Driven to Drink

It is the sixth anniversary of the Driven 2 Drink Podcast.  I have come a long, long, long way in 6 years.  I feel so absolutely loved and fortunate to have grown through these years and not plummeted into a cycle of cynical misanthropy, nihlistic despair, and sympathetic rage. Today, I read a piece I wrote, "Traumatizing as Praxis," and we spend time with Marvine Gaye.  Music is medicine for me, and I suspect it is for you as well.  If you're here.  Regardless, I love and appreciate yinz and hope you find some respite in the time you spend with me. -G

Okay. Fact is, without knowing what I was attending at the time I was attending, I attended a concert held at the very venue where Bob Marley and the Wailers and the I Three held their final concert ever.  The concert was explicitly scheduled to coincide with the 30-year anniversary of the original.  The Marley family (...minus Ziggy...) plus the surviving I Threes (Sister Marcia and Sister Rita) recreated the set list from September 23rd, 1980 on September 23rd, 2010.  And I was there. Because of my spouse, who always keeps her eyes open for great things that might really bring me and us joy.  Always. Anyways, here is a listening experience with me reading a wonderful article written by  Patrick Varine on September 23rd, 2020, interspersed with the full concert from 1980 and some Marley audio surprises. Open your eyes.  And look within. -G

You may have read the letter Twittler wrote to his entertainment labor union, SAG AFTRA.  I certainly did, and offered a joke that I should dive into the deep end of under the influences and perform it.  Well, here is that. Additionally, I offer you a mini lesson in the creation of keto-friendly/sugar-free cocktails on a limited budget. And? Plenty of music because this always has to be a listening party. This is a fun ride, folks. Love that yinz're here with me. -G

New from Driven 2 Drink, “Th1rt3en Listening Experience.”   January 30th, 2021.   Donald John Trump is no longer President.   The Democratic party controls the entire congress.   And yet, Cori Bush, a freshman representative from Missouri and a Black woman who has dared to speak truth to white supremacist power, has moved her office away from freshman representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Q anon adherent, Cult 45 follower, vehement anti-masker, and cheerleader, if not accomplice, in the recent white supremacist terrorist attack on the capitol.  Bush dared confront Greene for not wearing a mandated mask, and Q forbid a Black woman step out of her place.  So now Bush is moving her office and Greene is lavishing in conservative donations and proudly spreading death, disease, and dangerous rhetoric.   And this is America.   Many of us, we cisgender, heteronormative, abled, white, privileged in intersectionally resonating power dynamics, feel comfortable again…back in the nurturing arms of STILL white supremacist and caste-like capitalism that cares not for humans, and less still for humans existing at intersections of powerlessness.   Anger is appropriate. Action is necessary.   The world can be a better place for everyone.  But it requires sacrifice, discomfort, suffering, and a resolve to address and dismantle the very racism and colonialist genocide that is the foundation of the land we, non Native people, call the United States of America.  On stolen, bloodied, desecrated land.   P.S. There is a point where I say, “baklava” instead of “balaclava,” and what a delicious error it is.  

We've lost so much.  So many. Some of us experienced it close to home. In home. This is my offering, a requiem for Josie, for the Covid dead, and the unspoken words of we survivors. It's also a listening party. A gathering of remembrance and perhaps a bit of revelry.  Not quite a wake.  We're not nearly there yet.  Some some room to breathe.  Perhaps. Together. -G  

My Mom is Josie. Josie is fighting like all heaven and hell, at this very moment, against Covid-19. And not just her, but a team of kind, compassionate, overwhelmed, and underappreciated (...and I mean REAL appreciation, like in the form of actually doing some simple-ass, uncomfortable, and inconvenient shit to stop this goddam virus...) professionals.  Also, family, friends, and scads of amazing humans. Count yourself among them. I love and appreciate you. My Mom is the reason I love music.  My Mom is the reason I'm the person I am right now.  Point blank.  You dig Greg?  Thank Josie.  Have ever done some kindness for you? Brought you a smile?  Thank Josie. And don't just thank her, think about her for a moment. Maybe listen to this podcast, huh? Herein are the albums and artists that my Mom, Josie, gave to me.  Herein are the artists who, had Josie not given them to me, would not have penetrated and brought me peace and joy and some semblance of homeostasis. James Taylor, The Four Tops, The Temptations, and Earth, Wind, & Fire. Come hang out for a while.  With me.  And Josie. And send her good thoughts. Love Yinz, -G  

