What Am I Making Podcast

I stirred up quite a shitstorm with my piece on Spotify Wrapped that was released in early December. My attempt to truly explore the economic realities of digital music streaming, and Spotify specifically, was met with a fair amount of quick rebuke and a small portion of hesitant support. It quickly became one of the most read articles on WAIM thus far and sparked myriad conversations with people in my day to day life.

In an effort to clarify my point, and further aim your collective ire at Spotify, I published a follow-up piece in which I offered five ideas that could be implemented to help musicians be paid more fairly. That was met with another healthy round of discussion and debate, much of it positive, and open to the idea of fighting toward a better system.

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Still, I am asked regularly what one person can achieve. It’s the old feeling of one person cannot beat a huge Goliath such as Spotify. Yet, as a collective, our voices can move mountains. The only way for a change in this arena to occur is for us to force it. Here are a handful of ways that we can do just that.

1. Switch To Apple Music or Tidal

The simplest and most effective way to help musicians be paid more fairly is to switch to a digital streamer that pays more than the one you’re currently using. Essentially, Spotify’s base rate is roughly $0.0033 per song or one third of a penny per spin. Apple is currently paying about a penny a song. Tidal pays even a bit more than that.

Simply moving away from Spotify to a provider paying one cent or more will triple your dollars paid to artists. It will also send a direct message to Spotify that you value music and the artists that make it. If you’re given the opportunity to tell Spotify why you are choosing to leave, give them this reason alone. Tell them you chose a provider that pays artists more fairly.

But Matty, I thought all digital streaming was bad?

Digital streaming needs regulation and oversight with the issue of fair pay and artist equity at the center of the discussion. Streaming is here to stay. That doesn’t mean it has to continue to be driven by a company like Spotify and the offensively low rates of royalties it pays its artists.

Not only will this help to get artists paid a bit more, but it will also take money away from causes that Spotify and its CEO Daniel Ek have championed like Joe Rogan and AI Defense Contractors. Your monthly subscription dollars are more likely to go to musicians than to a podcaster who defies science and a CEO who appears to be a war profiteer.

But Matty, I already have my stats and my plays, and my favorites and playlists and my whole musical life wrapped up in Spotify? I can’t switch!

I think if you can ask artists to get paid a fraction of a cent to give you their life’s work, you can rebuild a few mixtapes. No one said there wouldn't be some sacrifices. This one is not that great, if you’re being honest with yourself. It won’t even cost you more money.

Make the switch today, please.

2. Be Willing To Spend More For Digital Music

I have a much more in-depth piece on this coming soon, but this ethos is key to a more robust and fair musical economy. This is some hard news to swallow, but you should be paying more for the vast majority of the history of recorded music than you currently are.

As I have said repeatedly, digital streaming is here to stay. And it should be. It has the potential to be good for the environment, the consumer, the artist, and even the corporations who populate the music business. It just needs to be built on a system with more fairness and transparency for the people who create the art that makes the entire machine operate.

Hard research will need to be done by more accomplished data scientists than I am, but it doesn't take a Fulbright level scholar to see that raising the per song rate and keeping the full inventory the same is going to raise the cost of a monthly subscription. We need to learn quickly to be okay with that.

There is truly not other analog in the world that works the way digital ,music does. Try to rent any movie you want with just one Netflix subscription. It won’t even come close. I spend more than $100 a month in movie and TV streaming subscriptions, yet I still am often forced to rent movies. Music does not work like this at all. New hot record, hard to find old single, doesn't matter. It’s all there and it’s included for no extra charge.

While I have no firm idea yet what the best pricing structure moving forward is, there is very little chance it is going to continue to be all the music you want all the time for $20/month or less.

Upon publishing those first two pieces, I was inundated with music fans who virtue signaled hither and yon to prove how much they had shelled out for concert tickets, merch, and vinyl. That’s all wonderful, but those are additional expenses and should be treated as such. The question is, are you willing to spend more on the music itself, and if so, how much more?

