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?

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

I braved an ice storm for an out-of-town Nine Inch Nails show last night and it made me think of going on musical road trips. I think the furthest I’ve gone specifically for a concert is Minneapolis (from Toronto) though I’ve certainly caught concerts further away while already travelling. My (probably mathematically unbreakable) record there is Sydney.

First concert - The Box (at The Forum in Toronto) Last concert - Sam Fender Best Concert - three way tie - Pink Floyd Division Bell, and New Order/P.I.L./The Sugarcubes, and Vampire Weekend Worst concert- Red Hot Chili Peppers at Lollapalooza Loudest concert - Frontline Assembly Best sounding - Robert Cray Band Seen the most - Tool Most surprising - Metric Most unusual - Skinny Puppy Craziest - Korn Next Concert - The Last Dinner Party Wish I had seen - INXS Copy and Paste-Let’s see yours

This week a new Manchester band called Shaking Hand dropped their self titled debut album. I think it's the first great debut of 2026. Has anyone heard any other great debut albums yet?