You can find episodes on&nbsp;<a href="http://frondsradio.com/">frondsradio.com</a>&nbsp;and be sure to subscribe on&nbsp;<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/33-1-3-under-45/id1484727557">iTunes,</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://playmusic.app.goo.gl/?ibi=com.google.PlayMusic&amp;isi=691797987&amp;ius=googleplaymusic&amp;apn=com.google.android.music&amp;link=https://play.google.com/music/m/Ilo5ugybbmmnbycp7wmwjmqecfi?t%3D33_%2526_1/3_Under_45%26pcampaignid%3DMKT-na-all-co-pr-mu-pod-16">Google Play</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/ryan-lynch/33-and-13-under-45">Stitcher</a>, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you have any suggestions or thoughts, my twitter handle is&nbsp;<a href="http://twitter.com/stooppkidliveson">@stoopkidliveson</a>&nbsp;and I’d love to hear from you. You can find Ryan’s band, Premium Heart, on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/PremiumHeartNY/">facebook</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/premiumheartny">twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/premiumheartny/">instagram</a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/5YDXjNjUDjURIiXma0GVnT">spotify,</a> <a href="https://premiumheart.bandcamp.com/releases">bandcamp</a>, or most places you stream music for music, upcoming releases, and shows.



Hoo boy, here we are. The day after Trump left the White House. What a disaster this whole thing was. The work continues, clearly, but Jesus Christ, dudes, thank god that's over. 



To celebrate/close this door, I've made a farewell playlist of 33 songs from the Trump campaign/presidency that mean a lot to me as we move on from this disaster. I really like how it came out and I hope you do, too! 



<a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7GiRo4g1raF5LODonvWZhc?si=3M5DojapTbW_0ECISU5Ih">https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7GiRo4g1raF5LODonvWZhc?si=3M5DojapTbW_0ECISU5Ih</a>



Anyway, I'm wrapping up the show. As I've talked about in the past, the show was primarily a way for me to express a lot of the stress and anxieties I was having under 45 and it really helped me so much and I'm immensely grateful for everyone who came along with me. I had the idea for the column after my wedding, where our ceremony was pretty much the first episode of the show. Instead of readings from religious texts, we pulled lyrics from songs that meant the most to us and interwove them through stories of what made us fall in love. That day also re-opened my love of performance and was the first step for me getting back into writing and playing out again for the first time in a few years. 



One of the main reasons I want to wrap up the show is that now that Premium Heart is writing our follow up to "Kosciuszko," I want to really be able to focus on writing music and lyrics again and I've felt like a lot of the things I want to say were easier to write here instead of there and I don't want to split my writing anymore. So make sure you stay in touch through Premium Heart or my twitter or whatever! And just like... be cool and nice all the time.



Eternally grateful, 



Ryan Lynch

<description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;You can find episodes on&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="http://frondsradio.com/"&gt;frondsradio.com&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;and be sure to subscribe on&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/33-1-3-under-45/id1484727557"&gt;iTunes,&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://playmusic.app.goo.gl/?ibi=com.google.PlayMusic&amp;amp;isi=691797987&amp;amp;ius=googleplaymusic&amp;amp;apn=com.google.android.music&amp;amp;link=https://play.google.com/music/m/Ilo5ugybbmmnbycp7wmwjmqecfi?t%3D33_%2526_1/3_Under_45%26pcampaignid%3DMKT-na-all-co-pr-mu-pod-16"&gt;Google Play&lt;/a&gt;,&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/ryan-lynch/33-and-13-under-45"&gt;Stitcher&lt;/a&gt;, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you have any suggestions or thoughts, my twitter handle is&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="http://twitter.com/stooppkidliveson"&gt;@stoopkidliveson&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;and I’d love to hear from you. You can find Ryan’s band, Premium Heart, on&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://www.facebook.com/PremiumHeartNY/"&gt;facebook&lt;/a&gt;,&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://twitter.com/premiumheartny"&gt;twitter&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://www.instagram.com/premiumheartny/"&gt;instagram&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/5YDXjNjUDjURIiXma0GVnT"&gt;spotify,&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://premiumheart.bandcamp.com/releases"&gt;bandcamp&lt;/a&gt;, or most places you stream music&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt; for music, upcoming releases, and shows.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;Hoo boy, here we are. The day after Trump left the White House. What a disaster this whole thing was. The work continues, clearly, but Jesus Christ, dudes, thank god that's over. &lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;To celebrate/close this door, I've made a farewell playlist of 33 songs from the Trump campaign/presidency that mean a lot to me as we move on from this disaster. I really like how it came out and I hope you do, too! &lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7GiRo4g1raF5LODonvWZhc?si=3M5DojapTbW_0ECISU5Ih"&gt;https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7GiRo4g1raF5LODonvWZhc?si=3M5DojapTbW_0ECISU5Ih&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;Anyway, I'm wrapping up the show. As I've talked about in the past, the show was primarily a way for me to express a lot of the stress and anxieties I was having under 45 and it really helped me so much and I'm immensely grateful for everyone who came along with me. I had the idea for the column after my wedding, where our ceremony was pretty much the first episode of the show. Instead of readings from religious texts, we pulled lyrics from songs that meant the most to us and interwove them through stories of what made us fall in love. That day also re-opened my love of performance and was the first step for me getting back into writing and playing out again for the first time in a few years. &lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;One of the main reasons I want to wrap up the show is that now that Premium Heart is writing our follow up to "Kosciuszko," I want to really be able to focus on writing music and lyrics again and I've felt like a lot of the things I want to say were easier to write here instead of there and I don't want to split my writing anymore. So make sure you stay in touch through Premium Heart or my twitter or whatever! And just like... be cool and nice all the time.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;Eternally grateful, &lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;Ryan Lynch&lt;/p&gt;</description>

You can find episodes on&nbsp;frondsradio.com&nbsp;and be sure to subscribe on&nbsp;iTunes,&nbsp;Google Play,&nbsp;Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you have any suggestions or thoughts, my twitter handle is&nbsp;@stoopkidliveson&nbsp;and I

You can find episodes on&nbsp;frondsradio.com&nbsp;and be sure to subscribe on&nbsp;iTunes,&nbsp;Google Play,&nbsp;Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you have any suggestions or thoughts, my twitter handle is&nbsp;@stoopkidliveson&nbsp;and I’d love to hear from you. You can find Ryan’s band, Premium Heart, on&nbsp;facebook,&nbsp;twitter, instagram, spotify, bandcamp, or most places you stream music for music, upcoming releases, and shows.