There is no way to know what the threshold is but once it gets too costly, folks are likely to go back to stealing music the way we did before digital streaming became de rigueur. What’s the ceiling? Is it $30/month? $50? More?

The point is that musicians are forced to thread a needle that no other industry is threading at the moment. Offer the product too cheaply and the musicians will starve. Charge too much and the theft will just return once again. There has to be an equitable way to do this. Part of that means we all need to be ready for the cost of our subscriptions to go up.

3. Direct Artist Interaction

When I say that you need to “pay for the music” I do not want to make it seem that you should be discouraged from buying tickets, clothing, and physical media directly from your favorite artists or from a locally owned record shop. You should absolutely go and buy as many of these things as you can. There are a few caveats I would offer as well as a couple of helpful hints for you to get the most bang for your buck in helping artists.

* Order from artists directly. Okay, I want you to support your local shops, but as it regards musicians being paid, the best way to ensure bang for your buck in supporting your favorite bands is to get t-shirts and merch from them directly, preferably at the show if you can. Buying online through a band’s website is cool too and most appreciated. In most cases almost all of the proceeds that an artist will be eligible for can be achieved by ordering this way. Even for Taylor Swift this is true.

* Shop Local. Buying vinyl and CDs from a local shop is the best option for recorded music as it helps to support both the artist and a key cultural component of your community; your local record store. Key to note that used album sales will not benefit the artist you are hoping to support.

* Find bands in your area that you either enjoy or that sound interesting. Typically a cursory reading of the local events calendar or your region’s art’s and culture magazine will give you a couple of places to start. Go see a show by a band you know nothing about. Stopping for just half an hour and paying a $5.00 cover can give a young band a sense of purpose and momentum. Foster that whenever you’re able.

* Bandcamp is a remarkable resource for finding and supporting bands. Each month they offer Bandcamp Friday where Bandcamp waives their typical fee of 15% on digital items, and 100% of the proceeds go directly to the artist. Bandcamp offers consumers a great resource for seeking out new bands, especially if you’re looking for artists in a specific area. It’s a great way to find new music in your region. For musicians it is a way to host music with no upfront costs and to sell and release digital music quickly and with the opportunity to make some income. Many artists on Bandcamp even offer “Pay What You Want” titles that will offer you the chance to download for no money at all or you can feel free to support at whatever monetary level you are comfortable. It’s way for artists to generate money and for consumers to support bands they love.

* Find a way to tip your favorite acts through Venmo, PayPal, and CashApp. Almost all of your favorite artists would be willing to accept a tip from you and more than you might think, would even be willing to personally answer an email to get it from you. Don’t be shy, but don’t use this tip as a way to ingratiate yourself either. That said, many of the bands you love may have a virtual tip jar on their website. Even if they don’t have one, if you reached out and said, “I’d love to send $10 to the band”, they’d find a way to get it from you. This is great if you just want to say a quick thank you with a few bucks, or if you’d like to make a financial contribution but don’t need your life cluttered with more swag.

4. Educate Yourself

I have been talking about this issue for years. For some people in my life, I have been talking too loudly for too long and they would love it if I would simply shut up. Sadly for them, that is very unlikely for me on this issue. Digital streaming is here to stay, and until artists are paid fairly, so is my shouting to the rooftops about the unfairness of it.

We could all benefit in understanding more deeply where our music comes from and who is getting paid for it. That responsibility doesn't just lie with me as someone who covers the issue, but with you as a consumer of the product, and a driver of that economy.

There is certainly a lot to learn on the issue, but I would suggest that you read some of what singer/songwriter David Lowery of Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven has had to say on this issue, as well as his views on the general state of making a living as a musician in this new era.

I just recorded a podcast with data researcher Chris Dalla Riva who not only works in the digital streaming industry, but is also a musician himself. He has done a ton of great work on understanding the science behind the economics of digital streaming.

