THE M:M MUSIC TEAM (LOTR): Crystal Ann Lea, Meg MacDonald, Rene Magallon
FEATURED ARTISTS
Pete Yorn
"The World"
The Last Bandoleros
"Hey Baby Que Pasó"
Future Islands
"For Sure"
Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard
"Double Denim Hop"
The Rolling Stones
"Scarlet"
Delta Spirit
"It Ain't Easy"
August is almost upon us, which means another summer is coming to a close and the end of another year is fast approaching (and good riddance).
August is the ramp-up to what I call the “ber” months. September, October, November, December. My absolute favorite months of the year. So at the start of August, I start counting.
There are:
22 Days until the start of school or what it’s now called: When-everyone-with-kids-doubles-down-on-day-drinking.
41 Days until Labor Day weekend.
39 Days until the start of the NFL Season (whatever that looks like this year).
95 Days until Halloween (masks will finally be in season).
122 Days until Thanksgiving.
149 Days until Christmas Eve.
Sadly, this year I did not list how many days until Boulder.
I love the people I work with and every year we all look forward to this gathering of some of music’s most passionate supporters. We look forward to the food, the drink, the edibles and the inevitable stories that follow, which are told, re-told and happily exaggerated throughout the year.
The only negative has always been getting there. In year’s past, I've made no secret that traveling is not my thing. Leaving the house is fast becoming not my thing (this year it’s pretty much not anyone’s thing).
I’ll will miss Boulder but there are certain things I will absolutely not miss:
Packing.
Airports.
Delayed flights.
Airlines that are flying romper rooms.
People who think flip-flops are suitable flying foot attire.
Late nights.
Not enough sleep.
Getting lost walking back from the Fox to the hotel because we were too tired to wait for the shuttle.
A shortened week where all our regular work still has to get done.
Not being able to breathe due to a lack of oxygen and a plethora of pot smoke.
One of the most memorable flights for me was a few years ago on the plane from LAX to Boulder with the M:M staff. We were scattered throughout the plane trying to decide who was in for the worst flight experience.
This text thread serves as a microcosm for how this trip always goes:
Meg: I’m sitting next to a gum-smacking girl with Crystal Gale hair and it keeps touching me. Rene: Her well-fed husband is overflowing into my seat. Andrew: Today I am grateful for headphones. Crystal Ann: You guys paid an extra $75 to sit next to gross people. Economy Plus is a hustle. Meg: I wonder if we could pay more to profile who we’d sit next to before committing. Rene: I like that idea. Andrew: Option 1 – Sloppy Loud Eater. Rene: Option 2 – Screaming child. Crystal Ann: Option 3 – Chatty Hillbilly. Meg: Option 4 – Trump supporter. Andrew: Meg wins. Crystal Ann: Chatty Hillbilly is the same as Trump supporter and I said mine first. Rene: The guy next to me just picked his nose. I win.
I’ll miss seeing you all this year and pray we get back to our normal routine of trying to sneak out of the late-night lounges at 2 a.m. without Jack busting us and sending us to Convention Detention.
See you on Zoom!
“I think that every artist dreams of renewing the forms which came before, but I think very few can be considered to have achieved that. We are all dwarves standing upon the shoulders of the giants who preceded us, and I think we must never forget that"
-Peter Green (1946-2020)
Taylor Swift
“4.5 Stars - Some of us have spent years dreaming Taylor would do a whole album like this—but nobody really dreamed it would turn out this great. Her greatest album—so far.” –Rolling Stone, Rob Sheffield
“The album is ruminative and dreamy, the work of an artist, who, cut off from the everyday world, turned inward, following the rushing rapids of her imagination and scooping up songs as they flowed past.” –Los Angeles Times, Jody Rosen
The Last Bandoleros
“I always thought Tex-Mex was food, then I met the boys, What they serve is a musical recipe marinated in tradition and served up with a touch of picante sauce, close harmonies and a triple shot of rhythm & blues, Tejano and tequila.” -Sting
"With Tejano flourishes and an unabashedly rock & roll sound, the Texas quartet brings a rare hint of diversity – and danger" -Rolling Stone
The Chicks
“…what this act does better than anybody else in the game: otherworldly harmonies, frantic banjo, ghostly violin, and a pervasive, lonesome lyrical resolve.”-Esquire
“[And] from the standpoint of artistry, the Chicks are up there with the best to ever do it.” -Vanity Fair
“12 tracks of poetic lyrics, top-tier harmonies, and an unapologetically evolved sound.” -Consequence Of Sound
Eric Hutchinson
“Undeniably charismatic” – Washington Post
“Soulful” - Boston Globe
“He’s got chops... and his sunny lyrics reveal a wry double edge” - Esquire
Elle King"The Let Go" Live on Late Night with Seth Meyers