Hoo boy, here we are. The day after Trump left the White House. What a disaster this whole thing was. The work continues, clearly, but Jesus Christ, dudes, thank god that's over. 



To celebrate/close this door, I've made a farewell playlist of 33 songs from the Trump campaign/presidency that mean a lot to me as we move on from this disaster. I really like how it came out and I hope you do, too! 



https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7GiRo4g1raF5LODonvWZhc?si=3M5DojapTbW_0ECISU5Ih



Anyway, I'm wrapping up the show. As I've talked about in the past, the show was primarily a way for me to express a lot of the stress and anxieties I was having under 45 and it really helped me so much and I'm immensely grateful for everyone who came along with me. I had the idea for the column after my wedding, where our ceremony was pretty much the first episode of the show. Instead of readings from religious texts, we pulled lyrics from songs that meant the most to us and interwove them through stories of what made us fall in love. That day also re-opened my love of performance and was the first step for me getting back into writing and playing out again for the first time in a few years. 



One of the main reasons I want to wrap up the show is that now that Premium Heart is writing our follow up to "Kosciuszko," I want to really be able to focus on writing music and lyrics again and I've felt like a lot of the things I want to say were easier to write here instead of there and I don't want to split my writing anymore. So make sure you stay in touch through Premium Heart or my twitter or whatever! And just like... be cool and nice all the time.



Eternally grateful, 



Ryan Lynch

33 & 1/3 Under 45: Encore

You can find episodes on <a href="http://frondsradio.com/">frondsradio.com</a> and be sure to subscribe on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/33-1-3-under-45/id1484727557">iTunes,</a> <a href="https://playmusic.app.goo.gl/?ibi=com.google.PlayMusic&amp;isi=691797987&amp;ius=googleplaymusic&amp;apn=com.google.android.music&amp;link=https://play.google.com/music/m/Ilo5ugybbmmnbycp7wmwjmqecfi?t%3D33_%2526_1/3_Under_45%26pcampaignid%3DMKT-na-all-co-pr-mu-pod-16">Google Play</a>, <a href="https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/ryan-lynch/33-and-13-under-45">Stitcher</a>, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you have any suggestions or thoughts, my twitter handle is <a href="http://twitter.com/stooppkidliveson">@stoopkidliveson</a> and I’d love to hear from you. You can find Ryan’s band, Premium Heart, on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/PremiumHeartNY/">facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/premiumheartny">twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/premiumheartny/">instagram</a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/5YDXjNjUDjURIiXma0GVnT">spotify,</a> <a href="https://premiumheart.bandcamp.com/releases">bandcamp</a>, or most places you stream music for music, upcoming releases, and shows.



We've already made two batches of donations! Snares' funds are going to back Democrats taking the Senate back and the album is going to the ACLU! I'm prepping all the pre-orders any day now, so if you want some extra notes or fun stuff, pre-order it right now at: <a href="https://premiumheart.bandcamp.com/album/kosciuszko">https://premiumheart.bandcamp.com/album/kosciuszko</a>



And watch the Snares music video we made: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55T6tS22_54">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55T6tS22_54</a>

<description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;You can find episodes on &lt;a href="http://frondsradio.com/"&gt;frondsradio.com&lt;/a&gt; and be sure to subscribe on &lt;a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/33-1-3-under-45/id1484727557"&gt;iTunes,&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://playmusic.app.goo.gl/?ibi=com.google.PlayMusic&amp;amp;isi=691797987&amp;amp;ius=googleplaymusic&amp;amp;apn=com.google.android.music&amp;amp;link=https://play.google.com/music/m/Ilo5ugybbmmnbycp7wmwjmqecfi?t%3D33_%2526_1/3_Under_45%26pcampaignid%3DMKT-na-all-co-pr-mu-pod-16"&gt;Google Play&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/ryan-lynch/33-and-13-under-45"&gt;Stitcher&lt;/a&gt;, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you have any suggestions or thoughts, my twitter handle is &lt;a href="http://twitter.com/stooppkidliveson"&gt;@stoopkidliveson&lt;/a&gt; and I’d love to hear from you. You can find Ryan’s band, Premium Heart, on &lt;a href="https://www.facebook.com/PremiumHeartNY/"&gt;facebook&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/premiumheartny"&gt;twitter&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://www.instagram.com/premiumheartny/"&gt;instagram&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/5YDXjNjUDjURIiXma0GVnT"&gt;spotify,&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://premiumheart.bandcamp.com/releases"&gt;bandcamp&lt;/a&gt;, or most places you stream music&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt; for music, upcoming releases, and shows.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;We've already made two batches of donations! Snares' funds are going to back Democrats taking the Senate back and the album is going to the ACLU! I'm prepping all the pre-orders any day now, so if you want some extra notes or fun stuff, pre-order it right now at: &lt;a href="https://premiumheart.bandcamp.com/album/kosciuszko"&gt;https://premiumheart.bandcamp.com/album/kosciuszko&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;And watch the Snares music video we made: &lt;a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55T6tS22_54"&gt;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55T6tS22_54&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>

You can find episodes on frondsradio.com and be sure to subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you have any suggestions or thoughts, my twitter handle is @stoopkidliveson and I’d love to hear from you. You can f

You can find episodes on frondsradio.com and be sure to subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you have any suggestions or thoughts, my twitter handle is @stoopkidliveson and I’d love to hear from you. You can find Ryan’s band, Premium Heart, on facebook, twitter, instagram, spotify, bandcamp, or most places you stream music for music, upcoming releases, and shows.



