🎧 Downbeat.fm Vol. 2 Track 9
Experiencing live music for the first time in almost two years...
I missed live music so much. In the past two weeks, I saw my first concerts since 2019. I saw both Bully and Lucy Dacus at two great venues here in Austin, TX, and it was a breath of fresh air when fresh air is in limited supply.
Two shows put on by amazing and talented women just kicking ass. They couldn't be any different in terms of genre, but their power and emotion were real, and it felt great to be in that atmosphere again.
As usual, I stood near the back but this time wearing a mask. A good portion of the crowd was too, but not as much as I would have liked to have seen.
Bully dominated their set, never stopping except to say what a shitty place Texas is in after the abortion ban and that they were taking donations for charities to help women in need. Lucy Dacus did the same thing at her show. If you’d like to donate to some great organizations assisting women in Texas, you can do so here.
My last show was in November of 2019. By that time this year, I will have seen five live shows. Loud music, the fans, drinks out in the (coolish) night air - like I said, I missed this.
September’s Playlist
This month’s playlist features songs fromBig Thief, Chastity Belt, Diners, Yucky Duster, Girl Friday, Porridge Radio, and more!
Listen to this month’s playlist on
Featured Songs
Valentine by Snail Mail (Apple Music / Spotify)
I really loved Snail Mail when I first heard her a few years back. This is the first single off of her newly announced album.
Wrestle Yü to Hüsket Dü by The Dirty Nil (Apple Music / Spotify)
A really good, driving sludgy rock song. Not much else to say about this one.
New Slang by Porridge Radio (Apple Music / Spotify)
A really good cover of the now-classic indie song by The Shins.
Other Listening and Quick Links
I talked in last month’s newsletter about some albums that recently turned 30 years old. This month Nirvana’s Nevermind turned 30, and a lot of great stuff was written about it, and Kurt such as this profile/remembrance from The New Yorker. Brooklyn Vegan thought it was necessary to rank the songs on the album. Finally, a composer broke down the music theory behind one of the best songs on the album, In Bloom.
Norm MacDonald died this September, and while not a musician, I enjoyed his comedy. There were tons of lovely posts from Norm’s friends and fans across the Internet, which were great to revisit. This one, from the band Better Than Ezra, was one of the best.
The New York Times does amazing interactive stories. Here is a recent one about the hidden melodies of subways around the world.
Every September, there is a magical day - the 21st. On that day for the past handful of years, Demi Adejuyigbe creates an excellent video to celebrate the day and the Earth, Wind & Fire song. This year’s video is sadly the last, but what a run it’s been. He’s also helped raise a bunch of money for charities over the years, and you can still contribute at Sept21st.com.
