Did you hear the '59 sound?
Did you hear the '59 sound?
Did you hear the old gospel choir?
Folks, what a week. WHAT a week. As I posted about on my Instagram earlier this week, I’m excited and hopeful for better days ahead, and I hope you feel the same way. Now, let’s get into a Saturday edition of The Style Guide In Brief, where I’m talking music and menswear, and specifically, music-inpsired menswear (my regular blog, The Style Guide, is all menswear, all the time — seven days a week!). Today, as is so often the case, I’m drawing writing and style inspiration from a soaring rock song. Be it the solo stylings of Brandon Flowers or the emotional indie rock of Julien Baker, that inspiration exists for me in spades as far as passionate music is concerned. That’s why I positively had to feature today’s track, “The ‘59 Sound” by New Jersey alt rockers The Gaslight Anthem (the image at the top was quite the giveaway, no?). In fact, this track is unique for another reason: Prior to hearing it on my Spotify shuffle, I had never, ever heard this song. It’s the title track off an album that drew plenty of critical acclaim at the time of its release but again, it slipped by me somehow.
I assuredly missed out on The Gaslight Anthem hype train through my high school and college years, so hearing this track made my jaw drop. It’s an emotional and yet oddly uplifting song, the kind that can get you on your feet to start the weekend. It helps that frontman Brian Fallon nails the sort of cool, rock n’roll style to jumpstart your weekend shoppping, too. So, without further ado, let’s plug in and get to work.
What To Listen To This Weekend: “The ‘59 Sound” By The Gaslight Anthem
Now, when I pen these newsletter dispatches, I usually draw my inspiration from a beloved track (like “My God” by The Killers) or a favorite band (like The Replacements) or a standout new indie offering (like something from Hamilton Leithauser), but not often from a track that’s been newly added to my Spotify playlist. “The ‘59 Sound” reminds me a heck of a lot of what you might get from a more amped-up, emotional, modern-day version of The Replacements, in a way, but channeled through Bruce Springsteen’s New Jersey, home of The Gaslight Anthem. Fallon appears in a documentary about The Replacements and cites them as an inspiration, too. But back to this track: It’s a sad but powerful song about a car accident that sadly killed one of Brian Fallon’s friends, but it’s ultimately a deeper reflection on the future and on our legacies, and the things that shape us (like powerful rock music).
I had to play the track over and over again, it stuck with me so much — perhaps how former Replacements manager Peter Jesperson felt when he heard the band the first time. At any rate, the song is striking and instantly memorable, and it makes me wonder how I missed this band early on (they played at Governors Ball 2018, but Fallon himself is now a solo artist … and I wasn’t able to catch them at the Governors Ball festival, either!). I might have missed the band the first time around, but I’m glad I stumbled upon this song when I did — talk about a powerful weekend jumpstart, with some menswear inspiration to match, coming up below …
What To Shop This Weekend: Schott NYC Perfecto Motorcycle Jacket via UNCRATE
If you subscribe to this newsletter, you know that one thing flows into another quite easily, as in a powerful rock song that can be easily reflected in what you’re wearing or shopping on any given weekend (just note Gaslight Anthem lead singer Brian Fallon’s classic moto jacket shown at the top of the page). Let’s keep that rock n’roll menswear homage rolling along in quite the weekend-friendly style with this classic Schott Perfecto Moto Jacket, a favorite of mine and a favorite of rock stars like Brandon Flowers, of course). It’s a timeless moto jacket, the kind best paired with a night at a live show, cold beer in hand —or rather in these times, perhaps it’s just a classic leather moto jacket to wear as you grab a beer at a heated outdoor beer garden. Hopefully, The Gaslight Anthem is playing over the PA — right? No doubt.
What To Sip This Weekend: Departed Soles A Dark Night Black IPA via Drizly
Today’s craft beer is another fitting homage to The Gaslight Anthem, seeing as Departed Soles hails from the state (Jersey City, to be exact — they’re the city’s first “modern brewery and tasting room,” and having been there in the past, it’s quite the neat experience!). Regional craft beer like this can be tough to come by at times, but that’s where Drizly can come in handy, seeing as you can get beer and spirits delivered to your door in as little as an hour. And hey, what pairs better with a cold winter weekend than a durable, flannel-lined moto jacket from Schott and a unique Black IPA — designed to taste, as the brewery says, like a Black and Tan (traditionally Smithwick’s and Guinness in one glass). To me, that sounds like the perfect weekend beer.
The Final Pick: R.M. Williams Gardener Chelsea Boots via UNCRATE
Once more, let’s close out today’s post with a bit of rock n’roll-esque footwear, the exact sort of seriously cool black leather Chelsea boots you’ll want to wear day after day this winter — and as I always say, if you start breaking them in now, they’ll be more than ready for a concert or festival when the time comes. These classic Chelsea boots feature a sleek profile and remarkably durable construction (the upper is crafted from a single piece of leather), and they’re also made to be resoled after years of year. Talk about a winning pair of rock-inspired boots, yes?
With the powerful rock music of The Gaslight Anthem in your headphones and a pair of classic Chelsea boots on your feet (or at least on your wish list), the weekend is yours for the taking, yes? There’s a certain nostalgia for the past that comes with this band, even after spending only a few days with their music, but it’s towards the future that I’m looking today. That’s the kind of vision you can’t beat. See you out there.