parody account with no posts. C'mon now!

Just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday, there's a new episode of Bandsplainer - the podcast where host Olivia Ladd is joined by guests to explain bands. This latest episode is a pretty massive look at the work of The Avett Brothers. Their history, their catalog and their ability to stay extremely impassioned performers is discussed. I actually don't know much about The Avett Brothers - despite having many friends who went to school with them and could have easily been a gateway to their music. It just never connected with me! So, with that in mind, I'm excited to dive into this myself.

BONUS! Host Olivia Ladd put together this playlist to serve as an introduction to the band and the span of their career.

Enjoy.

It's been 25 years since Nirvana's Unplugged and The Ringer took on the task of documenting a complete oral history of the event. The piece covers everything from pitching the band to even be on the show, the practice sessions beforehand, the details of how the set was dressed and the aura around Kurt Cobain's presence. It invokes a bit of a tragic feeling to read about how delicate he was treated and how scared people were to approach him; despite every anecdote resulting in him being warm and somewhat affable. Makes sense that he felt a bit isolated.

But it's not a depressing read; it's a captivating one. I suggest carving out some time to enjoy it all in one sitting.

It's TRUE everyone. We here. https://t.co/iO3nOgNC3T

I recently noted that DM Stith had joined the ranks over at yk Records and we've already released the track "Gravity." If you prefer to consume your songs in video format, there's an official video to go along with it. It's strikingly simple but effective. Walk along as you enjoy the track.

I got to be a guest on the latest episode of This Is The Place, the bar and restaurant podcast I help produce for We Own This Town. We tackle the elusive question of "What's the Best Dive Bar in Nashville?" I understand that you, kind reader, may not reside in Nashville and likely may not care about the answer to such a question but I had a great time touring around some "dives" and working to formulate an opinion on the matter.

Regardless of where you live, what do you define as a Dive Bar? Is it the vibe of the place? Is it the age? The lighting? A combination of elements that can't quite be defined? It's not an easy answer but it's a fun one to try and wrangle an answer to.

Every time I open @Illustrator I'm greeted with this statement. Every time I read it, I immediately want to close my computer. https://t.co/rIWZG7o5Cf

Posting this here too because I don't want my instagram to be weirder than my twitter https://t.co/eaEu081E2p

The first season didn't pull off everything it tried, but it always swung for the fences. https://t.co/p5SzV06G2K

a good question with lots of good answers

to listen

New WOTT Music episode features @lanceco steering the ship. "All Bangers, No Bummers" holds true. Eight songs spanning local pop, hip-hop and rock goodness. Thanks Lance! https://t.co/GxJD4WZcw0 https://t.co/bOF1xCIwZT

For those not interested in a long writeup, here's the TLDR: DM Stith has joined the roster of artists over on my lil label yk Records. He built out his home studio and mined his archives for a variety of songs; the first of which is "Gravity" - a track recorded with Richard Swift circa 2012. It's streaming everywhere right now, so please go enjoy it. Here's the longer version of that, from a more personal perspective:

I met DM Stith at a sidewalk bar in Manhattan, having a cocktail with friends of mine from Tennessee that he had recorded with on complete happenstance. Though I likely should have thought better of it, I gushed at what a fan of his work I was. His history touring with Sufjan Stevens and collaborating with the likes of Son Lux or Sarah Kirkland Snider were unknown to me; I was simply a fan of his solo albums Pigeonheart and Heavy Ghost. The musical elements of both albums paired with his completely haunting vocal performances always captivated me. I had always wondered why there wasn't more of it.

Over the ensuing years, we struck up a proper friendship and could spend hours together without a chaperone of common friends. Through this experience I learned that there was more DM Stith, plenty more. There were songs recorded in various studios with noteworthy collaborators like Richard Swift. There were new tracks in half finished states born from his learnings recording Pigeonheart that took the expansive state of "My Impatience" even further. There was even an entire album of songs crafted, recorded and prepared for release that lived between the two official albums that met an unfortunate, and undeserved, fate. With a little coaxing, we decided that the fate had not been sealed for these songs.

Over time, Stith moved into a new apartment and built a small studio in his bedroom. This space allowed him to mine through the archives of works we'd discussed and cull together a collection of songs never meant to be lost. Some needed nothing more than a gentle touch, while others are reworked into entirely new arrangements.

This collection of revived compositions will be released over the final months of 2018 and throughout the early part of 2019. To speak a bit metaphorically, sometimes you must sacrifice your creations into the river of time to let them come back to you, ready to be pulled from the mire and given a fresh breath of proper life back into them. I'm humbled and extremely excited to be a small part of that process.

Typically, Hott Minute episodes come out every other week. However, the last episode tackled such a large topic - the entirety of Science Fiction - that the conversation has been broken out into two distinct episodes. Long story short, there's new Hott Minute this week. So, if you haven't tuned in to part one yet, do that first. Then, dive into part two, Not Your Choice, Jean-Luc with special guest Larissa Maestro.

@yewknee you have unlocked meme research team membership

powerful video here https://t.co/q9bFh5t2NA

Heads up! @billboard just debuted the first @patrickdamphier single off his forthcoming debut full-length, Say I'm Pretty. Go listen to "Pretend It" now: https://t.co/iCPtW0KB16 https://t.co/LNk9BCJcn7

I haven't a clue what the GIF is all about this week. I just searched Giphy for "absurd" and came back with the most enjoyable result. I could have used something like this but that felt a little too racey, even for me.

If all goes well today, there will be some fun news being announced this afternoon over on yk records but since it's still early.. I'll wait until it's official.

On to the distractions..

• Pikachu voiced by Alex Jones - I'll be honest; I kind of hate the idea of normalizing Alex Jones in any way - even if its just for humor. He's an awful, repugnant and downright dangerous person. So, I kinda hate myself for loving the "destroy the child" quote perfectly placed in here.
• Ya Hungry? - this cat verbally responds everytime being asked if they're hungry. I dunno about you but I find this delightful.
• Lag in VR - sometimes it's the little things that get the best chuckle.
• Swedish Metal Aid - the 80's were a big time for supergroup performances but this one is special... mostly because of the hair. Oh, that hair.
• Eric Chien, Grand Prism Magic Act - yes, it's a 7 minute video of magic but it's worth a watch. As discussed with some friends, it's actually maddening to watch because how is he doing any of that?
• The Slap Remake - AV Club posted about comedian Joe Kwaczala's recent slew of new videos - 31 new pieces in honor of turning 31 - and there's a lot to enjoy here. This one, an absurdist remake of The Slap, is right up my alley. If you don't love it, just dive in to find more.
• Why the Victorian Mansion is a Horror Icon - if you're not already watching these little VOX mini-docs, you're missing out. This isn't so much a funny video as it is informative and surprisingly historical. Sometimes Friday Video distractions can be educational, right?

@yewknee @meowgorithm Enya is good.

I must admit, upon first hearing about Caveday, I was skeptical. The idea behind the organization is to provide a workspace (locally in NYC & SF or can be joined remotely) in which every attendee turns off their phones, disables their Slacks, notifications and just allows themselves to go into a cave of concentration. Sure, we all want time to be able to concentrate on a project but do you really need a whole organization that holds your hand to get it done?

Yes, yes you do. Much like any good intention, without a little bit of support behind you it's difficult to break out of routines. I haven't actually participated in a Caveday yet but I'm on board with the concept.*

* I do wish it was a bit cheaper but maybe that will change over time.