Tag: 2020s

Throwback: Happy 74th Birthday, Patti Smith!

JOVM celebrates Patti Smith’s 74th birthday.

JOVM turned 10 earlier this year and to celebrate the occasion I streamed a globe-spanning, genre-defying DJ set for a collection of dear friends and colleagues. A couple of months later, I did a second DJ set, which managed to simultaneously celebrate JOVM’s decade of existence and was a dance party for my mom’s 68th birthday.

The third DJ set, which I streamed last night is focused on the classic soul sound — by beloved classic artists, as well as contemporary artists. As I told the folks, who joined me: when I started to compile the tracks for Flight 777’s third journey, I was in a dark space: I couldn’t help feeling anxious and fearful that the country would re-elect a dangerous, racist moron for another four years. Obviously, as the results got increasingly better, I began to feel an exhausted sense of relief until Saturday morning, when CNN and the AP officially called the presidential race for Vice President Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. (Correction: President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris!). Most of the songs of the set took on a very different vibe and tone — and I had to make two memorable last minute additions to cover the overall mood.

So here’s four hours of soul for your soul and for you heart. I hope you’ll enjoy as much I did streaming it for friends.

Also happy birthday, mom!

Throwback: Happy 70th Birthday, Tom Petty!

One of the greatest thrills I’ve had as a music fan, was somehow getting last-minute tickets through a broker to see Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers with Steve Winwood at Madison Square Garden back in June 2008. Up until, catching Bob Dylan with Mavis Staples at The Beacon Theatre, that 2008 concert was the most I had ever spent for concert tickets — and I don’t regret it for a single second. God, hearing all of great songs live.

Petty would have turned 70. And much like Prince, I doubt Petty was capable of writing a terrible song. I wanted to celebrate Tom Petty’s birthday — and i think you should, too. I’ll be playing some of his music today, and will feel grateful for all of those songs. Happy 70th Tom. Happy birthday to you, wherever you are.