https://open.spotify.com/user/22lqswu5hmkt555wivb5iqaii/playlist/5r8aXJXkk7nJg1N7GYHzR5?si=9uFCCjtlR4icv7Asrd89RQ It’s a snowy day here in St. John’s. I’m in a taxi on my way to Burin to celebrate Christmas with the Lundrigan clan. It’s driven by a friendly fella named Tom. Turns out this is also Santa’s sleigh. The front is stacked full presents and we’re driving all over town dropping them off….
Category: Music
Magic Marker – Best of 2019 Playlist
https://open.spotify.com/user/22lqswu5hmkt555wivb5iqaii/playlist/3GOMfA4npsWFHXfsfet3L9?si=fflfCW4-R_CWuYpX-3hgYg I still roll around with a magic marker Some nights it just feels good to write your name — Craig Finn Let me explain. The moment I heard this song, inspiration hit me: it would make a great short story. The imagery is ripe for interpretation, lines like pretty girls burning holes in the…
June 2019 Playlist
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2e6yo2KRlAtGMaQwLGO62O?si=2zvFHwxFQB-x1x8hP0Zpkg I’ve never seen a venue clear out that quickly. From the final applause to the bar staff counting their tills must have been about 10 minutes. I guess all those New Yorkers had some place better to go on a warm Tuesday night in Manhattan. As I waited for her to return from the…
May 2019 Playlist
https://open.spotify.com/user/22lqswu5hmkt555wivb5iqaii/playlist/4wdcMFiDTcDOgvTdBgtEEo?si=LVHK_sSlSg6GLxUk_wH0yg It’s impossible for me to analyze new music in a vacuum. I can’t mute my own expectations. Neither can I ignore a band’s discography. Nor can I stop making comparisons. But I’ve tried. In order to drop the weight of wanting to like something because I’m a fan comes down to the most personal…
April 2019 Playlist
https://open.spotify.com/user/22lqswu5hmkt555wivb5iqaii/playlist/67nSMi6eVFC21akIU9P99z?si=UUgGyCIuQB2GfbyNh39z8Q I feel like I’m an old man yelling at a cloud here, but it’s all Vampire Weekend’s fault. Or maybe it was Justin Vernon first. Both of these artists started using studio trickery like autotune many years ago (see Bon Iver’s “Skinny Love” and VW’s “California English”) and as a result opened the…
March 2019 Playlist
https://open.spotify.com/user/22lqswu5hmkt555wivb5iqaii/playlist/2vQr05RhzJ37O9NiPwoiNG?si=DbiwnXnRRum7SNowD3jSpg Nicotine is a hell of a drug. Cigarettes have been my safety valve, my stress relief. A constant companion. My secret exit strategy. My reward. If I want to be honest with myself though, tobacco has also been my jailor, locking me in a yellow-stained, foul-smelling cell for far too many years. But…
February 2019 Playlist
https://open.spotify.com/user/22lqswu5hmkt555wivb5iqaii/playlist/2zm0r9bSI2ROncYtyBm4Jf?si=3RjSA8tfSaSW1rCSsnEl9A The stage was a clear cultural divide. To the left, African American dancers hopped and skipped, leapt and spun. To the right, their Irish counterparts kicked out a fury of flailing legs, steps heavy and arms tight. It was a dance-off: African Juba vs. Irish stepdance. Their movements were the storytelling vessel; telling the audience…
January 2019 Playlist
https://open.spotify.com/user/22lqswu5hmkt555wivb5iqaii/playlist/0SmYDoZRfoImxxbSaRcpTl?si=KaXbU5TUTXSMOEKYe-GcPg I’m not a thrill-seeker. The notion of jumping out of a plane or rappelling down a mountain is totally absurd to me. My idea of risk usually involves a big board game. Earlier this month we travelled to Panama. We were staying in the pristine valley of Hortino, a dormant volcano to the north…
Black Moon Rising – Best Songs 2018 Playlist
https://open.spotify.com/user/22lqswu5hmkt555wivb5iqaii/playlist/3cPiXJ6M9Ce3Go3Jyk950d?si=OL6YfWZMQu6bEsfb4jsQsw You picked a bad time You picked a bad time to listen to me That part kills me. Every time I hear it. All great songs have one. That moment you know is coming up but it still surprises you, makes you smile or belt out a lyric at the top of your lungs….
Covers/Originals Playlist 2018
https://open.spotify.com/user/22lqswu5hmkt555wivb5iqaii/playlist/2kKoLM2Su22ANmbs4Z0S5U?si=U_zrPdjEQCu4j2ub1MsHLw Many moons ago I was a long-haired hippie. I remember seeing Phish at the Molson Amphitheatre and they debuted a cover of “Misty Mountain Hop” by Led Zeppelin. They were famous for their reinterpretations of song and full albums and it really sparked my love for a great cover. For years I scoured Napster…
