August 24, 2025
Planting Seeds PS011
“The Beat Goes On”

Don’t sweat the small stuff. The beat goes on.

If you are fortunate, counted among your inner circle of friends is at least one human with a multi-decade history and proven instinct for zero bullshit tolerance, clearly devoid of a whiff of agenda. This sort of individual regardless of time spent apart where small talk is never an option, it’s always as if you just spoke a few days back. A true “ride or die” solid citizen. I’ve been very lucky to actually have a few of these irreplaceable gems, although with age some have left for the afterparty in the sky, including my main man, Joey. Even 4+ years on I still instinctively reach for the phone multiple times a week. It sucks and I don’t believe that hurt will ever vanish.

More than 30 years ago I was with a different pal, every bit the “ride or die” sort and he dropped a single sentence nugget of zen wisdom on me that continues to grow in importance with every calendar flip. We were in New York City, both music biz lifers and as usual it was a work related outing, a dozen things going on simultaneously and another dozen or so that needed attention yesterday. We had just left a favorite watering hole, long gone now, that featured a 100 year old baked in aroma of cat piss and no less than a dozen taps that served exclusively Bud. A buck a pitcher… in mid-town Manhattan no less. We were on a brisk stroll to get some food when I looked at his hard and realized he was still carrying and sipping from his short beer glass. Talk about old school, a 5oz beauty that should have contained Ballentine or Schaefer.

We were now directly in front of our destination and even 30+ years ago it was not a good idea to be out and about in NYC with a beer glass, less so if it still had beer in it. Wondering how we were going to escape intact, my partner in
crime stopped and drained the glass with a refreshing “Ahh.” In a single motion he tossed the glass over his shoulder, got very professorial and said in a measured tone, "You know Spike, sometimes you look over your shoulder.. (bottle bursts behind us, without reaction) and it’s gone.” And it was. Blockage cleared, scattered and inconsistent attention… focused. A new episode of “Planting Seeds” was born and delivered, leaving behind hate-binging true crime melodrama and feeling sorry for myself.

Following the completion of a single day, here sits a shiny new jumble of ones and zeros painstakingly shaped, molded and cajoled to transform into a 4 hour + creation, represented by a single file containing the music, commentary and ear candy deemed vital to nothing more than the time of creation. “Planting Seeds #011 (The Beat Goes On.”) Not a planned or even required run time as there is no need. There is no playlist, aside from the one created while navigating the path, often silently hoping “The Muse” is in the room. I was raised Roman Catholic but firmly believe in “The Radio Muse.” Introduction came by way of my radio inspiration, Vin Scelsa. “Bayone Butch,” “Vinnie,” “Vin… NOT VINCE!” and a variety of others. We are like minded on several topics, although he is a bit older and far more educated. Kindly put, it is certainly a dead and dying artform. Usually misunderstood and more often than not, performed badly and for the wrong reasons.

Looking over the results of this particular roadmap, the new releases exposed were headlined by multiple tracks from Jon Batiste’s brilliant new album. Jon with 2 credited to him alone and a very cool duet with Randy Newman on a cover of “Lonely Avenue,” which inspired a segue to Randy’s “Putin” from his criminally overlooked “Dark Matter.” The Wood Brothers were also on hand because “Slow Rise (to the middle)” is currently my favorite song. Joining was an interesting new direction for King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Joe Bonamassa, Josh Rouse and Will Hoge and reissues from Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, Jethro Tull, Martin Briley, Mother Love Bone and War.

In no particular order the roster reads Steve Earle, Morphine, Mavis Staples, The Clash, Levin Gilbert, Patricia Barber, Jackson Browne, Rory Gallagher, Prince 7 The New Power Generation live, Rockpile, The Steve Gibbons Band, Stereo MC’s, David Johanan and the Harry Smiths, Root Boy Slim & The Sex Change Band, The Blasters, Dnarls Barkley, Gil-Scott Heron, Cheap Trick, Bob Marley & The Wailers, Vanilla Fudge, Led Zeppelin, The Temptations, Johnny Kidd & The Pirates, Terry Reid, Treat Her Right, Steven Wilson, Lack Of Afro, Utah Phillips and Ani DiFranco, The Mighty Lemon Drops, Action Figures, Dramarama, Tears For Fears, Medeski Martin & Wood and Justin Currie,

I live for this and thank you for listening. Donations are gleefully accepted and deeply appreciated. Click HERE.



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