hot takes | JADO

Props to my soon to be sister@layseahughes who shot epic photos.

The Middle of Nowhere

Getting to Botswana is a grind. 24 hours door to door, plus nine hours time difference.....to get to Johannesberg.

(I did get a steam room + hot tub night cap on night one.

It found me.)

Currently writing on another plane ride to Botswana. At which point we'll board another plane to get to our first camp. I've now lost count on the number of hours. One layer of "once in a lifetime" is the marathon of travel. The best of times are ahead.

Remote is an understatement. In the vast landscape, I see no signs of humans. Untouched. This is truly the middle of nowhere.

Holy Shit (Gomoti Plains)

Without pause, we landed, jumped into our safari cars, and started our adventure into the bush. Within minutes we stumbled on both elephants and lions.

Holy shit. Adrenaline high.

The lions yawned big with their massive dagger teeth, and the elephants looked majestic in the tall yellow grass, dazzling with the sunset light. It felt too good to be true.

I could be done now and it would've been worth it.

Fully stoked out on the journey ahead.

Every day was action packed. Some absolutely electric moments.

Chilling in the shade with a nice breeze, at the base of a watering hole, feasting our eyes on a huge elephant enjoying himself. Within minutes, a herd of 19 elephants parade out of the forest, within feet of our van, joining in on the fun. At one point everyone froze in place, mouths down, completely consumed in the moment. Electric.
After two different interactions with lions, I was honestly underwhelmed. Big nappers and generally unfriendly (more on that later). But then......we stumbled on those same four boring napper lions feasting on a dead, freshly killed elephant. Electric.
Our resort was super lux and in the hours between safari rides we relaxed at the pool. Again, out of the forest, another group of 10+ elephants paraded out to take an afternoon mud bath across the channel, maybe 100 feet from us. Electric.
A female leopard feasting on an impala that was pulled into the upper branches of a huge tree. And then tracking a male leopard through the bush at sunset. Electric.

And some very notable honorary mentions:

A family of hyenas enjoying the early morning hours
The hippos pooping with their tales in a helicopter like motion, showering the area with shit
Hundreds of vultures sitting in the trees, waiting for the lions to leave the elephant feast
Speeding home in the pitch dark, with a huge elephant trumpeting as we sped by
The honey badger, actively not giving a shit

Epic. Nonstop. Action.

But as a famous man once wrote, "it wasn't all fun and soaking butts".

While "chilling", waiting for the lion to awake, I casually reached out to grab a piece of tall grass. A lion very quickly jolted up and stared right at me. Not chill. Uncomfortably, I sat like a statue for the next hour. I put on headphones to try and calm the nerves. But yet again, as I attempted to put on my jacket, the movement prompted a second jolt of attention from that same lion, directly at me. Less than 10 feet away. The fear of death at the hands of a lion. Fuck that.

A Nice Soak (Okavango Delta)

I write this sitting on the deck of a luxurious tent, the sun has just come up, and I have a vast pink sky around me. A giraffe is slowly making his way across the open field in front of me. This is hard to beat.

The hustle bustle has relaxed, and I'm enjoying the quiet beauty of this magical place.

A nice soak.

Great sunsets and epic stars. Vast fields filled with palm trees, with plentiful numbers of warthogs, elephants, giraffes, and impala all around us. For a nice change of pace we've opted into more variety, with a walking safari and canoe trip to start our days. Seeing the land at eye level, at a slower pace.

A major highlight was a colorful sunset with strong tones of orange, red, purple, and blue. The lagoon in front of us reflecting those same colors. And over 40 hippos collected in the lagoon, clearly enjoying their evening. The silhouette of big bulls with big mouths. Grunting noises that weirdly sounded off in harmony. And a round of gin and tonics to successfully cheers another great day. Moments like this stay with you forever.

At dusk we rode off into the night, only to have 16 green eyeballs staring at us. Two female lions and six cubs, making their way to the watering hole. The next morning we cruised to the same location to find three male lions eating a massive hippo on the river side. Across the way -- those same six lion cubs eating a gazelle, playing, and nursing with their moms. This place is truly insane.