We've already made two batches of donations! Snares' funds are going to back Democrats taking the Senate back and the album is going to the ACLU! I'm prepping all the pre-orders any day now, so if you want some extra notes or fun stuff, pre-order it right now at: https://premiumheart.bandcamp.com/album/kosciuszko



And watch the Snares music video we made: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55T6tS22_54

33 And 1/3 Under 45 – Snares is OUT and the album pre-order is LIVE

You can find episodes on <a href="http://frondsradio.com/">frondsradio.com</a> and be sure to subscribe on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/33-1-3-under-45/id1484727557">iTunes,</a> <a href="https://playmusic.app.goo.gl/?ibi=com.google.PlayMusic&amp;isi=691797987&amp;ius=googleplaymusic&amp;apn=com.google.android.music&amp;link=https://play.google.com/music/m/Ilo5ugybbmmnbycp7wmwjmqecfi?t%3D33_%2526_1/3_Under_45%26pcampaignid%3DMKT-na-all-co-pr-mu-pod-16">Google Play</a>, <a href="https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/ryan-lynch/33-and-13-under-45">Stitcher</a>, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you have any suggestions or thoughts, my twitter handle is <a href="http://twitter.com/stooppkidliveson">@stoopkidliveson</a> and I’d love to hear from you. You can find Ryan’s band, Premium Heart, on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/PremiumHeartNY/">facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/premiumheartny">twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/premiumheartny/">instagram</a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/5YDXjNjUDjURIiXma0GVnT">spotify,</a> <a href="https://premiumheart.bandcamp.com/releases">bandcamp</a>, or most places you stream music for music, upcoming releases, and shows. 



Get stoked for all the huge Premium Heart stuff coming out over the next few weeks!

<description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;You can find episodes on &lt;a href="http://frondsradio.com/"&gt;frondsradio.com&lt;/a&gt; and be sure to subscribe on &lt;a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/33-1-3-under-45/id1484727557"&gt;iTunes,&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://playmusic.app.goo.gl/?ibi=com.google.PlayMusic&amp;amp;isi=691797987&amp;amp;ius=googleplaymusic&amp;amp;apn=com.google.android.music&amp;amp;link=https://play.google.com/music/m/Ilo5ugybbmmnbycp7wmwjmqecfi?t%3D33_%2526_1/3_Under_45%26pcampaignid%3DMKT-na-all-co-pr-mu-pod-16"&gt;Google Play&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/ryan-lynch/33-and-13-under-45"&gt;Stitcher&lt;/a&gt;, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you have any suggestions or thoughts, my twitter handle is &lt;a href="http://twitter.com/stooppkidliveson"&gt;@stoopkidliveson&lt;/a&gt; and I’d love to hear from you. You can find Ryan’s band, Premium Heart, on &lt;a href="https://www.facebook.com/PremiumHeartNY/"&gt;facebook&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/premiumheartny"&gt;twitter&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://www.instagram.com/premiumheartny/"&gt;instagram&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/5YDXjNjUDjURIiXma0GVnT"&gt;spotify,&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://premiumheart.bandcamp.com/releases"&gt;bandcamp&lt;/a&gt;, or most places you stream music&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt; for music, upcoming releases, and shows.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt; &lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;Get stoked for all the huge Premium Heart stuff coming out over the next few weeks!&lt;/p&gt;</description>

You can find episodes on frondsradio.com and be sure to subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you have any suggestions or thoughts, my twitter handle is @stoopkidliveson and I’d love to hear from you. You can find Ryan’s band, Premium Heart, on facebook, twitter, instagram, spotify, bandcamp, or most places you stream music for music, upcoming releases, and shows. 



Get stoked for all the huge Premium Heart stuff coming out over the next few weeks!

33 And 1/3 Under 45 – Announcements And News

You can find episodes on <a href="http://frondsradio.com/">frondsradio.com</a> and be sure to subscribe on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/33-1-3-under-45/id1484727557">iTunes,</a> <a href="https://playmusic.app.goo.gl/?ibi=com.google.PlayMusic&amp;isi=691797987&amp;ius=googleplaymusic&amp;apn=com.google.android.music&amp;link=https://play.google.com/music/m/Ilo5ugybbmmnbycp7wmwjmqecfi?t%3D33_%2526_1/3_Under_45%26pcampaignid%3DMKT-na-all-co-pr-mu-pod-16">Google Play</a>, <a href="https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/ryan-lynch/33-and-13-under-45">Stitcher</a>, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you have any suggestions or thoughts, my twitter handle is <a href="http://twitter.com/stooppkidliveson">@stoopkidliveson</a> and I’d love to hear from you. You can find Ryan’s band, Premium Heart, on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/PremiumHeartNY/">facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/premiumheartny">twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/premiumheartny/">instagram</a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/5YDXjNjUDjURIiXma0GVnT">spotify,</a> <a href="https://premiumheart.bandcamp.com/releases">bandcamp</a>, or most places you stream music for music, upcoming releases, and shows.



This column was written on August 14th, 2020.



I woke up this morning, I could barely breathe
Just an empty impression in the bed where you used to be
I want a kiss from your lips, I want an eye for an eye
I woke up this morning to an empty sky



"Regular bad." That's how I've been answering the question "How's everything going?" Let's be real, no matter how lucky I've been, it's not a fun time to exist right now. In the past, if you gave an answer like that, you'd get a follow up or a check-in from whoever you were talking to, but now you only get that if you say you're doing great. I can't shake that. That the norm is to be miserable and it's weird if you're having a good time. I can't stop thinking about how normal that feels for so many of us, especially millennials. We've really never gotten a goddamn break, have we?



I search for you on the other side, where the river runs clean and wide
Up to my heart, the waters rise
Up to my heart, the waters rise
I sink 'neath the water cool and clear. Drifting down, I disappear
I see you on the other side
I search for the peace in your eyes
But they're empty as paradise
They're as empty as paradise



I'm really at the end of my patience with the whole narrative about millennials being coddled and entitled. That we refuse to grow up and are in a perpetual state of adolescence. Sure, a lot of us wallow in nostalgia and are obsessed with the good old days. Remember Magic School Bus? That was my favorite show! I remember watching it after school when I was 8, and for the first time, realizing all the things that I never imagined could happen in a school! It was right after my 3rd grade teacher sat us down and told us what had happened in Columbine. What an eye-opening time to be a kid!



