I bow to the light and welcome the night – Tarot of the Wild Heart 

Welcome summer, hello full moon solstice, and greetings from the midpoint on our wheel of the year. This illuminating sky and shift in the seasons has pulled me deep into a strong tide of creativity and creation. And quite frankly, those waters had drawn me away from my usual anchor of live music this year, until recently.

I had the sweet pleasure of visiting dear friends in the countryside where a sunny pastoral oasis helped me forget my foggy city. Drawn by a summer series in Lagunitas Ampitheater, a pre-pandemic favorite for the warm nights, spunky locals and experimental beers on tap. I came to this show wiped out, after a week of “Full Court Feels” dragging me up and down and wishing I was somehow less in touch with my emotions…but the surf rock set of the Allah Lahs, were a soothing balm. Sitting on a picnic blanket, swaying to their guitar riffs between bites of sourdough pizza, sips of beer brewed under the solar eclipse, and snuggles with dear friends, it was exactly the musical medicine I was yearning for. Recharging my batteries leading into another rollercoaster week. 

So where have my creative juices been flowing this Winter and Spring if not attending my beloved live shows and writing…? Well, recording a second season of my ESG podcast, telling my first story at The Moth, and co-leading a Burning Man art project – a giant music box to be exact. So I guess the themes of audio and writing and music have been there, but in a different composition.

A notable show I did attend in April was the spellbinding Andre 3000 at Bimbo’s 365, sharing his new intimate instrumental album, New Blue Sun. It was quite the transcendental experience set amongst a 90-year-old concert venue filled with red velvet couches, antique light fixtures, and a tuxedoed bartender. By far the most surprising and favorite show of 2024.

In the Spring we were also graced with the beautiful majesty of a new Beyonce album, her first country record, perfectly timed for road-tripping around Texas for a special planetary performance. Seeing the total eclipse of the sun was also, in some ways, it’s own celestial concert. What a delight to fall in love with Cowboy Carter.. it’s poetic masters thesis in country music herstory and black culture ,that Queen Bey bestowed upon us with captivating lyrics, heart-stopping harmonies and ingenious musical mash-ups… like an intoxicating trap fiddle?! C’mon now!

Moving into Pride month we’ve been gifted with a delightfully queer Billie Elish album, HIT ME HARD AND SOFT and I’ve returned to Chappel Rowen’s Red Wine Supernova with renewed obsession. Mix in a some French electronic, Karate by Yelle, discovered at a ski chalet in Chamonix, and we’re gearing ourselves up for quite the pool party. You’ll find many of these favorites on the seasonal playlists above.

Reflecting back on the past 6 months, 2024 has already been a busy year, full of travel and transitions into new creative paths; and as I slow down for summer, I’m feeling a bit light-headed. Like when you stop spinning in circles and have to rebalance and re-root again, fully feeling the speed and tilt of it all. Recalibration takes time. And more time. And maybe more time and more tears and often a good folk ballad.

The upside of a hometown summer means getting to support some of my favorite local bands! Tomorrow night I’ll get to see my besties The Furious Tits and Thrown Out Bones at their Pride Show. My favorite dive bar, the Page features live music most nights and that was how I stumbled upon new favorites like The Carrots. For the next few months you’ll find me chasing sunshine and baselines across the Bay and I couldn’t be more delighted to see what new music flows my way. Send me any records you’re grooving to and until then wishing you sweet solstice songs to serenade your summer.