for students and parents alike.
The VP Hustle
Well, if we have learned one thing this week it’s that a presidential candidate’s VP pick can certainly make a difference. Not only did former President Trump’s selection of memoirist/senator JD Vance offer some additional juice to a campaign drawing focus from both the Republican Convention and a failed assassination attempt, but President Joe Biden’s pick some four years ago is now proving to have a very real effect on the upcoming presidential election. While most seem to believe that current Vice President Kamala Harris will take her boss’s spot on the ballot – although I’m still hoping for the exotic drama of an open Convention – the Democratic party is now taking VP applications. If I were a betting man, I would lay odds on Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona. Not only was he quick to endorse Harris as the presumed Democratic nominee for president, but he’s a player in a swing state with a very compelling backstory. He’s a former astronaut and his wife, former Rep. Gabby Giffords, survived her own assassination attempt in 2011.
At any rate, we certainly are paying far more attention to the significance of Second-in Command than we have in cycles past. It’s sure to make for an interesting election season. Buckle up.
