Don't miss out on some house concert good times in OKC!

Interested in all the great music from Minnesota -- from Dylan to Prince to The Jayhawks to Husker Du and MORE, I asked Twin Cities musician Kraig Johnson (Run Westy Run, Iffy, The Jayhawks, The Project) for his thoughts on the quintessential Minnesota song.  "I think of a song I heard when I was driving in my car the other day, is 'I Will Dare' by The Replacements.  Because, to me, that record, it just brings me back to a certain time, that year and everything.  And, I just thought it still just sounds so good to me, that song, you know?  It always will bring me back to Minneapolis and that time.  And, I heard it in my car the other day, and it put a smile on my face.  Oh, I love the intro to this!  And, there it is, you know?" 

Golden Smog's Weird Tales (1998, Rykodisc) is an amazing record, and one of its standout songs is "Jennifer Save Me."  Earlier this year, I interviewed Smog stalwart Kraig Johnson (right in the picture above; fellow Smogger Daniel Murphy is to the left) and asked for his thoughts about the tune that he co-wrote.  "I love that song," he said.  "We don’t play that one enough live.  That was interesting because we were recording the Sound of Lies thing with The Jayhawks, and it was just me and Gary [Louris] in the studio.  And, we started – I was just messing around with some chords . . . and, we didn’t end up doing it for The Jayhawks, but both me and him really liked it, and he’s like – do that for The Smog.  And, I was like, yes, we should."  

Oklahoma's own John Calvin Abney returns to OKC for a cozy house concert show!  John Calvin is the most talented writer and musician who finds and blends the best sounds from guitars, keys, and harmonicas.  It'll be a treat to see and hear him up close.  Join us!  Message for details.  

Join us for house concert good times in Oklahoma City with The Buffalo Gals Band!  Rebecca Patek plays the daylights out of the fiddle, and Melissa Carper is a super-talented guitarist who sings like a country Billie Holliday and writes touching and clever songs you can't forget.  Message me for details. 

Grateful for a positive review about Pinnacle on the Mound from Andrew J. Mauldin in the most recent edition of NINE:  A Journal of Baseball History and Culture.  Andrew wrote, "Wedge does a fantastic job of emphasizing the importance of the catcher and coaches on the success of the pitcher."  Thank you, Andrew and NINE, for supporting the book! 

I was thrilled to chat with Jeff Baker on his TTM podcast about Pinnacle on the Mound.  Here's a link to the interview.  Jeff's and my talk begins at 20:00.  Check it out:  https://ttmcast.podbean.com/e/ttmcast-1-on-1-with-author-doug-wedge/

The Fall / Winter 2022 edition of Oklahoma Humanities includes an excerpt from my latest book, Pinnacle on the Mound.  Check it out:  https://www.okhumanities.org/news/fall-winter-2022-etc

Choice recently reviewed Pinnacle on the Mound and praised it, describing it as "a welcome addition to all collections. Recommended. All readers."  Thank you kindly!  Full review follows:  "Wedge, the author of two previous baseball history books, interviewed ten pitchers who had won the Cy Young Award, an annual award to Major League Baseball's best pitchers in both the National League and the American League, spanning 50 years: Jim Lonborg, Mike McCormick, Randy Jones, Ron Guidry, LaMarr Hoyt, Dennis Eckersley, Jack McDowell, Barry Zito, R. A. Dickey, and Corey Kubler. All pitchers interviewed are retired, with the exception of two-time American League winner Kubler. Common threads include that pitchers' successes result from years of work perfecting their craft, and that mentorship by coaches, managers, and fellow pitchers plays an important role. Interviews also touched on the close collaboration and teamwork between pitcher and catcher, the revelation of a particularly effective pitch and/or approach to pitching the subject developed and perfected, the superior defense on the field during a given year, and team chemistry, which may not necessarily be duplicated from year to year. The author complements the interviews with discussion of the finer points of technique in pitching. Readers will conclude that there is no sure-fire path to success in pitching. The book will be a welcome addition to all collections. Recommended. All readers."