#2 is up for this months rhythmic and musical digest. As we transition into the colder months of the year, I settle into a relaxing pace of stimulating reads and relaxing riffs. This edition of the bi-monthly share features a diverse set of tones and tales. I hope you enjoy!

Texas Sun

Khruangbin & Leon Bridges

What a fantastic collaboration between Texas-born musician Leon Bridges and the mystically rhythmic band Khruangbin. If you’re familiar with either of these bands, you might have some expectations. I surely did, and they were surpassed. Leon Bridges soulful voices backed by the eccentric and lively rhythmic Khruangbin presents an unlikely match that really vibes well together. The. Ep’s namesake track is probably my favorite and reminds me of well…that big Texas Sun…captivating the skyline and making you feel small. I also really like the song “C-Side”. The intro is classic Khruangbin — tropically rhythmic, mesmerizing, get up n dance kinda dance tune. This combined with the soothing voice of Bridges is a match made in heaven. The rhythmic quality of the guitar and drums in the background keep this song moving along. I really hope this only the first of many collaborations between artists. Maybe a full album someday? One can dream. I highly recommend this album. Short n sweet listen.

Big Wonderful Thing: A History of Texas

by Stephen Harrigan

Sticking with the Texas theme for the first two entries for R&R #2. This 1,000 page book dives deep into the history of Texas. I’m currently 300 pages into this book as of 11/30. Texas’s history is so dense and diverse. Texas has everything from 8,000ft+ tall peaks all the way down to hundreds of miles of coastline, and everything in-between. Fun fact: “The Texas Capitol stands 14.64 feet taller than the nation's Capitol in Washington D.C. The U.S. Capitol measures 288 feet from the east front ground level to the top of the Statue of Freedom, while the Texas Capitol stands 302.64 feet from the south front ground level to the tip of the star of the Goddess of Liberty.” I think this fact says a lot about Texas and the nature of its history. Everything is so big and hard to comprehend. Part of what really interests me about Texas is the indigenous culture and they the lives the people lived before European settlers came over. My biggest fascination within this topic is my distant relationship to the Parker Clan. I forget exactly how many “Greats” away, but my distant aunt was Cynthia Ann Parker. She was captured by the Comanches at a young girl and raised as one of their own. Among her children was the great Comanche Chief; Quannah Parker. A book that discusses this topic specifically is Empire of the Summer Moon by S. C. Gwynne.

Winter is for Lovers

Ben Harper

In his solo album, Ben Harper explores the intimate space of. symphonic sound with his lap steel guitar. I first started listening to Ben Harper through my Dad a long time ago. While this is very different from his work with the “Innocent criminals”, one can still appreciate Harpers true talents as a musician. I haven’t listened too much lap steel before, but really enjoyed the full 30min recording that can be found online. Watching Harper play is mesmerizing, you truly. see his talents. I went down a rabbit hole after watching this recording, diving down the recommend bar on YouTube…never a good way to spend your time haha. I also had a friend send me a video called “Air Tap” . Be prepared to have your mind blown. You’ll never look at the guitar the same way.

The Searcher

Tana French

This is one of those book that I couldn’t put down, and then at the end I was not very satisfied. In the moment, it was SO good. The ending fell short for me for a couple different reasons. Mostly because I thought it would end much more dark and scary than actually what happened. Now the story is dark, don’t get me wrong…I was just expecting it to be more dark based on how the story start unfolding. In the beginning of the read, I disregard the obvious ending due to the amazing writing. The character development and imagery that French created was awesome. This kept me turning the pages for sure. Not sure I would recommend this book to many people haha. Way it goes sometimes I guess.

Kiwanuka

Michael Kiwanuka

I’ve been a fan of Kiwanuka’s since 2010-11 and then saw him at SXSW in 2013. When you listen to his music, you feel it in your soul. Something about the tone of his voice just strikes a certain chord with me. His music feels very raw and vulnerable. You KNOW that he put his heart and soul into his music just by listening, and it isn’t something that has to be talked about. You simply listen, this gives you a gateway into his world. I thought it was interesting that he got asked to attend a song writing session with Kanye West and he ended up not attending, feeling like he didn’t belong there and was lacking the confidence that he deserved to be there. Kiwanuka is an album where he throughs these thoughts out the window and protests to the world who he is. Not afraid to speak his mind…here he is world, Michael Kiwanuka deserves the spotlight and stage.