2022: A sampler

I confess that I haven’t spent my traditional amount of time with a year-end retrospective, but recently I’ve found myself shuffling up music from 2022, and fidure it was worthy of a Spotify playlist, so here you go, the genres might surprise you.

I Won't tell 'em your name

In High School my friends and I would speak in code about girls; saying a name had a particular weight to it. Even as adults names tend to be sacred; once a name is introduced, some secrets are out in the open and part of keeping someone’s secrets in a vault. This playlist has many women’s names, but assigning a name to a woman exposes traces of secrets held. So many of my connections with women over the last 20 years have been off the books for a number of reasons, so there has been plenty a shroud over any hints of any romantic relationship. So this playlist addresses the platonic undertones. Zsometimes the image of romance has overshadowed the platonic, rather than the opposite. So this playlist contains lots of names without disclofing the connections to the names and any actual woman.

Trenches Dug Within our Hearts

Boy have the roaring 2020s been difficult in America!


Some common themes thatbrewed up in the’60s. Then you had the doves and hawks; warring tribes divided on the Americann involvement in Vietnam. Now theres a chasm between red hats and non-red hats, mostly partisan, but eventhe red hats consider other members of the Republican party who don’t adhere strictly to the red hat ideology to be traitors against America. Amplified partisan divide drove friends, families, and colleagues were driven apart and expected to operate as enemies. Those are indicators of tumult leading up to civil wars in history. The 2016 US General Election struck a hard blow of division, 2020 came along with the COVID-19 Pandemic, and science and public health became partisan, another opportunity to allow an issue become partanism morphed into sectarianism. It’s all too easy to see the world around us in black & white us vs. them. The reds and the blues. I started putting this playlist together once I started to see the quarantunes lists start to come out. The title is a line out of U2’s “Sunday Blooody Sunday” which was a song in response to the”Troubles’ of Ireland which split families, neighborhoods apart over similar partisanship.that became like a religious war. The differences are real, but we mustn’t let them become so strong that they are ingrained in our total beings, otherwise all is lost.George Floyd, School shootings, immigration, nationalism,vaccines, election 2020, January 6th. We (Americans) mustn’t let differences of opinion become the trenches of war.

Boy have the roaring 2020s been difficult in America! Some common themes thatbrewed up in the’60s. Then you had the doves and hawks; warring tribes divided on the Americann involvement in Vietnam. Now theres a chasm between red hats and non-red hats, mostly partisan, but eventhe red hats consider other members of the Republican party who don’t adhere strictly to the red hat ideology to be traitors against America. Amplified partisan divide drove friends, families, and colleagues were driven apart and expected to operate as enemies. Those are indicators of tumult leading up to civil wars in history. The 2016 US General Election struck a hard blow of division, 2020 came along with the COVID-19 Pandemic, and science and public health became partisan, another opportunity to allow an issue become partanism morphed into sectarianism. It’s all too easy to see the world around us in black & white us vs. them. The reds and the blues. I started putting this playlist together once I started to see the quarantunes lists start to come out. The title is a line out of U2’s “Sunday Blooody Sunday” which was a song in response to the”Troubles’ of Ireland which split families, neighborhoods apart over similar partisanship.that became like a religious war. The differences are real, but we mustn’t let them become so strong that they are ingrained in our total beings, otherwise all is lost.George Floyd, School shootings, immigration, nationalism, election 2020, January 6th. We (Americans) mustn’t let differences of opinion become the trenches of war.

Boy have the roaring 2020s been difficult in America!


Some common themes thatbrewed up in the’60s. Then you had the doves and hawks; warring tribes divided on the Americann involvement in Vietnam. Now theres a chasm between red hats and non-red hats, mostly partisan, but eventhe red hats consider other members of the Republican party who don’t adhere strictly to the red hat ideology to be traitors against America. Amplified partisan divide drove friends, families, and colleagues were driven apart and expected to operate as enemies. Those are indicators of tumult leading up to civil wars in history. The 2016 US General Election struck a hard blow of division, 2020 came along with the COVID-19 Pandemic, and science and public health became partisan, another opportunity to allow an issue become partanism morphed into sectarianism. It’s all too easy to see the world around us in black & white us vs. them. The reds and the blues. I started putting this playlist together once I started to see the quarantunes lists start to come out. The title is a line out of U2’s “Sunday Blooody Sunday” which was a song in response to the”Troubles’ of Ireland which split families, neighborhoods apart over similar partisanship.that became like a religious war. The differences are real, but we mustn’t let them become so strong that they are ingrained in our total beings, otherwise, all is lost.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4f5fTgrxWUZiggICZPqpeT?si=1df8b7a58f884bc5