This is the Michael McDonald Listening Party, but with the sound better balanced and polished.  And without missing parts.  I'm so very sorry about that, if you happened to listen and feel disappointed.  As I did.  I've added an additional intro and some traveling music before the intro and transition music to the actual thing.  Yay.  I hope. Love yinz.  Hang out. -G

In my life, I keep forgetting that Michael McDonald is more than a pretty voice.  He reminded me when he recently performed a Tiny Desk in his home, all alone with just a couple of keyboards and a microphone.  I consistently forget how amazing a musician, incredible a song-writer, and intensely fluid an improviser he is.  Again, he reminded me.  And I'd like to share my time with that performance, plus another of one of the most perfect pop compositions of all time.  Won't you?  I hope you do.  You're certainly welcome. -G

Another week of a self-care offering. Over an hour recorded beachside in Corolla, North Carolina. Wind. Waves. Birds. And you with your breath. Meditation is such a balm for anxiety, self-discovery, decompression, re-energizing, regulation, homeostasis, peace, and joy.  I find the sounds of the Atlantic Ocean deeply resonating.  I find myself easily settling into a meditative state.  And I hope you will too. Take care of yourselves and each other. I love yinz. -G  

This is a deep listen. If you have headphones, use them. This is 60 minutes of the Atlantic Ocean, recorded before the sunrise on Thursday, October 22nd, 2020...in a house on the beach in Corolla, North Carolina. Self-Care is esential. Here I offer you some suggestions for simple ways to meditate, or simply exist, listening to these soul-filling sounds. Love yinz. -G  

Here be a rabbit hole. In said rabbit hole? Georgia Anne Muldrow. You should enter this rabbit hole with me. It's quite simple. Love yinz! -G

I've been feeling a lot of things lately.  This is not a thing that is unique or outstanding in September, 2020. Those feelings, however, are awash in the neurochemicals of anxiety and chronic low-level depression.  Again, not a thing that is unique or outstanding right now. Music, for me, always helps.  Always. Some music exists for every existential moment through which I travel on this tiny blue dot in an infinite multiverse. Here are a few of the many songs that, for me, provide balance, grounding, and regulation across any moment. Love yinz. -G

Continuing with virtuosic drummers, today we take a shallow dive into the aesthetic world of Makaya McCraven.  I say shallow because there are Carrollesque rabbit holes down which one can dive and become quite lost with Makaya and the musicians with whom he plays. It is nearly September, 2020, and I will very soon be 46.  Nothing about existence has become easier and I expect a similar trajectory upcoming.  So I, and we, find ways to self-care as we do the work and fight the fights and try to make existence better for all.  And part of my self-care?  Is vibing with music.  So come vibe. -G      

Look. I really absolutely adore Ian Chang.  I don't know him.  I just adore him.  And this band in which he plays, Son Lux, I just absolutely adore them. I feel like that's all there is to say, here.  Please hang with me and get to know Ian Chang, Ryan Lott, and Rafiq Bhatia.  Like, I promise you THAT at the very least.  Get to know the music of these people. Love yinz. -G

Wikipedia does a nice job defining, "Misogynoir," so I will borrow it here. "Misogynoir is misogyny directed towards black women where race and gender both play roles in bias. The term was coined by queer black feminist Moya Bailey, who created the term to address misogyny directed toward black women in American visual and popular culture. Trudy of Gradient Lair, a womanist blog about black women and art, media, social media, socio-politics and culture, has also been credited in developing the lexical definition of the term. The concept is grounded in the theory of intersectionality, which analyzes how various social identities such as race, gender, class, and sexual orientation interrelate in systems of oppression." Today, we talk about misogynoir from the perspective of a cis white het man's desire to learn and share.  Additionally, there is music.  Always music. The soundtrack includes Big Freedia, Missy Elliott, Queen Latifa, Leikeli47, Maimouna Youssef, and Jamila Woods. I love all of the Black women who have loved and supported me throughout my life, starting with my step-Mom, Angie, and continuing through the myriad colleagues, friends, and educators with whom I currently work and interact. Love yinz. G  

