Not really feeling inspired to write the 2016 recap but given it’s only a couple weeks until the Steelers win the Super Bowl, I guess this list is a bit overdue.
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For me personally and for music in general, 2016 was a much better year than 2015. For our country, not so much. It is hard not to get wrapped up in what feels like an upcoming move to an alternative reality that is not nearly as cool as Stranger Things...but I guess as scary. To get through this, I think about personal struggles we have all gone through in our life that have been dire -- We are still here. We will resist, persist and find a way until we make it improve.
For now, I'll try to distract us both by just reflecting on some things in music/movies I experienced this past year that made me smile....and here is my 2016 Spotify playlist if you'd like to too.
10) Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (movie)– funny…and moved me like some of the best pieces of music can. Don't let the movie title scare you off. Top 5 all time movie. "Life can keep unfolding to you as long as you pay attention to it."
9) I like it when you sleep for you are so beautiful but yet so unaware of it - The 1975 (album)
I would say this about Wendy but I think she is slightly aware...or at least should be.
8) “Lemon Eyes” - Meg Myers (single)
Single that shoulda….but didn’t
7) “1994”, “Projection”, and “New Hampshire” - PWR Bttm (singles)
These guys are gonna be big stars
6 (tie) “Edward 40hands” and “Death Cup” – Mom Jeans (singles)
One of the cool things about insisting on music being everywhere is that your kids have no choice but to agree. Zack is making a bunch of music recommendations now and he has some great taste in music. I don’t give him credit but there are artists throughout this list that he turned me on to.
PS Both of the titles to these songs make me think of the Beer Die tournament this year where several of the fellahs came in from out of town to remind all of our livers that we don't like them.
6 (tie) I Want to Meet Richard Dreyfus – Gabriel Gundacker
A whole album dedicated to trying to meet Richard Dreyfus.
5) Prince - Those of you that saw my Facebook post can skip this one, but here is what I wrote days after Prince passed away
Like all of you, Prince's music belonged to me and me alone. He was there with me through tough times, through good times, helping me articulate my feelings for my first - and subsequent
:) - love(s) and changed the way I looked at music. Every time a new album came out I couldn't wait to get my ears on it -- even the new ones. My father took me to the Purple Rain tour and I saw him perform 5 more times after. I worked on his Emancipation record (where I also got to meet him/toured Paisley Park, be there for the Emancipation concert simulcast on MTV, VH1 and BET). His music was Twitter before there was Twitter - some of it vital, some of it an update of what he'd been doing, some that you weren't sure what just happened and some that made you look at life entirely differently. I have spent the past day processing the impact his music has had on me and binge-ing. There is no one thing I can point to to show how great he was. But, if you have either 8 mins or 30 seconds, look at this performance - go to about 7:10 through to 7:40 if you don't have the time - and see what we are losing.
While I continue to test my children's patience by playing song after song for them as if I need to convince them of his greatness, I hope they too find an artist and music that touches them so deeply that they can feel this kind of pain and loss when its creator is no longer here. It hurts but I am truly thankful
Towns where rich music and history pours through them – Stax museum, National Civil Rights Museum, bar after bar of music that plays ‘round the clock. If you haven’t already been, stop reading this and go plan now. I’ll wait. Ok cool. So anyway, when we – wait did you just switch windows to make me think you planned a trip but didn’t really do it? You are worse than my kids.
3) Firefly and Panic at the Disco shows
Took Becca to the Firefly Music Festival and both her and Zack to Panic at the Disco show.
Here are some music highlights from both
· Death of a Bachelor - Panic at the Disco ("LA Devotee" especially)
· “SOB’, “Howling at Nothing” and “Wasting Time’ - Nathaniel Rateliff
· “Amsterdam” – Guster
· “Book Club”, “Leather Jacket”, “A Little Rain (A Song for Pete) and “11:11” – Arkells
· “Lazy Eye” and “Three Seed” – Silversun Pickups
· “Greek Tragedy” and “Give Me a Try” – The Wombats
· “Molecules” – Atlas Genius
· “Surprise Yourself” and “Weathered”– Jack Garratt
· “Fire” – Pvris
· “Cha Cha” – Dram
· “Fire and Brimstone” and “Hurricane Season” – Trombone Shorty
· Death Cab for Cutie – just rediscovering their whole catalog. They were the best of Firefly
· “Chasin Echoes” – The Lonely Biscuits
This was our parting image of the festival
On a side note, Pete is more sensitive to loud noise so his concerts are fewer and far between. For his ‘you’re about to go to high school so let’s do a trip together before you no longer want to be seen with me’ experience I was thinking of a Sci-Fi movie festival. Comic Con is what comes to mind but if any of you have any suggestions, please let me know. I still have a year :)
2) Hip Hop Returns – Not since high school/college have I listened to so much hip hop. I don’t know if it was just me or if there was more that just rocked it – Kanye, Macklemore, De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest all made terrific albums and there are a bunch of singles in my honorable mention too.