Another cycle of notable mentions --

Giraffes everywhere you look. Hanging out next to our tents, offering a friendly greeting as we walked to and from the main lodge.
Starting our walking safari with a casual, "these are leopard tracks from earlier today, let's see if we can find him" (we didn't, and I'm good with it)
A brazen warthog chasing a herd of zebra, blowing up a prolonged hunting expedition of two female lions we were tracking
Playing games with impala poop pebbles (who can spit the impala poop the furthest?!?)
The "chillest of charters", the early morning canoe trip through the tall grass of a shallow river

A nod to the wonderful Botswanian guides that we developed friendships with. Their connection to the land inspired me. A deep knowledge of the sounds and tendencies of the animals they share the land with -- tuned into the inter-contentedness of the natural world and their own world. This is all they know.

Having a fresh perspective, a helpful point of reflection, as I evaluate my own challenges and aspirations through a new lens.

Step back. Turn off. Reset.

Out of the weeds. Into the clouds. A better view of the big picture.

Your just an ant. And this is just an ant colony.

A Sweet Goodbye (Victoria Falls)

When the world stopped for just that moment. A peak life moment. I live for them, and I have them at volume. I will never lose this day. One day in my future I will link back to it, and be able to sit where I sit now. The memory implanted.

I ended my book with this. A moment frozen in time. A memory forever cherished.

This circled my head as I stood in front of Victoria Falls. The power, scale, glory of the mile wide waterfall. Overwhelmed. Frozen. Consumed.

Connecting back to those rare moments in my life. My first eyes on Zion. The Grand Canyon. Havasupai. The raw power of nature. The best of the best.

Moments like this are the most valuable. Gratitude fills my heart. I leave this place a better human.

A sweet goodbye.

A big thank you to my parents who planned and paid for this entire trip. I will remember this for the rest of my life and I am extremely thankful. I love you.

And appreciation to Julia, Josh, Laysea, and Christian who added flavor, fun, and spice to this epic adventure. If your friends are the family you pick, I feel lucky to have you as both family and best friends.

Live Look

3/4

Love the waterfall of inspiration that follows a music festival. It's truly the single best place to expand your music discovery, and despite the fact that many times festivals are full of bullshit (annoying Gen Z, people having loud conversations during a set, crowds, and very expensive beers), the key is to mentally block it all out and focus on what matters -- the music. You know it was good when you have so much discovery that you need to build a playlist in the days following. Last year at Jazzfest I built a jam playlist Nola24 which kept me busy for a few weeks. And feeling even more stoked about my new "FuckYourFace" playlist which has been the sole focus over the past 24 hours, growing quickly. The joys of music.

3/3

I'm back, bitches. Multiple months of no writing, but all it takes is one face melting day to get back on the track. CRSSD is a decent bet when you need a hard reset, and I needed it. Tricky going into a rave after a really tough week at work. Not in the best headspace. Walking into the venue on day two, I knew what I needed. A couple of hours of face melting "stand directly in front of the speaker tower" hard hitting electronic music. Set one was a good primer, tickled the balls. Then from the first seconds of Innellea, I was fully consumed. The best dose of medicine that exists in this world. An hour of bangers, all gas, no breaks. Which then snowballed into a full stream of really amazing music. I lucked out.

The highlight being ArtBat closing their set with a remix of the classic We are the People. The rain started to come down hard. Everyone locked in. Dancing in the big open fields. Only the best of the people participated. Everyone dancing, everyone smiling, everyone locked in the moment as a collective.

When the world stopped for just that moment. A peak life moment. I live for them, and I have them at volume.

2024

12/1

I had a lot of fun writing this. Holidays = Jazz.

Leveled up. Ready for more.

Consistency is over rated. Balance in inconsistency is the key for me.

11/11

This is incredible.

11/10

Some hot pickups from New Orleans -- this, this, this

11/7

Big ups to homie Eric for plugging this awesome new metal band. I feel like we're progressing into a new wave of awesome heavy music and I'm excited for it.

And while we're on the topic, this.

9/5

One of those Zao days, where this frequency is playing at full blast literally all day.

I like these days.

9/3

Stoked on some new music from Dudley. I wish that I lived in Santa Barbara.

9/1

Why don't you mind your own business? Sing it LOUD!

A New Orleans classic.

8/24
Still buzzing after an absolute throw down at the Forum in LA. Lamb of God is a staple, a through line, and a steady base that had a profound influence from the early days of Metallica discovery in early high school. The 20 year reunion of Ashes of the Wake was a special one. My neck still hurts, and I love the pain.