When I was 10, the World Trade Center fell and we watched thousands die on television. By the time I was 13, we were in two wars and the National Defense Authorization Act and the Patriot Act were codified, promising we would never have peace and we would never have privacy. By the time I graduated high school, the economy had the worst crash in 70 years. I got my driver's license two days before Hurricane Sandy shut down my island for weeks. And I'm about to turn 30 while over a thousand people die every day from a global pandemic the rest of the world has gotten under control and the economy is in the worst crash in 80 years. So fuck off that we've never been challenged. Fuck off that we don't know what it's like to sacrifice. The only trophies we've been given are inherited tragedies and pain. Fuck off if you think this generation is too soft. Instead of turning into bitter reminders of what we've lost, we're the first generation in decades trying to turn it into empathy. We want to abolish student loan debt, even though we've paid most of it off already. We want universal health care even though we're young and doing fine. I just can't tolerate this bullshit anymore. Look around at the world we've inherited and if this is what we're entitled to, I just hope there's a good return policy.





I've been listening to a whole lot of his modern catalog, and few stand out as well as 2002's, The Rising, which was written in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks. And the thing that keeps me coming back is the unbelievable sense of empathy I get from this record. While the majority of older white guys were calling for mass bombings and xenophobic genocide of the middle east, Bruce was doing what he always does, blending optimism and love with his genuine care for the people in his country, especially the ones most marginalized. From "World's Apart," a song he collaborates on with Asif Ali Khan, a Pakistani singer, and his qawwali group. 



Where the distant oceans sing, and rise to the plains
In this dry and troubled country, your beauty remains
Down from the mountain roads, where the highway rolls to dark
'Neath Allah's blessed rain, we remain worlds apart

Sometimes the truth just ain't enough, or it's too much in times like this
Let's throw the truth away, we'll find it in this kiss
In your skin upon my skin, in the beating of our hearts
May the living let us in, before the dead tear us apart



A lot of the songs in this album deal with a pretty explicit reaction to the attacks, but so many of them feel like they can be applied to any of the horrific times we've had in the last 25 years. "We're America, we can get through this! We're strong, we're tough, nothing can stop us!" has become this mantra that doesn't mean anything to me anymore. We never get a fucking break from "persevering" anymore. I'm just so tired. Tired of being informed with today's atrocities. Tired of how little half of this country seems to realize, no matter how obvious it is. I'm tired of once in a lifetime events happening every three years. I'm tired of mass graves, whether it be from an attack, a hurricane, a virus, or whatever's coming next. I'm just so tired.





But we don't give up, do we? If we did, we wouldn't be here. We wouldn't be out in the streets fighting against a plague to try to ensure some sense of justice in this injust world. Our elders have failed us. Refused to take any action on *motions to literally anything.* We look to each other for strength, because looking to the past, the systems that gave the people now in power support have been gutted and stripped beyond recognition. Yeah, we're soft. But I'd rather be soft than cruel. No contest. We keep seeing our friends and family die and instead of support, we're met with scorn, so yeah, we're gonna disregard the politeness on our way to overthrow the status quo that killed them.



The sky was falling and streaked with blood
I heard you calling me, then you disappeared into dust
Up the stairs, into the fire
Up the stairs, into the fire
I need your kiss, but love and duty called you someplace higher
Somewhere up the stairs, into the fire

May your strength give us strength
May your faith give us faith
May your hope give us hope
May your love give us love



Regular bad. That's the normal for us. Bad. Some days, I can barely keep it together and it's only getting worse. I can't tell you how many times I've heard an exasperated sigh followed by "Something's gotta fucking give, man." And this isn't new for us. We've been living with this feeling our entire lives. But we deal with it. And we don't let it make us calloused or bigoted. We internalize the pain and use it to build empathy for people who have it worse than us. This cruel, terrible world took my childhood, but I won't let it take my future and I won't let it take my soul. Not without a fight.

<description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;You can find episodes on &lt;a href="http://frondsradio.com/"&gt;frondsradio.com&lt;/a&gt; and be sure to subscribe on &lt;a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/33-1-3-under-45/id1484727557"&gt;iTunes,&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://playmusic.app.goo.gl/?ibi=com.google.PlayMusic&amp;amp;isi=691797987&amp;amp;ius=googleplaymusic&amp;amp;apn=com.google.android.music&amp;amp;link=https://play.google.com/music/m/Ilo5ugybbmmnbycp7wmwjmqecfi?t%3D33_%2526_1/3_Under_45%26pcampaignid%3DMKT-na-all-co-pr-mu-pod-16"&gt;Google Play&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/ryan-lynch/33-and-13-under-45"&gt;Stitcher&lt;/a&gt;, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you have any suggestions or thoughts, my twitter handle is &lt;a href="http://twitter.com/stooppkidliveson"&gt;@stoopkidliveson&lt;/a&gt; and I’d love to hear from you. You can find Ryan’s band, Premium Heart, on &lt;a href="https://www.facebook.com/PremiumHeartNY/"&gt;facebook&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/premiumheartny"&gt;twitter&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://www.instagram.com/premiumheartny/"&gt;instagram&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/5YDXjNjUDjURIiXma0GVnT"&gt;spotify,&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://premiumheart.bandcamp.com/releases"&gt;bandcamp&lt;/a&gt;, or most places you stream music&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt; for music, upcoming releases, and shows.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;This column was written on August 14th, 2020.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;I woke up this morning, I could barely breathe&lt;/em&gt;
&lt;em&gt;Just an empty impression in the bed where you used to be
I want a kiss from your lips, I want an eye for an eye
I woke up this morning to an empty sky&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;"Regular bad." That's how I've been answering the question "How's everything going?" Let's be real, no matter how lucky I've been, it's not a fun time to exist right now. In the past, if you gave an answer like that, you'd get a follow up or a check-in from whoever you were talking to, but &lt;em&gt;now&lt;/em&gt; you only get that if you say you're doing &lt;em&gt;great.&lt;/em&gt; I can't shake that. That the norm is to be &lt;em&gt;miserable&lt;/em&gt; and it's &lt;em&gt;weird&lt;/em&gt; if you're having a good time. I can't stop thinking about how normal that feels for so many of us, especially millennials. We've really never gotten a goddamn break, have we?&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;I search for you on the other side, where the river runs clean and wide
Up to my heart, the waters rise
Up to my heart, the waters rise
I sink 'neath the water cool and clear. Drifting down, I disappear
I see you on the other side
I search for the peace in your eyes
But they're empty as paradise
They're as empty as paradise&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;I'm really at the end of my patience with the whole narrative about millennials being coddled and entitled. That we refuse to grow up and are in a perpetual state of adolescence. Sure, a lot of us wallow in nostalgia and are obsessed with the good old days. Remember Magic School Bus? That was my favorite show! I remember watching it after school when I was 8, and for the first time, realizing all the things that I never imagined could happen in a school! It was right after my 3rd grade teacher sat us down and told us what had happened in Columbine. What an eye-opening time to be a kid!&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;When I was 10, the World Trade Center fell and we watched thousands die on television. By the time I was 13, we were in two wars and the National Defense Authorization Act and the Patriot Act were codified, promising we would never have peace and we would never have privacy. By the time I graduated high school, the economy had the worst crash in 70 years. I got my driver's license two days before Hurricane Sandy shut down my island for weeks. And I'm about to turn 30 while over a thousand people die every day from a global pandemic the rest of the world has gotten under control and the economy is in the worst crash in &lt;em&gt;80 years&lt;/em&gt;. So fuck off that we've never been challenged. Fuck off that we don't know what it's like to sacrifice. The only trophies we've been given are inherited tragedies and pain. Fuck off if you think this generation is too soft. Instead of turning into bitter reminders of what we've lost, we're the first generation in decades trying to turn it into empathy. We want to abolish student loan debt, even though we've paid most of it off already. We want universal health care even though we're young and doing &lt;em&gt;fine.&lt;/em&gt; I just can't tolerate this bullshit anymore. Look around at the world we've inherited and if this is what we're entitled to, I just hope there's a good return policy.&lt;/p&gt;





