Brief editor’s note!
When I first started the MezzaDigesta, I sent one simple email out to 170 friends. 6 months later, I had upped my game with Substack and was sending out the newsletter to 418 eager readers. This was a 6-month growth rate of 245% (I’m not a numbers guy, feel free to correct me on this)! The investors were elated. Life was good.
On January 1st of this year, I was sitting on 420 subscribers. As I write this edition today, I’m up to 432. That’s a ~6 month growth rate of 2.8%. Not *quiiiitee* as impressive a run. The investors are getting impatient.
The most successful newsletter writers out there have a particular niche that their readers come to expect. Ben Thompson’s Stratechery is the go-to source for tech business and strategy analysis. Jedd Legum’s Popular Information exposes political shenanigans and corruption. The Morning Brew covers daily business tidbits. Those are just a few of many who have nailed it.
As I’ve written this thing, I’ve thought long and hard about what my “niche” is. I started by jumping around amongst light and amusing topics that interest and humor me. I’ve started writing longer, more thoughtful pieces about topics interesting to me, attempting to further my writing skills and think more deeply about things. Every edition contains music recommendations to keep people jammin’.
The main point of this little editor’s note is: I’m still honing in on my “niche.” I’m still looking for my writing wheelhouse. I’m not totally sure what it is yet, but I’m confident I’ll get there. And, I wanted to give you all a little peek behind the curtain so you can see what the journey has been like so far and feel like you’re riding along with me.
Today’s edition scraps the search for one week, though. Today’s edition is about music, and music only. And it also comes with two music-related announcements. You didn’t think I’d give em to you right at the top though, did you?
Let’s roll.
Music and Me
Was I deep in my emotions and vibing out to Bright Eyes when this picture was taken? Who can say?
This is a personal essay about my relationship with music.
I would imagine that my first experiences with music were much like anybody else’s. My first memories of music being played are in my parents’ living room. They would throw on Prince, Santana, and The Police while cooking dinner. I used to get mad at my parents for what we would do on the weekends. While my friends were having playdates at each other’s houses, loading up on sugar, and assuredly playing tons of Super Mario video games, my parents would drag my brother and me to museums and art galleries. “This is SO not cool, Mom and Dad,” I’d both think to myself and audibly express. But the albums they played on trips to and from the Getty and MOCA were by the Beatles and the Smiths, Stevie Wonder and Beck. Little did I know how cool they actually were.
I didn’t start out with any particular music obsession. I made my first album purchase in the 4th grade. It was Sisqó’s Unleash the Dragon, which I absolutely HAD to have after hearing “The Thong Song” on the radio. Shortly thereafter, I bought a Britney Spears CD. In middle school, I got home from school and turned on MTV’s TRL with Carson Daly. I figured every kid in America did the exact same. I remember thinking the Backstreet Boys music videos were the coolest creations I’d seen in my entire life. A couple years later, I bought a red Yankees hat and rocked it backwards, just like Fred Durst. Limp Bizkit was the “shizznit,” man.
In high school, I started to fine tune my taste in music, but it was only out of sheer necessity. I had a core group of friends that I spent every single class and lunch break with, but outside of school hours we had very different lives. When I wasn’t in basketball or baseball practice, I was at home with my head in a textbook. I was a NERD, man - I studied way too hard. My friends, meanwhile, joined the school theater group. After school ended, they flocked to rehearsals together, and outside of rehearsals they would lug instruments over to somebody’s house and jam as a band. They even recorded some songs together. I had to start listening to more complex and layered stuff just to fit in with my friends and keep up with their topics of conversation. Thanks to that primal adolescent need to be accepted, I became a fan of The White Stripes, Cold War Kids, and The Strokes.
