The summer between my junior and senior year I decided to stay at school and begin work on my senior comps project for my studio arts degree while splitting my time between working for the slide library and the campus book store. While definitely the least adventurous summer of my college years it was just what I needed, a meandering summer spent living the small town life. I was lucky to have a grip of quality souls who had also opted to stay on campus with whom I could pass the time. Evenings were spent floating down the Canon river to stay cool, playing intense cribbage tournaments, making elaborate dinners, tossing frisbees and, or course, listening to/discussing music.
Without the stress of school work to otherwise distract us we were able to stay up late into the night playing our favorite music for each other. I brought my classic rock knowledge to the table, my roommate ( a DJ) shared with me his love of hip hop and my fellow book store worker imparted upon me his encyclopedic knowledge of indie music. Those tune swapping sessions opened me up to more new music than ever before. I filled my iPod with their recommendations and passed my days stocking shelves and filing slide while listening to Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Broken Social Scene, Drive By Truckers, Ron Sexsmith, Death Cab For Cutie, Blackalicious, The Books – to name a few. Needless to say it was a pretty ideal way to savor my last summer. I look back on that summer and realize it was probably the catalyst for my current dedication to perpetual musical discovery.
Check The Rhime- Tribe Called Quest
I Believe In A Thing Called Love – The Darkness
Move Your Feet – Junior Senior
Holy Grail – Badly Drawn Boy
Billy Liar – The Decemberists
The District Sleeps Alone (Postal Service Cover) – Jonna Lee
Give Pretty Soon – Drive By Truckers
Busted Heart – Bishop Allen