8/23
Shoutout to one of my favorite colleagues, Haley, who threw out this one. Had low expectations for a 2024 Foster the People album, but I was quickly proven wrong with this dance party.
Scootin’ through La Jolla on a Friday afternoon. Dancing.

8/22
Parcels is the gift that keeps on giving.

8/21
I really appreciate the text exchange. The people in my network that love music as much as me is limited. And my dude HJO has a deep bag of tricks. He shared Minutemen with me, and I was liking the 80s vibe. And then I stumbled into this (a national treasure).

8/18
Happy birthday to me, mother fuckers. 37 is a new chapter, and I have a long emotional blog post in the works. But for now, I celebrate with this one. Big thanks to my mom for always hooking it up with really solid vinyl selections. Grandbrothers

8/16
Julia got me a sick pair of overalls. I’m super into this new vibe.

8/15
Zoom kinda sucks. But the background setting sparks conversation. If you know me, you know what I’m talking bout.
Nothing better than a “Oh hello, that’s a LOT of records behind ya!”
Which then snowballs into a 30 minute conversation about jazz (and work is quickly forgotten).
And it only gets better when you align on: Piano, 50s, Trio.
If you forced me to pick one genre of music: Piano, 50s, Trio.
And then I’m introduced to Bill Evans, and I have music for the rest of the week.
Thank you Brooke.

8/14
My god, this mosh pit was fucking core.
A true throwback.
Back in my glory days, I got my nipples pierced.
A few days later, I went to an As I Lay Dying show.
They opened with this song.
I got punched in the nipple area.
And bled profusely.
That was fucking dumb.

8/13
Luke Bryan playing an amphitheater show for $35 bucks? Yeah sure, why not.
Honestly, kinda sucked, but there were some flashes of awesome.
And this one hit hard. And it was a good night.
Country is cool. Cowboys are cool. Cool, cool.

8/12
I’m on a hot streak of HIT workouts. A deep felt desire to be healthy and strong. They max me out and I feel great.
The music they play is kinda terrible, but works for the environment. Of the “genre” of HIT, this reigns supreme.

8/3
Big ups to Willy for coordinating an epic night out. Vandelux killed.
And an epic run in with one of my treasured gems of college. DP. Crunk Up.

7/29
Now That You’re Home (blessed)

7/27
Josh’s bachelor party was extremely fun. I love this human as much as I love anything. A diamond in my life.
Going to just tag the entire Legends playlist for my best friend.

7/25
This is sitting in my “favorite song of all time” bucket alone right now. Cycling it constantly, and never getting sick of it. Unmatched.

7/19
Enter Philadelphia, stroll through Songkick. A $45 ticket to Olivia Rodrigo?!?!? False alarm. No chance. Cheapest ticket was $260. No thanks.
Quick pivot to see one of the OGs from the early days of JADO. Charley Crockett. The $10 Cowboy.
Some quick time machine action, transporting myself back to the day fateful drive from San Diego to Sedona, the first leg of my six week desert expedition and the start of Life is Cool. Hours of Charley Crockett, the entire catalogue playing on shuffle. No duds. A steady ride. Through the desert. Perfection, really.

7/18
An absolutely electric night, pulled out of the abyss. What do you know when you run into a fellow disc golfer at a work event? You leave the work event and go play disc golf. And if that evolves into a late night of trouble, even better. On the fateful (and potentially dangerous) drive back to the hotel, when the new homie says “You wanna hear my favorite song right now?”. Yes. Full blast. Rock out. Let’s fucking go.
Memories like this get implanted into the awesomeness of life.

7/13
On a 12 hour layover in Montreal, I took the opportunity to see the town. A 20 mile bike ride along a beautiful river path. One of the highlights of the entire Sweden run.
Minutes away from docking my bike and making my way back to the airport, I spot a guitar and drum in the middle of the park. A welcomed run in with some locals jamming away. They offer me a spliff, and I find happiness. We start talking about music, politics, and travel. The conversation takes a misguided turn when the topic of Trump comes up. I quickly switch the topic to the best of America. Zach Bryan. A national treasure. This song embodies the best of America and may end up as the song of the year.

7/5
A monster shoutout to another #1 homie. Back to back wedding throwdowns. Back to back #1s.
The one and only Tones. A monster wedding celebration, with an extended dance floor celebration that didn’t die down until the early morning hours. Drenched in sweat and living life in peak state. This song is for you, my brother.