* Kanye West - Life of Pablo
* Macklememore - This Unruly Mess I've Made
* De La Soul - and the Anonymous Nobody
* A Tribe Called Quest - We Got it From Here Thank You for 4 Your Service
1) My Kids Making Music
Zack turned 16 this year and I don’t think I’ve heard him sing since Elementary School. He had a Pop Punk show with his studio band and he was practicing a song he noted that he was going to sing a little. When it comes on, he was lead guitar and vocals…and we all sat there with our mouths open, staring at one another. Becca said “My life is a lie. My brother can sing.”
Later on, Becca wrote a song/sang on the piano and Zack produced a whole new creation around it. Check it
I generally like to end my recaps with an uplifting message about the year ahead. Sorry. No can do. I have a pretty creative mind that likes to torture me. Here is how my brain works:
Imagination of all worst case scenarios
+ He-who-must-not-be-named as prez
------------------------------------
Some crazy shit going through my head
That said, I also believe that things always will work out with time. For that reason, my hope for us all is for the most unique of all historical events....DOUBLE IMPEACHMENT. Ok I at least think a single is not only possible but probable...and that hopefully is enough to slow down any Pence agenda.
That is my message of hope. In case you don't share my optimism, how about I just leave you with some more music?
Honorable Mention….in no particular order
· “Gum” – Moose Blood
· “Dopamine”, “Shipboard Cook” - Third Eye Blind
· 1612” – Vullfpeck
· “Miss Drugstore” – Me
· “Tokyo Narita (Freestyle)” – Halsey
· “Burn the Witch” – Radiohead
· Blonde – Frank Ocean
· “Where are You Now” – Bonzai
· “Jan 10, 2014” – The World Is a Beatiful Place and I am no longer afraid to die
· “Run Wild, Young Beauty” – Hotel Books
· “Bros” – Wolf Alice
· “Cold To See Clear” – Nada Surf
· “Hold You (I’m Psycho)” and “Had to Know (Personal)” – White Denim
· “Monkey Tree – UK Remix” – Mother Mother
· “Hold Me Closer” - Yuck
· “Teenage Wasteland” – Wussy
· “Sledgehammer” - Rihanna
· “Death Dream” and “Little Drum” and “I Wish I Was Sober” – Frightened Rabbit
· “Staring Contest” – Mates of State
· “Old Friends” and “New Friends” - Pinegrove
· “Reaper” – Sia
· “Summer Friends” – Change the Rapper
· “Raw” – Daye Jack
· “We Back” – Shirt
· “Nobody Speak” – DJ Shadow v/Run the Jewels
· “Sunday Candy” – Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment
· “Take it all Back” and “Kickin da Leaves” - Judah and the Lion
· “New Eyes” - Cdbd
· “Midway” – Bad Bad Habits
· “Philosophize It, Chemacalize It” – Kishi Bashi
· “History of Wrong Guys” and “Take What You Got” - Kinky Boots Soundtrack
· “I Don’t Want to Be Funny Anymore” – Lucy Dacus
· “On My Own” – Made Violent
· “Your Best American Girl” – Mitski
· “On & On” – Pitts
· “Jump Right In” – The Urge
· “Silly Me” - Yeahsayer
· “Spectrolite” – Bayonne
· “Jackie and Wilson” – Hozier
· “Hold on to Me” – Mondo Cozmo
· “Treehouse” – Sam Lachow
· “(S)he Said” and “Cardboard – The Cardboard Swords
· “It’s Alright to Cry”, “See Her Out” – Francis and the Lights
· “Drunk Drivers/Killer Whale” – Car Seat Headrest
· “Galaxies Will Be Born” – Say Hi
· “Ultraflorescent” – Oshwa
· “HELP” – The Front Bottoms
· “East Coast Girl” – Butch Walker
· “Painting (Masterpiece) – Lewis Del Mar
· Redbone - Childish Gambino
· “The Devil’s Bleeding Crown” – Volbeat
· “Punks and Poets” – Elliott Root
· “Thrash Unreal” – Against Me
· “Mr Pitiful” – Otis Redding
· “I’ll Just Fall” and “Chain Link Fence” – Lucero. Just re-discovered them
Took Becca to the Firefly Music Festival and both her and Zack to Panic at the Disco show.
