I'm On Vacation
You all know this already, because it's kind of all I could really talk about last newsletter. But I'm in Los Angeles, I've barely done anything by the time I'm writing this, and I'm already on cloud nine.
On the flight over, the sound was impossibly loud on the in-flight entertainment, even on the lowest setting for whatever reason, so I watched episodes of Gunsmoke on mute while listening to old mixes on my phone.
Guess what, gang? I still think they're really good, and I know there's at least one you'd be into. You can check out details of all of them here.
Including this month's... which I hope you'll like...
And hey, if you like it, why not share the mix or this newsletter with a friend?
Shakin' Sand Off My Shades
Created in collaboration with Jeremy Bent for the summer we need.
A few words from Jeremy:
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Brady came to me with the idea for a summer mix knowing I’m a big surf rock guy, and while some surf did make it to the final mix (get ready to love the Surfrajettes), ultimately the sunshine-y vibe of bright pop and groovy instrumentals felt right. I like to imagine the two halves as Saturday and Sunday, which starts with “Vacation,” taking you from morning to night each day as you have a perfect summer weekend. The last couple years have been a lot of time indoors, not moving. This is a playlist for going outside and for moving – surfing, roller skating, skateboarding, biking, running, but most of all: dancing. Some songs are still about being heartbroken or mad or lonely, but shake that sand off your shades and go have some fun.
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Love you all. Hope you enjoy!
Join Me: Mclusky @ Warsaw, Thursday, Dec 1, 8:00 PM
I can't believe this is happening.
Mclusky broke up in 2004, maybe a month after I fell in love with them. I read about their legendarily loud and energetic live shows, and then they had all their gear stolen, bad blood seeped in, and they vowed to never play music together ever again.
Welp, they're celebrating the 20th anniversary of their seminal album Mclusky Do Dallas (one of my all time favorite records) by touring America. It's technically mclusky*, which means it's not the original lineup entirely, but this is so much preferable than the alternative.
I can't believe this is happening.
RIYL: punk rock, hardcore, Les Savy Fev, Drive Like Jehu.
Check out Mclusky's "To Hell With Good Intentions".
Some Other Things That Jeremy Loves
(that you might love too!)
Everything Everywhere All At Once - You know how sometimes you see a movie and think, “Everyone in this is having the time of their life”? It’s one of the funniest films I’ve seen in years, and it made me cry at both viewings (so far). Also, for a kid who watched our VHS copy of The Goonies taped off of TV roughly a thousand times, the return of Ke Huy Quan to the big screen is glorious. Just go. If you hate it, at least you’re supporting a movie that aimed a little higher than usual.
YMO - The pandemic really threw my listening habits for a loop by taking away my 90ish minutes a day on the subway, so now a lot of music I find is on YouTube as I work from home, which is a weird way to discover music. But it has led me to some really great stuff from around the world, like this foundational Japanese techno group called Yellow Magic Orchestra, or YMO. I love early synth stuff and a lot of Japanese video game composers clearly took notes on their albums. “Rydeen” is a favorite, “Cosmic Surfing” was almost on this mix, and I also recommend their excellent cover of “Daytripper.”
Homemade Chai - Like most people, I had a bunch of different home cooking phases during 2020, but the one that surprised me most was getting into making iced chai. My dad made it and then sent me a box with all the ingredients because he liked it so much, and well, now I do too. We use the recipe from the Dishoom cookbook, except I add an extra teaspoon of tea and leave out the milk. Then strain it and let it cool, and just pour over ice with a splash of milk – perfect for summer. Keeps well in the fridge, too!
Spending Time with Your Friends - March is the first time in a very long time that I spent every weekend hanging out with big groups of friends, some of whom I’d not seen in years. It feels insanely dumb to say this, but it felt great to be with all those people. Covid had us staying home out of safety for a long enough period that I now stay home out of inertia a little too often. I urge you to reconnect with the people you love spending time with this summer; I promise it will do you good (but also be responsible if Covid rates are up, outdoor gatherings are ideal for large groups, etc etc we get it).