Heather Small - "Proud"

Words don't come easily in the haze and fog of grief, but as I sit here this morning reflecting on Martin Luther King Jr. and the staggering work he did for equal rights, I cannot help but think of my beloved friend Matthew Palazzolo and the tireless work he did for equal rights in the LGBTQI movement, especially during the wildfire of Prop. 8,  in California. 

While I know their struggles were vastly different, I can't help but think that their spirits were similar, and that their hearts were from the same place. Able to love and care about the world around them even when it didn't care about them. Able to rise up and inspire legions of people to gather and march and stand up for what their believed in. Able to spark action in mobs of angry and frustrated people helping them to peacefully protest and speak their truths rather than run amok or sit silently boiling with anger. 

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was an incredible man, and while I know today is about him, and his incredible works, I can't help but think that He was one of the people who helped inspire Matthew to fight the tireless fight for my communities equal rights. A line of activists each inspiring the next to fight for the underdog and demand equality. 

So today, I choose Heather Small's iconic "Proud" as my, thank you for your service, I am proud of you, I am proud because of you, song for a, stand up and shout, make your voice be heard, "Never be silent - Never blend in", Monday.

I love you Matt.

Van Morrisson - "Sweet Thing"

I am still wrecked by the loss of one of my closest friends, but it brings me some kind of solace looking at his well documented incredibly beautiful life. In his very last post to Instagram he quoted this song. Mildly prophetic, but also beautiful because now he will always be this sweet thing with us in our minds and hearts. He was an incredible person, and a light like none other I've found. My heart is broken. 

His very last instagram post quoting Van Morrison: "We shall walk and talk in gardens all misty and wet with rain & we shall never grow so old again"

I wasn't even aware that Matt liked Van Morrison, but this is just another facet of this incredible human cat who found a way to make every single person he knew feel special. I don't know what else to say. Thank you Matt for everything you taught us, gave us, and helped us to understand. You are with me always. 

"And I will stroll the merry way
And jump the hedges first
And I will drink the clear
Clean water for to quench my thirst
And I shall watch the ferry-boats
And they'll get high
On a bluer ocean
Against tomorrow's sky
And I will never grow so old again
And I will walk and talk
In gardens all wet with rain

Oh sweet thing, sweet thing
My, my, my, my, my sweet thing
And I shall drive my chariot
Down your streets and cry
'Hey, it's me, I'm dynamite
And I don't know why'
And you shall take me strongly
In your arms again
And I will not remember
That I even felt the pain.
We shall walk and talk
In gardens all misty and wet with rain
And I will never, never, never
Grow so old again.

Oh sweet thing, sweet thing
My, my, my, my, my sweet thing
And I will raise my hand up
Into the night time sky
And count the stars
That's shining in your eye
Just to dig it all an' not to wonder
That's just fine
And I'll be satisfied
Not to read in between the lines
And I will walk and talk
In gardens all wet with rain
And I will never, ever, ever, ever
Grow so old again.
Oh sweet thing, sweet thing
Sugar-baby with your champagne eyes
And your saint-like smile...."

So today I choose Van Morrison's "Sweet Thing" because I continue to want you to teach me to learn how to love new things and new people Matt, I promise I will continue to learn from you.

A photo one of our dear friends took of Matt just before he left for his final everlasting adventure.

Alex North - "Sad, Sad, Sad"

Because the word sad does not express what we are going through. Thank you for your light Kitteh. I hope you're having the best adventure yet, boldly going where none of us have gone before. We'll be there soon. 

For now, I cherish our laughter, and our memories, and the lessons learned, and the friendships forged, and I promise to take them with me always Matt. I promise. I love you. Thank you for every smile, every laugh, every memory, and every story. I love you.

Meow

Meow Forever

John Coltrane - "After the Rain"

Genius, muse, musician, game changer, prodigy, influencer, interpreter, player; John William Coltrane, also known as "Trane" (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967), who was an American jazz saxophonist and composer, had many titles, but none of them surpassed his title as inspiration. The influence Coltrane has had on music spans many genres and musicians. Coltrane's massive influence on jazz, both mainstream and avant-garde, began during his lifetime and continued to grow after his death. He is one of the most dominant influences on post-1960 jazz saxophonists and has inspired an entire generation of jazz musicians.