Drummer Damon Krukowski of Damon and Naomi and Galaxie 500 has also written extensively on this subject. These are just a few of the voices of musicians and data researchers working to truly understand the ins and outs of this complex new universe.

Even the charity organization UNESCO, the group behind World Heritage Sites and the child poverty program UNICEF have published a paper to begin studying the effects of digital streaming on larger musical cultures and their possible revenue streams.

5. Advocate. Advocate. Advocate.

Once you have made it this far, your mission is to spread the word. The more we learn together, the more knowledge we can spread. The faster that knowledge spreads, the more likely it becomes that artists will begin to see fair payment structures.

Doing the things listed above will require some time, attention, and a bit of money. It’s likely that you are already spending the money, but you lack the attention and intention behind your listening and spending. Be more aware and share that awareness with the people in your life.

Once you make the switch away from Spotify, ask the other folks in your life to do the same. Provide them with all of the tools I have given you here on the Substack. Go find other research that supports artists getting paid more fairly. Communicate with your elected representatives and ask them if they have considered this issue for legislation. If so, what have they done? If not, would they consider taking a look?

I am unsure of the proper structure that will be required to negotiate all of this work, but there are groups like Artists Rights Alliance and Future Of Music Coalition that are leading the fight. Be sure to follow what they are working on and fighting for as we move forward.

It is going to take a unified chorus of voices for this to change and you MUST be a part of that. You can keep the digital streaming and a clean conscience, but it will cost you a bit of time, money, and intention.

I would love to hear from each of you as you ditch Spotify and move to Apple or Tidal.

Will you make the switch? Will you tell your friends and family to do the same? If not, what’s stopping you?

Cheers,Matty C

What Am I Making is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

This past week a federal judge ordered that a confederate memorial be removed from the Arlington National Cemetery. The thirty five foot bronze statue was erected in 1914 by the artist Moses Jacob Ezekiel. A female figure with olive branch and flowing robes stands atop a massive column. Additional figures on the monument include a Black woman depicted as a “Mammy,” as well as a slave following his master to war on the side of the Confederacy.

The removal of this statue is part of a larger movement by the United States Army, which runs the cemetery at Arlington, to remove a number of troubling monuments to the Confederacy in military graveyards around the country.

Confederate memorials have been at the center of controversy before, most notably at the 2017 Unite The Right rally in Charlottesville, VA. That weekend of events featured violence and at least one death, as rioters and protestors clashed over the removal of a monument to the Confederate general Robert E. Lee. The weekend also showcased the growing wave of anti-semitism and racism inherent in the groups advocating for the statue’s protection.

In the midst of these debates about the possible removal of memorials to the Confederacy, we’re sure to hear the argument that by taking down these statues and monuments, we are in a way erasing history. This is of course, a red herring of an argument. History can be preserved without deifying an enemy to our national ideals.

Plus, we already have the one and only monument to the Confederacy we will ever need.

Arlington House was built at the behest of George Washington Park Custis, the step-grandson of George Washington. Construction began in 1802, and despite the rampant use of slave labor to build it, the house was not completed until 1818.

Once the home was completed, Custis moved in with his wife Mary Lee Fitzhugh, The couple had four children, but only one of them, Mary Anna Randolph Custis, would grow to adulthood. She would eventually marry West Point graduate and US Army Officer Robert E. Lee in 1831. The Lees would then move into the home after the death of George Custis and his wife, Mary.

At the outbreak of the Civil War in April of 1861, President Abraham Lincoln offered command of the Union forces to then US Army General Robert E. Lee. Being a proud Virginian, and a lifelong slave owner, Lee resigned his commission in the US Armed Forces, and became the commanding general of the Confederacy. Lee had chosen his home state over his country. He went home to Arlington to prepare for war.

