Hello world, we are coming in with a total request live from good friend and goal sniper Peter Rosoff all the way from Boston, Massachusetts. He and I have always had a thing for creative hip hop and it’s great to see that he’s still carrying the torch. Thanks for the rec, duder. And shoutout to mid-calves and flip-flops. Now sit back and enjoy, gente.
Tuesday Tunes #28
For this that need to tune in and get to work, here’s a particular jam that has done the trick for me this week. Hope it finds you well. Vamos, gente.
Tuesday Tunes #27
Tuesday. Tunes. Earholes.
Tuesday Tunes #26
Let’s keep the Tune Train rolling with another Tuesday jam built for your earholes. My feet are back on the ground here in Spain, splitting time between Bilbao and Madrid. With no more school in sight, it’s time to get going on some projects. Who wants in?
Tuesday Tunes #25
Another Tues, another tune. As life’s flux capacitor throws me to and fro between North America and Europe, I am once again headspinning and in need of some music to cool things down. Hope this classic Frank Ocean rework does the trick.
Tuesday Tunes #24
Woah! I disappeared! I’m sorry, I’m sorry. After a month of travel to the Americas, it’s time to get back on this musical pony. Let’s start things off with Blood Oranges and never look back. What do ya say, gente?
Tuesday Tunes #23
Living Thursday like its Tuesday, here is a jam and a video courtesy of weird music connoisseur Drew Tabke. Thanks for this one, duder. Enjoy, gente.
Tuesday Tunes #22
Okay, I haven't been overly psyched on the trap movement nor have I been overly impressed by new, mainstream Spanish music, but I think I may have met my match. Combining trap with flamenco in one of the most interesting tracks I've heard in 2018, Rosalía dropped, "Malamente," with a killer music video.
Mixing in so many subtle cultural elements, from the flamenco clap and gypsy influence, to the moto-matador battle, to the capirote-d skater (the cap used for traditional Easter celebrations that might resonate a little different with us Westerners) this video shows a grittier Spain that what we get from the reggaeton/pop world. Spain is a very dynamic peninsula, and Rosalía gives us a chunk to chew on. Disfruta, gente.
On Assignment: Lindsey Runkel's Redemption for REI
I recently started working with REI's blog on a series of bike projects, including one about friend and adaptive downhill mountain biker Lindsey Runkel. I know a blog might not seem like a cradle of good writing, but REI has done an incredible job investing in its storytelling, from editors, to writers to story content. Needless to say, I'm excited to work with these guys and see where we can go from here.
If you have a second to check out Runkel's incredible journey, take a look. Thanks!
Tuesday Tunes #21
Been posting a few of my favorite current tracks for a little while now, and I have to say, it's nice to have some consistency during these crazy weeks. I know they're small little posts, but we're accumulating a nice little playlist here, and I'm excited to see where it goes.
In this week's edition of Tuesday Tunes, sip on this track by Superparka, titled, "Skip." Hopefully it gets you moving in the right direction.
Tuesday Tunes
This one might be lost on a few of you, but hear me out. Reggaeton pretty much owns the airwaves over here in Spain, but the country is rooted in flamenco tradition. The two types of music rarely gel (think country meets trap back in the U.S.), but Raya Real has taken on the task of releasing hilarious (and pretty darn good) flamenco covers of popular reggaeton songs. The album is worth a limit, but here's a little snippet for your Tuesday tune.
Toozday Tunes
Happy Chew-Lie-Thief-Oath, friends! U.S. Independence Day and a great day to celebrate a new tune. Keep it real, gente.
Tuesday Tunes
Holy World Cup season, June is absolutely flying! Apologies for missing last week's tunes, but waves with friends just got in the way. Worry not, we're back this week with another jam I hope you enjoy as much as I have over the past few days. Here's Coastal and Jackie Mendoza with "La Luz." Enjoy, gente.
Tuesday Tunes
The more new music that comes out, the more I realize how lucky we were to have Outkast for as long as we did (feel free to come back, guys). Here's a nice look back at Aquemini and one of my all-time favorites, "Slump." Adelante, gente.
Junesday Tunes
We're kicking into June with a catchy beat and quirky, simple lyrics. Make the workday sweeter, and be good, gente.
Tuesday Tunes
While Madrid is a tour stop for just about every major international act, lately I've been feeling a significant lack of live hip-hop. Maybe that's because the scene is newer here and the options were so strong back in Seattle, but nevertheless, I was feeling the gap.
But a few weeks ago during the annual San Isidro street parties here in the city, I caught a multi-national group of rappers and singers that really just brought it all back. Combining instrumentals with a choir-blessed vocalist and smooth-delivering Brotha CJ, the act was exactly what I'd been looking for. Better yet, the group is based here in Madrid, meaning that I can scratch that hip-hop itch more often.
Here's a track off Brotha CJ's newest album titled, "Everybody Eats,'" reminding you all that we need to celebrate all that hard work once in a while.
Tuesday Tunes: TGI Tunesday
TGI Tuesday, am I right? I've been sitting on this song for a whole week and now I can FINALLY spread the love. Drop in, tune out. Enjoy, gente.
Tuesday Tunes: Get Up
Happy Wednesday, the perfect day for a Tuesday Tune! In between celebrating Madrid's San Isidro holidays and scrambling to get my final Masters project finished up, I slipped up this week. My apologies. Luckily, I'd like to make it up to you with this lively track from Otis Junior and Mr. Dundiff. Be good, gente.
On Assignment: Topping Out and Skiing Down in the Pyrenees
A couple of weeks ago, I had the chance to join an international team on a ski mission to Aneto, the highest peak in the Spanish Pyrenees. Basing out of the refugio at La Renclusa, we ran into just about every kind of weather you can imagine, and even scored some pow turns on the last day of April.
The real highlight was spending time in a foreign mountain range with new friends. It's amazing how many different ways the mountains can humble you, and our Aneto adventure was no exception. Excited to share more about the trip in the fall volume of The Ski Journal, my first longform piece with the legends out of Bellingham.
To give you a slice of what we were working with, here is a drone shot from the snowfield approaching our summit snapped by French photo extraordinaire, Guillame Arrieta. Not pictured, the wind whipping us from all sides and the clouds that would turn our ski down into a total whiteout. Ah, I shall get my redemption.
Tuesday Tunes: This is America
Not an underground hit, and thankfully so, this week's jam is a wakeup call. Childish Gambino dropped "This is America," a scathing social critique of gun violence and racial prejudice, and it's a music video that I just can't shake. Watch it, and then watch it again—three times.
It's been strange being in Europe during the last handful of major shootings in the U.S. People over here have written off moving to the U.S., many telling me that they, "Don't want to be shot." Is that the legacy we're passing the next generation?