Working in the bebop and hard bop idioms early in his career, Coltrane helped pioneer the use of modes in jazz and was later at the forefront of free jazz. He led at least fifty recording sessions during his career, and appeared as a sideman on many albums by other musicians, including trumpeter Miles Davis and pianist Thelonious Monk.

As his career progressed, Coltrane and his music took on an increasingly spiritual dimension. Coltrane influenced innumerable musicians, and remains one of the most significant saxophonists in music history. He received many posthumous awards and recognitions, including canonization by the African Orthodox Church as Saint John William Coltrane and a special Pulitzer Prize in 2007. His second wife was pianist Alice Coltrane and their son, Ravi Coltrane, is also a saxophonist.

So today, with clear skies and open eyes, I choose John Coltrane's "After the Rain" as my, let the worry melt away, find the spring in another day, look for the light around every corner, song for a, clean as the morning, like light through window, open eyes and open hearts, Wednesday.

The Judds - "Rockin' with the Rhythm of the Rain"

Country super stars, a mother and daughter duo, the Judds took the world by storm and for almost a decade the country world couldn't get enough. 

The duet signed to RCA Records in 1983 and released six studio albums between then and 1991. The Judds were one of the most successful acts in country music history, winning five Grammy Awards for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, and eight Country Music Association awards. They also had 25 singles on the country music charts between 1983 and 2000, 14 of which went to number one and six more of which made top ten on the same chart. In 1985, the duo appeared on the PBS music program Austin City Limits during Season 10. They also appeared on the PBS children's show Square One TV many times.

After eight successful years as a duet, the Judds ceased performing in 1991 after Naomi was diagnosed with Hepatitis C. Soon after, Wynonna embarked on a highly successful solo career. The two have occasionally reunited for special tours, the most recent of which began in late 2010.

So today with the clouds above me and seeds sprouting beneath me, I choose The Judds' "Rockin' with the Rhythm of the Rain" as my, if you want rainbows, silver linings, or singing in the rain, song for a, take the dark for the light, balance comes in waves, you've gotta welcome the rain, Tuesday.

Satin Jackets - "Olivia"

Satin Jackets is a lush indie-dance outfit helmed by masked German producer Tim Bernhardt along with Den Ishu, as well as various guest vocalists. The project's sound features relaxed disco grooves, often with live instrumentation (especially funky guitar licks), and lyrics which can be celebratory and lovestruck as well as a bit yearning. Satin Jackets began when Bernhardt (formerly of deep house group Lorenzo) became aware of neo-disco labels such as Permanent Vacation and Eskimo Recordings, and started creating tuneful house tracks influenced by disco and new wave. Several digital and vinyl-only releases appeared near the beginning of the 2010s, including singles and compilation tracks on Dikso Records, House of Disco, and Mullet Records, as well as remixes for Tesla Boy, Leendder, Black Magic Disco, and others. Satin Jackets eventually signed to Eskimo, contributing tracks to its color-themed compilations and releasing "You Make Me Feel Good" in 2013. The Foreign Affair EP followed on the label in 2014, and the group began touring internationally. Eskimo released "Shine on You" in 2015, followed by "We Can Talk."

This song, so full of sunshine and happiness, is like the summer on the beach. It makes you think of salt and sand in your hair, a cold beer in your hand and a sarong around your waist. On a gray dismal day like to day is outside, it is the memories of summer that keep us warm and hopeful. 

So today, with sunshine in my hair and the memory of summer on my mind, I choose Satin Jackets' "Olivia" as my, black satin, red lips, gold hair, song for a, laugh your way to tomorrow, hold back nothing, give yourself the gift of forgiveness, Monday.

John Williams - "Jurassic Park Theme (1000% Slower)"

Today Kids, in Music is Magic and Magic is Science so MUSIC is SCIENCE we bring you a truly epic and unbelievable moment. I think we all remember the first time we saw Jurassic Park, the original, with those giant electronic dinosaurs bringing to life all of our childhood memories. There was something magical about those animatronic beasts, but there was something even more magical happening all around it. The score. This score elevated score-making into a whole different art level. It at once cultivated the feeling of the film and also elevated it. It was breathtaking. 