7/3
When in doubt, I turn to my “Albums” playlist. My top 100 albums of all time. A gem from the vault. Diarrhea Planet. All you need for fun, truly.
Off to Sweden we gooooooo!!!!!

6/29
Suz — this one is for you. The wedding party was fucking rad.
You’ll always be the #1 homie.

6/25
I had a deep obsession with Goose for a hot minute. But then they started trending towards Fish. And I’m out on that vibe (sorry boys).
But this song is truly magical. Another throwback to the book, reimagined, in a new light of glory.
Shoutout to pops.

6/24
Another one of those songs that defines the year. Top top top tier.
And then to have a live album with a twist on it?
Supreme.

6/21

This album is an incredible throwback. I was introduced to Daft Punk with the Alive 2007 album, and that might be the best mashup construction of all time. These now jump out as samples, but there are some true gems of sound littered throughout. A new find, Revolution 909 (wow). And let us never forget the best music video ever made.

6/20

Been in a bit of a music funk. Time to hit the radio on a curated playlist. Started with this find on my electronic mix, which I love. And that kinda snowballed into this playlist. Full of electronic vibes for the next week or two. Full and ready for more. Funk out, vibes in.

6/12

Been loving this playlist on shuffle. 4,000+ songs, 300+ hours. All over the place, covering a massive range. A nice destination when on the hunt.

6/10

Shoutout to my main man Tones. His bachelor party was insane peak fun. Lots of epic dance tunes, but I was too high to capture the majority of them. I leave this weekend with one.

Been thinking a lot about consistency. Inspiration comes in waves. I had a huge music inspiration wave post Jazzfest, and then kinda died out. Who knows when and what will spark a new wave of inspiration.

There is no rush. Consistency is over rated.

5/19

This electronic song is sick.

5/17

This music video is top top tier.

I cannot stop listening to this song. This will be the album of 2023 if the whole thing sounds as good as this song.

5/15

The little wins in life are when you stumble into an album like this, and have music preset for the next week. This is all I need for now.

guitar, organ, bass, sax, drums. let's go. that's a KILLER combo.

5/13

This, on repeat. Pumped UP.

(working on this)

5/13/24

Been slowly curating a playlist from all of the inspiration in New Orleans. A sense of sophistication as I craft my picks -- with three years of context and build. The joy this brings me is all of it. This is the one I keep coming back to -- the best pickup of 2024 thus far. The bass can be hard to showcase, but when done correctly, let's fucking go.

5/6/24 (Jazzfest Recap)

Trombone Shorty let's go

Cedric Burnside solidifies his rank

Simon Lott, my new crush

Stanton Moore / Rob Mercurio / Jeff Raines never miss

Remember to always prioritize PRIME time (Wine Lips wins the weekend)

5/2/24

Bud Shank came up on a random jazz session. In that moment, I said to myself -- "yes!". Studio Sessions from 1956 - 1961. The best era of jazz. Absolutely electric. The balance and chemistry is about as good as it gets.

4/29/24

Richard Houghton is my new best find. He's made his way onto my playlists many times, as a cool jazz guitar guy. Very chill, good vibes.

This song was a new release.

Which then brought me to this music video.

Which then led me to this playlist, which I've been playing all weekend.

The description: "soul, dub, electronic, funk, surf, indie, psychadelia, chill beats, jazz". Yes please.

Hot Takes From The Book

The ease at which songs can link back to those distinct moments. Like a fast track in my brain, taking me back to that specific moment. The psychadelic highway.

And those memories just stack up. One after another. And you have a piggy bank of dope nature spots. And dope songs. And dope moments when they all came together in harmony.

When the world stopped for just that moment. A peak life moment. I live for them, and I have them at volume.

I will never lose this day. One day in the future I will link back to it, and be able to sit where I sit now. The memory implanted.

I love pairing music with writing. The vibe and energy of the song influence the way in which I approach the writing. Rhythm is everything. It brings inspiration. It shapes the words. It helps me figure it all out.

The following is a collection of excerpts from my book. All the feelings and emotions here. A true melting pot of vibes.

The playlist can be found here. And if you want the real flow and connection, you're going to have to beg me for the book, or just venmo me twenty bucks.

Tee up Staying Alive by the Bee Gees.

A perfect song.

