Let's Party
I'm vaccinated. Can we hang out?
I've seen some friends recently, and it has truly been the greatest joy I've felt in such a long time. I miss everyone, and I can't wait until we can all hang again.
I'll try and get some Office Hours on the books soon. I've got $5 burning a hole in my pocket, and Steve Miller Band's "Take the Money and Run" isn't going to play itself on the jukebox.
Anyways. Thanks for subscribing to this newsletter. Every month we get a few more folks subscribed, and it means a lot to me that y'all share it with friends who might like it.
I really, truly do always love hearing from folks. Let me know what you're listening to. Let me know what you like. Let me know what you'd like to hear on future mixtapes.
And hey, if you like it, why not share the mix or this newsletter with a friend?
Ryan & the Rip Roar
Created for knocking back a few with the crew.
I posed a question to twitter a few weeks ago: "What kind of mixtapes y'all wanna see the rest of the year? What's the vibe?"
My buddy Ryan responded: "absolutely party animal. unironic party rock. i want to get extremely drunk and thrash to a brady mixtape in the middle of the summer."
Here we are.
I think there's a lot of merit to music that is uncomplicated good vibes. There's just some music that you can throw on and people will have a good time. I used to DJ my crew's college parties, and I learned the hard way that people mostly want to hear music they already know and love instead of the coolest new thing. In retrospect... yeah, that's absolutely the best situation for a party. You want everyone to feel grouped in, not isolated.
You'll maybe recognize most of these songs and probably all of these bands. That's ok. It's still a good time. You don't have to ironically appreciate any of them. They're all fucking phenomenal.
Also, getting drunk and listening to music in the summer? Freedom abounds. Having recently started working again, let me tell you, nothing feels as good as clocking out and cracking a beer to unwind. Don't know why, but this makes me feel so very tied to the rust belt. My dad didn't work in the factory, but work is work, and it feels just as good to be off for the weekend. When thinking about this mixtape it just got lodged in my brain that punching the clock on a Friday meant throwing on some tunes Dad would listen to.
So I did.
A few years ago, I went through all the cassettes my parents were getting rid of and snagged a few I wanted to hold onto. In them were a few mixtapes my dad made. They're fun and all over the place and such good documents of an era I wasn't even alive for. I pulled Eddie Money and The Go-Go's right from them. I love getting to know people through the music they love.
My girlfriend Kristin's stepmom Natalie, who listens to absolutely rad music, wanted ideas for a Christmas gift for me last year, and I told Kristin just to have her buy me a record she liked. Natalie loved the assignment and bought me Guns N' Roses Appetite For Destruction. She included the sweetest note that I'll keep forever in the record sleeve: "I wasn't into metal really, but I found Axl's voice so intoxicating that I had to have the album."
There's just some music that you can throw on and people will have a good time.
I honestly have no idea why this simple idea of getting drunk with your buddies and listening to music hit me so hard, but it made me think about all the positive relationships I have with friends and family and music. I genuinely think partying and celebrating with great music is heaven. Hope it conjures up some good feelings for you.
Knock back a few with the crew, Ryan. Get lost in the rip roar.
Love you all. Hope you enjoy!
Join Me: Hiss Golden Messenger @ Webster Hall, Thursday, December 2, 8:00 PM
Just an absolutely massive heads up on this one, but I'll be at this concert and tickets are on sale. I saw Hiss in pre-pandemic times, and it was such a riveting concert experience. M.C.'s the most genuine man who makes the most life affirming music and puts on the brightest live show. I'm really excited to see them again in December.
M.C. is one of the few lyricists today who floors me in simple ways. And his plainspoken wisdom creeps into damn near everything he writes. I took a screencap from an interview he did with Rolling Stone a few years ago, just so I could keep it with me. It reads:
"I get the sense sometimes that people might think I know something more than I do, which I really don't," he says. "I'm not a churchgoer. I wasn't raised a believer. I just feel like love is a powerful, animating force in the world, and I'm trying to say that in the most non-hippie way that I can. I feel like, when people are talking about God, they're talking about the animating force of love. That's the way I understand it, that sort of holiness. For me, that makes belief and hope easier, because it's something we're not necessarily asked to take on faith. I can create love in my own house, and I can show my kids how to create it as well."
Taylor laughs, perhaps realizing that, in answering a question about his fear of people feeling like he knows some greater truth, he has, inadvertently, spelled one out. "I'm sorry," he says.
Christ.
RIYL: Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, The Staple Singers
Some Other Newsletters I Love
(that you might love too!)
My Mom Died And Other Things I'm Thinking About All The Time - My friend Caitlin Bitzegaio recently started a newsletter that is an absolute must subscribe. Caitlin is one of the funniest people I've ever met, and she writes beautifully always, but her meditations on grief and life lived on offer a level of humanity, vulnerability, and wisdom seldom seen in your inbox.
Oh God Sorry - Mitra Jouhari rules, and if you're not familiar with her comedy, you really should be. It's been incredible to see her accomplish so much in her work, but I really love how much she's remained rooted in her activism. Her newsletter explores the movers and shakers putting in the work to better their communities. It is wonderful and provides concrete steps to get involved.
Kitchen Table Spectacular - I already talked about him so much, but M.C. Taylor of Hiss Golden Messenger has an email list, which is essentially a promotional listserv, BUT I feel like he still offers up some of the most concise, wonderful bits of wisdom. At the very least, he shares music he's been listening to, which is always an eye opening experience.
A Continuous Lean - This one's about clothes. I like clothes, sorry! Michael Williams has been writing about menswear for over a decade, and I've been following him for just as long. He writes often about brands that do it right, focusing on quality, sustainability, and ethical manufacturing. I'm trying to be better about where I spend my money, and this has been extremely helpful.