&lt;p&gt;I've been listening to a whole lot of his modern catalog, and few stand out as well as 2002's, &lt;em&gt;The Rising, &lt;/em&gt;which was written in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks. And the thing that keeps me coming back is the unbelievable sense of empathy I get from this record. While the majority of older white guys were calling for mass bombings and xenophobic genocide of the middle east, Bruce was doing what he always does, blending optimism and love with his genuine care for the people in his country, especially the ones most marginalized. From "World's Apart," a song he collaborates on with Asif Ali Khan, a Pakistani singer, and his qawwali group. &lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Where the distant oceans sing, and rise to the plains&lt;/em&gt;
&lt;em&gt;In this dry and troubled country, your beauty remains
Down from the mountain roads, where the highway rolls to dark
'Neath Allah's blessed rain, we remain worlds apart

Sometimes the truth just ain't enough, or it's too much in times like this
Let's throw the truth away, we'll find it in this kiss
In your skin upon my skin, in the beating of our hearts
May the living let us in, before the dead tear us apart&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;A lot of the songs in this album deal with a pretty explicit reaction to the attacks, but so many of them feel like they can be applied to any of the horrific times we've had in the last 25 years. "We're America, we can get through this! We're strong, we're tough, nothing can stop us!" has become this mantra that doesn't mean anything to me anymore. We never get a fucking break from "persevering" anymore. I'm just so tired. Tired of being &lt;em&gt;informed &lt;/em&gt;with today's atrocities. Tired of how little half of this country seems to realize, no matter how obvious it is. I'm tired of once in a lifetime events happening every three years. I'm tired of mass graves, whether it be from an attack, a hurricane, a virus, or whatever's coming next. I'm just so tired.&lt;/p&gt;





&lt;p&gt;But we don't give up, do we? If we did, we wouldn't be here. We wouldn't be out in the streets fighting against a plague to try to ensure some sense of justice in this injust world. Our elders have failed us. Refused to take any action on *&lt;em&gt;motions to literally anything.*&lt;/em&gt; We look to each other for strength, because looking to the past, the systems that gave the people now in power support have been gutted and stripped beyond recognition. Yeah, we're soft. But I'd rather be soft than cruel. No contest. We keep seeing our friends and family die and instead of support, we're met with scorn, so yeah, we're gonna disregard the politeness on our way to overthrow the status quo that killed them.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;The sky was falling and streaked with blood&lt;/em&gt;
&lt;em&gt;I heard you calling me, then you disappeared into dust
Up the stairs, into the fire
Up the stairs, into the fire
I need your kiss, but love and duty called you someplace higher
Somewhere up the stairs, into the fire

May your strength give us strength
May your faith give us faith
May your hope give us hope
May your love give us love&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;Regular bad. That's the normal for us. Bad. Some days, I can barely keep it together and it's only getting worse. I can't tell you how many times I've heard an exasperated sigh followed by "Something's gotta fucking give, man." And this isn't new for us. We've been living with this feeling our entire lives. But we deal with it. And we don't let it make us calloused or bigoted. We internalize the pain and use it to build empathy for people who have it worse than us. This cruel, terrible world took my childhood, but I won't let it take my future and I won't let it take my soul. Not without a fight.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

You can find episodes on frondsradio.com and be sure to subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you have any suggestions or thoughts, my twitter handle is @stoopkidliveson and I’d love to hear from you. You can find Ryan’s band, Premium Heart, on facebook, twitter, instagram, spotify, bandcamp, or most places you stream music for music, upcoming releases, and shows.



This column was written on August 14th, 2020.



I woke up this morning, I could barely breathe
Just an empty impression in the bed where you used to be
I want a kiss from your lips, I want an eye for an eye
I woke up this morning to an empty sky



"Regular bad." That's how I've been answering the question "How's everything going?" Let's be real, no matter how lucky I've been, it's not a fun time to exist right now. In the past, if you gave an answer like that, you'd get a follow up or a check-in from whoever you were talking to, but now you only get that if you say you're doing great. I can't shake that. That the norm is to be miserable and it's weird if you're having a good time. I can't stop thinking about how normal that feels for so many of us, especially millennials. We've really never gotten a goddamn break, have we?