By June of 1862, the US Government had imposed a property tax to help pay for the war effort. Mary Lee was unable to attend a hearing for her back taxes due to a bout of rheumatoid arthritis and the house was auctioned off in June of 1864. Upon taking ownership of the house, the Army began making plans to use the massive grounds of the estate as a burial place for just some of their hundreds of thousands of dead Union soldiers.

Montgomery Megis, a Quartermaster General for the US Army was placed in charge of the logistics of transforming some of the grounds at Arlington into a cemetery for dead soldiers. Megis was filled with scorn at Lee for leaving behind his duty as an officer in the US Army and taking up arms against his own countrymen in the pursuit of preserving slavery.

In his rage, Megis formulated a plan to bury Union soldiers as close to Arlington House as possible. Megis planned to fill Mrs. Lee’s beloved rose garden with Union dead so that after the war the Lees would be unable to return to their home. Arlington National Cemetery was born. Were it not for the Civil War, it’s unlikely we would have Arlington National Cemetery at all.

160 years later, Arlington is one of our nation’s most sacred spaces. It is the home to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and the changing of the guard. The eternal flame for John Fitzgerald Kennedy burns all day and all night without fail. It is the final resting place of Joe Louis, William Howard Taft, Senator Edward Kennedy, and more than 400,000 servicemen and women.

What has become a holy site began as a thumb in the eye of the man who led the Confederacy and helped to kill thousands of young Americans fighting for the ideals of freedom, equality, and justice for all.

Arlington House is the only site that we need to preserve the legacy of Robert E. Lee and his failed Confederacy. 400 fallen Confederate soldiers have also been laid to rest within the grounds at Arlington to pay tribute to their sacrifice as well. A museum at the house provides context and clarity to Lee’s life before and after the war, and attempts to wrestle with the complicated man he was.

That complicated legacy is best honored with a gorgeous mansion overlooking Washington, DC amidst the graves of 400,000 dead soldiers. The blood upon Lee’s hands rightly fell to his own front door, and stayed there as a marker for us all to take note of. Today, Arlington stands not just as a reminder of the supreme sacrifice of freedom, but also as a monument to the longstanding ugly legacy of the Confederacy, and the man who led it.

Cheers,Matty C

What Am I Making is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

To say that my friends Barry and Abigail Hummel have been supportive is an understatement. They have been fans and champions of my work since I first met them online in the early days of lockdown life. Barry became an early paid subscriber here at WAIM long before I had done anything to earn that support. 

The Hummels also welcomed me on their podcast to discuss my new Harborcoat album, and to sample some of my favorite Michigan beers with them. What had already been a nice virtual acquaintance blossomed into a genuine, real-life friendship with these people. 

On my tour last summer, Abigail arranged for me to play at a gorgeous farm just outside of Gainesville, FL. We had a lovely evening in the Florida rain with a few cattle, and a few friends. This coming June, I will be playing in Gainesville once again with the Hummels playing host. 

Recently, Barry reached out and said he wanted to air my WAIM podcast with the Pops On Hops gang during their off-season. I was humbled and thought it would be a great idea to share our pods with each other’s audiences. So, Barry was kind enough to let me share my appearance on Pops On Hops. 

It’s a really great discussion with a trio of folks who are music nerds and beer lovers, thrilled to be talking about what’s really important in life with each other. Barry and Abigail also dig deep on the stories behind the Harborcoat LP, an album of which I am still very damned proud. Please be sure to check out all of the other Pops On Hops episodes and subscribe wherever you listen. 

I hope you enjoy this Christmas edition of the pod, my friends. Happy holidays wherever you are, and however you celebrate. I love you. Best wishes. 

Cheers,

Matty C

Don’t forget to order the new Harborcoat holiday single over at Bandcamp right now. It’s available as a pay what you want digital single. Go snag yours today and set your own price. Happy holidays!

