Pick Six is a half-dozen cool things in music, from two points of view.
Jim Walsh of Minneapolis:
1 Nina Simone, "Sinnerman." One episode in and I'm hooked on HBO's "Lovecraft Country," a ridiculously timely (and fun!) horror tale of freedom fighters battling monsters/racism. The stellar soundtrack is used as both subtext and subversion, epitomized by the prominent placing of this Simone track, which haunts like a coda to her classic "Strange Fruit."
2 Eliza Blue, "Accidental Rancher," southdakotamagazine.com. I'm slowly savoring these stories about country life as a way of living vicariously through this former Twin Cities songwriter/violinist, whose beautiful memoir of motherhood, green acres, isolation and farming is written with a lyrical grace that puts you in her place.
3 "Marianne & Leonard: Words of Love." My pandemic screen time has been highlighted by music docs ("Creem," "Suzie Q"), heartfelt Irish/British romcoms ("After Life," "Normal People") and this bittersweet story of Leonard Cohen and his lover, which doubles as a rumination on artistic inspiration and the elusive notion of muse.
Jon Bream of the Star Tribune:
1 Jason Peterson DeLaire and Dave Ellis, "Stand and Fight." With sprightly Minneapolis Sound minimalism, the Twin Cities saxophonist/singer and his former Berklee College of Music classmate urge the people to celebrate and reclaim their power.
2 Dolly Parton mural, Nashville. Outside the 5 Spot music club, artist Kim Radford painted a mural of Dolly captioned with her priceless quote: "And of course Black lives matter. Do we think our little white asses are the only ones that matter? No!"
