Dustland fairytale beginning

The Killers & Springsteen, spring weekend gear and craft beer

Folks, as I promised in my Tuesday newsletter, we’re back with a full edition of my music-menswear-craft beer newsletter, The Style Guide In Brief. I normally cover a little bit of everything in these (free!) dispatches, from the synth pop of CHVRCHES to the indie rock of Moontype, served up alongside concert-ready menswear and washed down with a cold craft beer. Those are the best things in life, are they not? Today’s newsletter gets right back to business after I took a bit of time off during an upstate getaway last weekend, and we’re back in a very big way. I’ve also been publishing daily on my style blog, but it’s nice to be back into the swing of things with the newsletter.

The timing truly couldn’t have worked out better with today’s featured track, an iconic revamp of a classic from Las Vegas rock heroes The Killers (here’s a past newsletter entry featuring the famed band). Lead singer Brandon Flowers, whom I interviewed for Esquire.com earlier this year, has always had quite the way with words, as evidenced by the 2008 classic “A Dustland Fairytale” — how could the song get any better? Two words: The Boss. “Dustland” by The Killers featuring Bruce Springsteen dropped earlier this week, and it’s an incredible and soul-stirring reboot of a track that was already iconic. It’s the right way to lead off the weekend with passion and purpose, and you know the accompanying menswear is going to, well, rock. Let’s plug in and get to work.

What To Listen To This Weekend: “Dustland” By The Killers feat. Bruce Springsteen

I know you don’t need me to remind you how epic the original version of “A Dustland Fairytale” is, right? Penned by Mr. Brandon Flowers as his mom fought bravely against cancer, it’s a beautiful, poignant and heartbreaking track that The Man himself has always delivered with deep passion and gusto. It’s enough to give you goosebumps and make you tear up when the band plays it live (check out this version at Royal Albert Hall, an all-time classic). So with all that being said, how could it get any better? Again, just add the legendary Bruce Springsteen, himself known for decades as the poet laureate of everyday Americans, with authentic storytelling to back it up. Springsteen comparisons seem pretty apt at times with The Killers — the incredible “Sam’s Town” is a prime example, of course — and I’m continually floored with how epic this new version of a timeless track sounds. If you feel the same way, give it a listen — you might be sitting down to start as you listen to this one, but by the time it ends, I guarantee you’ll be on your feet. Thank you to The Killers for this new version. It’s a masterpiece.

What To Shop This Weekend: Flint and Tinder Indigo Waffle Trucker Jacket

Look very closely at the soul-stirring video for “Dustland” above and you’ll notice that the ever-stylish Brandon Flowers is wearing a deep, dark trucker jacket. It might be black, it might be a rich navy, but much like The Boss’ Western shirt in the same video, there’s no denying it looks cool-as-heck. And you’re in luck, because you can steal Brandon Flowers’ style yourself with this Huckberry trucker jacket. It’s the sort of rugged denim jacket you can actually wear in the summer months, thanks to the lighter-weight indigo waffle construction. Wear it atop a crisp white T-shirt with slim black jeans, as Mr. Flowers does, and you just might feel like a bit of a rock star yourself.

What To Sip This Weekend: Threes Brewing Short Fuse Oak Aged Smoked Helles

I associate powerful, life-changing rock music with a few things: Iconic style like the Huckberry trucker jacket shown above, plus the promise of my favorite venues, new cities and ideally, a cold beer in hand. Turn your living room into, say, the majestic Brooklyn Steel as you blast this classic track and sip on a cold Brooklyn beer from one of my longtime favorites, Threes Brewing. If you’ve been hesitant to try a smoked beer like the Threes Brewing Short Fuse Oak Aged Smoked Helles, rest assured that this one is balanced and not too overpowering. And you’re in good hands, too. Naturally, I’d hope that you know the brewery from this newsletter and hopefully, from my daily blog, The Style Guide — last month, I talked about the best beers to buy from Threes. As you very well might know, that means it’s an ample time to stock up with the handy discount code BEAU10, good for 10 percent off your first online order of $50 or more. If you’ve been angling to add some fresh beer to your fridge, now’s the time. Your soundtrack is all set, too.

The Final Pick: Nicks Boots Urban Drifter Boots

We sure do have quite the distinctive, rock n’roll theme going today, don’t we? Hence, today’s final pick: Some rugged leather boots from Huckberry, the kind that I could see getting some serious miles through globe-trotting festivals and pulse-pounding rock shows. It’s also fitting that the name Urban Drifter sure does seem to line up nicely with “A Dustland Fairytale” and its classic story. Last but not least, it’s not all that hard to imagine The Boss or Sir Brandon Flowers lacing up these stylish leather boots, is it? They’re all yours for charting your own way forward.

Is there a better way to start the weekend than the soulful stylings of The Killers and Bruce Springsteen? On this particular weekend, I should think not. I’m continually floored every time I hear “Dustland” by The Killers featuring Bruce Springsteen, which has been quite often this week. And I can think of no better way to pay homage to two legends (yes, both of them!) than with a bit of rocker style in the form of a Huckberry trucker jacket and the incredibly cool Nicks Boots Urban Drifter Boots. These are all new and revamped takes on classics, so why not look towards you beer fridge for a similar update all the same via the Threes Brewing Short Fuse Oak Aged Smoked Helles? Again, talk about one heck of a weekend-ready combo. Turn up that Killers track, get on your boots, get me a cold beer and let’s rock. Thanks for reading!