The pinnacle of joy.

I dare you not to dance.

Every time this song comes up on shuffle (frequently) it gives me a huge dose of stoke. I can't help but feel the joy. Regardless of my mood, I'm dancing.

Save a Top 5 favorite (all time) song for a Top 5 (all time) favorite adventure story.

(reference this for the adventure story)

Tee up Hey Jude.

The staple song of a great day. When my life feels in perfect alignment.

Sing it. Sing it loud.

I'm sitting in the heart of the Narrows. On top of a rock, with a very large current / stream / mini waterfall below me.

I've been rocking my 2019 playlist on shuffle. A wide range of songs and emotions -- but the vibe that shines the brightest is happiness and joy.

Tee up The Man I Love by Edmond Hall.

An instrumental cover of a Billie Holliday song. I have a strong preference for the no lyrics version. As I scroll through Spotify, there's many famous jazz renditions of this, I saw Coleman Hawkins floating in the mix and now have two versions that have made their way on my playlist. Win win.

Jazz sets the best mood.

Tee up Dean Town by Vulfpeck.

I saw Vulfpeck last week and the fun they have on stage is unparalleled. You can feel it in the crowd, an energy exchange. Lots of instruments, everyone riffing off each other, super well balanced, flares of edge. Fun. It was top tier.

If you're having fun, the crowd is having fun. Never more true than with Vulfpeck.

Vulfpeck wore old school Beach Boys garb, simple white pants with striped shirts, straight out of 1964. A nod to the essence and idyllic California vibe. I’m all about it.

Vulfpeck crushed that vibe.

Tee up Says by Nils Frahm.

This song stacks with the best of em. A soundtrack for big epic nature. One for the spirit. It cuts. A slow build with 2 minutes of pure power -- eagerly waiting to fuck your brain with inspiration. This song is power at its best.

Tee up Call Me The Breeze by Lynard Skynard.

My favorite song to play on big long country roads. Play it loud.

Anders introduced me to Lynard Skynard a few years back and they've been a staple of mine ever since. Cowboy music.

Cowboy music is what led me to buy the truck I'm sitting in right now. Having a huge truck is indeed super dope and super cowboy.

The truck is what unlocked many awesome nature experiences, the offroading capabilities opened a new world of adventure.

Using the transitive property, the real source of this entire book is cowboy music. Thanks Anders.

I had a huge cowboy musical awakening in 2020 and spent the better part of a year making a cowboy playlist -- you can find it on my Spotify playlist "Dog, Truck, Chick, Beer".

Tee up The Whaler by Thrice. A song for the temple. Deeply spiritual.

I am excited for today.

Tee up Tattered and Torn by Slipknot.

Then tee up Hello Hello by Remi Wolf, remixed by Polo and Pan.

Back to back.

This combo has no business together. It's also the exact combo of this very weird and complicated day.

Rage music --> dance music.

Sometimes that's how the cookie crumbles. You gotta Sheryl Sandberg that shit (lean in) (my favorite business joke).

On April 9th, 2005 I went to my first concert. Up until then, my outlet for live music was at the church. Live music always had a way of giving me goosebumps, making me feel a different kind of alive. I always credited that feeling to God. We were in "God's House" and it was a logical connection that the feeling of live music would be credited to the big man -- "the holy spirit awakens in me through the music". I was 17. I was stupid.

Things changed when I went to see Slipknot. I suppose if you had to pick a band that represented the anti-christ, Slipknot would be a solid pick. With title tracks such as "People = Shit", "Wait and Bleed", and "Pulse of the Maggots", it's a very different kind of church. But even amongst a stadium full of devil worshipers, I got those same goosebumps. I felt a very different kind of alive. I felt fucking awesome.

That day I disassociated music with God. Music is awesome because music is awesome.

And for what it's worth, Slipknot's self titled album from 1999 is a top 5 metal album of all time. Give it an honest run, embrace the devil.

It might work for you.

It works for me.

Tee up I Feel Fine by the Beatles.

This song always gives me a smile, it's a melting pot of emotions.

On one hand it's an awesome song. Very light, very fun. For that reason it was the song I started all charters with. The kickoff to the Chill Charters experience. To this day, I wouldn't pick any other song to represent the vibe of Chill Charters. It's the song you want to listen to on a boat with friends. It set the mood in a wonderful way.

