Photos from the 2010 Triple A Conference in Boulder are now available in the “Still Life” section for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!

What happens when you combine the tight minimalism of Spoon with the rhythmic splendor of some Roots? The deepest groove heard on TV in a long time. Check out “Nobody Gets Me But You” from Transference performed on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

One of our favorite people, Dan Connelly, got to meet the great Vin Scully after winning the silent bidding at the WFUV Gala in May. Mr. Scully, who helped create the Fordham University radio station as an undergrad, was obviously delighted to meet this Twins fan. Dan confided that one of his favorite memories as a child was falling asleep on the ride home from his grandparents’ home to the sonorous voice of Herb Carneal. “Let me tell you, Dan,” Scully replied, “I’ve put half of Southern California to sleep!”

It’s been just over a year since I was making the commute from Manhattan out to the Songlines office in Westchester County. As many of you probably remember from talking to me back then, the daily trek wasn’t particularly challenging in nature — only in length. It took about an hour and fifteen minutes to go door-to-door each way, and involved a short subway ride, a bit of walking, and a long haul on a commuter train.

While most of the days (especially in retrospect) tended to blend together as far as the train rides were concerned, some of the moments that impacted my memory the most took place on the short walking stint. The transfer from the underground subway to the above-ground train involved hoofing it down a very busy block of 125th Street, in the heart of Harlem. I can’t count the number of times I was hit on, yelled at, offered interesting wares, forced to run in heels when I saw the train approaching, splashed by buses crashing through puddles — you name it. But while all of this might sound a bit negative to a casual observer, my lasting impression of the block is one of constant movement and variety, peopled by friendly, busy New Yorkers every bit as invested in their day-to-day as I was. There was something so vital and real about the scene; I can honestly say I miss it.

Apparently, someone at Slate agrees with me — Camilo Jose Vergara has brought brought the block to life with much more eloquence than I ever could. Check out this vibrant photo essay.

Cool piece last night on The News Hour about the 35th anniversary of Austin City Limits, now the longest running live music show in television history. This piece includes interviews and live footage with Pearl Jam, Ben Harper, Dave Matthews, Johnny Cash and Carolyn Wonderland as well an interview with executive producer Terry Lickona. Weirdly wonderful.

This collection of some of the most culturally relevant and evocative photos I’ve ever seen has been haunting me since the VSL featured it last week. The astonishing shots are the work of Associated Press photographer Emilio Morenatti, who began covering Afghanistan in 2003 and is currently based in Pakistan. Here’s a sample:

As a bonus, all come with informative captions. Explore away!

If the financial mess down here on Earth is getting you down perhaps it’s time to look up. A group of astronomers were asked to vote for the Top 10 photos taken by the Hubble Space Telescope and, in order, here’s what they chose:

#10

The Trifid Nebula is 9000 light years away. It’s a ‘stellar nursery’ where new stars are born.

#9

The glowering eyes from 114 million light years away are swirling cores of two emerging galaxies called NGC 2207 and IC 2163.

#8
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Starry Night reminded astronomers of Van Gogh. It is a halo of light in the Milky Way.

#7

The Perfect Storm, a ‘small area’ in the Swan Nebula, is made of hydrogen, oxygen, sulphur and other elements.

 #6

The Cone Nebula. The part shown here is 2.5 million miles in length or equivalent to 23 million round trips to the Moon.

#5

The Hourglass Nebula is 8000 light years away. It has that pinched-in-the-middle look because winds that shape it are less turbulent in the center.

#4

Cat’s Eye Nebula.

#3

Nebula NGC 2392 is called Eskimo because it looks like a face surrounded by a furry hood. The hood is actually a ring of comet-shaped objects flying away from a dying star.

 #2

The Ant Nebula is within our galaxy and resembles an ant when observed using ground-based telescopes.

#1

The Sombrero Galaxy, 28 million light years away, was voted best in show. The dimensions of the galaxy are as spectacular as its appearance. It has 800 billion suns and is 50,000 light years across.

Ever wonder what makes WFUV’s “Take Five” podcast and “Words and Music from Studio A” feature sound so terrific? No doubt Rita Houston’s great voice is key, but the production work of Sarah Wardrop is a big part of the equation. Sarah recently celebrated a birthday, and we found out that a little Amstel helps, too:

 

Melanie Shrawder & Paul Langton after Minnie Driver show in NYC.