“This meeting is being recorded” delivered by cold and robotic female voice has been a linchpin of the eight million or so Zoom work meetings I’ve taken over the last five months. Something about its abrupt volume and matter-of-fact tone feels intrusive, scrutinizing, and devoid of all humanity. When I hear those words, I know that swearing (a great past-time of mine) is off the table, and each word I say might as well be matter of public record; which pretty much forces me to choose my words more carefully than a mafia don at a RICO hearing.

“This meeting is being recorded” delivered by cold and robotic female voice has been a linchpin of the eight million or so Zoom work meetings I’ve taken over the last five months. Something about its abrupt volume and matter-of-fact tone feels intrusive, scrutinizing, and devoid of all humanity. When I hear those words, I know that swearing (a great past-time of mine) is off the table, and each word I say might as well be matter of public record; which pretty much forces me to choose my words more carefully than a mafia don at a RICO hearing.

To call him a “renaissance man” or “jack of all trades” would feel far too limiting.

“How's It Going to Be” is best song from the nineties (I should clarify, not just the 1990’s, I’m also including the 1890’s and 1790’s as well) and I’m going to explain to you why.

I sincerely hope you enjoy the playlist and your 4th of July. As much as I’m sure you’ll look forward to hot dogs, fireworks, and maybe an adult beverage or two; I encourage you to remember to celebrate the idiosyncratic and imperfect country you reside in and the people in your life that make it special. Cheers!

The death of George Floyd on May 25th, 2020 re-ignited a global movement. We have seen an overwhelming outcry and outpouring of solidarity from folks across races and creeds who have the desire to support the Black community and be better educated, more aware, to listen and learn, and to take this tragedy as an opportunity for societal change, personal growth, and the commitment to be better to one another. Humankind’s ability to rally together —in the midst of an isolating global pandemic— to pursue the eradication of racial injustice is nothing short of awe-inspiring. This challenge and rallying cry has been echoed across the music industry, both in the creation of new music and in the promotion of songs that have been the soundtrack of civil protest for decades. I never cease to be amazed by the ability of musicians and artists to channel pain, anguish, and even hatred into beauty. And to communicate what words alone cannot.

https://www.blackartfutures.org/donate/

It’s hard to go a day in Georgia without hearing Chicken Fried belting out from some store, restaurant, or front-yard BBQ. The song is practically synonymous with summer in Georgia and that song is deeply tied to some of my earliest memories of living here.

• The Zac Brown Band’s music has a way of sticking to memories. You can replace the stereotypes of dogs & pickup trucks with the longing to be on the road (Free), a longing to be reconnected to loved ones (Highway 20 Ride), and a longing for the carefree days of summer (Toes).

Bella Donna is the title track from Stevie Nicks’ solo debut album released in 1981. It’s worth noting that Nicks recorded many of the tracks on this album while also working on Fleetwood Mac’s third album, Tusk. Bella Donna would ultimately be Nick’s best selling album, netting over 4 million copies sold and featuring well known tracks like Edge of Seventeen.

I unearthed this album first while watching HBO’s documentary The Defiant Ones, which chronicles the rise and relationship of music legends Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine (highly recommend). The 2nd episode of the show highlights a romance between Nick’s and Iovine during a time when Iovine was also producing a record for Tom Petty.

• Iovine convinced Petty to provide a single for Nick’s debut album after realizing that Bella Donna’s current lineup didn’t have a track that could be featured in that format

Asking me for a list of my favorite Tom Petty songs is like asking me which of my children that I love the most. I love them all. So let’s start with that in mind. My relationship with Petty’s music began in earnest in 1979 with the release of Damn the Torpedoes. I had heard songs on FM radio from the Heartbreakers’ first two albums but Torpedoes was released during my senior year in high school. I had a car and a little bit of spending money – some of it spent on that vinyl with the red album cover. I must have worn the grooves out on that record because over 40 years later I can still sing along word for word with all the songs. Hearing them now takes me back to a time and a place that I’ll never forget.