On the other hand, I WAS NOT FINE. As I reflect back on the two years running Chill Charters full time, it was by far the most challenging time period in my life emotionally. I felt I was breaking down. I had no confidence. I felt lost.

So whenever this song would come on -- it would be this weird mix of -- this is the perfect vibe -- and -- I DON'T Feel Fine.

(check out the Chill Charters story for a good time)

Tee Up Dance Moves by Roosevelt.

Coming off an epic weekend. Full of energy and joy.

Tee up Blood and Sand by All Them Witches.

Psychedelic doom metal are three words that belong together. This is desert music.

In another "love at first note" moment earlier this year, I heard the first lick of that doomsday guitar and fell in love. Their album Dying Surfer Meets His Maker is a) the dopest album name and b) an incredible album. As I went into discovery, my first pit stop was their artist bio on Spotify. All of the photos were black and whites of them looking real intense at Joshua Tree. A vibe. The perfect vibe for raw power of the desert. That desert energy, you can feel it. It's ruthless, intense, unfriendly. It's beautiful.

All Them Witches embody that energy. I consider this type of music "conversation with God" music -- long slow heavy riffs, big builds, ominous lyrics. It's beautiful, but ruthless, intense, and unfriendly at the same time. The guitar rips through the bass amp, adding depth and a darkness. This is not light or fun. The kinda shit that cuts into the soul. A perfect swirl of energy to propel me into this leg of the trip. Play it loud.

Close your eyes. Lose yourself. Talk to God.

Tee up Ben Wah Balls by Blink 182.

A nice contrast to the serious nature of business. The most immature song in my lineup. Sometimes you gotta just have fun with it. Business can seemingly always be so serious all the time. Why? We're all humans, and the vast majority of us aren't always so serious in our personal lives. I can be silly and light and casual -- and still get shit done. I am a character, a clown, and a fucking dragon slayer when it comes to business.

Tee up I'm Just a Clown by Charlie Crockett.

I'm sitting atop a huge canyon in Sedona. I'm alone, in the back of my truck, sitting on my cot, and it feels surreal.

Today marks day zero of an extended solo trip into the desert. I had 9 hours of driving today, and right when I jumped in the car and opened my Spotify, I was recommended Charlie Crockett's new album "The Man From Waco" and it really hit the spot. The perfect mood to get this trip started. Cowboy music for a cowboy adventure.

Tee up Hot Tea by Goose. For me, the song of 2022. The proper opening. A light and fun dance party awaits.

Dripfield is my favorite album this year -- its been in regular rotation for months now -- and for me, it just hits the spot. They're hard to categorize as a sound, there's a lot of complexity and range. It's light, you can dance to it, and they adhere to the jam band vibe. But it has flares of depth and serious and emotion. It floats and it cuts. A killer combo that is hard to find.

If Thrice, MGMT, and The Grateful Dead had a baby, it would be Goose.

Tee up Long Haired Country Boy by Charlie Daniels.

The vibe was set. This was some fully blown cowboy shit. I am a cowboy.

Tee up Lucky I Got What I Want by Jungle.

Deep in the pit at Jungle I was starting to feel a little packed in. On the big screen there was a quick snapshot of a few people dancing in the back, in the sun, with tons of space. I thought to myself -- "That's the vibe I want for this show". I didn't need to be close up, I wanted space to float and dance. So I exited the pit and made my way to the dance party in the back. And the gods had me run directly into Tomer. It was maybe my best moment at the whole festival. I knew I had a homie to crush with.

Tee up Trouble by Coldplay.

Previous to this year I was out on Coldplay, but one random morning earlier this year, Trouble came on my Discover Weekly, and I had an emotional moment. The boner came out of nowhere!

My brain instantly went to the only place it could have gone -- Jonny. My other love.

I've rocked with some Coldplay ever since.

The highlight of my weekend was exiting Jake's wedding and waiting for an Uber to pick us up in the mountains of Lafayette in the Bay Area. I saw a piano in the community room of the wedding venue, and I eagerly rushed to Jonny. While we waited for the Uber, he played his staple piano song -- Trouble.

Jonny is a bit of a one trick pony when it comes to music -- he likes Coldplay, that's about it.

But at this moment, Coldplay was all that was needed. If you're going to have one party trick, Trouble by Coldplay in any given public piano situation has got to be my favorite of all the party tricks. We sang it loud, alone in the community center, as besties do. Fully erect.

