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The USF Dons Have Gone from National Champs to National Chumps
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SF Supervisor Aaron Peskin's Message to Newsom: Quit Attacking Me!
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- AC/DC
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Recent Articles By Ben Westhoff
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Saul Williams Teams with Trent Reznor, Bucks Industry
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Bob Mould: No love lost for Husker Du days
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Why?
Alopecia (Anticon)
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Lenny Kravitz
It Is Time for a Love Revolution (Virgin)
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Lupe Fiasco hints at music retirement
National Features
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Village Voice
A Long Way Wrong?
Another celebrated memoir threatens to blow into a million little pieces.
By Graham Rayman -
LA Weekly
Hoop Dawg
Billionaire Donald T. Sterling owns the L.A. Clippers and loves the ladies. And those are just two of his problems.
By Patrick Range McDonald -
Broward-Palm Beach New Times
The Player Priests
They were holy men--and they sure knew how to party.
By Amy Guthrie -
Westword
The Good Soldier
When the Army tried to take down Andrew Pogany, they messed with the wrong coward.
By Joel Warner
Subject(s): Gary Louris by Ben Westhoff
Jayhawks and Golden Smog alum Gary Louris has a knack for crafting heartbreaking yet inspiring pop songs. At his best — in Jayhawks tunes like "Save It for a Rainy Day," "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me," and "It's Up to You" — his songs are so beautiful, they make you want to cry. While his solo debut is a characteristically moving listen, it's not very compelling. In "She Only Calls Me on Sundays," a woman rings up Louris whenever "she's had her fill of red wine and cigarettes and prescription pills." Vagabonds maintains this dispirited tone throughout, and, despite flashes of greatness, it never quite gels. One problem: The stripped-down production by the Black Crowes' Chris Robinson robs the songs of Louris' natural deft and diverse musicality. Only a few of the tunes are immediately memorable — such as the title track and "Black Grass," which evokes the Jayhawks' Sound of Lies. Maybe that's it: Sound of Lies took years to grow on fans. Vagabonds' carefully crafted vibe suggests that perhaps all it needs is some time to age.
