Since My Soul Got A Seat Up In The Kingdom
A mixtape for the beautiful side of community and vision.
New And Improved
Well, I finally pulled the trigger on a quality vintage tape deck, so I've been recording my mixtapes to tape again and GANG they sound so much better than they ever did. It's actually hilarious and embarrassing how much better they sound now. If I've ever given you a tape, please find a way to get it back to me, and I will record right over it with this new, clearer sound so that it is in any way listenable in the future. Please.
I'll post pics on social of the tapes as I make them. I sort of have to stockpile quite a few to meet the printing minimums of my preferred printer place, but I think I'm getting close, so I should be able to finally collect them in year anthologies. I'm incredibly excited about it.
Like the mixtapes? Help me spread the love by throwing a few bucks my way via BuyMeACoffee. Thanks to everyone who has already supported me there. This really helps me not rack up a stupid amount of debt while making this passion project for you all.
And hey, if you like it, why not share the mix or this newsletter with a friend?
Since My Soul Got A Seat Up In The Kingdom
Created for the beautiful side of community and vision.
I'll just get right ahead of it and say this mixtape probably isn't for everyone. It's a bunch of God songs, and I understand everyone has different (probably complicated) relationships with religion. Hey, me too. I grew up Catholic, but I'm not religious anymore. But I'll also say this is one of my favorite mixtapes I've ever made. Let's talk about it.
As a pop music obsessive, I've spent years digging deeper and deeper into the history of music in America. You can't get to SZA without first going through Mahalia Jackson without first going through Bessie Smith. You can't get to hip-hop or rock without first going through country music and blues.
I've found so much great music through such archival labels such as Smithsonian Folkways and Mississippi Records. I was inspired to create a compilation of my own in the same vein, compiled from many of those very records, but with more modern iterations thrown in as well. I even did my best to pay homage to old Folkways album art.
A lot of this old music centers around faith and a type of love probably best described as "agape." What strikes me most about these songs is this otherworldly love, this soul-stirring passion, with which they are performed. Maybe not being able to see or hear or touch the object of your affection makes you dig a little bit deeper, reach a little bit higher to feel it.
Religion has, obviously, a great number of faults we'd need a much bigger venue to discuss than a monthly mixtape newsletter, but this one part, this certainty of something so wonderful, is beautiful. I say without hesitation that a number of these songs are among the most affecting, raw pieces of music I've ever heard.
I was talking with my friend Evan () recently about "third places." These are those incredibly important spaces where people are able to socialize outside of work and the home. We talked about how they make us feel more full as a person. For many it's a local bar or sports fanbase. For the longest time, mine was my improv community. The pandemic necessitated my weekly virtual movie club. For many in this country's history, it was church.
This music reminds me about the importance of community. I've for a while now said that if we could have church without religion, just a weekly meeting where the community got together to catch up and recommit ourselves to lifting each other up, that would be a beautiful thing. Hell, maybe we could sing some songs too.
As for now, here's some incredible songs without the collection plate. I saved you a seat.
Love you all. Hope you enjoy!
Join Me: Listen to "Introducing Brother Malcolm" Playlist on Spotify
Darien Alexander Williams posted a playlist of artists that were opening acts for Malcolm X speeches and rallies, and I immediately added it to my library. It's no secret that I love a carefully curated collection of music, and getting the chance to listen to a series of brilliant musicians and artists in the specific context of their direct support of social and political change seems too good to pass up.
There's a lot to love here, and I'm going to be listening and exploring more deeply all month long.
RIYL: jazz, Malcolm X, Black empowerment
Check out Dr. Lonnie Smith's "Seesaw".
Some Smithsonian Folkways Records That Brady Loves
(that you might love too!)
Folksongs And Instrumentals With Guitar - If you have followed these mixtapes at all these past few years, it is no secret that I adore Elizabeth Cotten. She's featured in this month's mixtape, most recently, but this is not her first appearance. She's a staple in the O'Callahan household, and I think she should be in yours.
Dom Flemons Presents Black Cowboys - The history of Black cowboys is vast and important and tragically underrepresented. Dom Flemons does his part to reorient the narrative in this amazing collection of songs.
Songs Of Our Native Daughters - Similarly, this supergroup of four mammoth talents in the roots music world are reclaiming folk string music for Black women, channeling centuries of musical tradition that the industry would sooner forget.
Songs of the West - It's cowboy shit. Come on, I love it.
https://youtu.be/_cBjhxmkjcQ?feature=shared