My intellectual intelligence is nothing to be questioned, but emotional intelligence has been my challenge. I put together a playlist for all the couldas, shouldas, and wouldas. Maybe you’re in there.Spotify

A Shuffle Companion Digest

I get the impression that no one is reading this, but if you are, Hi! I think thst I will begin publishing a weekly digest consisting of some weekly music ideas and a Spotify playlist. Let me know you stopped by.

How I quit iTunes & Y

The title of this post is a play on the title of Elvis Costello’s book How To Play Guitar & Y, of which I recommend the audiobook

.I’d been an iTunes power user since early on when it became compatible with Windows in the mi-2000s. In fact, I’d go as far to say I was a power user of iTunes. I used it to build hundreds of playlists and a simple mechanism to burn a playlist to a CD. Once Apple launched their store, I found it almost too easy to purchase music that I didn’t have in my piles of CDs. iTunes was the first application I downloaded and installed on a new computer along with Chrome. I always had it installed  on both work and home machines. At some point, iTunes became “Music” and was built in to Mac OS. I started having so many issues with my Mac that I was in over my head at knowledge and skill with MacOS, that I engaged with a local Mac specialist. As he used his diagnostic tools to assess why my Mac became unresponsive so often and found the primary  problem to be with Mac Music. Specifically the size of my library (around 6 terrebytes, and the second being my smart playlists. I asked him if he could recommend an alternative to iTunes that could handle a massive sized library and similar playlist functionality. With that in mind, he recommended I try Swinsian. I can’t remember if there’s a Windows version, nor can I speak to any functionaliy While not free, (license fee per installation), it fit the bill  for running “thin” without hogging resources like iTunes/Music would do even when not active, and could handle a large library like mine without taking a galf hour to open.

The main uses I had for iTunes was to listen to and organize my music. I did this through several highly curated playlists and a series of smart playlists of artists, genres or other criteria, I can’t remember the last time I purchased music through the iTunes Music Store, because for over 10 years I’ve exclusively bought music through Amazon’s digital music service. Music downloaded from AmazonMP3 has no DRM requiring logins to share music across platforms withou needing my iTunes password to be known.

It’s been a couple of years and I really like Swinsian While there is a license cost for it, Being able to have my library not crash the app is worth it. Another feature I really enjoy is watched folders. You can tell Swinsian to watch a specific folder for new tracks and they will automagically be added to your library. I have a specific folder that my downloaded music goes to, and when specified as a watched folder, those songs are added to my library.

Despite Swinsian exceeding my expectations as a music player and organizer. There are a few things missing. iTunes was accessible by remote using the remote app. That feature uses airplay, which isn’t something mission critical. Another feature I don’t consider essential is the interface with an iPod or iPhone, but it’t been years since I’ve “needed” that function.

Sounds From The Roof

I started to have a set of songs that, while daydreaming, took me to a quiet street late at night and hearing faint music from a rooftop bar or rooftop party. Give a listen, and let me know where your mind takes you.

My new Least Favorite

Some context: I absolutely love their previous album Songs of Innocence. The tour that followed was ambitious and fresh. Then, along came the 30th anniversary of their The Joshua Tree, including a tour of the material, which had the band revisiting those songs in a fresh way for a modern audience.. So, between the previous and supposed bookend album, and dreaming up their peak masterworks, I was expecting the introspection to lead to an album made up of songs, a product of those factors would be exquisite rock ‘n roll. So, when Songs of Experience came along, I had the impression that it would be a bookend to Songs of Innocence, the way William Blake might’ve liked. Where Songs of Innocence was biographically the U2 origin story, unfortunately, as all 4 members are now in their 60s, Experience may really be a harbinger for their retirement. Experience ranks at the bottom of my list as least enjoyable; you’re off the hook, Pop. Experience showed they are still willing to give it a go, but, in this superfan’s opinion, they are venturing in the wrong direction. The wrong way in the envelope. I sure hope it isn’t their last work. From another perspective, this song that most of the members played on for soccer is better than any track on Experience. So I hold out hope.