Tee up Unchained Melody by Elvis.

I've never cried harder. The morning after Ryan passed away. I cried so hard my lungs hurt. I laid in the fetal position on the floor as Elvis poured out his soul over the piano. Julia tried to comfort me. There was no hope. All the sadness was waterfalling out of my body for 10 intense minutes. It's a moment I will never forget. It's a moment I'll surely encounter again. I wouldn't wish that sadness on anyone. I can feel that heaviness in my heart as I write this. That memory will be with me for the rest of my life.

Tee up Cherry by Ratatat.

A staple in my catalog since early college. Ratatat was the band that phased me out of metal and into new genres. Up until early college, it was 100% metal / hardcore / punk rock. No "fluff", only moshing music. This album is so peaceful and soothing. This album showed me there was more to music.

Tee up CREAM by Wu Tang.

I had the opportunity to lead my own team at Wefunder about a year ago. One of the first things you get to do when you get your own team is come up with a team name. Branding is my thing so it was a decision I put real stock in. We needed an identity.

As I sat in my office thinking about it, Wu Tang came on shuffle. The one metric for us as individuals and as a team was the amount of money we got into the hands of entrepreneurs around the country. If you win this number, you win.

Cash Rules Everything Around Me.

Cream Get The Money.

Dolla Dolla Bills Yall.

Wu Tang: Raw. Authentic. Cool.

An identity.

Wu Tang Clan Aint Nothing to Fuck With.

I fuck with that vibe.

Tee up Malleus Maleficarum by AFI.

Seeing the first minute of that song last night may have been the best minute of my month.

You hear the symbols on the drum, and you know in an instant.

You hear the riff from the guitar, and you melt in the moment.

I'll be able to transport myself to that moment for the rest of my life, anytime that song hits.

AFI and myself have some history.

Tee up Underwater by Rufus Del Sol.

I would highly recommend watching this song in their live Joshua Tree set (24:30 mark). It's incredible.

This song has been in steady rotation this year and it really hits the spot. It's a heavy and emotional song with lyrics that cut right to the core.

I'm running around, looking for peace of mind.

I'm stuck underwater. Help me out, before I drown. Save me now, before I give up.

Good and bad. Beautiful and sad. This song just hits exactly where I'm feeling it.

Tee up Una Mattina by Ludovico Einaudi.

I crushed mapping excercises to this song. It was like a scene out of a Beautiful Mind as I worked my way through the mazes of Chesspeake Bay. Piano music blasting, I am slaying.

Everyone hated me. I had no business being there. I loved it.

Tee up Down for the Fifth Time by Flamingosis.

I discovered them about an hour ago, and it's been a deep dive. Sometimes you hear one note and you instantly know "this rules". It's like love at first sight. Love at first note.

My brain instantly went into rapid discovery. Read the spotify bio, consume the Instagram, watch a live set on YouTube -- picking up dozens of little signals about who this artist is and what they're all about. Sometimes that discovery process really doesn't work out. But today, check check check check check.

Flamingosis (the name comes from a free- style Frisbee move that his father invented)....

FLAMINGOSIS SPLICES TOGETHER OLD SCHOOL SOUL, WILD FUNK, AND D.I.Y. ELECTRONIC WITH A RADIANT MESSAGE MEANT FOR ANY MOMENT

And they're in town a month from today? On this lucky day, the dots connect so easily.

Great success! (Borat voice)

Tee up I Saw Her Standing There.

The perfect start to a dance party. A song that is full of happiness. A song for today.

Tee up Reborn by Kids See Ghosts (Kanye and Kid Cudi).

The best duo in music, and this is the best song of that duo. Another pick that cuts.

Keep Moving Forward

A good reminder when you need it.

Kanye is at the top of my stack rank of all time artists. From The College Dropout to Donda 2, you got 13 albums I rock with. The man is a genius. Right there with the Beatles on the upper most tier of greatness.

Kanye is King.

Kanye gets a ton of shit and I get it. But in his own words (from the album Yikes):

I hate being bi-polar, it's awesome

That's my bipolar shit, that's my superpower, aint no disability. I'm a superhero.

Enough on that. Greg gets it and that's good enough for me.

Tee up Golden Slumbers and Carry That Weight.

Sadness.

Hope for what's ahead.

All the emotions.