Sadness. Our friend Mike has died, far too young. We met in Atlanta, as a result of our mutual Elvis Costello fandom. His blog was consistently our favorite, and we've linked to it many times here.

His last blog entry has become the place for tributes.

Just before we left the states, we took a last trip to NYC, where we got to see David Bowie in an intimate venue. That was all Mike's doing; he scored the tickets through his musical connections.

I have a handful of other memories of Mike, and they're almost all gems; an Elvis show in Nashville, Steve Earle and Nick Lowe shows in Atlanta. Beyond that, some parties, some dinners, an occasional email.

It's hard for me to characterize just how decent a person he was, both globally and locally. It was my good fortune to know him. Go easy, my man.