Brittany Howard is back with an incredible feeling, sounding, and thought-provoking record, What Now. She’s been going through some stuff since she started working on this in 2020. The title track and video will get you moving, thinking, and feeling (I’ll post it below), but the song “Samson” is the one I’ve been most gripped … Continue reading Sunday Music: Brittany Howard’s “Samson”
Tag: music
What A $5 Shake Can Teach You About Coaching
Empathy is asking “What’s going on beneath the surface with this person?” Not answering it. Just asking it. Being open to finding the answer. Letting that be the starting point. In Pulp Fiction, when Vincent Vega (John Travolta) and Mia Wallace (Uma Thurman) pull up to to Jack Rabbit Slims, it’s on the grounds that … Continue reading What A $5 Shake Can Teach You About Coaching
The Time Joey Ramone And His Mom Went On Geraldo
I should save this for Mother’s Day, but I just can’t. In a segment titled “Heavy Metal Moms” (I know, I know, just sigh it out and keep going), Geraldo asks questions to Charlotte Lesher, Joey Ramone’s mom, about songs like “Beat On The Brat.” Pause for a second and ask yourself - what do … Continue reading The Time Joey Ramone And His Mom Went On Geraldo
How To Be A Team Player: Stevie Wonder Edition
Stevie Wonder’s role in Netflix’s The Greatest Night in Pop documentary is as a secondary artist. He didn’t write the song. Yes, he’s a featured soloist, but a relatively minor one. And for all I knew before and after watching the documentary the first time, he’s just another pop star who was “there.” But then … Continue reading How To Be A Team Player: Stevie Wonder Edition
Sunday Music: Rationalizing Glitterer’s “Rationale” (While Absolutely Loving This Record)
Seeing Glitterer live in the leadup to this release - I’ve been really excited for it. You know when you can see growth, as an iteration on the past without reiterating the past? That was the vibe. There’s no Title Fight rehashing here, but there is a band again, and most importantly - there’s the … Continue reading Sunday Music: Rationalizing Glitterer’s “Rationale” (While Absolutely Loving This Record)
Saturday Morning Media: Kanye’s WTF Vs. Kendrick’s LFG (To Therapy)
Kanye has a new album out, and whenever Kanye has a new album out, I’m curious. I don’t think Kanye’s a genius, but I do think he’s incredibly gifted. “Crazy and bipolar” (his words), ok. But this new record, I’m at a loss, and I think I can explain. I do think Kendrick Lamar is … Continue reading Saturday Morning Media: Kanye’s WTF Vs. Kendrick’s LFG (To Therapy)
Perform In Front Of Your Peers
Netflix’s The Greatest Night in Pop documentary tells a story I’ve been amazed (obsessed? utterly fascinated with?!) for years. On a single night in 1985, the biggest pop artists in the world - from Michael Jackson to Bob Dylan to Cyndi Lauper + MORE, recorded the hit song, “We Are the World.” The documentary tells … Continue reading Perform In Front Of Your Peers
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