Johnny Blue Skies refuses to make a “normal” album, and Mutiny After Midnight might be his most unhinged, genre-jumping effort yet. From political gut punches to fu(n)ky, tongue-in-cheek love songs, this early Album of the Year contender proves that even with hoops to listen, the music is worth it. Continue reading Johnny Blue Skies – Mutiny After Midnight (Review)
Album review for Jay Buchanan’s Weapons of Beauty, released Feb. 6, 2026. Continue reading Album: Weapons of Beauty – Jay Buchanan
Every year I listen to far more albums than is reasonable, rank them with a system that only makes sense to me, and then argue with myself about the results. This list is the final version. Heavy on red dirt, Appalachian country, and sad sack songwriting, these are the records that stayed with me long after the year ended. Continue reading The Top 112 Albums of 2025
Jeremy Allen White disappears into a haunted Bruce Springsteen in Deliver Me From Nowhere, a dark and intimate look at the making of Nebraska. Quiet, brooding, and beautifully uncomfortable, it’s not the biopic fans might expect—but it’s exactly the kind of film Nebraska deserves. Continue reading Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere — Review
I’ve been working on a hip hop chronology playlist lately. I’ve been trying to pick five songs from each year that put hip hop on the map, spread its fame, changed the game or personified the art form in a … Continue reading Before the Beat: Muhammad Ali and the Birth of Hip-Hop Swagger
Hey! Haven’t done one of these in a while. Here are this week’s five songs worth listening to. The Rolling Stones and Steve Riley–Zydeco Sont Pas Salés Kelsey Waldon–Ghost of Myself Tobi–He’s So Good Lukas Nelson–All God Did Ron Pope–Things … Continue reading Fab Five Friday–June 27, 2025
I’ve often said live music is my happy place. Turns out, there is a concept that explains this. Collective effervescence. It’s not just a turn of phrase. There’s something about being in a small, packed venue, shoulder to shoulder with a few hundred strangers, where the only thing that matters is the sound in the room and the feeling in your chest. In those moments, I’m not thinking about deadlines or bills or whatever’s buzzing on my phone. I’m in it. Fully. It’s one of the few places I consistently slip into a flow state, that sense of total presence … Continue reading When the Room Sings: Collective Effervescence and the Flow of Live Music
This is a link to my Google Sheet. It will be updated live from the Google Sheet as I work through new albums every week. My goal every year is to rate 100 newly released albums. Continue reading 2025 Album Ratings
A new Turnpike Troubadours album dropped today. I had it playing on a loop pretty much all day today. At one point, I caught myself getting annoyed. Work was distracting me from being capable of focusing and listen with intent. Then a thought popped into my head. It would be nice if you could take a day off when a favorite band puts out a new album. Of course, there would have to be a system in place to avoid abuse. What would the ground rules be? What I came up with: You keep a file on hand with whatever … Continue reading Mental Health Days, The Music Version
Here are this week’s five songs worth listening to. The Devil Makes Three–Spirits I don’t believe in ghosts, but I do believe in being haunted. Mumford & Sons–Rushmere This is very Mumfordy. Get my head out of the groundTime don’t … Continue reading Fab Five Friday–Jan. 24, 2025
I Am Weez 