THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD: Today was my son Julian’s first day of Kindergarten—he’s attending a large public school near his father’s apartment—a far cry from the two classes that comprised his beloved preschool for the past three years. As we entered the auditorium at 7:30AM, among the first to arrive, Matt Johnson’s (The The) lyrics “this is the day your life will surely change” kept repeating in my head. Julian looked adorable in his Sub Pop t-shirt (some day, I’ll tell him the story about how his mommy lent the founders of the label $$$ in the late ’80s so they could stay in business), while I did my best to capture the two of us in selfies. As Julian entered the trailer that will be his classroom for the next year, filing in with his new classmates, there was barely a dry eye among the parents. Then the migraine hit (stress-related) and now I’m trying to focus on work. You know, the important stuff… Some day, I’ll tell Julian the story about how his mommy’s senior prom “theme” was The Beatles’ “The Long and Winding Road,” and that she had the great fortune to see Paul McCartney perform that very song at Dodger Stadium 35 years later, from the 18th row, in fact! The story will include the Spoon show at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery two nights prior, when his mommy’s dearest pals from KROQ shared a blanket under a full moon, while their friend Britt played new songs from his Top 5 debuting album They Want My Soul, including the their biggest hit, “Do You,” which features her and Lisa Worden’s favorite line, “Do you run when it’s just getting good?” So many stories will be told to Julian as he grows up, complete with its own soundtrack… I spent two days at the Triple A radio gathering in Boulder, CO, enjoying reconnecting with a group of former Modern Rock PDs and MDs, such as Geno Pearson, Brad Savage, Haley Jones, Bryan Schock, Marc Alghini and Sean Demery, while matching wits with some of the best minds in radio, like Norm Winer, John Bradley, Mike Henry, Chris Mays, Carmel Holt and Mark Abuzzahab. It’s my 23rd annual trip to Boulder, although this year, the hotel shuttle’s field trips to the now-legal dispensaries made conversation a bit, um, “loose.” So if I didn’t make an impression on the radio programmers I met for the first time, it’s because they were stoned, not because I’m anything less than fascinat­ing (perish the thought). My favorite musical highlight was a solo set by Andrew McMahon, whose single, “Cecilia and the Satellite,” is my current obsession. You, of course, remember Andrew from Jack’s Mannequin and Something Corporate. Ask Capone for a copy of this record imme-diately….Looking forward to seeing Death From Above 1979 at the Troubadour this week, surrounded by dozens of my closest radio friends, none of whom would return my call on a slow day (unless I have a band they want to book for their Xmas show). Rob Goldklang’s Priory record is already Top 20—much to celebrate with him!... KONGOS’ “I’m Only Joking” hit Top 15 at Modern Rock on the same day that their first single “Come With Me Now” was certified PLATINUM. What an incredible story!... So I spent my 7 hours of my birthday stuck in traffic to-and-from San Diego, where Spoon played an outdoor session for KBZT to celebrate their album release, en route to opening for Arcade Fire later that night. I listened to XMU for the most of the trip, marveling at how Rob Cross has created a listenable and impactful indie rock station by marrying his com­mercial programming skills with his singular ability to find the songs that “matter.” Thanks to XMU, In the Valley Below’s “Peaches” was selling 1,500 singles/week, and now, also thanks to XMU I’m in love with Hooray for Earth’s “Keys” and Foxygen’s “How Can You Really” (which should both be mainstream Modern Rock hits. Seriously). What’s YOUR “Song of the Summer?” Email me: [email protected].