Over the years I progressed from buying vinyl to cassettes to compact discs to down loads on my phone. But his music has remained a constant comfortable companion. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about his appeal to me and so many others across the generations. Tom Petty songs have the uncanny characteristic of being immediately identifiable as one of his but at the same time each song is so different. If he has a signature “hook” that many other successful artists have, I don’t know what it is. My conclusion is that like us, Petty has so many diverse music influences on his work. Those influences are apparent in his songs. So it’s no wonder that his music has such broad appeal over so many generations. Add that to the fact that he never stopped writing and creating and recording and performing up to the very end and you understand why he is (as a fan screams on an obscure live recording) a Rock God.

These twelve songs that I’m sharing with you have a least one of three interesting characteristics:

· The live performance blows away the studio recording. I’m convince that Petty is so good live because many of the songs in the early years were recorded in one take with all instruments playing at the same time. Pay special attention to Mystic Eyes. It’s a cover of a 1965 Van Morrison song. I’ve listened to the original recording. Petty’s version puts it to shame.

· The background vocals are at least as interesting as Petty’s lead. His voice has never been described as stellar. But listen to Swingin’ and Room at the Top for Howie Epstein’s pure tenor. In Walls – Circus, you can hear Lindsay Buckingham giving it all he has – which is always a lot! Then on Waiting for Tonight, The Bangles sing the chorus with him.

· The one thing that separates Petty from just about any other artist are the lyrics. He never stopped writing and was often able to compose a song in a matter of minutes. He didn’t write according to a formula designed to get airplay. Echo, Southern Accents and Room at the Top always make me stop and listen and not just hear the music. The one song that gets my attention the most these days is Square One. For me it may be his most perfect song lyrically. “I’ve always had more dogs than bones”. Don’t we all think that but have never been able to put it in words? And I only recently learned that Square One was nominated for a Grammy as best song written for a motion picture (“Elizabethtown”). It would have gotten my vote.

So here is just a small slice of music by Tom Petty. I hope you enjoy as much as I do.

Playlist Highlight: Archie, Marry Me, Alvvays

So I turned thirty this week. I’m still grappling with what that exactly that means, but so far it’s an age that reminds me of that old joke about how the suburbs are a place with all the disadvantages of the city, and none of the advantages of the country. And vice versa. By way of example, I have recently noticed some grey hairs coming in, yet for some reason I still occasionally get acne. (Jeez universe, pick a lane.) So yeah, I guess I’m now officially in the “awkward teenage years” of adulthood. Here goes nothing.

Featured Find: Hero of the Day, Metallica (Live w/ the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra)

Take a minute to think back. Can you remember the first mixtape — or CD, for you millenials — that you ever received as a gift? Can you remember how that mix came to be and who made it for you? Was it it from your Dad, trying with all his might to drown out the “uninspired droning” of Green Day and Linkin’ Park with Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin? Or was it maybe from your secret grade school crush channelling Seal and Savage Garden to communicate what words could not?

For me, it wasn’t one mix but five, titled simply “Dew Mix 1-5”. These first mix CD’s were given (regifted?) as a Christmas gift to my brother from a family friend who was living with us at the time. She burned copies of five mix CD’s that were, in turn, given to her by her younger brother, “Dew.” I am sure that Dew has no idea how much of an impact that gift would make on the music that my brother and I would listen to and come to love. I would listen to the Dew Mixes over and over again. They were my first introduction to Ozzy Osbourne, Van Halen, and Weezer. They expanded my interest in U2, Creed (I know…), and The Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Have you ever heard of the “Denzel Test?” It’s pretty simple and goes something like this:

Imagine you’re at a party with your significant other and you’re mixing with some old friends and some new, and as you move around the room you find yourself outside a circle of people chatting and a guy you don’t know goes, “Jeez. I just can’t stand Denzel Washington. He’s awful. Terrible guy. Terrible actor. Whenever he’s on the TV, I change the channel. I can’t respect anyone who’s a fan of him.”