At Thanksgiving, I wrote about the challenging nature of the holidays in recent years. Like so many Americans, our family is still adrift in a post-Covid sea of changing holiday traditions. Additionally, we have experienced a significant amount of loss. We lost my Dad in August of of 2020, and lost a beloved aunt just this summer, with whom we had spent every Christmas Eve for decades.

It’s been a time of change and adjustment. For the first time in my own life, I have found the holidays to be a trying time. In a season of forced good moods and seemingly joyous gatherings, the pallor of a loss, or change such as we have experienced, can make the holidays a very bittersweet time of year.

Then, there’s the crushing capitalism of it all. In addition to the pressure of feeling the spirit of the season, one is also obligated to spend three full mortgage payments on gifts for everyone in your family and social circle. What is supposed to be a season of peace and joy has festered into a time of debt and depression.

While these criticisms of the yuletide weeks are not new, they are perhaps more pervasive than ever. Anecdotally, I’ve noticed so many more folks in my life who have grown weary of the holidays and the attendant expenses, and expectations. It seems that I am not the only who is feeling less joy this year.

I’ve also long been skeptical, and at times, even scornful of holiday music. Most of the time, I find it cloying, overplayed, and trite. There are obvious exceptions. Even I can find the joy in the camp for a brief period of the season, but I do not need nine weeks of ‘Last Christmas’ for Chrissakes!

Growing up as a kid, as much as I loved Christmas, I never really loved Christmas music except to sing along. Special shout out to A Christmas Together by John Denver and The Muppets, which is still a sacred piece of vinyl in our home. So the idea that I would ever write a holiday tune seemed incredibly unlikely. Of course, when I finally did write one, it would be all sad bastardy.

There is truly so much to love bout this time of year. We are given a rare opportunity to slow down for a day or two to be with the people most important in our lives. Instead of embracing that and finding ways to spend that time together, we have created a whole set of rules, obligations, expenses, and expectations that mostly obscure the true joy of the holidays; the people.

Like almost all of my first person tunes, this one is directly from the heart. It captures the possible joy of the season, but also exposes the obligatory nature of it. In the chorus, I am happy to see the people I love, but I know deep down that I do not feel the peace and happiness with them that I used to. I hope that one day that returns.

I hope you have a wonderful holiday with your loved ones, however and wherever you celebrate.

For now, friends, This Is Christmas.

Peace and love,

Matty C

Special thanks to my incredibly talented friends David Baldwin (guitar, organ, backing vocals) and Adam Aymor (pedal steel) who also made this recording extra special.

There is a pretty solid chance that you are going to be in a room with a bunch of family this holiday season with time on your hands and nothing but football and food to keep you occupied. Eventually, someone will suggest watching a movie. I want you to be prepared so you don’t have to sit through the same trash you watched last year.

You already know and love your favorite Christmas movies. You and the family have made room for the hits of the season, as well as your own set of personal favorites centered around that most wonderful time of the year. It would be folly for me to offer a list of old standards you already rely on.

Instead of a middle of the road rundown of holiday films, here are ten flicks you could screen this year for your whole holiday crowd. You’re sure to have some extra time over the next week or two with family and friends to take in a flick or two together. Even if you have some impressionable young folks in the room or some tender tots nearby, these are films the whole family can, and should enjoy together.

Here we go.

1.) African Queen (1951)

Featuring charming performances from two of the screen’s greatest all time actors, Katharine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart, African Queen is a stirring tale of adventure and romance during World War One set on a river deep within the African jungle.

Hepburn and Bogie trade metaphorical punches, and view the wilds of the African continent, all while avoiding the natural dangers around them and the lurking German Army. It’s a dazzlingly adventurous, funny, sweet, and heartfelt romp.

If you enjoyed Raiders Of The Lost Ark, there will be lots here for you to love.