Some Perfect Songs

Perfect Songs

,”Eskimo Friend” :: Damien Rice (Words & Music by Damien Rice)

Led Zeppelin,“In the Light” (Words & Music by Led Zeppelin 

Flake” |Jack Johnson https://youtu.be/u3S6_NtxARY

“Skinny  Love :: Bon Iver https://youtu.be/ssdgFoHLwnk

“Bad” :: U2

“Comfortably Numb” :: Pink Floyd (Words & Music by Waters/Gilmour)

“Unknown Legend” :: Neil Young (Words & Music by Neil Young)

“Bridgr Over Troubled Water” :: Simon & Garfunkel (Words & Music by Paul Simon)


“A day in the life” https://youtu.be/usNsCeOV4GM (Words and music by Lennon/McCartney)

“Something” :: The Beatles https://youtu.be/UelDrZ1aFeY :: (Words and music by George Harrison)


”Transatlanticism”

“Layla” :: Derek & The Dominoes https://youtu.be/uSquiIVLhrQ :: (Words and music by Clapton/Gordon)

The Beats :: “Something” (Words & Music by George Harrison)


Paul McCartney & Wings :: “Band on the Run” (Words & Music by Paul McCartney)

Jackson Browne :: “Running on empty” (Words & Music by Jackson Browne)

Whole of the moon https://youtu.be/sBW8Vnp8BzU

Arcade Fire|”Wake up” https://youtu.be/sJRPPUr1yic

“Pathetique” piano sonata Beethoven https://youtu.be/QYEC4TZsy-Y Lou Reed :: “Perfect Day” https://youtu.be/9wxI4KK9ZYo


httpsJack Johnson ::  “Flake” (Words & Music by Jack Johnson)

Bruce Springsteen :: “Thunder Road”

https://youtu.be/MT3dB8poLdo Ryan Adams -”When The Stars Go” (Words & Music by Ryan Adams)

https://youtu.be/Eab_beh07HU “Good Vibrations” - The Beach Boys

Josh Ritter “Thin Blue Flame”https://youtu.be/dwVfMJnLWUE


“ Moonlight Mile” | The Rolling Stones

https://youtu.be/Bq4Q69_mdZw

“In The Light” | Led Zeppelin



There are plenty of great songs that have come along in the last 50 years or so An element that I factor into a perfect song, which, by the way, is about the overall sound. Lyrics, melody, rhythm, the lead instrument’s chord pattern, and often a great song is more like a couple of songs stitched together perfectly. Here are a few examples of what I consider perfect songs. There’s another category I think of as “Perfect pop songs”, which for example look at Steely Dan’s “”Peg”Cranberries ““Dreams”, orINXS’s “New Sensation”, or The Cardigans’ “Lovefool” Above all else, a perfect song should make you feel . Regardless of era, genre, or lyrics, a perfect song should make you feel something. Regardless of era, genre, or lyrics. A perfect song should make you feel something. A solid criteria for judging the quality of a song is to consider quality of cover versions, especially in a different genre, i.e. Nine Inch Nails’“Hurt” Nine inch Nails as covered by Johnny Cash, or especially When in Rome’s “The Promise”

Every day Albums Every Day

While fumbling for words, an elderly Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK0 described the Internet as, “a series of tubes,” and almost immediately went viral with clever memes and GIFs. It may have sounded out-of-touch at the time, but it was more accurate than snarky network engineers would. I’ve heard the Internet described with the metaphor of pipes, tunnels, and plumbing plenty of times, but all metaphors aside, we might all be able to accept that the Internet of the last 20 years or so could accurately be described as a series of lists. Many sites require clicking throughIn light of that concession, allow me to make a list of desert island cross-country road trip albums that can carry for days. I think of them as Everyday albums; those albums that you could listen to every day without tiring of them. I didn’t put a count together before typing this up, but the list is long. I created a playlist with these albums, and with Shuffle, I could drive for days. I had a couple of self-imposed rules to this lis. No Best of or Soundtracks. The selections are eclectic and may not ring a bell, but they’re good onramps to the artists. Worth dialing up in your Spotify for a taste. My MP3 app tells me that the list amounts to 17+ days of solid music. In my experience, driving from coast to coast takes about 4 long days. Maybe I’ll use this blog to  write some insights on American highways If you’re unsure of whether you care for a particular artist, These albums can all be considered goood onramps or jumping-off points to get a sense. My MO tells me to write a little blurb and highlight a track on each album, but there are a lot. Being on this list doesn’t necessarily mean that the listed album is the artists’ best, nor does it mean that the artist is a favorite of mine; simply albums that work; day after day. Some of the albums hover around times when an album came along and overlap with a particular transition in my life. Agree? Disagree? Something I’m missing? Leave a comment. There’s much to discuss. Check back often this list is not static, nor should it be. New music comes around each Friday, and sometimes it’s great.