I attended a BLM solidarity rally organized by young people in the district from which I graduated high school.  Beautiful, brave, impressive young people.  A friend provided advising and support when asked and needed, and I committed to record the environment around me...primarily because I needed to give myself something to do to take my perserverating brain off the topic of cycling anxiety, worry, and existential crisis. But this isn't about me.  At all. I attended a rally in the community where I spent formative years, just minutes from a house, rented, in which I lived until 1992. Shaler is a suburban, really exurban area, north of Pittsburgh, PA.  There is a distinct socio-economic divide between several zip codes.  That I remember.  But being a cis het white boy in the district, I didn't experience any of the other aspects of bias, including racism, both systemic/generalized and explicit/targeted.  Obviously, it was, and is, all there. The rally was organized by the Shaler Area Anti-Racist Advocates and a "back the blue" counter protest was swiftly proposed by MAGAts in the community.  I write, "MAGAts" because the signage of the countering group included Trump/Pence flags and placards and thin blue line black-and-white U.S. flags along with several tiny dowel rod U.S. flags. Content and Trigger warnings for hate speech against trans and queer people (...because of course the extermination of queer people is an expected response to a solidarity rally indicating camaraderie with Black neighbors...) as well as plenty of racist tropes and not-even-dog-whistles from the MAGAts. I love yinz so much, those who are in the struggle and impacted by the centuries of relentless trauma, gaslighting, oppression, marginalization, experimentation, incarceration, and murder. -G

I know, the episode title is tedious. But the music herein is most assuredly not. Ladysmith Black Mombazo.  Rhiannon Giddens.  Carolina Chocolate Drops. And a Soweto choir performing, "Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika," a composed in 1897 by Xhosa clergyman Enoch Sontonga. Please join me as we contemplate the history and current praxis of settler colonialism infusing relevant music. -G  

It's deeply impacting to consider, on July 4th, 2020, how relevant is Frederick Douglass' speech delivered to The Rochester Ladies' Abolition Society Independence Day event on July 5th, 1852. Here we will explore that relevance by listening to THAT speech interspersed with protest and movement songs from the 1940s through July, 2020. We who believe in freedom will not rest. -G  

As a speech/language and social-emotional clinician, a person who serves an exceptionally diverse community of families and children at an inclusive preschool, a Father ever working to improve, and a human being, I would be remiss to not communicate on, for, and to children. This podcast?  On children. And re: "for" and "to" children?  You can find a load of YouTube videos beginning with, "Mr. Greg Reads..." To me young people come first, and they are not pieces of clay to be molded and shaped in a vision steeped in compliance, assimilation, and behavior modification. I love children.  Unconditionally.  It's really that plain and simple. Unconditional positive regard. Please hang, I'm very happy with this episode.  Spend time with me, Sweet Honey in the Rock, Marvin Gaye, and Brother Ali.  Because there ALWAYS has to be music. -G  

I recorded this episode on May 23rd, 2020. George Floyd was brutally executed by a team of Minneapolis police officers on May 25th, 2020. In the weeks between then and now?  The world has changed. I would be utterly remiss if I did not process, with you, the events around us, so we begin with an extended introduction, asserting that white supremacy in all forms...including the school-to-prison pipeline, the carceral state, the entirety of "law and order" as it currently functions, the military and prison industrial complexes, and a myriad other structures and systems...must be defunded and abolished. I refuse to be remiss. Having said that, we spend time with one of the most mind-blowing drummers I've ever heard/seen, Ian Chang.  I'm absolutely certain you'll agree.  Drummer as creator, composer, band-leader, one-man-orchestra, and mad scientist.  Ian Chang is all of those things and more. Please hang.  And please take care of yourself, your family, and your community...however you define and understand "community," and PLEASE, do it in that order.  Universe knows I'm no good at taking care of myself, but I'm learning. Love yinz.  

