Greg's Newsletter Welcomes 2018 [No. 052]
"People make the world go round"
Happy holidays, beloved.
I typically do some kind of best of music list, mix, or playlist. This 2010 year end mix is probably the best one I’ve ever done, both for the selection quality and mixing. 2010 was my year of learning how to blend and tempo match. And then I graduated school and basically stopped. Oh well.
2016 was the year that everyone was like “oh, this is the worst year ever LOL so many bad things happened.” And they weren’t wrong. I don’t need to recap the hellhole that it was.
2017 was on another level. It wasn’t even the kind of year where people could throw in an “LOL” in the middle (or beginning or end) of a statement like “2017 was the fucking worst.” It just was.
But it was great, too. I got engaged. I settled into my new home in Dallas. Travelled. Saw friends. Enjoyed family. Work was good. So there’s that. I’d love to hear your favorite thing - personal or otherwise - about 2017. Email me about it. Seriously.
While we’re here, let’s get 2018 in order. I’m not one for resolutions. But the way things line up in my life, especially with work - year-end projects/clients wrap up, There’s a solid 1-2 weeks of “break,” hopefully (and usually, thankfully) accompanied by some quality time with friends and family. It’s not hard to want to reflect but also look forward.
So here’s what I propose. It’s my newsletter, so fuck it: here’s what I’m going to do. Check out some things I'm excited about in 2018 below. There'll be more. That's for next time. Let’s ride!
OK, but first...
HOT SAUCE MUSIC - BEST OF 2017
I’d be remiss if I didn’t plug my playlists at every step, so here goes. Click the link above for my “Best of the year” playlist. It’s a combination of my favorite tracks, favorite new artists, and representations of my favorite albums. All new. All killer.
And here is the final version of my running playlist from the year. Include the tracks above, but also so much more: new finds, old gems, lots of funky rhythms. Almost 27 hours of goodness.
2018
OK, now on to 2018...
Michigan Basketball
I am extremely high on this year's Michigan basketball team. They have two bonafide stars in Charles Matthews and Moe Wagner, a super solid veteran in MAAR, and a cast of freshman who are already contributing and growing every game. They are going to be a problem once everything starts clicking for them in January/February. They'll have Beilein's best top-to-bottom recruiting class for the 2018-2019 season, too. The future looks bright.
I mean, technically the playlist hasn’t started yet. But it’s up. Subscribe now, because the heat will hit when the ball drops. Mark. My. Motherfucking. Words. Also, do I just love plugging my damn playlists, or what?
Marriage
Man. It’s going down (hi Rachel) in 2018. I’m actually typing this up as we speak, sitting next to her. She doesn’t know that I’m writing about marrying her and then publishing it. But also… does she even read this far down? OR DOES SHE EVEN OPEN THESE DANG THINGS?!?! jk, jk. But I’m taking her name. Greg Solomon. Book it. jk, jk. But should I?
I love you, Rachel.
A SZA/Mark Ronson/Tame Impala Album (?)
According to this article, SZA, Mark Ronson, and the Gods Tame Impala (or probably just Kevin Parker) are working on an album. That would be outrageously cool. I still maintain that Tame Impala's catalog - 3 albums to date - is basically the strongest of any current artist.
Congressional Elections
Opposition parties typically do well in the first mid-term election after a new president takes office but good lord, do the Democrats need to step up and dominate in 2018. I fear that, broadly speaking, they're going to just play it safe - play to not lose - and the establishment Dems will continue to have an outsized and negative influence on the party and a losing brand of politics. If there was ever a time for fresh faces and political courage, it's now.
More Newsletter Writing
Hey... it could happen. Right?