  • The Joshua Tree :: U2 (1987)

  • A Rush of Blood to the Head :: Coldplay (2002)


  • Achtung Baby :: U2 (1991)

  • Boxer :: The National (2007)

  • Aerosmith :: Aerosmith (1973)

  • The Rising:: Bruce Springsteen (2002)

  • Weezer (Blue Album) :: Weezer (1994)

  • Taking The Long Way :: Dixie Chicks

  • Yankee Hotel Foxtrot :: Wilco (2002)

  • Before These Crowded Streets :: Dave Matthews Band

  • American Recordings :: Johnny Cash (1994)

  • The Animal Years :: Josh Ritter (2006)

  • O :: Damien Rice

  • A Ghost Is Born :: Wilco (2004)

  • The Bends :: Radiohead (1995

  • Vs. :: Pearl Jam (1993)

  • Harvest Moon :: Neil Young (1992)

  • Everyone Else Is doing it, So Why Can’t we? :: (1994)

  • OK Computer  :: radiohead (1998)

  • Dear Lover :: Matthew Ryan 2009)

  • The Head and The Heart :: The Head and The Heart (2011)

  • Takk :: Sigur Ros

  • Good News For People who like Bad News :: Modest Mouse (2004)

  • Goodbye Yellow Brick Road :: Elton John (1974)

  • Mellow Gold :: Beck (1996)

  • Ziggy Stardust :: David Bowie (1971)


  • Aftermath :: The Rolling Stones

  • Mosaic :: Wang Chung

  • Feeling Strangely Fine :: Semisonic

  • Third Eye Blind :: Third Eye Blind (1996)

  • Cease To Begin :: Band of Horses (2007)

  • Our Endless Numbered Days :: Iron & Wine (2004)

  • Bryter Layter :: Nick Drake (1971)

  • Gentlemen [Explicit] :: Afghan Whigs (1993)

  • Tourist :: Athlete (2005)

  • Whatever and Ever Amen :: Ben Folds Five (1997)

  • Out of the Blue :: Electric Light Orchestra (1974)

  • White Ladder :: David Gray (1998)

  • X & Y :: Coldplay (2005)

  • Bringing Down the Horse :: The Wallflowers (1996)



High Fidelity

What came first, the music or the misery? People worry about kids playing with guns, or watching violent videos, that some sort of culture of violence will take them over. Nobody worries about kids listening to thousands, literally thousands of songs about heartbreak, rejection, pain, misery and loss. Did I listen to pop music because I was miserable? Or was I miserable because I listened to pop music?


Back To Work in 2021: Unsolicited advice for business leaders

Just One year into the 2020s, And we’ve witnessed future history books being edited by the moment, While it may seem easy to use an asterisk to explain any irregularities in your bcompany's measurables; revenues, Employee turnover, expenses new customers/clients through sales, Payroll, or PTO usage, and overall performance. Despite all of the asterisks, https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/01/15/remote-work-omicron/

believe there are lessons to be learned to carry forward into the Roaring 2020s and curb any loss of performance and productivity  in the event of future major interruptions to the status quo

Assumptions: These principles advice will not apply to all companies; It assumes you are in leadership with a mature company with a central HQ Office or satellite branches with various departments and an established leadership structure to oversee various roles to manage or direct departments to meet standards set by Leadership from the top down. I am not seeking any formal opportunity to advise consult or join a team. That said, I do read emails and respond as I have the time.

