Wrestling with the idea of a higher power in a cold and cruel world...
Featuring artists like:
• The Roots ft. Monsters Of Folk • XTC • John Lennon • Nine Inch Nails • Crash Test Dummies • Tori Amos • Johnny Cash • Prince
About this Playlist
My whole life I have wrestled with the idea of a higher power.
I do believe there is some unknown force or presence at the heart of all of this. The Universe for all we know is what we think ‘God’ is.
No one really knows for sure.
What I do know is that the cruelty, greed and hypocrisy of organized religion and what ‘God’ means to the institution and its followers is something I cannot vibe with. I cannot tell you what the truth is, but I can tell you I wrestle with the idea of a loving ‘God’ when I see all the cruelty, war, greed and hate…and then I see people doing their best, trying to be better each day, and I hope that maybe the concept might be true.
I honestly cannot tell you what is true or real. But I can express my conflict and quest for answers with a musical narrative…
I've had many jobs in my life. I've only had one true calling: Music. The running joke throughout my life is I don't have time to develop an addiction. All that time was occupied with music. I made my first curated mixtape courtesy of a Sony portable twin tape deck. I recorded songs I heard on WBLS FM in New York City in the summer of 1979. And I've been chasing that feeling ever since.
I curate playlists with what I call the 'beautiful melancholy.' It is feeling absolute joy about life, yet feeling a sadness you cannot put into words. It often leaves you looking out of a window at the rain, longing for a place you've never been to, and you're not even sure it exists. Somehow, you know in your heart that someday, you will find it.
It is that sentiment that powers every playlist I curate. Every expression, every thought and every sentiment.
I've found that an appreciation for other disciplines and artistic channels has given me a greater understanding of my own medium. Learning about concepts such as texture, tone, hue, shade, shape, definition, outline, sketch, framing give you a wider range of tools and context to use.
I find that the more you learn, the more you realize how little you know. With that comes a greater hunger for knowledge.
That should be the force that guides you to achieve and evolve going forward. Not only in music, but as you travel your own path.
Embrace every aspect of yourself. Learn to love and know yourself. Check your ego, keep your chin up and step forward with purpose always.
Celtic undertones with a strong Scottish influence. Featuring artists like: The National, The Staves, Mike Dawes, Nickel Creek, David Byrne, John Grant, Journey, The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
I mean really, what the actual fuck is going on? Featuring artists like: Elliott Murphy, Strapping Young Lad, Charlotte Church, Enter Shikari, Scott Lavene, IDLES, Wheeler Walker Jr., A Day To Remember
Allowing yourself to move with the music. featuring artists like: Brijean, Day Dreaming, Full Create, (feat. Kyle Dion), Brandy, What Now, Brittany Howard, Funky Thangs, Shay Lia, Love is, Mi Casa
Any % is Better than Zero %: Featuring artists like: Silversun Pickups, Eminem, Blur, Finger Eleven, The Smashing Pumpkins, Queens of the Stone Age, The White Stripes, Rage Against The Machine