What I have for you today, is the knowledge that science is CRAZY! Music is just essentially harmonic vibrations played together in different lengths and intervals, but when you break it down that far you also see that the science behind music is crazy. Every note played has a series of harmonic undertones that you also hear when you hear it, and that helps the listener to to know what harmonies sound good or bad together, but what's crazy is that when you slow music down you can actually hear those harmonic overtones ... not only that, but you can hear how they fit into an over lapping layer upon layer of music. 

The speed of the waves of each tone and overtone over lap just like math! So lets say that one notes wave is at speed 4, well it's overtones might be 8 and 2 and and 4 again an octave up, well a harmonic note might be 2 and it's harmonies would be 4 and 8 and 2 again an octave up ... so the sounds all end up overlapping in the frequencies and kind of pulsing with a shared sense of speed. 

SO, if you slowed them all down by an equal ratio, they would STILL harmonize together. See? Science is MAGIC. 

So today, with shock and awe, I choose John Williams' "Jurassic Park Them (1000% Slower)" as my, magic like miracles, pennies from heaven, open your heart, song for a, never lose your childlike sense of wonder, live spherically, wake up covered in ladybugs, Friday.

Just a bit about John Williams, because he's such a musical badass! 

John Towner Williams is an American composer, conductor, and pianist. With a career spanning over six decades, he has composed some of the most popular and recognizable film scores in cinematic history, including Jaws, the Star Wars series, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Superman: The Movie, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, the Indiana Jones series, the first two Home Alone films, the first two Jurassic Park films, Schindler's List, and the first three Harry Potter films. Williams has been associated with director Steven Spielberg since 1974, composing music for all but three of his feature films. Other notable works by Williams include theme music for the 1984 Summer Olympic Games, NBC Sunday Night Football, "The Mission" theme used by NBC News, the television series Lost in Space and Land of the Giants, and the incidental music for the first season of Gilligan's Island. Williams has also composed numerous classical concertos and other works for orchestral ensembles and solo instruments. From 1980 to 1993, he served as the Boston Pops's principal conductor, and is currently the orchestra's laureate conductor.

Williams has won 23 Grammy Awards, seven British Academy Film Awards, five Academy Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards. With 50 Academy Award nominations, Williams is the second most-nominated individual, after Walt Disney. In 2005, the American Film Institute selected Williams's score to 1977's Star Wars as the greatest American film score of all time. The soundtrack to Star Wars was additionally preserved by the Library of Congress into the National Recording Registry, for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". Williams was inducted into the Hollywood Bowl's Hall of Fame in 2000, and was a recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors in 2004 and the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2016. Williams composed the score for eight of the top twenty highest-grossing films at the U.S. box office (adjusted for inflation)

Sara Bareilles - "My Love"

This song is an oldie but at goodie. It's flown under the radar for quite a while in the library of Sara's incredible music, but this song has always had a special place in my heart. When I first heard it, somewhere around 2000 or 2001 It struck an intense chord with me. It's quiet optimism and intense hopefulness paired with the impatience of desire told a story that I'm still reading to this day. Each listen gives you another small window into the person who's saying these hopeful words. 

Of course Sara's voice is sublime, and her storytelling is beautiful as always, but when you think about when she wrote this song, in college, in her twenties, still out there hoping all her dreams down the pipeline, it takes on a bit of sweeter meaning. Her voice calls out in joy and desire and there's a really honest ringing tone that tells you she means every word she sings. She has, of course, evolved and grown and become incredibly successful over the years, but looking back on where you came from, and honoring the person you were then gives you such a beautiful perspective on the here and now, on all the dreams you've accomplished, and all the hopes you've got coming down the pipeline. 

So today, with a golden horizon in my eyes, I choose Sara Bareilles' "My Love" as my lift up your heart to the altar, a sacred sacrifice, like angel's tears, song for a, chin up Young Person, just around the corner, ocean waves and skyscrapers in one little world, Thursday.