Maybe it's the convergence of old-school urban blues and neo-surf. Or maybe it's just the unusual combination of headgear that looks like a band of Mexican wrestlers raiding a Native American reservation. Whatever the case, the unlikely pairing of guitarist Eddy "The Chief" Clearwater and surf rockers Los Straitjackets makes 2003's Rock 'n' Roll City a fun, high-energy ride.

It's guitar-driven, blues-based rock in the tradition of Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters, Fats Domino and various other seminal blues and rock and roll artists of the 1950s. Clearwater (aka Edward Harrington) came up through the ranks in that same era, and appears to be navigating the years better than many of his better-known contemporaries. His vintage sensibility is enhanced by a crew known as Los Amigos de Nashville: tenor/baritone saxophonist Dennis Taylor, keyboardist Steve Conn and banjoist/bassist/baritone guitarist George Bradfute.

The set starts on an upbeat note with the one-two punch of "You're Humbuggin' Me" and "Ding Dong Daddy," then takes a dark turn with the slow and melancholy "Lonesome Town." The weight lifts quickly with "Hillbilly Blues," wherein Clearwater's vocals bear an uncanny resemblance to Chuck Berry. Los Straitjackets' signature sound -- crafted by guitarists Eddy Angel and Danny Amis -- comes to the forefront in "Monkey Paw," a swampy instrumental track that jumps back and forth between Southwestern twang and bluesy shuffle.

Is it blues? Rock and roll? Rockabilly? Who cares? Just call it genuine music from a guy who was among the first on the scene when all of the above were surfacing in the mainstream more than a half-century ago. Rock 'n' Roll City is one town that's worth revisiting many times.

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I caught one of the two L.A. sets by They Might Be Giants, who recently released Join Us, their first adult album in quite some time. The performance was part of their 30th anniversary tour. Sure, the audience offered a broader age spectrum, but the energy in the room made it hard to believe two decades had passed since I last saw them perform.

The first few times I caught TMBG, it was just the original duo of John Linnell and John Flansburg. I also saw their first tour with their full band. The Johns are still touring with a talented group of musicians backing them. Fans of their music who've never seen them perform will be surprised at how much the clever lyrics and creative arrangements actually rock when heard live, especially on crowd pleasers such as "When Will You Die" and "Celebration."

Of course, it wouldn't be TMBG without a healthy dose of whimsy. One of my favorite moments of the night was when they got the somewhat stoic audience to rush the stage early on by playing a rocking version of "Clap Your Hands," one of their songs for kids. And later in the set, the band played a loyal version of Black Sabbath's "Paranoid" while puppets (voiced by Linnell and Flansburg) provided the lyrics.

The dates continue through early March and, since it's an anniversary tour, the sets are peppered with cuts from their vast and imaginative discography.

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As a kid my dad's record collection accounted for some of my earliest impressions, but through time many of these memories have become cobwebby, shadowed by later experiences and more recent tastes. Yet my early exposure to his John Fahey albums, particularly The Transfiguration Of Blind Joe Death, remains a clear -- but somehow opaque -- recollection because of the eerie cover art that always adorned Fahey's early solo guitar releases and the spookiness of his playing.

In fact, it may have been the crude folk art on many of Fahey's albums and the inscrutable sound of his warped blues coming from the family record player that keep Fahey somewhat shrouded for me even after years of subsequent listening. Much of it boils down to Fahey's downright weirdness. From the image of a breathless man fleeing with a talking turtle under his arm from a family of zombie cat people (the gatefold art of Fahey's incredible America album) to the minimalist picking of songs with obscure titles like "On Doing an Evil Deed Blues" and "The Transcendental Waterfall," Fahey had a lasting but mystifying impact on me that still resonates every time I experience him.

My dad tells me Fahey could be pretty weird live as well. Legend goes that after finishing the first set of a show in London, instead of continuing he simply said, "It feels like it is time to go home," after which he did just that. These days listening to Fahey makes me want to be back home myself, in the living room combing my dad's records, fascinated and puzzled by the solo guitarist with the strange song titles and preternatural guitar.

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Paul Simon's latest release, So Beautiful Or So What, his first in five years, is considered by many to be his best since Graceland. Now available as a Collectors Edition, it comes in a deluxe package with a bonus live concert DVD.

Produced by Simon and Phil Ramone, the 10 tracks show Simon in top form. One of pop's most interesting lyricists, Simon writes transcendentalist tone poems that play with the meaning of words and imbue the sights and sounds of everyday life with mystical significance. The third verse from the title cut is vintage Simon: "I'm just a raindrop in a bucket/A coin dropped in a slot/ I am an empty house on Weed Street/ Across the road from the vacant lot/ You know life is what you make of it/ So beautiful or so what."

"Getting Ready For Christmas Day" covers our current national woes, from the economic pinch of the workingman to the Iraq War. Rev. J.M. Gates, the famous early 20th century preacher, is Simon's inspiration and sections of his 1941 sermon of the same name are inserted into the song.

The DVD was recorded in June of 2011 at Webster Hall in NYC. Along with three tracks from the current CD, it includes 2 classics, "Mother And Child Reunion" and "Slip, Slidin' Away." The band is tight and the music grooves with the Afro-Pop rhythms that Simon played a huge part in introducing to American audiences. In this age of auto-tune and studio magic, Simon's impeccable performance highlights in contrast the mastery of his art. There's no loss in technique in either his voice or guitar. On the contrary, his craftsmanship as a writer and performer continues to evolve.

With liner notes written by an admiring Elvis Costello, this fabulous offering is a must-have for Simon fans or anyone interested in the singer/songwriter's art. One decade into the 21st century, Simon continues his tenure as America's moral conscious, a post he's held for the last 50 years.

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