Contrary to popular belief, I was not named after this guy. No comment on The Dead tune.

Central VT-based blogger Flatlander mentions the Seven Days' "Popten" feature in False 45th today. Check it out.

As the gent who puts that list together, I'm sometimes amazed at what ends up making the cut. Canadian rocker Aldo Nova made the top slot at Plattsburgh's Peacock Music not long ago. And it wasn't even a new album.

Vermont Bookshop in Middlebury consistently reports local artists — usually of the folk variety — as their bestsellers. You can count on a Putumayo compilation in their top 10 from time to time as well.  One imagines that they only have to sell a couple of any given disc for it to make the list.

Good 'ol Pure Pop in Burlington better reflects the tastes of American indie music buyers. From hip-hop to metal, their best sellers are usually more consistent with national trends. Of course there are often a disappropriate number of jam-rock releases on their list. Let's not forget where we live.

It's always surprising to me just how snugly provincial the Green Mountains are. Vermont is a great place to live, but not exactly a bellwether of hipster culture.

Hee, hee. What do you call a hyperlink that's also a pun? A hyperpun?

Man, I gotta get more sleep.