Announcement: April’s Album of the Month Discussion Event Info

We’ve got a great host and a killer record, all set to go. All we need now is you! Here’s how to join us.

It’s that time again; it’s time for our monthly album discussion!

One of the core tenets of this page is sharing music. That obviously involves writing about it (we are on Medium, after all) but also talking about it. Together. We do that monthly here.

Tomorrow (07.April.2024) is that day.

My boilerplate explanation of what these discussions entail — and the value you’ll get from joining us — is below. Under that are both the record being discussed and the meeting log-in details.

• Don’t know the record? Doesn’t matter.
• Not comfortable speaking in public? Me either. And you don’t have to if you don’t want to. Heck, you don’t even have to turn your camera on. It’s a safe space, but you control what you share.
• Ultimately, you’re part of The Riff; we want you to be a part of this, too.

So check out the “rules” below, and then plan to dial in.

What is this?

For new readers (hi everyone!), The Riff hosts an online discussion every month.

Here’s how it works:

• A writer (more on that in a second) picks a record to discuss and writes a brief piece about their choice and the meeting details.
• At the meeting, they discuss why they picked it, offer a bit of a backstory/context, and whatever else they’d like to share.
• Everyone else on the call can share their own “hot take,” related story, or anything else you think is relevant.
• At the end of the meeting, next month’s writer volunteers (or is chosen), and the process repeats itself.

NOTE FOR INTROVERTS: If you’d prefer to sit in and listen, that is 110% okay. Keep your video off…stay muted…it’s up to you. It’s a safe place; you can participate as much/as little as you’d like.

This month’s host:

This month’s host is one of the longest-tenured writers on The Riff. He’s also hosted multiple times before. Terry Barr is one of the platform’s preeminent music writers, and his expertise extends to many genres not normally covered by others. You can also find him on Substack. His Dig it! newsletter is fantastic and is on my “never miss” list. All of his work is well worth your time and inbox space.

Cool! So, what are we talking about?

Terry has chosen Kacey Musgraves’ Deeper Well.

From his story announcing his pick:

I’ve written about the day my younger daughter played a song she loved for me, knowing that I might love it too, because it reflected a progressive way to think about loving, about believing in your own arrow and path and not being afraid to follow that path no matter where it leads or what others think or say.

Which of course led me back to where I started when I agreed to host.

Kacey Musgraves, which I’m sure you figured out by now or when you saw the subheading way above.

It so happens that Deeper Well, her fifth non-holiday-related LP, has just been released (2 weeks ago), and so given that most of us haven’t heard it or haven’t had much time to digest it, why not serve it on up here and now? It’s not about trailer parks or old bars, but there is an old house somewhere there.

Mainly recorded in Nashville (though Electric Lady Studios has a voice too) it’s a contemplative record, playing with some country and some folky themes and sounds.

Terry’s words above touch on a core mission of these discussions and of The Riff in general: sharing records we love with people we hope will love them, too.

Listen:

(Click the record to listen on your platform of choice. )

I’m in! How can I join?

Here ya go:

When: Sunday, April 7th: 4 PM Eastern/ 9 PM GMT

Where: Click here to join via Zoom.

We’ve had a lot of new people join the community recently. These meet-ups are a great way to connect with the people whose work you’ve been reading. It’s also a great chance to talk about cool records with cool people. These are always fun, but it’ll be better with you there. Join us!

Kevin —