Chris Hubbs's avatar
Chris Hubbs

Engineer, music guy, tech nerd, armchair theologian. Go Cubs Go.

First 100
10 Tracks
My tracks...

June 30, 2025

Sleepytime in the Western World artwork
Sleepytime in the Western World
Blitzen Trapper
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Had pretty well forgotten about this song, but put it as the first track on my morning running playlist. It gives me one track to sort of get into an energetic place before the really high-tempo stuff kicks in. And the first line:

"Your eyelids are made of lead, you can't keep them up, it's sleepytime..."

Pretty sure that's exactly how I felt this morning my first half mile.

June 27, 2025

Drive It Like You Stole It artwork
Drive It Like You Stole It
Sing Street
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What song do you associate with your favorite book or movie?

Wait, I have to pick a favorite?!? How in the world do I choose? I could've chosen anything from O Brother, Where Art Thou? or from That Thing You Do! or any of the Arcade Fire instrumentals from Her, or anything from Once...

Instead I'm going to pick a fun song from John Carney's other excellent movie musical, Sing Street. Love this one.

June 26, 2025

It Had to Be You (Big Band and Vocals) artwork
It Had to Be You (Big Band and Vocals)
Harry Connick, Jr.
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What's a song that makes you want to learn an instrument?

Let's take it to one that made me want to learn an instrument. When I was in high school I fell hard for Harry Connick's soundtrack to When Harry Met Sally. This track has a beautiful mellow saxophone solo that I still know note-for-note. That inspired me to try taking up the sax. I tried. I added it to my list of experiences that convinced me that I wasn't gonna enjoy playing instruments I had to blow into.

June 25, 2025

Country Doctor (Live) artwork
Country Doctor (Live)
Bruce Hornsby
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Share a song that perfectly soundtracks your commute.

First, it's gotta be a commute home. I don't listen to music on the way in; not awake enough yet in the morning. Bruce Hornsby playing piano live is one of my favorite things. And at 8 minutes long, by the time the track is done, so is my (nice and short) commute. Perfect.

June 24, 2025

Blood Of The Lamb artwork
Blood Of The Lamb
Billy Bragg & Wilco
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I was cleaning up my music library the other night and ran across this banger. Seriously, the Mermaid Avenue records (Billy Bragg & Wilco setting music to Woody Guthrie lyrics) are full of goodness.

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June 16, 2025

You Know That (Is Nothing New) artwork
You Know That (Is Nothing New)
Vigilantes of Love
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Changed up my running playlist last night and stumbled back across this song, which makes an excellent addition to it.

VoL are channeling their best REM vibe here, and it's delightful. The song is so tight - compact and efficient with a fantastic chorus. It's one of those songs I could just put on repeat for a while.

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June 9, 2025

Wait For It artwork
Wait For It
Leslie Odom, Jr. & Original Broadway Cast of "Hamilton"
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I'm not a big crier. But if there's a song that always gets me right in the feels, it's this one.

Life doesn't discriminate between the sinners and the saints It takes and it takes and it takes And we keep living anyway We rise and we fall and break and we make our mistakes And if there's a reason I'm still alive When so many have died I'm willing to wait for it

June 2, 2025

Baroque and Blue, Pt. 1 (feat. Max Hediguer & Marcel Sabiani) artwork
Baroque and Blue, Pt. 1 (feat. Max Hediguer & Marcel Sabiani)
Claude Bolling & Jean-Pierre Rampal
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When I was a teenager, I remember being on a family camping vacation to Estes Park, Colorado, and heading down the hill from the campground to meet one of my best friends who was a student for the summer at Rocky Ridge Music. Lydia and I were both pianists and were a little bit competitive about it. (She went on to get a degree in piano performance, so she wins in the long run.) She was practicing with a few other musicians, and they were working on this opening movement to Claude Bolling's wonderful jazz suite.

Later on as an adult I bought the score and practiced some of it. Still need to run across a good flautist if I ever hope to perform it, though.

May 28, 2025

Say artwork
Say
Sleeping At Last
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I've been tweaking playlists for 5k and 8k runs the past month or so. Finding songs that don't get dull, that hit the right tempo and provide the right energy, and that sequence just right... it's a challenge. This one has a place, though. Pretty sure my brother originally turned me on to Sleeping at Last, and this remains my favorite album of theirs.

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