Hey. This was recorded on 5/9/20, a day on which it was snowing in Pittsburgh, Pa. This is a continued exploration of drummer as bandleader and, in this case, a bit of conversation about a drummer's voice.  Not singing.  Not rapping.  But unique expression and communicative style on their instrument.  That is, a percussive voice.  Today's drummer focus...is Anderson .Paak. I also spend some time talking about and listening to Little Richard, who passed on the very day I recorded. Thanks for hanging.  Give a positive review on iTunes.  Subscribe via iTunes or Spotify or Google podcasts, and whatnot.  Love one another.  Be kind.  Not necessarily nice.  But kind. Love yinz. -G

We've met Chris Dave.   We've met Jojo Mayer.   Ever heard of Yussef Dayes?   We're talking about virtuoso drummers as bandleaders/composers/producers, and Yussef Dayes is approximately peerless.  The couple I mentioned above exist in his bracket.  Others, too. But for today, let's just vibe, groove, and nerd out on Dayes.  Also, Tom Misch and Rocco Palladino.  (Yep, Pino's kid, and he's every bit as good as his Father.)  Who's Pino?  Well, we get into that, too.  Little D'Angelo for your pleasure.   Hang, won't you?   Love yinz.   -G  

Once again, you have Mark. You have me. You have music. And boisterous revelry. Also, Thundercat. And Duran Duran. And beat boxing. C'mon.  You have to hang. This is me now. Love yinz. -G&M

Today, we cast our memories back there, lord. And indeed, sometimes we were overcome thinking about it. Mark and I move through the songs that peaked at #1 across my junior year in high school. It's said that the music with which we fall in love in our late teens to early 20s is seared upon our memories and informs our tastes from that point out. To an extent, that's certainly true for me and Mark, though both of us have spent and spend a LOT of time with music, so thank universe neither of us were fossilized in the early 90s. Though, truth be told, it would not be a bad time to get stuck. Won't yinz get stuck with us? In 1991. Bringing you all the hits here on your oldies station. (Jesus, 1991 was 29 years ago and these songs are oldies now.  Yikes.) Hang, though. Love yinz. -G&M P.S. While I've called this a 1991 listening party, and it is, the podcast kicks off with a 2017 performance of the 1979 hit, "Message In a Bottle," because the song is eternally fire and this performance is exceptional.

There's something about Tom Misch's, Rex Orange County's, and Harry Styles' respective (and collective, as they all share that intersection described in the title) music that I simply adore. I think you will too.  Perhaps you already do.  Here you have me and then we will be sharing space with live performances by the three blokes mentioned above.  Innit? Anyway, please hang, have a nice time, and find respite with me. Love yinz. -G Please Note: This episode was recorded on 3/21, so the me bits reflect where I was re: the pandemic at that point in time.  There's nothing problematic there, just...I had the perspective of a human on 3/21 re: COVID-19.

Do you love percussion? Rhythm? Do you prefer to be swung like a perpetual pendulum? We have Chris Dave and Drumhedz. We have Jojo Mayer. We have J Dilla. Doesn't get much better than that. So stick around.  Swing with us. Love yinz. -G

Mr. King, Mr. Hendrix, and Mr. Burside. All live. I sincerely appreciate you hanging and listening. If you dig, you can subscribe via the link above, or though iTunes, Google podcasts, or Spotify.  And you can leave a lovely review.  You can do the Patreon if you'd like.  In any and all cases, I appreciate. Love yinz. -G  

Respite. That's what Driven2Drink is, for me. Respite. Music. Thunderstorms.  Banter. Whiskey. Additional medicinal.  That's my respite rn.  My "Driven to Drink." Taimame? Do you know about her? If you do...I know, right?! If you do not...please rectify that situation. Perhaps with me. Here. Finding respite in Taimame.  And Jonathan Heraux: percussion; Ramiro Marziani: guitar; Melissa Baethoven: violin, vocals; and Li'o: Polynesian dance. Love yinz. -G

