Update: Jon gave a grand presentation Saturday: playing a number of songs, reading from the book & taking questions. For those who could not attend, we have signed books. Just stop in or call. United managed to misplace Jon’s bag full of CDs and we were not able to sell them, so for those please visit Bloodshot Records. If you are interested in paintings or prints, Jon suggests Yard Dog as the gallery with the best selection.

Just to show my age, I first saw the Mekons some 20 years ago at the old 9:30 Club on F street with my wife and my best pal. From the first song, we knew this band was special. Pints of Guinness needed to be drunk. They did an awesome cover of Money (That’s What I Want) for an encore–folks threw dollar bills at them. These people were my age! (I was feeling old even then.) And they were still rocking out! And you could tell they were having a good time. That show started my last great rock group obsession–you know, hunting down obscure 45s or EPs or flexi-discs from equally obscure punk mags, exploring side projects (someone really needs to reissue those Three Johns records), making cuts tapes to send to friends, checking the indexes of books for any mention of Mekons, The. The Mekons aren’t quite so active anymore, the members spread across the globe. Jon Langford has been living in Chicago since 1992, and is involved in various projects, including the band The Waco Brothers. Jon is also a printmaker and painter, and has just published a collection of his work, Nashville Radio, including prints, song lyrics, autobiographical ramblings, and an 18-song CD. It’s Jon Langford unplugged, along with a few other folks pitching in here and there. Pretty cool, and not totally unplugged–a bit unhinged in places. This is all just a way to warm up to the fact that Jon Langford will be coming to Vertigo in the near future. We are piggy backing on The Wacos playing at the Old Dominion Beer Festival the evening of June 24th. Jon will be at Vertigo June 24th at 3 pm, talking a bit about his art, signing his book, and playing a few songs. We’re all excited about this, and you should be, too. Jon Langford at Vertigo, Sat., June 24 3pm. Talk, music, and booksigning. Fun!