I search for you on the other side, where the river runs clean and wide
Up to my heart, the waters rise
Up to my heart, the waters rise
I sink 'neath the water cool and clear. Drifting down, I disappear
I see you on the other side
I search for the peace in your eyes
But they're empty as paradise
They're as empty as paradise



I'm really at the end of my patience with the whole narrative about millennials being coddled and entitled. That we refuse to grow up and are in a perpetual state of adolescence. Sure, a lot of us wallow in nostalgia and are obsessed with the good old days. Remember Magic School Bus? That was my favorite show! I remember watching it after school when I was 8, and for the first time, realizing all the things that I never imagined could happen in a school! It was right after my 3rd grade teacher sat us down and told us what had happened in Columbine. What an eye-opening time to be a kid!



When I was 10, the World Trade Center fell and we watched thousands die on television. By the time I was 13, we were in two wars and the National Defense Authorization Act and the Patriot Act were codified, promising we would never have peace and we would never have privacy. By the time I graduated high school, the economy had the worst crash in 70 years. I got my driver's license two days before Hurricane Sandy shut down my island for weeks. And I'm about to turn 30 while over a thousand people die every day from a global pandemic the rest of the world has gotten under control and the economy is in the worst crash in 80 years. So fuck off that we've never been challenged. Fuck off that we don't know what it's like to sacrifice. The only trophies we've been given are inherited tragedies and pain. Fuck off if you think this generation is too soft. Instead of turning into bitter reminders of what we've lost, we're the first generation in decades trying to turn it into empathy. We want to abolish student loan debt, even though we've paid most of it off already. We want universal health care even though we're young and doing fine. I just can't tolerate this bullshit anymore. Look around at the world we've inherited and if this is what we're entitled to, I just hope there's a good return policy.





I've been listening to a whole lot of his modern catalog, and few stand out as well as 2002's, The Rising, which was written in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks. And the thing that keeps me coming back is the unbelievable sense of empathy I get from this record. While the majority of older white guys were calling for mass bombings and xenophobic genocide of the middle east, Bruce was doing what he always does, blending optimism and love with his genuine care for the people in his country

33 And 1/3 Under 45 – Track Twenty-two: The Rising

You can find episodes on <a href="http://frondsradio.com/">frondsradio.com</a> and be sure to subscribe on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/33-1-3-under-45/id1484727557">iTunes,</a> <a href="https://playmusic.app.goo.gl/?ibi=com.google.PlayMusic&amp;isi=691797987&amp;ius=googleplaymusic&amp;apn=com.google.android.music&amp;link=https://play.google.com/music/m/Ilo5ugybbmmnbycp7wmwjmqecfi?t%3D33_%2526_1/3_Under_45%26pcampaignid%3DMKT-na-all-co-pr-mu-pod-16">Google Play</a>, <a href="https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/ryan-lynch/33-and-13-under-45">Stitcher</a>, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you have any suggestions or thoughts, my twitter handle is <a href="http://twitter.com/stooppkidliveson">@stoopkidliveson</a> and I’d love to hear from you. You can find Ryan’s band, Premium Heart, on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/PremiumHeartNY/">facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/premiumheartny">twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/premiumheartny/">instagram</a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/5YDXjNjUDjURIiXma0GVnT">spotify,</a> <a href="https://premiumheart.bandcamp.com/releases">bandcamp</a>, or most places you stream music for music, upcoming releases, and shows. 



 This column was written on July 14th, 2020. 



Learn to leap, leap from ledges high and wild
Learn to speak, speak with wisdom like a child
Directly to the heart
Crown yourself the king of clowns or stand way back apart
But never give your love, my friend
Unto a foolish heart



We've been staying home for over a hundred days. How about that? And guess what? Everything's still terrible! But hopefully, everyone's developed some habits that help keep them going. For me, I've been playing a lot of Breath Of The Wild, the Zelda game, and really just losing myself in a lot of different music. 




For the first couple months of quarantine, I spent a lot of time with the Grateful Dead. I've been a Deadhead for years and spent much of my adolescence with them, both as a fan and as part of the extended Dead crew family. They've always been a safe place for me to just sink into and turn off all the bad in the world, and hoo boy, did I need it more than ever this time around. I dove deep into every nook and cranny of their catalog this time, from the nasty, explosive psychadelica of '68 through the jazzy, exploratory 70s, but ended up landing time and time again in the Spring '90 tour. I've always gravitated towards this era of the band, with no small part of the credit going to their keyboardist from 1979-1990, Brent Mydland. Often with lyricist John Perry Barlow, Brent added a level of deep pathos and personal songwriting that's a real high point for me in the Dead's massive catalog. From an unreleased demo from Built To Last:
When the police come, you better let 'em in, Gentleman, start your enginesDon't forget to tell 'em what a sport I've been, Gentleman, start your enginesI got a head full of vintage TNT, They're gonna blow me up 'stead of burying meIf you don't like trouble, better leave me beGentleman, start your enginesLike the Devil's Mustangs, I've been riding hell for leatherPut away angry, angry in the darkLet me tell you, honey,There's some mighty stormy weatherRolling 'round the caverns of my heart


As an aside, because the Dead's pretty much exclusively a live band, I'm using the last studio Dead album released in 1989, Built To Last, as an outline. All of the songs here are from the Spring '90 tour, but are still tracks from that album. 



The Brent-era is often maligned by Deadheads. He was the new guy, coming off of one of the most celebrated eras of live music for the band and a lot of the studio material suffered from cheesy production and overly catchy songs. It was the 80s, after all. But for me, by the Spring of 1990, I think the band was the best they ever were and this tour was really something special. I love their whole career, but this is the top of the top for me. And Brent was, for the first time, really elevated within the band. He writes and sings four of the nine songs on Built To Last and his songs started popping up more and more throughout the set. And with that, you can feel the pain and heart in every single one of his songs that helped make this tour the best of the best. And helped make me feel a little less isolated in this dark, terrible time.





Well, there ain't nobody safer than someone who doesn't care
And it isn't even lonely, when no one's ever there
I had a lot of dreams once, but some of them came true
The honey's sometimes bitter when fortune falls on you

And you know I've been a soldier in the armies of the night
And I'll find a fatal error in what's otherwise alright
 Something shines around you and it seems to my delight 
To give you just a little sweetness...
Just a little light

I have always heard that virtue oughta be its own reward,
But it never comes so easy when you're living by the sword
It's even harder to be heartless when you look at me that way
You're as mighty as the flower that will grow the stones away

Even though I've been a stranger, full of irony and spite
Holding little but contempt for all things beautiful and bright,
Something shines around you and it seems to my delight 
To give me just a little sweetness...
Just a little light



A lot Brent's (And Barlow's) songs are pretty introspective and self-loathing, but Built To Last also features one of my favorite political Dead songs, "We Can Run." The Dead were very rarely political after the 60s, as Jerry Garcia was pretty adamantly against working with a system he found repulsive, but by the late 80s, Brent and Bob Weir (again, both with Barlow), penned a few more explicit stances, which sadly, don't feel all that dated.



