I've been working on this playlist for several weeks as these songs are mostly releases from September, 2020. As usual, I'm always discovering groups, albums and songs from earlier releases in the year and have included them here. One such find was discovering the band, The Immediate Family, a group formed of legendary session players who have played on a great number of rock 'n' roll albums. If you've ever listened to a James Taylor, Jackson Browne, or Linda Ronstadt album, you already know these guys very well. Check out their cover of Warren Zevon's Werewolves of London (cowritten by Waddy Wachtel) where Waddy sings a new line, "Except for Steve we've all been fired by James Taylor" that had me laughing out loud.
Artists from this weeks playlist also include: Bruce Springsteen, Alicia Keys, The Flaming Lips, Fleet Foxes, Waylon Payne, Ben Harper, Joan Osborne, Mike Polizze, Gillian Welch, Sarah Jarosz, Molly Tuttle, and Sierra Ferrell to name the multiple songs.
So we've had a rough four months. Everybody's glad summer is finally here. My HOA pool has just reopened with 'new rules' - residents must register online to reserve a 2 hour block with limited capacity in designated social distanced squares. Most people never have anything good to say about any HOA (Hobby Opportunity for Authority), but I have to say they have done a good job trying to keep everyone safe.
A typical Pickleball setup using a tennis court
The HOA tennis courts have also just reopened right across from my house. Pickleball is back in full-swing, the game made for my generation who have either forgotten how to run or can't. I'm not poking pickleballers here, it's more about me dealing with my own body and what it used to do compared to now. I'm also lamenting about the wonderful game of tennis, with less young people playing real tennis, I just hope the original white court lines don't fade away.
Pickleball is a great social activity. Everybody is chatting it up with lots of laughter just like old times, but from my box seat view, I see no masks or social distancing. C'mon boomers, you still can be flexible, just like your pickleball wrist!
I have family driving down all the way from Seattle on several different trips this summer, finally merging our packs together. Quite a long distance travel adaptation, all the while airlines like American Airlines announced they will scrap social distancing and start booking full planes July 1.
For our visiting grandkids their parents have come up with a simple term to explain our times, No San Diego Zoo (opened last week), Legoland, or Disneyland because of the "Big Germs." :-(
It's a different summer in a turbulent year, but we are learning to do things differently and still have fun together.
Recently I wrote a blog, Outdoor Exercise In The Time Of Coronavirus: Who was that masked man?where I basically talked about the current culture war of wearing a mask. My working titles were, #ManUpMaskUp, or #MaskUpMother####ers, but opted for a little more informative heading in the end. For people walking, running or biking it's really not political, wearing a mask just has become more of a hassle and can't be bothered with, I call it, "an inconvenient truth- coronavirus edition." I see my regulars, the people that exercise around me in my neighborhood every week. Most everyone, young and old have just given up the mask outdoors. There is such irony here, people making the effort to exercise, but too damn lazy to adapt to a new simple behavior by wearing a mask that SAVES LIVES.
Breaking News- VP Pence gets pensive and decides to wear a mask to a Texas mega-church on Sunday. Better late than never... at least I hope it's not too late? Anyway, baby steps for Trump's little bucko.
So unless you're living under a rock, you know that there is more than a little uptick in coronavirus cases across the country in the month of June. I haven't heard, "flatten the curve" since the end of May.
However, I still hear that we are still in the 1st wave, and there is going to be a second wave sometime in the fall. I think after the past several weeks, we probably should adjust our 'waves' talk too. For Western States who has lived through enough wildfires in the last twenty years, the analogy of the coronavirus being an 'uncontained wildfire' is a much more accurate way to describe how the virus is currently surging and spreading across the country. The term, "hot spots" seems quite appropriate.
The solid burnt orange of new coronavirus cases in Southern California is disconcerting to say the least, where as Disneyland staying closed is not really our biggest problem. When the brush fires do start in the coming days ahead, maybe the masks people aren't wearing now will suddenly have a function to them. Instead of Fire and Rain, we'll call it Fire and Fire and the masks will serve a dual purpose- keeping coronavirus from going red in your town while breathing in falling ash from your local brush fire.
Hey, but on the positive side, new music keeps rolling in everyday. I can't keep up with all the broadcast and Internet services with artists and bands just putting out more live and recorded music across all the streaming services everyday. I'm glad I've made #NewMusicMonday a series because I keep finding new songs and albums being pumped out in this first half of 2020.
If you are spending the time to read this blog, you probably love music, and I will suggest, you need to be listening to music more than ever! Make the adaptation necessary in your behavior to spend 15 more minutes a day listening to music. I'm just a guy here finding and organizing what I think are good songs to listen to and if you like my playlists, cool. If not, find sources where you can hear music that moves you emotionally. I need that movement more than ever, and I'm guessing so do you.
In March, I started a new and reoccurring blog series that I call #NewMusicMonday. I plan to highlight new music releases hopefully during a current one, two, or thee month stretch throughout the year. This installment is for April-May, but it's really impossible for me to find and capture on a playlist every song released at a particular month.
So this month, you will see some of my new favs I found dating back to January that I missed in my January-March installment. I may also throw in an old song that's been recently recorded. For example, I have several #StayAtHome videos of Jimmy Fallon and James Taylor songs that I think you will enjoy. I may also throw in a song or two I haven't heard before. Paul Hobbs sent me a 2019 Keb' Mo'/Taj Mahal song plus several new releases, and I added a 2019 video from Rosie Flores who played the San Diego club circuit in the 1970's with Rosie and the Screamers, and rekindled some fond memories.
Yesterday, I was supposed to go see Livingston Taylor at Humphreys Backstage Live in San Diego. This blog was going to be about that show with a Livingston Taylor playlist. On March 24th, I was supposed to see Joan Osborne with the The Weepies in Edmonds, Washington. Both shows were of course cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic as any public event or activity has been cancelled or postponed in the last couple of weeks.
In May, I'm hoping to see The Rolling Stones, Sting, and Sheryl Crow. I wrote the previous sentence a couple of days ago and now those concert dates will be probably cancelled as well. I've now tried to see the Stones twice in my life, and both shows cancelled...
Today, maybe finds you at home. Most of my family in San Diego and in the Seattle area are home today with their children. I have three children who are teachers who will be teaching from their laptops at home using online communications and apps with their students and staff this month and possibly into April. I have other family members in various jobs able to work with their colleagues from their laptops as well. Safe to say, people are close to home these days.
These next several weeks may be a good opportunity to retreat into your album or CD collection. It may be a good time to take a deeper dive into your music streaming service. It may be a time to look to music to either calm or rock your soul, maybe both.
Greenbelt trail a mile from my house
This is also a good time to get outside and take a walk or run everyday. Find places away from a crowd. Your neighborhood sidewalk is right there and not filled with people. There literally is no better time to get out there and expand your lung capabilities. The great outdoors is calling. When you get back home, those books you've been meaning to read are also calling. I guess the dust devils are calling too and maybe some time spent spring cleaning?
I was going to save this week's playlist for the last Monday of this month but decided to go ahead and put out this collection (56 and counting) of new music releases from January - March now. Maybe you need the comfort of hearing some old tunes right now, but maybe it's also a good time to spend the time to hear some new stuff as well.
So enjoy this new playlist my friends as I wish you and your family well in the weeks ahead.
Note- I'm sure you can't help but appreciate the irony of Mike Campbell's band being named, The Dirty Knobs as much as I do. The Dirty Knobs kick off the playlist with a very Rolling Stones-like song, Wreckless Abandon (new album expected March 20th). Now wash your hands.
p.s. The last two songs on the playlist are for Vinny.
