there's an artistry in the day to day
november 2024
and thus we enter the holiday season.
musical presents abound. none more generous than new commute’s year-end roundup.1 scroll for what feels like an eternity, check out their showcase of graphic artists, or listen to their 203-song sampler and feel enriched by the most thorough and thoughtful survey of This Year In Music. i haven’t fully wrapped my ears around everything on there, but there is clear and unanimous love for NALA SINEPHRO’s september release, “ENDLESSNESS”, as well as ALEX IZENBERG’s “ALEX IZENBERG & THE EXILES”. both records are sumptuous.2
red hot’s new project “TRANSA” is an equally sufficient cross-section the Scene these days: ADRIANNE LENKER, ANDRÉ 3000, L’RAIN, YAYA BEY, KARA JACKSON, etc… only the project’s purpose—celebrating and supporting trans lives—supersedes the impressive roster. check it out, buy their stuff.
that’s right. i’ve kicked off my newsletter by highlighting other masterful compilers of music. like a local promotor for your favorite neighborhood drug dealer, i am a middleman for a middleman. do i have anything original to say?3
i could tell you about seeing ADRIANNE LENKER play at The Eastern in Atlanta just a day before the “TRANSA” compilation came out. she did not play her contribution, “FEEL BETTER”. she did play a bunch of other songs—some new ones, songs from all but one of her solo albums, and stuff from BIG THIEF’s catalog too. NICK HAKIM and JOSEFIN RUNSTEEN—two of the three close collaborators who played on “BRIGHT FUTURE”—joined her on stage for most of the show. and what a show it was. true to the process by which she cut the record, ADRIANNE LENKER and her friends didn’t so much perform as they did sit and play with one another—there just so happened to be a couple thousand folks watching (rapt). it’s all about ~being there~ with her music and, for me, the proof was in the pudding. it was the best show i’ve seen all year for so many reasons, but especially for how grounded i felt during it. for as long as they played and sang, there was nowhere else i needed to be, nothing more important to do.
musings on other shows this month: KYLE HAMLETT and JOE KENKEL (of STYROFOAM WINOS) each played memorable sets on a great bill at Vinyl Tap. KYLE HAMLETT closed his set out with a beautiful, haunting cover of “FLANAGAN’S SONG”. over at The Blue Room JESS WILLIAMSON played a stripped-down set—alternating between keyboard and guitar before taking a beat to recount her pandemic experience making demos in isolation with a free drum machine app on her phone. as it turned out the demos sounded so good that several of the songs on her record “TIME AIN’T ACCIDENTAL” were constructed out of their stems. she then preceded to close out the show with her phone as the back-up band.
in new music, 22° HALO released “LILY OF THE VALLEY”, a grief-stricken and tender album about that miserable font of creativity: cancer. HALEY HEYNDERIDCKX’s “SEED OF A SEED” was a welcome companion to the wind and leaves and clouds. and against all odds, i’m hardcore rooting for SHAWN MENDES after the release of “SHAWN”. we are solidly in the age of commercialized vulnerability and sometimes i have no choice but to tip my hat to the major labels when they pull it off.
there have been murmurings that december is jam-packed with activities. small-talk soirées and milestone birthdays, caroling in the streets and holiday feasts. personally, one of the best things about being in Nashville during the holidays is the music. ALI SPERRY’s 5 Spot show A SPERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS is sure to get the local legends on stage for a holiday song or two. THE ORNAMENTS are gonna do their thing. my dad is going to blow the roof off at the YK 15 year anniversary. get your rest while you can. i’ll see ya out there.
SHOWS IN NOVEMBER: THE DESLONDES + SABINE MCCALLA / TOM BARRETT + KYLE HAMLETT TRIO + JOE KENKEL + JORDAN VICTORIA / JESS WILLIAMSON / ADRIANNE LENKER / HOTLINE TNT / RATBOYS
SHOWS IN DECEMBER: A SPERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS / ADVANCE BASE + KYLE HAMLETT UNO + THE COMPANY CAR / KATIE GAVIN / SHANE PERRY / YK RECORDS 15 YEAR ANNIVERSARY HOLIDAY PARTY / FEEBLE LITTLE HORSE + SWORD II / whatever you invite me to
thanks to Brett for showing me new commute
other standout discoveries for me include: “DREAMSTATE” by KELLY LEE OWENS, “SONGS OF THE RAIL” by FUST, CHRIS ACKER’s “FAMOUS LUNCH”, and REAL COMPANION’s “NÜ-METAL HEROES”
does anyone?