In college, I was determined to break out of my nerdy high school identity and become “cool,” whatever that means. I figured that I could easily develop new friendships merely by playing a catchy song and holding a beer in my hand. My sophomore year, I first experimented with hosting parties in my room. I thought that all you needed to throw a rager was some shitty alcohol and a fire playlist. The playlists were great, don’t get me wrong, and the parties always were lit - but looking back, I think it was actually my super sick fitted cap collection hanging from the walls of my room that attracted a crowd.
We’ll never know - did they show up for the riveting conversation, the tunes, or the collection of fitted caps on the wall?
Post college, my relationship with music has deepened considerably. My deep iTunes library gave way to curated Spotify playlists. I started listening to more albums front to back, not to mention entire artist catalogues. I’ve dedicated countless hours to music discovery, always staying on top of what’s new and fresh. Going to concerts became my favorite way to spend disposable income.
I associate some of the sadder moments in my life with specific songs. In 2013, I went to a Bay Area holiday concert at Oracle Arena in Oakland. I was with my friends, I was 23 years old, and we were seeing artists like Bastille and Lorde perform. It should have been a fantastic night. Arcade Fire headlined. For the second to last song of their set, as the evening was concluding with a festive climax, they played one of their more emotional songs in “Afterlife.” Out of nowhere, I was totally overcome with emotion. A rush of memories came flooding into my head of my childhood best friend’s tragic death when I was a freshman in high school. While thousands of people partied around me, I was standing there crying.
A couple of years ago, a good friend suddenly passed away. I remember exactly where I was when I got the news - it’s nowhere exciting, I was just at work. After crying uncontrollably at the office for a while, I rushed home and took a couple days off to recuperate. For those couple of days, there was only one album I wanted to play: my favorite band Local Natives’ 2013 album Hummingbird. The band recorded the album shortly after their lead singer’s mom died, and a lot of the lyrics center on loss and pain. Sometimes, you just need to let sadness wash over you before you can pick yourself back up.
Man, things really got a bit heavy there, eh? Don’t worry guys, I also associate the happiest moments in my life with specific songs! Rest assured, I’ll never be able to listen to Alabama Shakes again without thinking of my wedding day. 💍💍💍
More than anything, I’ve realized how important it is to me to think critically about the music that’s out there, research it exhaustively, and connect with friends and acquaintances over it. That last bit is particularly important - a few years ago, I started writing lengthy emails to friends that highlighted my favorite songs and albums of that particular year. This is certainly not a novel idea, but in my friend group it was, and the topic always prompted fun and passionate conversations. The process of writing all of my thoughts out was also a super therapeutic exercise.
When I really think about it, those end of year wrap-up emails to a handful of friends laid the foundations for me starting this newsletter with nothing more than a desire to share fun and engaging content with people more widely. It all comes full circle.
My passion for music is a part of me. It’s ingrained in who I am. And that by no means makes me unique, but it is key to have that insight and have it front and center in what I do.
Which leads me to a very exciting announcement! Drumroll, please!! 🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁
I’m excited to share that I’ve launched a podcast called the Record Refresh!
I’m co-hosting the show with one of my best friends, Chris. He’s one of those hip theater kids whose music taste I was so eagerly rushing to replicate in high school.
The concept for the show is to analyze “relistenable” albums - albums you just can’t stop listening to. We’re hoping that it’ll provide just the right mix of fun, lighthearted, and informational - engaging for the hardcore music enthusiasts and casual listeners alike.
Each week, we’ll tackle a different record. Episodes 1 (The Strokes, Is This It) and 2 (The Beatles, Abbey Road) are up now. Episode 3 (Kendrick Lamar, good kid, m.A.A.d. city) will be coming atcha next week.
I’d love for you to check it out and perform all the usual acts right after (like, subscribe, rate, review, recommend to a friend, recommend to an enemy, recommend to your crazy Facebook-ranting aunt, you know the drill).
Here’s the Apple podcasts link.
Thanks for tuning in to a more personal Digesta this week.
The Second Announcement
The second announcement is far less exciting, to be just downright blunt with you.