Social distance with me, will you? You, me, and a Bill Withers full live performance from 1973. Brilliantly mixed, mic'ed, recorded, and polished for the era.  (Bill Withers and his band, that is...not me [I mean, I think I do a good job with me but nothing like actual professionals and what the folks were able to do here with this performance {Plus I'm in no way comparing myself to Bill Withers.}.].) Thanks for hanging. Love yinz. -G  

D'Angelo. Vanguard. Listening. Party. That's the only four words you need, really. Such joy. Such funk.  Such soul. Rhythm. Blues. Whatnot. Live. Hang with us, won't yinz? -G

This is a listening party celebrating T-Pain's unaltered voice, personality, and his accompanist Toro; the song, "I Keep Forgettin'," by Michael McDonald; and the band who made the song, "I Keep Forgettin'," with/for Michael McDonald. Here's your playlist for the episode: "Party at the Airport" x Deck of Jack (D2D themesong) "Buy U a Drank (Shawty Snappin')" x T-Pain & Toro "Drankin' Patna," x T-Pain & Toro "I Keep Forgettin'," x Michael McDonald "Stomp!" x The Brothers Johnson "Strawberry Letter 23" x The Brothers Johnson "Hold the Line" x Toto "Thriller" x Michael Jackson How can you not? Pour you a drank.  Put in the headphones. Have some tea. Chill. Won't yinz? -G

The Comet is Coming is something else. CiC is prog-funk/metal/jazz. CiC are aliens. I dig them so much and I think you will too. Plus, as a bonus? A T-Pain palette cleanser. How can you resist? You cannot. Love you. -G  

What do Reuben Wilson, Marving Gaye, G. Love and Special Sauce, and A Tribe Called Quest have in common? This may or may not be living, but listen to this episode to find out...or just vibe with all of the amazing music sharing those Inner City Blues. Love that yinz're here with us.  Hope that Yinz remain.  Oh, and love yinz. -G  

Relinquishing the final minutes of Mark's and my conversations recorded ambiently on a stereo mic, for posterity and to provide a few laughs and some lovely music for yinz. DJ R-Tistic gave me permission to use his (...along with DJ Trayze, who absolutely murdered the stage and club at a friend's celebration several years back, an experience that I'll carry with me to my grave, hitting a solid running man, transition to cabbage patch, body roll, side to side, and a James Brown split into the hereafter...) stellar go-go remix of Mariah's, "All I Want...," so there's that! And we'll close with the official D2D themesong, "Party at the Airport," by Deck of Jack. I hope this episode finds you well, or at least brings you joy. -G  

Part 3. Me and Mark. Mark and I. Me, Myself, and Mark. iMark. Mark and Greggie make a Porno. (...what the...) Hi everybody. Thanks for hanging with us.  Have some fun with us. (We didn't make a porno.) [...not that there's anything wrong with that...] -G

2019 reminds me every day why I'm ready for it to be gone. Yet, 2020 has been huffing and puffing impatiently since 2016 and I'm not entirely sure I'm ready for it either. It's all a clusterfudge. But...there is always the "drink" to which you are driven.  Not necessarily a drink, either, but whatever helps, relaxes, soothes, alleviates, provides catharsis, respite, the strength, or whatever you need to keep on keeping on. For me, there is always music, always friendship, always laughter, always substances of mild to moderate mind alteration. Some come hang with us, won't you? Have a laugh.  Hear a song or two. Drink...YOUR drink. -G (&M [music factory])  

