a perfect couple?

The LA Times' loss is 5280's gain, as acclaimed writer J.R. Moehringer's debut in the July edition attests. It's a relationship that at least the editors of the mag are intending to build upon, tagging his article on Fort Collins singer/songwriter Jeff Finlin Moehringer's "first for 5280."

Though I'm happy to see Moehringer's byline in the Denver glossy (I was among the throngs of readers last year carrying on about how great The Tender Bar is), that pairing isn't what has me calling out perfection. It's the coupling of Moehringer and Finlin, a "quasi-anonymous musical prodigy. An undiscovered Bob Dylan in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains," Moehringer writes.

Moehringer doesn't necessarily reveal so much about Finlin that a local follower doesn't already know — that his fans include Springsteen and Cameron Crowe, who selected a Finlin ballad for the film Elizabethtown; that he has almost been a star time and again. Instead, Moehringer gives over to writing about Finlin's undeserved status, and how Finlin ultimately inspired him to take a buyout from the LA Times and embrace an uncertain future.

Moehringer's anger over Finlin's lack of notoriety is well placed. Finlin should be better known. And the profile is worth the read for the insights into Finlin's personal journey and literary inclinations. Still, by the end, you wonder if the story is really about Finlin, or if it's about Moehringer. For that, we have The Tender Bar.