Share a song you feel was ahead of its time.

I'm going to go with a My Bloody Valentine song, because I'm loving the shoegave revival that's been happening over the last few years.

Not only hugely influential to modern shoegaze bands, MBV had a huge impact on the music scene in the 90s, with bands like The Smashing Pumpkins, Radiohead, Ride, Deftones, Slowdive, Swervedriver, Lush, and many others.

A song from a genre you didn’t think you’d like—what changed?

The genre is musicals. Long story short, I was never a fan of musicals, though I probably didn't give many a chance... and the plethora of modern musicals that utilize a lot of modern music styles (like Hamilton), probably helped open my eyes a little.

The main reason I've given them a chance, though, are my kids... especially my son , who is a senior in high school and an active member of the theater program (mainly as an actor and scenic/costumes) at his high school. In the fall, he will be attending SUNY Purchase and their theater program with hopes of working on Broadway someday.

He's been a fan of musicals for as long as I can remember, but for his senior year he decided to step out of his comfort zone, take singing lessons, and audition for his first musical. He ended up getting one of the main roles in Anything Goes and fast forward a few months, we'll be attending the Buffalo-area high school music awards tomorrow night, where the musical is up for a handful of awards and he is a semi-finalist for the part of the program that sends two local students to compete in the Jimmy Awards, the national high school musical awards -- which if you win that, you are pretty much fast tracked to Broadway. So crazy!

Over the last few years, I've seen and heard many musicals thanks to all of this... and I'll have to say my favorite is Hadestown, written by Mitchell as I mentioned above... I absolutely love her songwriting and storytelling through a story about Orpheus and Eurydice. It's a love story, but also a critique of capitalism. Both things I can get behind.

I already have one song from this musical on my playlist for the year and it's probably my favorite one, so I'll pick the 2010 version off Anais Mitchell's concept album, featuring Justin Vernon aka Bon Iver, for this post.

What’s the last song you discovered and loved instantly?

This is the first song that hit me on the new Carriers album. Loved it immediately.

Maybe it’s the Broken Social Scene vibes: the horns, the bass line, the laidback vocal style. What ever it is, I dig it.

What’s a lyric that resonates deeply with you and why?

Frightened Rabbit is one of my all-time favorite bands. I wrote a bit about them in my Crucial Tracks interview, specifically this song and singer Scott Hutchison, if you are interested in reading more.

TL:DR – many of his songs focus on death, his mental illness, and suicidal thoughts. While I haven't struggled with those, I know plenty of folks who have... This song came out around a time when I was starting to figure out who I was as an adult, who I wanted to be as a new parent, and coming to grips with my childhood and religion.

So these lyrics hit me at the right time in life::

Jesus, is just a Spanish boy's name How come one man got so much fame? To enemy, it's pointless to anybody That doesn't have faith Give me the cloth and I'll wipe my face

When it's all gone Something carries on And it's not morbid at all Just that nature's had enough of you

When my blood stops Someone else's will thaw When my head rolls off Someone else's will turn And while I'm alive, I'll make tiny changes to earth

So you can burn me 'Cause we'll all be the same, the same way Dirt in someone's eyes cried down the drain I believe in a house in the clouds And God's got his dead friends 'round He's painted all the walls red To remind them they're all dead

And you know when it's all gone Something carries on And it's not morbid at all Just that nature's had enough of you

When my blood stops Someone else's will thaw When my head rolls off Someone else's will turn You can mark my words, I'll make changes to earth

While I'm alive, I'll make tiny changes to earth Tiny changes to earth Tiny changes to earth Tiny changes to earth

If your life were a movie, what would its theme song be?

I'll have to go with "Waiting Room" by Fugazi. Growing up I was quiet, shy. (hell, I still am)... and because of that adults always commented on how patient I was... so I've really leaned into that over the years and it's become one of my strong points. Today's frenzied, fast-paced world makes that difficult sometimes, but I think even pausing for a short time is worthwhile.

And heck, I even built this site with PATIENCE in mind. One post a day fights against every urge the rest of the web throws at you. That may be the thing that prevents Crucial Tracks from really taking off, but I am more interested in building a little oasis of calm, than anything that's fast paced and anxiety inducing.

I am a patient boy I wait, I wait, I wait, I wait My time is like water down a drain Everybody's moving, everybody's moving Everybody's moving, moving, moving, moving Please don't leave me to remain In the waiting room

[Chorus]

I don't want the news (I cannot use it) I don't want the news (I won't live by it) Sitting outside of town Everybody's always down (Tell me why?) Because they can't get up

[Verse 2]

But I don't sit idly by (ahh) I'm planning a big surprise I'm gonna fight for what I wanna be And I won't make the same mistakes (Because I know) Because I know how much time that wastes (And function), function is the key To the waiting room

How do you discover new music, and what’s the latest gem you’ve found?

I wrote about how I find new music over at the Crucial Tracks blog a couple months ago, so you can read all the gory details of that if you want. (And I listen to a LOT of new music for the blog.)

One of the coolest, most interesting artists I've stumbled upon recently is Mei Semones, with songs that can only be described as jazz/bossa nova/math rock/chamber pop/midwest emo. You read that right. And... she sings in both Japanese and English... and she totally makes it work.

Animaru is the 24-year old Berklee School of Music graduate's debut album. The songs are sweet and endearing, catchy, and mind-bendingly complex. Highly recommended and I can't wait to see what Mei does next.

We saw MJ Lenderman and This is Lorelei last night, so picking this song which they played during the encore.

Both bands were fantastic. What amazes me though is the wide range of people MJ Lenderman draws with his slacker alt country. I think his reference of Buffalo in his song “Wristwatch” helped develop a little affinity for his music (in this city, at least), but there’s no doubt he’s super talented.

He did play “Wristwatch” twice, much to the crowds enjoyment, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before… and I’ve see many hundreds of bands over the years.

What’s the first song you’d play at a party?

What an appropriate prompt for May 10th... it's my birthday! 🎉

So, I'm gonna go with "Birthday Pony" by Fugazi because they are my favorite band, it's off my favorite album of theirs, and the lyrics are so damn relevant to today's world:

This is a strange kind of rest Because I feel like a guest When I'm right here at home I'm not Right here at all

I opened up these accounts All these separate accounts Because I can't comprehend The single ride to the end

I needed something to do And so I split into two But now the pattern takes hold I find I'm losing control

Do you wanna be free?

What song do you associate with the current season?

I've been listening to the latest album from Men I Trust (Equus Caballus) pretty much nonstop as I've been driving to and from places for kid stuff and "Husk" is one of my favorites. It's super good, vibe-y driving music, especially at night.

This is a new-ish song, so it doesn't have long standing association with the spring season, but I think it will going forward. Actually, I'd think this type of music is good for any transition season, either spring or fall... with the warmer days and colder nights, as we move toward the extreme seasons of summer and winter.

What’s your favorite love song, and why?

My wife and I picked this song (Ida's cover of a Secret Stars song) for our wedding dance. I love that no one in that room knew the song. It was OURS. And in my mind, it always will be.

23 years and 3 kids later, through ups and downs and all of life's challenges, we're still best friends. I still feel unbelievably lucky I met her at college, amongst those thirty some thousand students.

Come to dinner with me We'll walk down the main street All dressed up We'll make time for coffee And know that caffeine makes you sad But just this once would you do that for me Cause up in heaven you're a shoe-in If you open up your heart to me To me Let's go driving tonight We'll take Al's Comet, he'll never know We'll top it at 95 I know my driving makes you mad But just once would you do that for me Cause up in heaven you're a shoe-in If you open up your heart to me To me