Over here with bread for a year and additionally a few bonus bits, songs, and tags.  We're going to close out 2019 and trepidatiously yet confidently step into 2020 with laughter.  Laughter and music.  That's what I do.  Some drinking (...and remember, driven2drink is not about alcohol, really.  The concept is...that which drives you to do or drink or take or embark upon the things that help you to find internal peace and homeostasis even in the midst of existential crisis or whatever daily travails you endure and/or obstacles impede you.  You may be driven to have some herbal tea, listen to smooth jazz very loudly, and snuggle with your angora rabbit in a hooded Snuggy.  That's YOUR driven to drink.  And for me?  Here?  Laughter and music are the things to which I return.  And also alcohol.  And other things...) and a lot of singing and laughing and consuming soulful aural art. Anyway, you should hang out.  Have some fun with us.  Listen to some music.  And while you're doing it, engage in the thing to which you are driven to find inner calm, if only for a few.  (Wait, what if Driven2Drink were your "drink?"  That'd be wonderful, really.) Love yinz! -G

The year, was 1973. I was, perhaps, conceived and incubating as the performance you're about to hear was originally recorded. Stevie Wonder...and Wonderlove.  This is...wonderful, and full of love, so the band's name is doubly perfect. What do Stevie and the early 80's movies Footloose, Flashdance, and Breakin' have in common?  Hang out, and you'll find out. Here is an intimate concert along with several surprises along the way. Thanks for hanging.  Love yinz! G  

Hi. Do you know Kelsey Lu? You should. Truly, check out her two albums, "Church" and "Blood."  She's an exceptional talent.  Singer.  Songwriter.  Multi-instrumentalist.  Just...wow. Here we'll spend some time with a few VERY early performances. I've noise reduced and polished, but it's still VERY live.  But she shines.  Bright. I appreciate yinz being here and love spending time with you.  And music.  So hang. -G  

Say that title five times quickly, or just say JSNTLP...as two consecutive triplets (J-S-N, T-L-P, J-S-N, T-L-P); add some traditional Brazilian and capoeira instruments, rhythms, & melodies; make yourself a caipirinha, the national drink of Brazil (...and better than a mojito in one home bartender's humble opinion...); and let's have ourselves a carnival party. Really, this trio is GREAT. We'll also spend some time talking about capoeria, and close with a full-tilt Driven2Drink tag of improvised songs. Absolutely love that yinz're here with me. -G

Brittany Howard, perhaps most famous as the lead singer, songwriter, and guitarist of the Alabama Shakes, recently released her debut solo album, "Jaime," and it is exceptional...in this man's humble opinion. Let's spend some time hanging with Ms. Howard, the Alabama Shakes, and a bonus Mac Miller...all the way live and all the way wonderful. Please subscribe to the podcast, rate us positively on iTunes, and be kind to but firm and honest with yourselves and others. Thanks for hanging, and love yinz. -G  

This is really just a tiny story of how I was, and I'm not being hyperbolic here, saved by one man and a tiny Black Baptist church in South Point, Georgia.   And I was reminded of that story, the actual experience, while listening to Avery R. Young's exceptional album, "Tubman.".   So this is also a listening party, a bit of a semi-secular testimony to the power of the human voice, as an instrument of communication and an instrument of capturing the human condition most accurately outside of the human condition.   Love that you're here.   -G  

Making the rounds recently have been clips of a George Carlin interview from 1990, a couple of Marc Maron monologues from his podcast, WTF, and a recent interview with Eddie Murphy...all related to growth, maturity, and the importance of lateral or upward punching comedy. Making the rounds also?  Todd Phillips complaining that he can't make comedies anymore because of, "PC Culture."  Dave Chappelle's stand-up and his insistence that downward-punching comedy is being threatened by, "Cancel Culture," or whatever. Today, we'll be focusing on Maron, Carlin, and Murphy. Today, we'll spend time discussing the importance of power dynamics, group-think, maturity, and how cis, het, men sometimes do evolve. Thanks for hanging. Love yinz. -G  

Have you ever hooked-in to the Carolina Chocolate Drops? Have you ever hooked-in to Rhiannon Giddens? Have you ever hooked-in to the 1619 Project? If yes, please hang. If no? Also, please hang...and meet a powerful person and project. This is an anti-racist podcast. Plain and simple. Love yinz. -G  