Playlist Highlight: Conversation 16, The National

Myers-Briggs, Astrological signs, Enneagrams, DiSC, Hogwarts Houses, Which-Tiger-King-Character-Are-You-Buzzfeed-Quizzes are just a few of the personality tests out there that promise to help you learn about your “true” self and the “types” of people you might naturally get along with best.

I’d like to submit another entry to the list. I have a fool-proof, single-question quiz that has yet to fail me in determining whether or not I would get along with another person. Here it goes: Do you like The National?

If you answered yes, congratulations, I’m pretty sure we just became best friends. If you answered, I’m not sure, I haven’t really listened to their music, then keep reading, because this article will arm you with all the ammunition you need to become a card-carrying member of The National Fan Club. If you answered no, you’ve disappointed me greatly and can just forget about being invited to my next birthday party (which might have a pony and will have National records being played.)

Featured Find: Duncan - Live 1973, Paul Simon (w/ The Jessy Dixon Singers & Urubamba)

Duncan is, admittedly, well… a weird song. I’m not going to endeavor to explain what the song is all about - I’ll leave that to someone much better qualified. Paul Simon is an exquisite storyteller, but I chose to feature the song less because of the story it tells and more because of the stories around it. In digging into its back-story I discovered some great Easter eggs and stories surrounding the song.

You can enjoy the Planted and Enchanted: Vol. 2 playlist in its entirety on Spotify. Just click on the included Spotify plugin.

Playlist Highlight: The Only Living Boy in New York, Simon & Garfunkel

I have fond boyhood memories of sitting in the backseat of my grandmother’s car as we wore out her Simon & Garfunkel Greatest Hits cassette tape. Even then, their music seemed perfectly partitioned between jaunty “bops” (just try to listen to “Bye Bye Love” without tapping your foot, I dare you) and devastatingly somber songs (I can’t recall the last time I heard the gospel-inspired “Bridge over Troubled Water” and it didn’t send a celestial shiver down my spine).

My favorite piece in their catalog is their 1970 track “The Only Living Boy in New York.” On the devastatingly somber side of the S&G spectrum, the sparse acoustic guitar blends with a lush Hammond organ (no relation) to emit a blended mood that’s the musical equivalent of a sweet and salty snack…chocolate covered pretzels if you will.

I chose this song for this month’s playlist highlight not only because it’s one of my all-time favorites, but because I felt the lyrics were particularly relevant during this uncertain time:

I get the news I need on the weather report

I can gather all the news I need on the weather report

Hey, I've got nothing to do today but smile

In the age of covid-19, a constant barrage of ALL CAPS breaking news alerts, anxious “Costco is out of toilet paper” Instagram posts, endless “oh gosh, what now” push notifications, one too many ignorant Facebook soliloquies from your definitely-not-a-epidemiologist cousin, panicky group texts from your friends, and emails from your corporate leadership team informing you that your day-to-day work life must change immediately and for an unknown time period have all become the norm.

It’s one thing to stay informed, but this air raid of news has arguably as much debilitating effect on your mental health as the virus would on your physical health. If you feel yourself becoming overwhelmed by this content artillery, consider tuning it out for a little while in favor of a local weather report. That way you’ll know if you need to wear a rain jacket on your morning walk or if it’s finally warm enough to break out a pair of shorts. After all, you’ve got nothing to do today but smile; Do-n-doh-d-doh-n-doh.

Featured Find: Rose Tattoo, Dropkick Murphys

Happy St. Patrick’s Day everyone! And what a weird St. Patrick’s day it will be. St. Patrick’s day parades and celebrations are being cancelled all over the world due to COVID-19.

I hope this Snakes & Shamrocks playlist can help you to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and perhaps be a bit of a salve in a time where all of us might be a little raw from the uncertainty and isolation that we are experiencing around the world. Sláinte!

Featured Find: Waitin’ for a Superman, The Flaming Lips

I received a copy of the The Soft Bulletin, the 9th studio album from The Flaming Lips, as a part of my subscription to theVinyl Me, Please essentials track. While I have known the band for some time, I had only found a few of their tracks previously that really worked for me. As I began listening to the album, I was blown away by the creativity and intensity of the drum-line throughout.