It didn’t hit me that I would be spending the next two years in a foreign country right away. It was gradual, and then all of a sudden....

Opening the book on a hazy chapter of life from decades ago, unlocking the memories and remembering what it felt like to be young and wild and free in a distant land. The easiest way to get back there is through the music. Headphones on, and we're back in Spain, walking down narrow cobblestone side streets, asking a passing stranger, "tienes cigaro?"

"El viento viene
El viento se va
Por la carretera"

Album: Clandestino (1998)
Artist: Manu Chao

It was familiar. But not because I had heard it before - it was the bass line. The same exact bass line from “Rikki Don’t Lose that Number,” by Steely Dan. A song, for my father...

The meaning we attach to people, places, and things is all relative. Sometimes a song carries much more than meaning - it carries emotional weight, and a sense that what you are hearing is important for so many different reasons.

These songs we carry, they carry that weight for us.

Song: Song for My Father (1964)
Artist: Horace Silver

**Dedicated to the memory of my friend, Dennis Slusarz, Jr AKA Yung Denny, who DJ'ed my wedding, and who always believed in the music. Rest easy, my friend.**

I took in a deep breath, and dove headfirst under the water, the cold shock hitting me like a smack across the face...

The water is a constant; always there, always moving. Sometimes you sink, and sometimes you swim. And sometimes, people keep showing up for you to help you stay afloat. In the end, we’re all just trying to keep our heads above water. 

"And I was drownin’, but now I’m swimmin’

Through stressful waters to relief"

Album: Swimming (2018)
Artist: Mac Miller

This wasn’t the first time I had been there; holding a nameless baby boy in the labor and delivery ward of St Joe’s Hospital. It wouldn’t be the last either...

A story of legacy as told through names, and how we carry them through life. As the youngest of three boys, I started my own tradition, and I had been saving this song.

"Like the pine trees lining the winding road; I got a name, I got a name."

Song: I Got a Name (1973)
Artist: Jim Croce

We cannot reverse the river’s unstoppable current, we can never go back. But with the right song, at the right time, perhaps we can visit for a while...

When someone great is gone, there are decisions to be made. Sometimes the answers can be found in the music, or maybe a song can at least help lead us in the right direction.

"Only a river gonna make things right, only a river gonna make things right."

Song: Only a River (2016)
Artists: Josh Ritter, Bob Weir

The dream was always there. Ever since I heard a rock and roll song as a kid that made me pause long enough to wonder, what is this?...

Music carries us through life; sometimes one song can stay with you for the whole ride. Maybe it was the dark psychedelic energy or the raw power of good and true rock and roll, but something about this song kept bringing me back..

"I see a red door, and I want it painted black."

Song: Paint It Black (1966)
Artist: The Rolling Stones

Some mornings I wake up before dawn, and I know that I’m not going to fall back asleep. This was one of those mornings...Time to get up. I had bread to make anyway...

There are certain albums that feel like slipping on an old worn leather jacket when you play them. The songs remind us of who we are, and where we came from. It's all right here.

"I've reason to believe we all will be received in Graceland."

Album: Graceland (1986)
Artist: Paul Simon

Welcome to the Starter (a Trailer).

First 3 Episodes to be published Tuesday, July 7th:

Ep 1: Graceland

Ep 2: Paint it Black

Ep 3: Only a River

Additional episodes will be published every two to three weeks.
Ep 4: I Got a Name to be published Tuesday, July 21st.
Ep 5: Swimming to be published Tuesday, August 11th.

Thank you for listening,
- Stephen