Tonight I took a break from Woody, Jelly, Leadbelly and the rest of my Alan Lomax research in favor of an honest-to-Pete early-21st-century rock show at Stubb’s in Austin — which probably gave me a lot more in common with my book’s YA audience than does my love of the subject matter itself (at least for now).

I sure am glad I went, and seeing as how I’m still stirred up from seeing Rilo Kiley despite the post-midnight hour, I’d just like to remind all loyal Bartography readers of how good it feels to change things up from time to time in what you read, listen to, watch and do.

And if you’re able to eat a big plate of something tasty (barbecue, in my case) beforehand, all the better.