1 Hold meetings in a format that allows remote attendees to participate equally to those At  an HQ.  periodic events that bring all employees, remote and centralized to mingle and cultivate relationships beyond phone calls and emails. Zoom has become rather ubiquitous for group video conferencing through the pandemic and can be a valuable

Consider organizing gatherings of employees at a neutral location.

or regularly scheduled periods,  Any work-from home tasks will expose systems or tools that need to be virtualized or mad accessible from outside of a centralized workspace

Let me preface this post with a few caveats: I don’t claim to be an expert at any of these principles nor their execution, nor am I seeking any formal opportunity to consult or advise. But, if were to toot my own horn, it’d  be thI’ve had success with formulating lasting solutions to complex challenges. I have been out of the workforce since 2015 due to an abrupt health emergency, but in my most recent role involved managing corporate growth as the company grew from ~50 employees to ~150 employees over just a few years. While the company was headquartered in Austin, Texas, over 50% of the workforce lived and worked remotely. In my role I championed ePut some eoutreach the remote employees into the company culture and tools & systems to which HQ workers have access. And providing t

Especially for the HQ’d worker whose roles require close proximity, encourage the use of paid sick leave to avoid spreading illness amongst the workforce. A good practice could be to shape your company’s paid time off policies in a way that an employee isn’t challenged between going to work ill or taking leisure time off for family or for leisure. Many managers/supervisors bristle at the idea of their subordinates working outside of the office. The pandemic of the 2020s should force business leaders to reset their mindset on college courses and degrees through non-traditional institutions. Many adult learner used their altered work patterns to brush-up on pertinent subject matter. With a new acceptance of working remotely, there may be no better indicator of an employee’s ability to perform remotely than to have successfully navigated the world of remote learning.

s. it, but there are plenty of possibilities that a remote workforce may be necessary.

Extending the base from which to recruit talent regardless of geography

The ability to work effectively remotely may make a position more attractive to candidates

In his book The Year Without Pants: WordPress.com and the Future of Work, Scott Berkun describes his experience with working for Wordpress amongst a mostly remote team and how the leadership treats onboarding and off-site meet-ups on neutral territory to foster teamwork despite distance.

Challenge your IT staff to be virtualizing mission-critical services.


The low-hanging fruit are email, ip phones, Office 365, and plenty of over-the-top services like Zoom or Skype Amazon has several great options to move services

 


Be creative Consider a quarterly company holiday for employees to stay home and stay connected to their day-to-day tasks to expose deficiencies in available tools.

Embrace employees working from home, or outside of the standard workplace environment . Challenge your  IT team to have adequate disaster recovery plans, including a specific scenario i in which the entire HQ workforce is prevented from their normal HQ tasks including documentation on connecting to necessary tools written documented procedures in layman’s tterms, especially if there are necessary IT tasks needed for restoration or connectivity but security boundaries to prevent nefarious outside users, that might be sniffing for critical company systems to interrupt systems or access sensitive company confidential data.

Challenge leadership and supervising staff to establish measures for productivity including readiness and availability and workflow & output, and professionalism outside of a workspace including limiting distractions in phone or video communications like family pets and excessive background noise. (Believe it or not, I once had a vendor rep whose child’s garage band often held band practice during their scheduled teleconferences. This may also include  assisting employees with technology requisites like an adequate home internet package, adequate cell phone plan and  device based on employees’ role, and even equipment like a computer and/or web camera and microphone. or VOIP phone tied to a central hub to allow a remote worker to function as if in a common workplace as a co-worker would function in a primary workplace.

Even without a pandemic, assign some employees to work from home some fraction of their time. This is a good way to trial your systems designed to enable remote work without a full-blown scatter. For an example, select a veteran employee and offer them the opportunity to work from home one day a week. Establish it with the rest of the staff, so meetings and tasks that require that remote employee not be scheduled on that day. Also track what effect on  productivity the arrangement, if any.

 Try identifying a team or department that could perform their work outside of their normal workspace; also tracking productivity of that team. You may observe functions of a team or individual roles. Sometimes it’s the individual role that’s the factor for remote work, and sometimes it’s the individual that determines remote work ability Cases can be made for work-from-home based on the individual.

 Work with leadership to enable middle management and supervisors to establish measures of productivity to be evaluated between in-office or work-from-home.


