Whenever I am painting or in need of inspiration I always turn to the artist that helped teach me my first chords on guitar Mr. J. Hardin. His ability to paint pictures with words pairs beautifully with that apple-jelly-butter voice. “Drifter" is one of my favorites from his new album jhardin.net

I’m also a big fan of anything John Prine. Here’s a John Prince cut from The Avenue playlist: https://youtu.be/VtFCUIsl4Yc

I grew up on Motown and old country. I’m a big fan of sweaty, Motown dance parties and "In the Basement" by Etta James & Sugar Pie DeSanto is one of my favorites: https://youtu.be/Aoy6yYaytVg

Sam and Shaun Marie just finished up their second FEATherWOLF album, “In the Living Room.”

“I’m excited for everyone to hear it. We were fortunate to be joined by the virtuoso Zach Harmon on drums and the ever so tasty guitar stylings of Aaron Zepplin. All tracks were live-mixed by sonic guru Aaron Duesterhoeft. This album is a great representation of our live shows that feature, not only our duets, but Shaun Marie and her powerful and beautiful vocals and songwriting.”

Here’s a link to “Got it Good,” a cut off the new album

What are YOU listening to? We’d love to hear! Send your current playlist and a few words about it to annk@avenueradio.com - you could be featured in The Listening Room!

Looking for suggestions for new music to try? Or just want to get to know someone better through learning what they listen to? That’s what the Listening Room is all about. Up this week is local singer/songwriter, Christopher Gold.  

​Whether your musical tastes align with his or not, you’ll always get honesty, passion and unbridled enthusiasm for music from Chris! That’s why we love hearing from him. Check out Christopher’s music, find out where he’s playing, and more at christophergold.com Here’s what’s got Christopher’s ear lately.​

“Talking about music is a strange thing, because the best music means something different to everyone that hears it and articulating what it means to you can be a dicey proposition. But talking about music is also one of my favorite things, so I was thrilled when The Avenue asked me to share some words on a current favorite, an old favorite, and a guilty pleasure. I’ll try not to go on too long.

“New: In 2016, Astronautalis released his most recent album, “Cut the Body Loose.” I have long been a fan of the Florida via Minneapolis artist, but this album is  without question his best. I would even include it in the “best of 2016” conversation. It would be simple to call this hip-hop, but that would be a reductionist view to say the least. Astronautalis has a unique ability and obvious enthusiasm for hip-hop, but he uses it as a vehicle to travel through countless other genres. Throughout the album you’ll find nods to Tom Waits, Modest Mouse, New Orleans, spoken word, jazz, folk, and a thousand things in-between. And that’s to say nothing of the writing, which would be a shame. Throughout the album’s 11 tracks Astronautalis navigates the expanse of human emotion and arrives at a hard-earned joy. The entire record seems to paint the picture of a man who has been through tremendous struggle and pain, found joy on the other side, and is celebrating the next step in the journey having decided to hold on to his joyful spirit even if there is more struggle to come. I love Astronautalis, and I love this record.
Astronautalis “Attila Ambrus”  https://youtu.be/AP9V3MGxjOo

“Old: Yesterday I bought “This Year’s Model” by Elvis Costello for the 5th time. Either because it gets lost, stolen, damaged, or reissued I find myself buying a few albums over and over again. While “London Calling” by the Clash holds the title of “Most Copies Purchased” this Costello record is probably second on the list. I’ve loved this record from the moment I heard it in the summer of 2000. I was 15 years old and deeply immersed in my first and longest musical love: punk rock. When I heard “This Year’s Model” I heard a lot of the things I loved about punk rock in the spirit of the record, but it was different. It had a level of musicianship that I wasn’t used to hearing at the time. It had instrumentation I wasn’t used to hearing at the time. It’s poppy but smart, urgent but thought out. It has emotion, attitude, brains, and enthusiasm. I’ve always loved hearing Bob Dylan take 10 minutes to get through a song, but there is a rush that I get from hearing Elvis Costello get through one in 2 that has hugely impacted my own songwriting.
​Elvis Costello “Pump It Up” https://youtu.be/3Y71iDvCYXA

“Guilty Pleasure: NONE!  I don’t believe in guilty pleasures. Shame has no place in my record collection. Sometimes that means I listen to Converge after the Dixie Chicks, or I spin a Townes Van Zandt record after I finish a Bad Religion album, but that is the joy of music. I tried on elitism and genre loyalty when I was younger and I found it to be a terrible fit. Show me a record collector that believes in guilty pleasures and I’ll show you a boring record collection. Music is one of life’s great gifts to us, and we should all soak up as much as we can.”

In the meantime, ​learn more about Listening Party and find out where they’re playing next.

We caught up with Avenue friend, Jamie Kent to find out what he is listening to currently!

And in the category of guilty pleasure… “Bing Crosby – White Christmas. I've never been a particularly religious person, but I've got a huge soft spot for Christmas music. It's the one time of year where the crooners get to rule the airwaves again, and I'm perfectly okay with that. Sometimes in July when I'm craving some Crosby and want to weird people out at a karaoke bar, I'll sing “White Christmas.” Might have to toss that out there at Deja Vu next summer during the Mile!” Looking forward to that, Jamie!

You can catch Jamie at Tanners Grill & Bar in Kimberly on January 27 in the Best of the Mile showcase. More info here.