I was at a show last night and the person next to me was singing along to every word of every song. While that in and of itself is not a crime (maybe a bit of moderation mighta been nice?), this person also couldn’t have found the right key with GPS. Is there anything at a concert that absolutely drives you nuts when someone near you does it?

Drop one song in the comments and don’t explain why. Go!

What's on your Bandcamp wishlist? Mine has: "Amaro" by Bibi Club, "Bust the Bus Stop" by Brooklyn Funk Essentials, "Goodbye Sticky Rice" by Lyrics Born, "Paradises" (pre-order) by Ladytron, "Chin Up Buttercup" by Austra, and "Boundary County" by Eilen Jewell (top of the list out of 33 others). All of these are for music I heard on KEXP, my favorite music discovery engine. ----- Just FYI, I'm tring to convince the Software Gurus at KEXP to add a link to Bandcamp in the app when you 'favorite' a track. For 24 hours, every purchase you make on Bandcamp sends even more money directly to the artists and labels you support. On select Fridays throughout the year, we waive our share of sales. This means fans can support artists more directly. It’s a great time to pick up that album you’ve had your eye on, explore something new, or revisit an old favorite.

Wow, this month feels like ended within minutes of it starting. For the last week or so, my listening has been somewhat varied but I’ve been spending some more focused time listening to At The Gates. With the unfortunate passing of their singer Tomas Lindberg in September of 2025, the likelihood of the band being finished seems inevitable. He recorded all of his vocals for the 12-song record in one day before a surgery that was part of his fight against the cancer in his mouth that he ultimately succumbed to. On a side note for those who also enjoy when punk and jazz come together; the latest Messthetics record is a great listen from beginning to end! The unstoppable rhythm section of Fugazi (bassist Joe Lally and drummer Brendan Canty), and guitarist Anthony Pirog have continued an exciting collaborative relationship with saxophonist James Brandon Lewis with the release of Deface the Currency through Impulse records.

When I'm doing the show and I play some mellow or sad music, I often get people checking in if I'm okay. The irony is, that is not what I go to when I'm feeling down. I go to the classics, the anchors, the seminal records that have kept me afloat all these years like The Joshua Tree, Earth Sun Moon, Bridge Over Troubled Water, Let Me Come Over, Cooper Blue and many many more. I'm curious, when things feel heavy, what kind of music do you reach for? Quiet? Loud? Familiar? Something new?