2.) Au Revoir Les Enfants (1987)

This autobiographical gem from French writer-director Louis Malle might be a bit heavy for some of the younger viewers at your holiday gathering. That said, they’ll likely be turned off by the subtitles. Please don’t let that stop you from enjoying this gorgeously moving true tale of a French school during World War Two.

While studying at the Jesuit Academy, our young hero befriends one of three Jewish students being hidden at the school. What transpires in the film is eerily similar to what took place in real life as experienced by Malle himself at age 11.

Combines the coming of age candor of Stand By Me with the reality facing Jews in France during World War Two.

3.) Ball of Fire (1941)

Barbara Stanwyck is the greatest movie star your family has never heard of, or at least knows too little about. She was a massive star in the 30s and 40s and is perhaps the most versatile actress in Hollywood history. Her comedic chops in this screwball classic are second to none.

Stanwyck is the brassy nightclub singer Sugarpuss O’Shea, who has been commissioned by a group of square academics to help them research new slang terms for the dictionary project to which they have been assigned. What follows is a breezy, hilarious, and devilishly witty nugget of Hollywood gold.

This one feels like Pretty Woman, if it were smarter, funnier, and far more charming. And Julia Roberts wishes she was Stanwyck.

4.) Breaking Away (1978)

Here is another coming of age gem. This time, we have traded the French countryside for Bloomington, Indiana. But don’t tell Dave Stoller that. He’s convinced himself that he’s an Italian cyclist capable of winning any race he enters.

This sneakily charming and hilariously funny slice of 1970s Americana provides a crystal clear window into the world of four young men who have no idea how to become adults. For any of us over the age of 19, it’s a sentiment we know all too well. For those of under 19, we can’t wait to find out.

Think Dazed and Confused for the cycling set.

5.) Bridge On The River Kwai (1957)

David Lean’s first great war epic features one of the greatest battles of will ever put to celluloid. Imprisoned British officer, Captain Nicholson, played brilliantly by Alec Guiness squares off with camp commander Saito, brought to exquisite three dimensional reality by the great Japanese actor Sessu Hyakawa. The pair are at loggerheads over the construction of a bridge across the river Kwai.

Nicholson takes great pride in his work despite the fact that he is aiding the war effort of the enemy. Saito finds the British disrespectful and unable to find their own shame in captivity. This massive saga is a war film, jungle adventure story, prison break, and battle of wills. It is brilliant, and unlike any other war picture I have ever seen.

Your granddad will thank you for putting this one on. So will I.

6.) My Life As A Dog (1985)

I wrote at length about this film back in September. It’s one of the great coming of age stories in cinema. With humor, pathos, and heart, director Lasse Halstrom presents a look at one boy’s journey toward adulthood as he grapples with puberty, love, loss, and the uncertainty of the future.

While this film is about the plight of one young boy in Sweden in the 1950s, it is a universal tale of discovery and disappointment. You’ll notice that a number of titles on this list are coming of age films. I find these are often our most universal films in terms of theme, tone and, our own lived experiences.

A quirkier, funnier, more Scandinavian Boyhood.

7.) The Odd Couple (1968)

Jack Lemmon is one of the truly great leading men in our cinema’s vaunted past. However, Lemmon is not your typical leading man. He is soft, fragile even. He is a modern man beset with the modern concerns. Whether playing a big band member in drag on the run from the mob in Some Like It Hot, traipsing the deck of a US cruiser in Mr. Roberts, or driving his roommate Oscar up the wall in Neil Simon’s The Odd Couple, he is a genuinely unique and brilliant performer.

While most folks might be more familiar with the long running TV show that the film was based on, The Odd Couple features Lemmon and Walter Matthau as a pair of bachelors who are forced to share an apartment after their wives kick them out of their respective houses. Hilarious, and even affectionate, this film is a love story of sorts with two friends at the center of it. And it’s blazingly hilarious. Like your sides will hurt from laughing.

Finding an analog for this one is tough. Think maybe I Love You Man meets Grey Gardens?

