15 Comments

We absolutely need to be talking about the Afghan Whigs more. Like, a lot more.

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Right? Wickedly overlooked band as far as I'm concerned.

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Thanks for sharing. I need silence quite a lot because I am the person at the restaurant with friends singing along to the background music or asking who the artist is. I can definitely relate!

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I have taken to needing and finding peace in the silence more in the last few years than at any point in my life. Feels good to not need constant distraction.

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We DEFINITELY need to talk more about Afghan Whigs, but I'm gonna fall out with you right now by stating that Gentlemen, Black Love and 1965 are all better albums than Congregation. THERE, I SAID IT 😆

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Thanks for the note and re-stack. I appreciate it. 🤘

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Totally agree. Black Love is perfect. That said, none of those have a perfect album cover like Congregation. Still a staggeringly beautiful shot imho.

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On that, I heartily agree sir. 🤝

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Thanks for sharing, Keith. I need silence when I write or ambient music. Same for editing the pod or doing written work. It's all silent or non-invasive sounds.

I don't worry about the intimate angle. I just feel lucky to get down. Soundtrack be damned.

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The line between enjoyment and analysis/evaluation of music is a perpetual itch on my existence (calling it a plague would be too dramatic). It crops up both when I'm receiving music or trying to "transmit" it; when making music with the bands I'm in.

When listening, it's a me problem; I have to stop myself often from noting the chord structure of something playing ambiently, or what key it's in, or tuning in on the drumbeat bc of something cool there or whatever; to the detriment of just being "present" in the moment with folks I want to pay attention to, and enjoying the whole scene.

When playing, it's another problem. I work in bands that gig frequently; and too often we're confronted with crowds that look like they're grading an audition we're doing, rather than just enjoying our soundtrack and vibing with the scene there.

These folks love their music, I know; but they're stuck in "evaluation mode" so much that it's difficult for me to tell if they actually enjoyed what we did or not. Playing live is a transfer of energy; and to push out as much as we do in the moment and get little if anything back can be...tough. It makes you doubt your own competence, even if you've done plenty enough work behind the scenes to make your music good.

Anyway, this is too long; but I think about this a lot.

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Jan 6Edited

Just heads up: you can add footnotes [under "more" - far right side drop down] that will be at the bottom of your article, but also pop-up when hovered over, which makes them easier to read in-line. I didn't notice your footnotes until I got to the end.

OK, now that you've made me think about your erect penis going flaccid to the soothing sounds of Tiny Dancer... check out my top 20 overlooked tracks of 2023: https://ifrqfm.substack.com/p/best-of-2023

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Thanks for the info. Cheers!

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Rock solid post!

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Thank you, Marcus! Cheers!

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Jan 6Edited

"Rock solid post!"

Not quite... I thought that was the point ;)

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