Growing up, we each had different visceral experiences of country music. For Dann, acts like the Oak Ridge Boys and Linda Ronstadt were a key part of his formative years. For Mary, country music was laaaaaaaaaame. (Mary has since learned that not all country is lame and apologizes for her younger self.) Regardless, it is clear that country music is a deeply influential part of music history, particularly in the United States. So, for last week’s SpotiFriday LIVE, we decided to cover a bunch of country and country-adjacent tunes. But before we get to that....
Here are a few things we’re doing to fight systemic injustice this week — and we invite you to join us!
Listen to the podcast 1619. (Mary just started it, Dann already finished it.)
For all our fellow Massachusettsians, complete your vote-by-mail application (you can even email it!) by TODAY to be able to vote by mail in the Sept 1st primaries.
On to last week’s show! You can (re)watch the show on Facebook (Mary’s half and Dann’s half), and then give a listen to the companion playlist on Spotify. This list includes songs by our good friend Prateek (local Boston Music Awards nominee and total boss), Kenny Rogers (because it was his birthday last Friday), and the two most famous renditions of “I Will Always Love You.” (How do you choose between Dolly and Whitney?)
This week’s SpotiFriday theme: songs by people born outside of the US! Plus, we’re planning a special surprise for you all. 😯 RSVP on Facebook so we know how many virtual drinks to buy. 😉
One final note:
In the Time Before, we had bought tickets to once again attend the CD Baby DIY Musician Conference in Austin, TX. We attended last summer, along with our pals Josh and Katie, and it was one of the most rewarding and validating experiences we’ve had. Right now, we would have been on a plane to Austin. And instead we’re saying, like we’ve all had to say in 2020, “next year.”
We have all suffered great losses this year. The loss of that trip — while incredibly sad — is nothing compared to the over 818,000 people who have died of COVID-19 worldwide, over 177,000 of whom were Americans like us.
Wear a mask. Listen to scientists. Do the work so we can get out of this mess. (We’re looking at you, USA.) It’s hard, but the sooner we buckle down and do our part, the sooner we can stop putting off the things we love, like going to concerts and hugging our friends. And it’s worth it because it saves lives.
Thanks for being amazing.
Peace,
Mary & Dann
3@H