8.) Paper Moon (1973)

Peter Bogdonavich’s Paper Moon is an ode to old cinema. Made in the early 70’s, the director chose to shoot the film in black and white to lend authenticity to its depression era tale. Five decades on, the choice of black and white gives the film a sense of timelessness and further reinforces its comedic genius.

Ryan O’Neal, who we just lost this last month, is superb as Moze Pray, a con man who sells bibles to unsuspecting widows. However, Moze’s swell business dealings are complicated when he is forced to care for a child he had unknowingly fathered some years earlier. O’Neal’s real-life daughter Tatum, won an Oscar for best supporting actress at just thirteen years of age, the youngest ever Oscar winner.

With a tremendous supporting cast, and some of the most memorable sequences in film history, Paper Moon is a sheer delight. It’s Little Miss Sunshine meets The Grifters.

9.) Rear Window (1954)

My hunch is that you have a number of folks at your holiday party that have never seen an Alfred Hitchcock film in full. That is a war crime against culture, my friends. The only options available to remedy this are either a trip to The Hague or you correct that shit with a holiday viewing of at least one classic by the master of suspense.

You’ve likely seen this one, but it makes for a great group watch. The family can gasp at each turn of events, and you can peruse the leftovers on the buffet and fix yourself another cocktail to return to the room just in time to see Grace Kelly make her grand entrance.

Imagine Woman In The Window, but like, if it was really well done instead of being not good at all.

10.) The Sting (1973)

It’s Paul Newman and Robert Redford. You remember them right? Yeah, Butch and Sundance. We all know you have seen The Sting before, but I’d guess it’s been too long. You have likely forgotten how note perfect the performances and dialogue in the film are. Hell, you may have even forgotten the setup, the mark, and the sting itself.

Surely you have a few folks at your holiday gathering who have missed this somehow. Now is the time to correct that error. The lead pair are superb. The supporting cast is chock-a-block with veteran talent, and the score is a corny delight.

Think depression era Oceans 11 with even better looking dudes.

Well friends, here’s hoping you found at least one idea for your holiday viewing party. Go enjoy some beautiful films with those beautiful people in your life.

Cheers,Matty C

Do you have a favorite film to watch with your family? What lost great would you pick for your holiday get together?

I had to lean pretty hard on my friend Kevin Alexander when it came to sharing the best music of 2023 with you. The truth is that I am not the voracious consumer of new music that I once was. There are still plenty of new bands and current albums that I enjoy, but I don’t spend time seeking them out the way that I used to. 

Instead of poring over blogs, and rehashing a million lists from the internet contingent, I reached out to Kevin and asked if I could cheat off of his homework. He was happy to oblige. 

Kevin writes about music at his Substack, On Repeat and covers everything from old classics to new releases. He’s a rabid listener of new music and constantly seeking out unseen corners of the sonic universe for new artists to explore. 

On today’s episode we are treated to Kevin’s ten favorite albums of 2023. You’ll find longtime indie darlings, old school electronic, surprising new discoveries, including one with a personal twist for Kevin, and a terrific album from one of the best songwriters of the era.

It’s always a pleasure to chat with Kevin, and we found loads to talk about with his list of ten best. He also regaled me with a comprehensive list of honorable mentions to boot, but we’ll save those for a bonus episode. 

Thanks so much to Kevin for joining me and kindly sharing his list with the kid who didn’t do his own research. Please be sure to go check out his full article and subscribe to On Repeat today.

Cheers,

Matty C

Christine Peffer and Elise Jujuga began passively discussing the idea of opening a bookshop during the early months of the pandemic. With idle time and a series of virtual hiking and book clubs they both belonged to, the pair began to think more seriously about the possibility of a real bookshop endeavor. 

Then, the MSU Surplus Store announced they were selling off a literal ton of books for a very small amount of cash. Elise and Christine swooped in and bought the books for a song and then were left with figuring out what the hell to do with them all. 