Working-from home has had a number of misconceptions as long as technology has made it a re. Some studies suggest that, when done well,working from home can result in increased productivity. There is some extra effort by an organization to establish accurate, detailed job  

Consider creating standards for working from home, like volume, or other interruptions.Believe it or not, I once had a call with a prospective vendor when his kid’s garage band was rehearsing in the other room. They weren’t good and that first impression followed me through the process of selecting a partner. Working from home should not be a substitute for child care 

Cultivate a culture of staying home when ill Clearly create job descriptions and duties descriptions toidentify whether a role requires a centralized workplace, and if not, to establish measures for productivity, and strong leadership to ensure desired quality and quantity of work is achieved by a remote employee working at home or elsewhere. It requires collaboration amongst leaders to craft a detailed and complete job description so that expectations are set for remote work standards. Every so often the company leadership should check-in with performance measures and the effect of remote work on the rest of the company.


ust One year into the 2020s, And we’ve witnessed future history books being edited by the moment, While it may seem easy to use an asterisk to explain any irregularities in your bcompany's measurables; revenues, Employee turnover, expenses new customers/clients through sales, Payroll, or PTO usage, and overall performance. Despite all of the asterisks, I

believe there are lessons to be learned to carry forward into the Roaring 2020s and curb any loss of performance and productivity  in the event of future major interruptions to the status quo

Assumptions: These principles advice will not apply to all companies; It assumes you are in leadership with a mature company with a central HQ Office or satellite branches with various departments and an established leadership structure to oversee various roles to manage or direct departments to meet standards set by Leadership from the top down.

1 Hold meetings in a format that allows remote attendees to participate equally to those At  anHQ.  periodic events that bring all employees, remote and centralized to mingle and cultivate relationships beyond phone calls and emails. Zoom has become rather ubiquitous for group video conferencing through the pandemic and can be a valuable

Consider organizing gatherings of employees at a neutral location.

or regularly scheduled periods,  Any work-from home tasks will expose systems or tools that need to be virtualized or mad accessible from outside of a centralized workspace

Let me preface this post with a few caveats: I don’t claim to be an expert at any of these principles nor their execution, nor am I seeking any formal opportunity to consult or advise. But, if were to toot my own horn, it’d  be thI’ve had success with formulating lasting solutions to complex challenges. I have been out of the workforce since 2015 due to an abrupt health emergency, but in my most recent role involved managing corporate growth as the company grew from ~50 employees to ~150 employees over just a few years. While the company was headquartered in Austin, Texas, over 50% of the workforce lived and worked remotely. In my role I championed ePut some eoutreach the remote employees into the company culture and tools & systems to which HQ workers have access. And providing t

Especially for the HQ’d worker whose roles require close proximity, encourage the use of paid sick leave to avoid spreading illness amongst the workforce. A good practice could be to shape your company’s paid time off policies in a way that an employee isn’t challenged between going to work ill or taking leisure time off for family or for leisure. Many managers/supervisors bristle at the idea of their subordinates working outside of the office

s. it, but there are plenty of possibilities that a remote workforce may be necessary.

Extending the base from which to recruit talent regardless of geography

The ability to work effectively remotely may make a position more attractive to candidates

In his book The Year Without Pants: WordPress.com and the Future of Work, Scott Berkun describes his experience with working for Wordpress amongst a mostly remote team and how the leadership treats onboarding and off-site meet-ups on neutral territory to foster teamwork despite distance.

Challenge your IT staff to be virtualizing mission-critical services.


The low-hanging fruit ais email, ip phones and VPN tunnel(s)


zrrange the office flooorplan, space employees to a safe distance apart and assign work stations to a specific employee to avoid usind the keyboard, mouse and desk surface that could involve someone else’s germs

Use an office layou


EIncluding Remote work

 Having the option of working from home will increase the pool of talent from which to hire

Identify roles and tasks that can be performed remotely

Challenge Leadership

Virtualize tools and systems


The Twenty-Teens (ICYMI)



Songs of Innocence, U2 (2014)



Metamodern Sounds in Country Music, Sturgill Simpson (2014)

Lost in the dream, The War on Drugs (2014)

Songs of Innocence, U2 (2014)

As you may know, To know me is to know I’m a gigantic fan of U2. There are bigger fans, and I only go back with them to 1987’s Joshua Tree, which to som superfans makes me a Johnny-come-lately, A lot of people dismissed Songs of Innocence out of the annoyance of having it automatically loaded to their iPhones. What they missed out on is a masterful record, probably their best since 2004’s How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. The album is a U2 origin story that goes back to their early lives in North Dublin. There is an ode to Bono’s mother Iris, who passed when he was 14 and started on a path to ruin that linking up with music saved him. Imy U2 catalog, I arrange Innocence coming before Boy chronologically. The record is well worth having in your collection

Southeastern, Jason Isbell (2013)

Trouble Will Find Me, The National (2013)

https://youtu.be/bFnA-8H-5lo

Trouble_Will_Find_Me.jpg

A pantheon of Influencers

I once had a friend opine that all modern music is influenced by a handful of musical acts. I bought it then (early 90s) snd I buy it now. It seems each generation has their sensation that triggers the youth of that era to learn instruments and/or form a band. These artists may not have music that connects with their successors.

