Pop Vs. The Underground: Community Wins (Jay-Z + Eminem Vs. Kweli + Common Edition)

Choosing to be a great artist is an investment. It’s an investment in time and passion and sweat - all poured into captured performances. Because greatness is achieved in the audience’s reactions and remembrances. You can choose more than one type of audience to invest in as an artist.  It comes with tradeoffs.  Some financial, … Continue reading Pop Vs. The Underground: Community Wins (Jay-Z + Eminem Vs. Kweli + Common Edition)

Sunday Music: Burna Boy’s Virgil Abloh Tribute

You don’t have to follow in someone else’s footsteps to benefit from the path they’ve laid out. Maybe it’s in inspiration. Maybe it’s just in knowing somebody walked that walk. But noticing who’s ahead of you, it counts. Noticing you can go forward, like them - but as you, it counts.  Burna Boy was working … Continue reading Sunday Music: Burna Boy’s Virgil Abloh Tribute

Podcast Of The Week: Pino Palladino On Questlove Supreme

How does a lanky Welsh kid become the most soulful and sought-after bass player in modern music? I’m still asking the question. I still don’t know.  He doesn’t read music. It’s all “feel.” And it’s all professional network-driven respect.  He’s a long-standing friend and fellow contributor to projects Questlove’s been on, including D’Angelo’s Voodoo (one … Continue reading Podcast Of The Week: Pino Palladino On Questlove Supreme

The History Of Lobster (And An AI Lesson)

Lobster wasn’t always a high-ticket delicacy. And I’m not even talking about your fanciest New England friend’s childhood memories. A long time ago, lobster was little more than the Chinese takeout of rural Maine.  The reason lobster “blew up” was the railroad.  That’s right.  No Red Lobster without Big Railroad.  The story is simple, but … Continue reading The History Of Lobster (And An AI Lesson)

The 5 F’s Of Stress Response (Fight, Flight, Follow, Freeze, F*** It)

In Peter Atwater’s book, The Confidence Map, he says the situations where we are MOST stressed, are those when our feeling of certainty and control are the lowest.  Makes sense.  I remember sitting down for a class in high school and having the teacher say, “Clear your desks, pens and pencils only, I’m passing out … Continue reading The 5 F’s Of Stress Response (Fight, Flight, Follow, Freeze, F*** It)