Fast forward more than two years and A Novel Concept is thriving as a physical bookshop in Lansing’s downtown neighborhood. Elise and Christine talk me through what it was like to get going and the different stages of growth and progress they’ve already achieved. We also spend some time talking about Dear Ollie, a stationery shop that shares space with A Novel Concept that is owned and run by local artist Sara Pulver. 

Christine and Elise have created a much needed community space in their shop, and are also giving back to the Lansing area with public events, readings, and book clubs all coordinated and directed by the ladies in the store. 

For those not in the mid-Michigan region, we talk about the realities of owning a local shop and ways for customers around the country to support their favorite stores even when buying online. It’s a fun and fascinating conversation with a pair of terrific people helping to shape our community and its culture one book at a time. 

Cheers,

Matty C

Back in August, I posted one of my first installments of the First Four Series on the quartet of rock records that began the career of Brian Eno.

Long before he was one of the most sought after producers in the world, and even before he was the Godfather of Ambient Music, Brian Eno was a humble, awkward, rock star.

In this podcast special, I walk you through the creation of his excellent first four albums and offer some audio clips as context. This is a new attempt to present the work I am doing here in a variety of media to expand our audience and its reach as much as possible. It could also prove a helpful way for folks to digest the glut of content coming out of this space on a daily basis.

I would love to hear your thoughts on giving the audio treatment to articles like this. Like it? Love it? Hate it? Don’t care?

I hope you enjoy this primer on the Eno rock era, and here’s hoping we have a new project on our hands with some audio treatments of previous articles. Lord knows, I don’t have a lot going on right now. ;)

Cheers,

Matty C

I first got to know Bill Boyle from his insights and analysis at Stand Up with Pete Dominick. While Bill’s day job is owning a series of parking garages around the DC Metro area, his real genius is breaking down complex information into discernible chunks. I have learned as much from him about the war in Ukraine as I have from any single outlet. 

Bill is not a journalist, and would never promote himself as such, but he has an insatiable curiosity about the world around him. He’s incredibly well read, well sourced and well traveled. He has had the good fortune to see much of the world, and to understand the context behind it. 

Through his deep love and fascination with history, his Irish roots, and his fondness for great wordplay it was impossible for a young Bill Boyle to not fall head over heels for the Pogues. Bill and I talk about our own personal histories with the band, some of MacGowan’s greatest lyrical moments, why the band still matters, and likely always will.

We actually begin our conversation on what makes a great dive bar, which is a terrific segue into the MacGowan chat. After we pay tribute to the Prince of The Pogues, Bill and I dive into a discussion of the Wong Kar Wai classic, Chungking Express. 

It’s a great, and fluid conversation that somehow all seems to make sense, at least to the two of us. I hope you dig it. 

Pogue Mahone!

Cheers,

Matty C

My mother gave me my foundational knowledge of film. She and my Dad fostered a love for cinema within themselves and for their children. I grew up in and around movies. They are in many ways the method in which I first understood some of the more complicated aspects of human existence. 

After my Dad died in the summer of 2020, our family formed a movie club in the midst of our collective grief. In the three plus years since we embarked on the endeavor, we have watched dozens of films. While some have been brilliant and others downright awful, each film has managed to garner spirited discussion and appraisal. 

This regular commitment to shared movie watching with some of the most important people in the world to me has strengthened my relationship with my family and deepened my appreciation for the art of cinema. That gained appreciation and commitment to connection is at the heart of What Am I Watching. 

My Mom and I spend a few minutes revisiting David Lean’s Brief Encounter and why it is so brilliant. We also cover the connections between that film and the other half of our movie club double feature, In The Mood For Love. 

It’s a lovely preview into our next installment which happens live on Zoom at 8:00 pm eastern on Wednesday, Dec. 13. It’s also a wonderful chat with my Mom about the movies and there is never a bad time for that.

Cheers,Matty C