A GOOD START TO THE DAY: In yesterday’s mail was a “test pressing” of a CD rerelease by my favorite 1980s rock ‘n’ roll band, The Rainmakers. It’s their first album, but I never got it on CD. I saw them in a hell of a show in Washington, double-billed with the then-unknown Steve Earle, for 5 bucks. (Mickey Kaus was at that show, too, but I didn’t know it at the time). And driving in to work as the fog lifted from the lake along Cherokee Boulevard, it was just too pretty not to take a picture. So, I did.

Now I’m in the office, going through my clogged inbox while Let My People Go-Go plays in the background. Not as nice as the drive in, but not bad.

You’ve got to enjoy stuff like this, because it’s what life’s about. I always knew that, to a degree, but with each passing year that knowledge gets closer to the bone.

UPDATE: You can stream some of the Rainmakers’ tunes here and even see a few videos. And Rainmakers frontman Bob Walkenhorst has a solo album out, though I haven’t heard it yet.

ANOTHER UPDATE: And while I’m mentioning favorite ’80s rock and roll bands, you might want to check out the White Animals’ website. And listen to “Ecstasy,” a song that defines an era.