James Jamerson, a man who exceptionally few know but almost everybody has heard, was, along with Papa Zita on the kit, the heartbeat of Motown.  There were other drummers and other bassists with Motown, but James Jamerson was a virtuoso, an innovator, a professional, and above all else, a communicator and song-writer on the bass guitar. Please hang with me today as we hang with James Jamerson a few of the most iconic basslines in the history of popular music. Also, a scorching live performance by the legendary Roots crew and John Legend from their perfect album, Wake Up! Love yinz, G  

With a fractured left fibia; vaporized medicine; mashed, fermented, and distilled grain; I bring you an absolute favorite, Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley. All live.  All soul. [air horn] x2 Please hang with us. Welcome to Jamrock. Love yinz. -G  

On November 8th, 2016 many of us lost our privileged, comfortable, clutching grasp on the entire supremacist mythology of the U.S.A., and Miss Sharon Jones suffered a stroke while watching the election results.  She had another the following day.  And a week later, on November 18th, in Cooperstown, NY, she passed. In the time between the election and her final breath, Miss Jones joked that Trump's election almost killed her.  Her sense of humor and spirit were such a blessing. Sharon Jones was a treasure, and we still have so many of her gifts in the form of recordings and live performances, a wonderful documentary, and her band, the Dap-Kings (as well as her amazing background singers, The Dapettes) continue performing to this day. Just a year before her journey home, Sharon, et al, performed a scorching, soulful, jazzy, rhythm & bluesy, and utterly joyous holiday set at the NPR Tiny Desk. Let's spend some time with that set and also a performance of one of her biggest hits: 100 Days, 100 Nights. Be well. Love yinz.   -G  

Today there be crickets. Not like, the audience was so quiet you could hear crickets. But, I left the office window open and the recording equipment is so sensitive you could hear actual crickets.  And it was dusk.  So like, a cricket rave. Which actually, somehow...works. Because here there also be Dan Tepfer.  I don't have the brain or experience to do what he does.  But I do have the brain and experience to appreciate what he does...with a player piano, a computer, various algorithms, and a visual interpretation of what he does.  Which is create improvisational jazz pieces which, when the algorithm responds, requires that he then respond in kind to what the algorithm creates...thus making exciting and precarious pieces that require precision and structure but allow for such soul and depth of playing and communication that I guarantee you've never heard, nor will you feel, anything quite like this. And, when you watch the video from the tiny desk, or any of his live videos on YouTube, including pieces from his wonderful "Natural Machines" album, it becomes an entire multiple sensory experience.  Have a nice drink, alter your mood/mind in whichever way(s) you find effective, diffuse essential oils or burn incense, put on comfy clothes and make it a FULL ON sensory spa experience. And the crickets somehow add.  There are times when it feels like they are responding to Dan, or he to them...kind of like the Dark Side of the Moon with The Wizard of Oz situation. Hang, won't yinz? -G

That's right.  Sting...AND...Shaggy.  Not Sting...THEN Shaggy.  Not Shaggy...THEN Sting. Not Sting...meets Scooby Doo and Shaggy in a madcap adventure ending with an aristocratic old white man having his mask snatched and claiming, "And I would've gotten away with it if it weren't for you meddling kids.  And Sting."  Nope.  Sting and Shaggy, together.  And loving it.  And so am I.  And I believe you will too.  Hang with us, won't you? Love yinz. -G

Hello. Calling all jazz heads, a cappellytes, prog musicologists, lovers of prodigies, rhythm and enBLUESiasts, and folks who simply love soulful and affective music. We're going to spend some time with Jacob Collier. If you haven't yet, strap in. And if you have, come vibe with me. I love that you're here. Let's hang. -G  

It's simple. Let's hang; listen to Lizzo shine bright like a diamond and light microphones, flutes, and audiences on fire; take into our bodies whatever helps us gain insight and maintain a semblance of self-care and emotional balance; and recharge for another week of making sure the world is a safe, welcoming, humane place for everyone on the oppressed side of power dynamics.  Huh? I know, it's really not simple.  But know I love and want peace for you. -G