John Lennon, The Beatles

John Lennon, The Beatles

Gram Parsons,.

Gram Parsons,.

Jimi Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix

Jimmy Page, Led Zeppelin.

Jimmy Page, Led Zeppelin.

Bruce Springsteen, Boss

Bruce Springsteen, Boss

Little Steven Van Zandt, E Street Band.

Little Steven Van Zandt, E Street Band.

Bob Dylan, Laureate.

Bob Dylan, Laureate.

Roy Orbison. Songbird.

Roy Orbison. Songbird.

Jerry Lee Lewis

Jerry Lee Lewis

Hank Williams

Hank Williams

Kurt Cobain, Nirvana. Angst.

Kurt Cobain, Nirvana. Angst.

Pete Townsend, The Who.

Pete Townsend, The Who.

Neil Diamond, Songman.

Neil Diamond, Songman.

Roger Daltry, The Who.

Roger Daltry, The Who.

Jimmie Rodgers, Frontiersman.

Jimmie Rodgers, Frontiersman.

Glen Frey, Eagles.

Glen Frey, Eagles.

Leonard Bernstien, composer

Leonard Bernstien, composer

Quincy Jones, producer

Quincy Jones, producer

Michael Jackson.

Michael Jackson.

Aretha Franklin

Aretha Franklin

Van Morrison

Van Morrison

Jackson Browne.

Jackson Browne.

James Taylor.

James Taylor.

Phil Collins

Phil Collins

George Michael, Pop star.

George Michael, Pop star.

Elvis Costello.

Elvis Costello.

Little Richard

Little Richard

BB King.

BB King.

Eric Clapton, Slowhand.

Eric Clapton, Slowhand.

David Byrne, Talking Heads.

David Byrne, Talking Heads.

Pat Benatar.
Michelle Phillips, Mamas & Papas.
Stevie Nicks, Fleetwood Mac.

Stevie Nicks, Fleetwood Mac.

Dolly Parton.
Madonna.

Madonna, Pop Star.

Gwen Stefani, No Doubt.

Gwen Stefani, No Doubt.

Britney Spears.
Taylor Swift.
Beyonce.
Lady Gaga.
Flea Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Patti Smith.
Dave Matthews
Eddie Vedder, Pearl Jam.
Bono, U2.

Bono, U2.

Billy Joel.
Woody Guthrie, Pilgrim.

Woody Guthrie, Pilgrim.

Miles Davis, Cool.

Miles Davis, Cool.

Jerry Garcia, Grateful Dead.
David Bowie, Alien

David Bowie, Alien

Michael Stipe, R.E. M.
Ray Charles, Ivory.

Ray Charles, Ivory.

Paul Simon & Art Garfunkel, Harmony.

Paul Simon & Art Garfunkel, Harmony.

Willie Nelson..

Willie Nelson..

Otis Redding.
Paul Simon.
Tom Waits.
Elton John.

Elton John.

Rick Rubin, Producer, Revivalist.

Rick Rubin, Producer, Revivalist.

Thom Yorke, Radiohead.
LL Cool J
Dave Gahan, Depeche Mode.
Morrissey, The Smiths.
Robert Smith, The Cure.
Michael Hutchence, INXS.
Blind Willie Johnson.
Jack White, White Stripes.
Mike D, Beastie Boys
MC Hammer.

MC Hammer.

Tupac Shakur.

Tupac Shakur.

Jay-Z.

Jay-Z.

Peter Gabriel, Genesis.

Peter Gabriel, Genesis.

Jeff Lynne, Electric Light Orchestra.

Jeff Lynne, Electric Light Orchestra.

John Fogerty, Creedence Clearwater Revival.

John Fogerty, Creedence Clearwater Revival.

Paul McCartney, The Beatles.

Paul McCartney, The Beatles.

Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley

George Harrison, The Beatles

George Harrison, The Beatles

Tina Turner.

Tina Turner.