Welp, as I type these words, the power just went out at our place, so I have no idea if you’ll ever get to read them. And, to be honest, this is the second draft I’ve done tonight (the first one I did with full, glorious internet!). But it wasn’t the right one.
See, that first collection of thoughts was about all the things I was starting the year worried about and why I was worried about them. I could quickly list them here to give you the general idea, but the whole reason why I’m writing this new post is because after looking back on the first version, I decided that’s not how I wanted to start off this new year. Instead, I want to tell you a hopeful little story that happened on New Year’s Eve.
We generally watch CNN’s coverage of the Times Square ball drop because we love it when Anderson Cooper gets the giggles. And, since we watch from California, we get to go to bed at a reasonable hour, if we’re so inclined. Most years, we’re so inclined. Or reclined, if you will. Anywho, after watching about an hour of CNN post-midnight in New York, my daughter quietly singing “Hard Candy Christmas” while playing an iPad game reminded me that NBC’s event this year featured Miley Cyrus and her godmother, Dolly Parton. We changed channels just in time to catch Cyrus’s duet with Fletcher. Pretty good timing.
Other than Dolly, I didn’t really have any idea who else would be on. And I was pleasantly surprised more than a few times. Yes, the Fletcher duet was good, but it was the “Wrecking Ball” performance with the two co-hosts that really forced me to start paying closer attention. When Dolly came in with her harmony on the chorus, I almost broke into tears. To say “Wrecking Ball” is a favorite around here is a vast understatement. Thanks to our daughter’s playlist curation, we probably hear it about three times a week. At least. But this version was something altogether different. As if that wasn’t highlight enough, then came the most surprising part of the show.
I’ve mentioned before how much I love record stores, right? The serendipity. A clerk’s curation. Discovering an unknown gem deep in the bins. All of this felt familiar after Cyrus introduced a band I’d never heard of called Liily. I didn’t know it at the time, but they did a song of theirs called “Applause”. I literally sat up to take notice. It was angular and propulsive and just the right amount of noisy and unhinged. And then they broke into a little bit of “Sabotage”. It was great! Seriously, watch it yourself.
It was so exciting to have something so fresh on my TV. But at the same time, I was a little disappointed in myself for having NBC be my musical tastemaker. It’s one of the many reasons I miss Rdio so much. Unlike current streaming services, Rdio used to be a consistent, reliable way for me to find new music. Only slightly embarrassed, I Post.ed about it, and then looked up more information about the band. Turns out, they’re coming to San Francisco in February, opening for FIDLAR as part of the Noise Pop 30th anniversary celebration. I spent the rest of 2022 and the first few hours of 2023 reading about and listening to Liily. Then I cued up some FIDLAR, and threw in some Hella for good measure before finally falling asleep.
I’m not too happy with how little new music I’m being exposed to these days. But I’m grateful for discovering both Liily and Not on Tour in December. I’m not one for resolutions, but I’m hoping to find more ways to find, hear, and support more new music in 2023. If you have any favorite ways you’re discovering new bands to love, I’m all ears.
Dusty
02 January 2023
RIPdio.
Welp, as I type these words, the power just went out at our place, so I have no idea if you’ll ever get to read them. And, to be honest, this is the second draft I’ve done tonight (the first one I did with full, glorious internet!). But it wasn’t the right one.
See, that first collection of thoughts was about all the things I was starting the year worried about and why I was worried about them. I could quickly list them here to give you the general idea, but the whole reason why I’m writing this new post is because after looking back on the first version, I decided that’s not how I wanted to start off this new year. Instead, I want to tell you a hopeful little story that happened on New Year’s Eve.
We generally watch CNN’s coverage of the Times Square ball drop because we love it when Anderson Cooper gets the giggles. And, since we watch from California, we get to go to bed at a reasonable hour, if we’re so inclined. Most years, we’re so inclined. Or reclined, if you will. Anywho, after watching about an hour of CNN post-midnight in New York, my daughter quietly singing “Hard Candy Christmas” while playing an iPad game reminded me that NBC’s event this year featured Miley Cyrus and her godmother, Dolly Parton. We changed channels just in time to catch Cyrus’s duet with Fletcher. Pretty good timing.
Other than Dolly, I didn’t really have any idea who else would be on. And I was pleasantly surprised more than a few times. Yes, the Fletcher duet was good, but it was the “Wrecking Ball” performance with the two co-hosts that really forced me to start paying closer attention. When Dolly came in with her harmony on the chorus, I almost broke into tears. To say “Wrecking Ball” is a favorite around here is a vast understatement. Thanks to our daughter’s playlist curation, we probably hear it about three times a week. At least. But this version was something altogether different. As if that wasn’t highlight enough, then came the most surprising part of the show.
I’ve mentioned before how much I love record stores, right? The serendipity. A clerk’s curation. Discovering an unknown gem deep in the bins. All of this felt familiar after Cyrus introduced a band I’d never heard of called Liily. I didn’t know it at the time, but they did a song of theirs called “Applause”. I literally sat up to take notice. It was angular and propulsive and just the right amount of noisy and unhinged. And then they broke into a little bit of “Sabotage”. It was great! Seriously, watch it yourself.
It was so exciting to have something so fresh on my TV. But at the same time, I was a little disappointed in myself for having NBC be my musical tastemaker. It’s one of the many reasons I miss Rdio so much. Unlike current streaming services, Rdio used to be a consistent, reliable way for me to find new music. Only slightly embarrassed, I Post.ed about it, and then looked up more information about the band. Turns out, they’re coming to San Francisco in February, opening for FIDLAR as part of the Noise Pop 30th anniversary celebration. I spent the rest of 2022 and the first few hours of 2023 reading about and listening to Liily. Then I cued up some FIDLAR, and threw in some Hella for good measure before finally falling asleep.
I’m not too happy with how little new music I’m being exposed to these days. But I’m grateful for discovering both Liily and Not on Tour in December. I’m not one for resolutions, but I’m hoping to find more ways to find, hear, and support more new music in 2023. If you have any favorite ways you’re discovering new bands to love, I’m all ears.
(By the way, the power just came back on!)
See you tomorrow?