Happy 2022!
Welp, Happy New Year! Hope we got a good one on our hands. Could really use it, lol!
Got a fun one to kick off the year! It's a collaboration with my friend Jesse Roth! Jesse rocks, is a big music nerd, and hosts a show on Radio Free Brooklyn called The Mess. I'm actually going to hop onto her show on January 10th, so keep an eye out for that.
Big fun things planned for the mixtapes this year. Next month, I'm bringing you the best of Brazil with my friend Diego. Later on, we're going to mess around with format and hopefully get a little weird with it. What kind of mixtapes do you want to see down the line? I'd like to know!
As always, it means a lot that y'all subscribe, listen, read, share. This month marks my 24th mixtape. I've commit myself to making it to at least 50, so we're in it for the long haul.
And hey, if you like it, why not share the mix or this newsletter with a friend?
Note to Self
Created in collaboration with Jesse Roth for the songs forever inked on our hearts and arms.
A few words from Jesse:
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I don’t know when something switched in my brain, but I became obsessed with music in the pandemic. Whether it was out of sheer boredom, or the fact that the world suddenly (not so suddenly, I just was late to the party when it comes to the fact that America sucks ass) became very bleak, but I became so driven by the desire to listen to as much music as I could. I dove into the discographies of some of the greats (Bob Dylan & Prince mainly), made sure to stay absolutely on top of hot releases, and indulged in all of my favorites. If there exists footage of my entire life, I don’t want to see how often I am listening to music. You get the point I think?
Listening to music is very visceral and instinctual to me, so when something really jumps out and hits me with such resonance, the song seems to become part of my soul and my identity. That brings me to the theme for this mixtape. When Brady asked me to pick a topic, this was the first one to come to mind. What songs feel a part of your soul? What lyrics do you want to be tattooed on your body? What lines have become mantras, what melodies pull on your heartstrings so hard that you never want to forget them? These are the songs I’m excited to share.
I could go into a great deal of detail about each song, but I don’t think you want to read all of that. Feel free to ask me about any song (*cough* "Once in a Lifetime" by Flo Rida), I of course would love to talk about it ((*cough* "Once in a Lifetime" by Flo Rida). “Note to Self” by Jim-E Stack & Empress Of was basically the inspiration for the mixtape. Not only do I want the same tattoo as is in the album artwork, but the line “Just let it knock you down. Don’t fight it, let it bring you back around” is a huge mantra for me. Also, Lorde is my #1 girl and it's a testament to how much I love her music that there is always at least one track on each of her albums that gets me right in the gut. I also picked songs like “The Way It Is” by Bruce Hornsby & the Range and “It Is What It Is” by Thundercat & Pedro Martins because…uh duh…it is what it is!!!
I hope you enjoy this mixtape and also start gathering songs that you would want to be tattooed on your body, written all over your journals, pasted on your walls, whatever! Happy listening!
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Love you all. Hope you enjoy!
Join Me: Sierra Ferrell @ Music Hall of Williamsburg Monday, April 18, 8 PM.
I mean, who the hell knows if concerts are going to be a thing in April, but if they are... I'll be at this one!
I, as well as much of the world, discovered Sierra Ferrell via the Gems on VHS YouTube channel, which I've written about in this newsletter probably 20 times. She's got a hell of a voice and writes incredibly fun songs. Her album Long Time Coming is one of 2021's best, and you owe it to yourself to give it a listen.
No way this show isn't a fun one. Come with!
RIYL: country, bluegrass, Loretta Lynn, Iris Dement
Check out Sierra performing her song "Silver Dollar" on the Gems on VHS channel.
Some Other Things That Jesse Loves
(that you might love too!)
Juno - One of my favorite albums from this year was Juno by Remi Wolf. I can't even describe to you what genre her music is, but it's good and it's fun.
Widow Basquiat - I just read Widow Basquiat by Jennifer Clement, and I got through it really fast. I'm also reading this book on musical taste called Why You Like It and it is taking me forever because it's so dense, but I like it.
A Man Named Scott - Right now I am on a trilogies kick...so I'm in the midst of the 50 Shades Trilogy. But I would recommend the documentary about Kid Cudi on Amazon Prime.
Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations - I have only been watching Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations. I love the way it's filmed and his narration, and it's helping me while I've been alone in my apartment a lot to imagine I'm in any of the cool countries he visits.