Tuesday, July 16, 2019

BLASST 100: The LASST BLASST

TRACKLIST
1. Miles Davis - “Great Expectations”
2. The Jesus Lizard - “Then Comes Dudley”
3. Sfinx - “Blaña De Urs”
4. The KVB - “Above Us”
5. Gusto Gusto - “Picket Fence”
6. Shame - “Concrete”
7. The Ex - “Ip Man”
8. black midi - “Speedway”
9. Idles - “Mercedes Marxist”
10. Sinead O' Brien - “Taking On Time”
11. Jane Weaver - “Did You See The Butterflies?”
12. Shirō Sagisu - “The Flow of Emptiness” (End of Evangelion OST)
13. Shirō Sagisu - “F-3 (Take 1)” (NGE OST)
14. Ana Roxanne - “It's A Rainy Day On The Cosmic Shore”
15. Stomu Yamashita - “Wind Words” (The Man Who Fell To Earth OST)
16. Dick Tracy - “Tokyo-Ga” (Tokyo-Ga OST)
17. Ben LaMar Gay - “Music For 18 Hairdressers: Braids & Fractals”
18. slowthai, Mura Masa - “Doorman”
19. Erika De Casier - “Space”
20. Eartheater - “Concealer”
21. Rakky Ripper - “Puertas del Hell”
22. Big Joanie - “Cut Your Hair”
23. HVAD, Pan Daijing - “Zhao Hua”
24. Chino Amobi - “Paradiso”
25. Los Beta 5 - “Sobre El Arco Iris”
26. Murderer - “Perfect II”
27: The Pains of Being Pure At Heart - “Ramona”


LISTEN ON APPLE PODCASTS
LISTEN ON MIXCLOUD

NOTES
First things first, if you tell me that this week's BLASST image reminds you of McDonald's, you might be right. No, it was not intentional. I picked golden yellow for the number because it represents a goal I've reached with the show, and I'm proud of that. The red of the text is not hyper red and instead vaguely deep crimson because it reminds me of high-end red ink. I wanted to give off regal vibes for this design. I omitted the date because while this is the image for a single episode, it also represents every single other episode of the show. That being said, if you decide to stuff your face with Big Macs after listening to this episode, please tell me. That would be really interesting to learn. Anyway.

October 10, 2016 to July 16, 2019.
 

Almost three years. 

Sleep? Free time? These are simply currency, and I've exchanged them every week for the past year and a half to put BLASST together on a consistent basis. It's honestly been pretty difficult at times, and I've put out episodes I haven't been entirely happy with, but looking back over the past 100 episodes, I wouldn't trade the experiences I've had for anything. I believed in an idea, and worked toward that idea regardless of whether it was building momentum or making an impact. To everyone who believed in me and the program, to all the guests, all the bands, and all the listeners—most importantly, the listeners—thank you. You always deserve better than what you have, and you deserve the courage to make things happen for yourselves if no one else is doing it already. If I had more time, and perhaps made a living through doing this kind of work, I would probably not have pulled the plug so soon. I mean, 100 episodes is nothing! Imagine 1000 episodes! That's at least three years of commitment to the cause. Anyway, I didn't make this decision lightly. I started BLASST at a time in my life when I felt very lost and without purpose. I hadn't been making music, which is something I'd previously been quite active in and had been desperately trying to hold onto for fear of losing something that meant so much to me, so I followed the path I'd walked once before in my younger years. If I couldn't play, I'd contribute to the local scene somehow. I didn't want to monetize it, I didn't want to partner it with local businesses, I didn't want it to be listened to all over the world...I just wanted it to be listened to here. I wanted it to belong to this place and these people. Many of the younger people growing up in the Rio Grande Valley are raised on the concept of scarcity, and value their lives by what they lack. I wanted to change that by giving something back, something I would have deeply appreciated at a young age, something that would help expand my mind and show me things, and I came to truly bond with the show through that deep appreciation. BLASST means the world to me. I've put it before so many things in my life before, and suffered for it. I decided this year that if the moment struck where I felt that the time was right to change course and focus my energy elsewhere, I would follow that impulse. I have other pursuits now, work that I truly find fulfilling, and which could really use my full, well-rested attention. I don't plan to be away forever; BLASST may reappear in different ways that have not occurred to me yet, but for the time being I will be gleefully unconcerned. I put together this episode with love in mind, love of all the different kinds of music in the world, all the different kinds of music we've played on the show, and all the possibilities that lay ahead. I hope you enjoy it. If you'd like to personally express your condolences, you can do so at the following show:

Until we meet again,

-A

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