I'm dumping my trash in your backyard
Makin' certain you don't notice really isn't so hard
You're so busy with your guns and all of your excuses to use them
Well it's oil for the rich and babies for the poor
They got everyone believin' that more is more
If a reckoning comes, maybe we'll know what to do then

We can run, but we can't hide from it
Of all possible worlds, we only got one, we gotta ride on it
Whatever we've done, We'll never get far from what we leave behind
Baby, we can run, run, run, but we can't hide
Oh no, we can't hide

All these possibilities seem to leave no choice
I heard the tongues of billions speak with just one voice
Saying "Just leave all the rest to me. I need it worse than you, you see."
And then I heard...
The sound of one child crying.



The album's not all Brent, obviously. Jerry and Bobby still have some great songs on it that really resonated with me this time around, too. As much as I felt like the whole world was falling apart and there was no hope for any of us, Jerry (and his lyricist, Robert Hunter) explain that the only things that are Built To Last are the things that are built to try. If we give up, we're definitely fucked. If we try, at least we have a shot, albeit a long one.





When I was really at my lowest, this tour helped me get lost in a better time. Like the wide open spaces of Breath Of The Wild, having a Dead show to close my eyes and go to helped ground me. The songs from Built To Last don't ignore the anxieties raging inside us all, but they embrace them and turn them into something beautiful. Tragically, this was the last full scale tour before Brent died in July that year, a heartbreaking reminder that when the show's over, and it always ends eventually, you still have to learn to better yourself and the world we all share. But until that last song ends, you can close your eyes and let the music take you home.

<description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;You can find episodes on &lt;a href="http://frondsradio.com/"&gt;frondsradio.com&lt;/a&gt; and be sure to subscribe on &lt;a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/33-1-3-under-45/id1484727557"&gt;iTunes,&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://playmusic.app.goo.gl/?ibi=com.google.PlayMusic&amp;amp;isi=691797987&amp;amp;ius=googleplaymusic&amp;amp;apn=com.google.android.music&amp;amp;link=https://play.google.com/music/m/Ilo5ugybbmmnbycp7wmwjmqecfi?t%3D33_%2526_1/3_Under_45%26pcampaignid%3DMKT-na-all-co-pr-mu-pod-16"&gt;Google Play&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/ryan-lynch/33-and-13-under-45"&gt;Stitcher&lt;/a&gt;, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you have any suggestions or thoughts, my twitter handle is &lt;a href="http://twitter.com/stooppkidliveson"&gt;@stoopkidliveson&lt;/a&gt; and I’d love to hear from you. You can find Ryan’s band, Premium Heart, on &lt;a href="https://www.facebook.com/PremiumHeartNY/"&gt;facebook&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/premiumheartny"&gt;twitter&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://www.instagram.com/premiumheartny/"&gt;instagram&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/5YDXjNjUDjURIiXma0GVnT"&gt;spotify,&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://premiumheart.bandcamp.com/releases"&gt;bandcamp&lt;/a&gt;, or most places you stream music&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt; for music, upcoming releases, and shows.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt; &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;This column was written on July 14th, 2020.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Learn to leap, leap from ledges high and wild
Learn to speak, speak with wisdom like a child
Directly to the heart
Crown yourself the king of clowns or stand way back apart
But never give your love, my friend
Unto a foolish heart&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;We've been staying home for over a hundred days. How about that? And guess what? Everything's still terrible! But hopefully, everyone's developed &lt;em&gt;some&lt;/em&gt; habits that help keep them going&lt;em&gt;. &lt;/em&gt;For me, I've been playing a lot of &lt;em&gt;Breath Of The Wild&lt;/em&gt;, the Zelda game, and really just losing myself in a lot of different music. &lt;/p&gt;




&lt;p&gt;For the first couple months of quarantine, I spent &lt;em&gt;a lot &lt;/em&gt;of time with the Grateful Dead. I've been a Deadhead for years and spent much of my adolescence with them, both as a fan and as part of the extended Dead crew family. They've always been a safe place for me to just sink into and turn off all the bad in the world, and hoo boy, did I need it more than ever this time around. I dove deep into every nook and cranny of their catalog this time, from the nasty, explosive psychadelica of '68 through the jazzy, exploratory 70s, but ended up landing time and time again in the Spring '90 tour. I've always gravitated towards this era of the band, with no small part of the credit going to their keyboardist from 1979-1990, Brent Mydland. Often with lyricist John Perry Barlow, Brent added a level of deep pathos and personal songwriting that's a real high point for me in the Dead's massive catalog. From an unreleased demo from &lt;em&gt;Built To Last:&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;When the police come, you better let 'em in, Gentleman, start your enginesDon't forget to tell 'em what a sport I've been, Gentleman, start your enginesI got a head full of vintage TNT, They're gonna blow me up 'stead of burying meIf you don't like trouble, better leave me beGentleman, start your enginesLike the Devil's Mustangs, I've been riding hell for leatherPut away angry, angry in the darkLet me tell you, honey,There's some mighty stormy weatherRolling 'round the caverns of my heart&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;


&lt;p&gt;As an aside, because the Dead's pretty much exclusively a live band, I'm using the last studio Dead album released in 1989, &lt;em&gt;Built To Last&lt;/em&gt;, as an outline. All of the songs here are from the Spring '90 tour, but are still tracks from that album. &lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;The Brent-era is often maligned by Deadheads. He was the new guy, coming off of one of the most celebrated eras of live music for the band and a lot of the studio material suffered from cheesy production and overly catchy songs. It was the 80s, after all. But for me, by the Spring of 1990, I think the band was the best they ever were and this tour was really something special. I love their whole career, but this is the top of the top for me. And Brent was, for the first time, really elevated within the band. He writes and sings four of the nine songs on &lt;em&gt;Built To Last&lt;/em&gt; and his songs started popping up more and more throughout the set. And with that, you can feel the pain and heart in every single one of his songs that helped make this tour the best of the best. And helped make me feel a little less isolated in this dark, terrible time.&lt;/p&gt;





