Features

Interview: Mat Santos of Ra Ra Riot

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Ra Ra Riot

When Ra Ra Riot announced a headlining tour with several major cities and markets on their itinerary, I knew I had to reach out to set up an interview during their local stop to my market, in Washington, DC. I had always enjoyed the stylistics changes that the band had done from album to album, and the growth in lead singer Wes Miles could be heard easily when comparing their original sound, to what came out on their latest record Superbloom. The band graciously granted me an interview with bassist, Mat Santos, to discuss what went into the recording of the latest album as well as some insight on: the band’s formation, Wes’s vocal regimen, and the band’s plans for the future. The interview was conducted in the “green room” backstage at the 9:30 Club in DC, and I truly enjoyed the conversation that Mat and I had that evening.

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Liner Notes (November 15th, 2019)

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What a week. This week’s newsletter has me looking at music and entertainment released over the past two weeks. I finally get to dive into some of the Apple TV+ and Disney+ shows, plus give some updates on living the first week of married life. There’s also a playlist of ten songs I enjoyed this week, and this week’s supporter Q&A post can be found here.

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Liner Notes (November 8th, 2019)

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I’m getting married tomorrow, so this week’s newsletter is going to be different than usual and wedding-themed. (Since I am thinking about the wedding, final wedding plans, and really nothing else.) I wanted to write something, but I don’t have the time to breakdown all the music and media I’ve consumed over the past week. Instead, I’ve been putting this together in small stages over the past few days. I’ll be back next week with a longer piece that has a deeper dive into the entertainment and musical stuff I’ve been enjoying lately. The supporter Q&A post can be found here.

If you’d like this newsletter delivered to your inbox each week (it’s free and available to everyone), you can sign up here.

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Holy Pinto – “Malady” (Song Premiere)

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Holy Pinto

Today I’m happy to share the latest single from Holy Pinto, called “Malady.” This track comes from the latest trio of singles under the Holy Trinity record, and this track in particular reminds me of Interpol-inspired rock. The last song, called Acquaintances, Friends, Love Ends” was released in October, but the current single can be streamed below and it’s their best yet.

If you like what you hear, be sure to buy the Holy Trinity Singles Club.

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Liner Notes (November 1st, 2019)

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This week’s newsletter has the definitive ranking of My Chemical Romance albums, some first impressions of the new Anti-Flag album, thoughts on some other music I spent time with this week, and my weekly media diet rundown. There’s also a playlist of ten songs I loved this week, a few articles I enjoyed, and this week’s supporter Q&A post can be found here.

If you’d like this newsletter delivered to your inbox each week (it’s free and available to everyone), you can sign up here.

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Liner Notes (October 25th, 2019)

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This week’s newsletter looks at some of the music out this week, answers a reader question about my favorite Halloween movies, and then goes through my weekly media diet. There’s also a playlist of ten songs I loved this week and a bunch of other random thoughts. This week’s supporter Q&A post can be found here.

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Liner Notes (October 18th, 2019)

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Welcome to Jimmy Eat World release week. Let us all rejoice. Today’s newsletter has my thoughts on music, some of the entertainment I’ve consumed over the past week, other random tidbits, and a playlist of ten songs I enjoyed. This week’s supporter Q&A post can be found here.

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Interview: Zach Lind of Jimmy Eat World

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Jimmy Eat World

A week out from the release of Jimmy Eat World’s 10th full-length studio album Surviving, I spoke with drummer Zach Lind about how the band makes albums now versus 10 or 20 years ago, working with producer Justin Meldal-Johnsen, crafting a setlist with 25 years of music to choose from, and ranking the band’s beloved discography.

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Liner Notes (October 11th, 2019)

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In this week’s newsletter, I expand a little more on my Jimmy Eat World thoughts, share some comments on music out this week, and go through my light media diet. There’s also a playlist of ten songs I loved, and this week’s supporter Q&A post can be found here.

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Track List: October – Falling Leaves

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Welcome back to Track List, your monthly dose of 30 songs aimed to match the time of year, sequenced into a playlist for you to vibe out to however you see fit. Hopefully some names will be familiar, and hopefully some will give you a new discography to dive into. Drop me a line with some of your seasonal favorites and check back every month for a new playlist.

You can find the playlist on Spotify and Apple Music, and read more about the selections below.

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Leather Bound Crooks – “Summer Nights” (Video Premiere)

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Leather Bound Crooks

Today I’m proud to premiere the latest video from Leather Bound Crooks called “Summer Nights.” The band mentioned in a recent interview that, “We really wanted to create a chill end of summer vibe. The song is central to a summer love and the tones and melody create this blissful atmosphere. We’re glad the lyric video is able to reflect the track’s aesthetics so well.” Leather Bound Crooks’ latest record, Breach, is available on all streaming platforms via Forward Pace Records.

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Liner Notes (October 4th, 2019)

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It’s a pretty big album release day today, and this week’s newsletter has my thoughts on quite a few of those. It also has my very early first impressions on Jimmy Eat World’s new album. So that’s fun. There’s also my weekly media diet roundup and a playlist of ten songs I enjoyed this week. This week’s supporter Q&A post can be found here.

If you’d like this newsletter delivered to your inbox each week (it’s free and available to everyone), you can sign up here.

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Liner Notes (September 27th, 2019)

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In this week’s newsletter, I offer my first impressions after one week with the new iPhone 11 Pro, share some thoughts on new music, go through my usual media diet rundown, and share a playlist of ten songs I enjoyed this week. This week’s supporter Q&A post can be found here.

If you’d like this newsletter delivered to your inbox each week (it’s free and available to everyone), you can sign up here.

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Track List: September – Strings & Things

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Welcome back to Track List, your monthly dose of 30 songs aimed to match the time of year, sequenced into a playlist for you to vibe out to however you see fit. Hopefully some names will be familiar, and hopefully some will give you a new discography to dive into. Drop me a line with some of your seasonal favorites and check back every month for a new playlist.

You can find the playlist on Spotify and Apple Music and read more about the selections below.

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Liner Notes (September 20th, 2019)

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Happy Blink-182 day.

In this week’s newsletter, I celebrate the release of new Blink-182 music, share some thoughts on the new album from Tegan and Sara, and offer random thoughts about the other albums I spent some time with this week. I also go through my weekly media diet and share a playlist of ten songs I enjoyed this week. This week’s supporter Q&A post can be found here.

If you’d like this newsletter delivered to your inbox each week (it’s free and available to everyone), you can sign up here.

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