I started a Spotify playlist for the tracks recommended in the MezzaDigesta when I began the newsletter. It’s a good way to keep track of the songs I throw out there, and it’s been cool to do - 60 Digesta subscribers are also jamming to the playlist, which ain’t too shabby.
It’s hit me, though, that it was getting a bit bloated. After today’s edition, the playlist is at a whopping 152 songs. It also has hit me that it was getting a bit stale. I love “Baby Shark” and the theme song from Succession as much as the next guy, but you may not want to hear them every time you press play.
You’ll now see that I’ve rejiggered the playlist. Some of the more recent additions are at the top, as well as songs that are “hip,” at least in my eyes. I’ve also been introduced to a little tool called Canva in the past week, which is apparently a fantastic “Design for Dummies” service for people with no artistic talent whatsoever (me!). There’s some cover art on the playlist now. It’s not much, but it’s something, baby.
Here’s the new and improved playlist. Happy listening!
One Thing I Like About Music This Week
1) Female singer-songwriters are absolutely killing it in 2020
In a year in which everything is crazy, nothing seems normal, and a lot is just flat-out bad, I’m happy to report that there is at least one thing that is definitively good: the musical output of badass female singer-songwriters.
Seriously y’all, these ladies are making it happen this year. Here’s a (by no means exhaustive) list of what’s gone down:
Haim (pictured above) released their third studio album, Women in Music Pt. III, today. I’ve featured one of the singles before, and I’ve loved every other song I’ve heard from it thus far. I’m fully expecting it to kick ass.
The Official Indie Rock Darling of the Digesta, Phoebe Bridgers, put out her sophomore solo record last week. She rocks. It rocks. Here’s a video of her performing her new single while Tokyo-drifting in her car in an empty parking lot on the Late Late Show with James Corden.
Waxahatchee messed around and put out my favorite album of the year so far.
Fiona Apple came back on the scene with her first album since 2012. All it did was garner the first perfect 10/10 rating from music site Pitchfork since Kanye West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.
The Dixie Chicks will be releasing their first album in 14 years next month. They’ve also just changed their band name to The Chicks. All the power to em.
Ladies are running the alternative/indie music scene in 2020. It’s just a fact.
One Thing I Dislike About Music This Week
1) The phrase “no cap” 🧢🧢🧢
If you’ve listened to even the tiniest amount of hip hop music in the last ~18 months, you’ve surely become accustomed to the phrase “no cap.” What does it mean? It’s slang for “no lie” or “for real.” It means you’re “keeping it 100,” as they say. Where did it come from? Well, thanks to this handy explainer from Genius, I learned that the phrase has actually been around in the hip hop world for quite some time. But for whatever reason, it’s arisen again in popular lingo in the present day.
Seriously, it’s everywhere. DaBaby is a frequent user. You’re guaranteed to hear the phrase in every song featuring one of the Migos. I’m sure Drake will catch on to the latest trend and beat it into the ground. There’s even a rapper who literally goes by the stage name NoCap!!!!!!
It all feels a bit repetitive and tired to me.
Maybe this is just the latest in a flurry of signs that I’m officially an Old now. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Three Song Recommendations
1) 2 Chainz - It’s a Vibe feat. Ty Dolla $ign, Trey Songz, & Jhené Aiko
The theme this week is summer vibes: songs you can feel good about throwing on outside in the heat of the summer. The first one is courtesy of everybody’s favorite 2-chained rapper. It’s literally a vibe. This one came out in 2017, so I’m a bit late to the party.
2) EVAN GIIA - WESTWORLD
Damn, this one came out in 2018 and yet I’m just coming around to it. Maybe I’m losing it. This song is a bop, no cap.
3) Dominic Fike - Phone Numbers
Lately I’ve been digging in to the hip hop producer Kenny Beats, who lays down the “Whoa, Kenny!” production tag at the beginning of this song. This catchy 2½ minute tune is the perfect companion to a sunny day.
Mic drop, we outta here.
Take care,
Joey