Here are some music highlights from both
· Death of a Bachelor - Panic at the Disco ("LA Devotee" especially)
· “SOB’, “Howling at Nothing” and “Wasting Time’ - Nathaniel Rateliff
· “Amsterdam” – Guster
· “Book Club”, “Leather Jacket”, “A Little Rain (A Song for Pete) and “11:11” – Arkells
· “Lazy Eye” and “Three Seed” – Silversun Pickups
· “Greek Tragedy” and “Give Me a Try” – The Wombats
· “Molecules” – Atlas Genius
· “Surprise Yourself” and “Weathered”– Jack Garratt
· “Fire” – Pvris
· “Cha Cha” – Dram
· “Fire and Brimstone” and “Hurricane Season” – Trombone Shorty
· Death Cab for Cutie – just rediscovering their whole catalog. They were the best of Firefly
· “Chasin Echoes” – The Lonely Biscuits
This was our parting image of the festival
On a side note, Pete is more sensitive to loud noise so his concerts are fewer and far between. For his ‘you’re about to go to high school so let’s do a trip together before you no longer want to be seen with me’ experience I was thinking of a Sci-Fi movie festival. Comic Con is what comes to mind but if any of you have any suggestions, please let me know. I still have a year :)
2) Hip Hop Returns – Not since high school/college have I listened to so much hip hop. I don’t know if it was just me or if there was more that just rocked it – Kanye, Macklemore, De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest all made terrific albums and there are a bunch of singles in my honorable mention too.
* Kanye West - Life of Pablo
* Macklememore - This Unruly Mess I've Made
* De La Soul - and the Anonymous Nobody
* A Tribe Called Quest - We Got it From Here Thank You for 4 Your Service
1) My Kids Making Music
Zack turned 16 this year and I don’t think I’ve heard him sing since Elementary School. He had a Pop Punk show with his studio band and he was practicing a song he noted that he was going to sing a little. When it comes on, he was lead guitar and vocals…and we all sat there with our mouths open, staring at one another. Becca said “My life is a lie. My brother can sing.”
Later on, Becca wrote a song/sang on the piano and Zack produced a whole new creation around it. Check it
I generally like to end my recaps with an uplifting message about the year ahead. Sorry. No can do. I have a pretty creative mind that likes to torture me. Here is how my brain works:
Imagination of all worst case scenarios
+ He-who-must-not-be-named as prez
------------------------------------
Some crazy shit going through my head
That said, I also believe that things always will work out with time. For that reason, my hope for us all is for the most unique of all historical events....DOUBLE IMPEACHMENT. Ok I at least think a single is not only possible but probable...and that hopefully is enough to slow down any Pence agenda.
That is my message of hope. In case you don't share my optimism, how about I just leave you with some more music?
Honorable Mention….in no particular order
· “Gum” – Moose Blood
· “Dopamine”, “Shipboard Cook” - Third Eye Blind
· 1612” – Vullfpeck
· “Miss Drugstore” – Me
· “Tokyo Narita (Freestyle)” – Halsey
· “Burn the Witch” – Radiohead
· Blonde – Frank Ocean
· “Where are You Now” – Bonzai
· “Jan 10, 2014” – The World Is a Beatiful Place and I am no longer afraid to die
· “Run Wild, Young Beauty” – Hotel Books
· “Bros” – Wolf Alice
· “Cold To See Clear” – Nada Surf
· “Hold You (I’m Psycho)” and “Had to Know (Personal)” – White Denim
· “Monkey Tree – UK Remix” – Mother Mother
· “Hold Me Closer” - Yuck
· “Teenage Wasteland” – Wussy
· “Sledgehammer” - Rihanna
· “Death Dream” and “Little Drum” and “I Wish I Was Sober” – Frightened Rabbit
· “Staring Contest” – Mates of State
· “Old Friends” and “New Friends” - Pinegrove
· “Reaper” – Sia
· “Summer Friends” – Change the Rapper
· “Raw” – Daye Jack
· “We Back” – Shirt
· “Nobody Speak” – DJ Shadow v/Run the Jewels
· “Sunday Candy” – Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment
· “Take it all Back” and “Kickin da Leaves” - Judah and the Lion
· “New Eyes” - Cdbd
· “Midway” – Bad Bad Habits
· “Philosophize It, Chemacalize It” – Kishi Bashi
· “History of Wrong Guys” and “Take What You Got” - Kinky Boots Soundtrack
· “I Don’t Want to Be Funny Anymore” – Lucy Dacus
· “On My Own” – Made Violent
· “Your Best American Girl” – Mitski
· “On & On” – Pitts
· “Jump Right In” – The Urge
· “Silly Me” - Yeahsayer
· “Spectrolite” – Bayonne
· “Jackie and Wilson” – Hozier
· “Hold on to Me” – Mondo Cozmo
· “Treehouse” – Sam Lachow
· “(S)he Said” and “Cardboard – The Cardboard Swords
· “It’s Alright to Cry”, “See Her Out” – Francis and the Lights
· “Drunk Drivers/Killer Whale” – Car Seat Headrest
· “Galaxies Will Be Born” – Say Hi
· “Ultraflorescent” – Oshwa
· “HELP” – The Front Bottoms
· “East Coast Girl” – Butch Walker
· “Painting (Masterpiece) – Lewis Del Mar
· Redbone - Childish Gambino
· “The Devil’s Bleeding Crown” – Volbeat
· “Punks and Poets” – Elliott Root
· “Thrash Unreal” – Against Me
· “Mr Pitiful” – Otis Redding
· “I’ll Just Fall” and “Chain Link Fence” – Lucero. Just re-discovered them
· "80s Films" – Jon Bellion
Peace Out
Peace Out
