Brett's Play-by-Playlist

We have a long way to go before the coronavirus pandemic is behind us, so we must press on and keep finding ways to live well in the midst of this new frontier in our lives. Come along as I both discuss a song that tells us how to do so and lay the foundation for Season 2.

With the return of NASCAR, live sports are back in America, marking the end of our first journey back to normalcy. But we have a long way still to go. Join me for this season finale as I discuss songs that provide a proper conclusion to the last two months as well as a compass for the road ahead.

How will we remember the experience of living through a pandemic? That's a challenging question. Perhaps, as is the case with many other events in human history, the arts will help us cope, process, and chronicle. Actor and comedian Claire Malkie joins me to reflect on this concept as we illustrate how a famous Broadway song teaches us to measure our time in love.

Music that evokes nostalgia can be a powerful tool in the fight to stay positive amid widespread trial and uncertainty. That's why I'm listening to a modern dance hit that transports me back to a magical, meaningful summer leadership conference I attended during high school. One of my friends from that program, Oriana Fleming, joins me for a walk down memory lane and a deep dive into the pandemic, music, and humanity.

We often find ourselves engaged in what feels like a battle against time, and that's true just as much during a pandemic as under normal circumstances. Videographer and musician Nathan Leach, one half of budding duo Nathan & Eva, shares his story and helps me unpack a ballad—by artists who share our alma mater—built on this theme.

Dreams are worth dreaming--and pursuing--even if they don't come to fruition. I discuss that message as told through a country song that also spoke to me in a special way one night nearly seven years ago. Also featuring some thoughts on seven other songs added to the playlist since the previous episode.

In the midst of the bad news we encounter daily during the coronavirus pandemic, it's important to remember that with every day we survive--that is, every day our beat goes on--we have opportunities to grow stronger and look forward to a brighter future. Rapper Wayne Diesel joins me to explore that theme as reflected by a 1979 funk jam. He also shares his experiences in the music industry, and I offer some thoughts on Good Friday.

March has mercifully come to an end, and now we're all eagerly awaiting "someday", when the pandemic will end and life will return to normal. Actor and storyteller Damian Leverett joins me to reflect on our current location along this journey and on a host of songs, headlined by a hope-filled Rob Thomas hit, that capture it.

I learned a lot throughout the first week of a life radically altered by the pandemic. Come along as I explore those lessons as told through six songs I added to the playlist as the week unfolded.

A pandemic might change how we can observe a holiday, but it shouldn't stop the celebration entirely. Join former competitive Irish dancer Hope Ogden and me as we honor St. Patrick's Day by illuminating the merits of a signature number from Riverdance, share what Irish dance and our families' Irish heritage mean to us, and discuss how the story of St. Patrick informs the current state of our world.