&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Well, there ain't nobody safer than someone who doesn't care
And it isn't even lonely, when no one's ever there
I had a lot of dreams once, but some of them came true
The honey's sometimes bitter when fortune falls on you

And you know I've been a soldier in the armies of the night
And I'll find a fatal error in what's otherwise alright&lt;/em&gt;
 &lt;em&gt;Something shines around you and it seems to my delight&lt;/em&gt; &lt;em&gt;
To give you just a little sweetness...
Just a little light

I have always heard that virtue oughta be its own reward,
But it never comes so easy when you're living by the sword
It's even harder to be heartless when you look at me that way
You're as mighty as the flower that will grow the stones away

Even though I've been a stranger, full of irony and spite
Holding little but contempt for all things beautiful and bright,
Something shines around you and it seems to my delight&lt;/em&gt; &lt;em&gt;
To give me just a little sweetness...
Just a little light&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;A lot Brent's (And Barlow's) songs are pretty introspective and self-loathing, but &lt;em&gt;Built To Last&lt;/em&gt; also features one of my favorite political Dead songs, "We Can Run." The Dead were very rarely political after the 60s, as Jerry Garcia was pretty adamantly against working with a system he found repulsive, but by the late 80s, Brent and Bob Weir (again, both with Barlow), penned a few more explicit stances, which sadly, don't feel all that dated.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;I'm dumping my trash in your backyard
Makin' certain you don't notice really isn't so hard
You're so busy with your guns and all of your excuses to use them
Well it's oil for the rich and babies for the poor
They got everyone believin' that more is more
If a reckoning comes, maybe we'll know what to do then

We can run, but we can't hide from it
Of all possible worlds, we only got one, we gotta ride on it
Whatever we've done, We'll never get far from what we leave behind
Baby, we can run, run, run, but we can't hide
Oh no, we can't hide

All these possibilities seem to leave no choice
I heard the tongues of billions speak with just one voice
Saying "Just leave all the rest to me. I need it worse than you, you see."
And then I heard...
The sound of one child crying.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;The album's not all Brent, obviously. Jerry and Bobby still have some great songs on it that really resonated with me this time around, too. As much as I felt like the whole world was falling apart and there was no hope for any of us, Jerry (and his lyricist, Robert Hunter) explain that the only things that are &lt;em&gt;Built To Last&lt;/em&gt; are the things that are&lt;em&gt; &lt;/em&gt;built to &lt;em&gt;try.&lt;/em&gt; If we give up, we're &lt;em&gt;definitely&lt;/em&gt; fucked. If we try, at least we have a shot, albeit a long one.&lt;/p&gt;





&lt;p&gt;When I was really at my lowest, this tour helped me get lost in a better time. Like the wide open spaces of Breath Of The Wild, having a Dead show to close my eyes and go to helped ground me. The songs from &lt;em&gt;Built To Last&lt;/em&gt; don't ignore the anxieties raging inside us all, but they embrace them and turn them into something beautiful. Tragically, this was the last full scale tour before Brent died in July that year, a heartbreaking reminder that when the show's over, and it always ends eventually, you still have to learn to better yourself and the world we all share. But until that last song ends, you can close your eyes and let the music take you home.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

You can find episodes on frondsradio.com and be sure to subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you have any suggestions or thoughts, my twitter handle is @stoopkidliveson and I’d love to hear from you. You can find Ryan’s band, Premium Heart, on facebook, twitter, instagram, spotify, bandcamp, or most places you stream music for music, upcoming releases, and shows. 



 This column was written on July 14th, 2020. 



Learn to leap, leap from ledges high and wild
Learn to speak, speak with wisdom like a child
Directly to the heart
Crown yourself the king of clowns or stand way back apart
But never give your love, my friend
Unto a foolish heart



We've been staying home for over a hundred days. How about that? And guess what? Everything's still terrible! But hopefully, everyone's developed some habits that help keep them going. For me, I've been playing a lot of Breath Of The Wild, the Zelda game, and really just losing myself in a lot of different music. 




For the first couple months of quarantine, I spent a lot of time with the Grateful Dead. I've been a Deadhead for years and spent much of my adolescence with them, both as a fan and as part of the extended Dead crew family. They've always been a safe place for me to just sink into and turn off all the bad in the world, and hoo boy, did I need it more than ever this time around. I dove deep into every nook and cranny of their catalog this time, from the nasty, explosive psychadelica of '68 through the jazzy, exploratory 70s, but ended up landing time and time again in the Spring '90 tour. I've always gravitated towards this era of the band, with no small part of the credit going to their keyboardist from 1979-1990, Brent Mydland. Often with lyricist John Perry Barlow, Brent added a level of deep pathos and personal songwriting that's a real high point for me in the Dead's massive catalog. From an unreleased demo from Built To Last:
When the police come, you better let 'em in, Gentleman, start your enginesDon't forget to tell 'em what a sport I've been, Gentleman, start your enginesI got a head full of vintage TNT, They're gonna blow me up 'stead of burying meIf you don't like trouble, better leave me beGentleman, start your enginesLike the Devil's Mustangs, I've been riding hell for leatherPut away angry, angry in the darkLet me tell you, honey,There's some mighty stormy weatherRolling 'round the caverns of my heart


As an aside, because the Dead's pretty much exclusively a live band, I'm using the last studio Dead album released in 1989, Built To Last, as an outline. All of the songs here are from the Spring '90 tour, but are still tracks from that album. 



The Brent-era is often maligned by Deadheads. He was the new guy, coming off of one of the most celebrated eras of live music for the band and a lot of the studio material suffered from cheesy production and overly catchy songs. It was the 80s, after all. But for me, by the Spring of 1990, I think the band was the best they ever were and this tour was really something special. I love their whole career, but this is the top of the top for me. And Brent was, for the first time, really elevated within the band. He writes and sings four of the nine songs on Built To Last and his songs started popping up more and more throughout the set. And with that, you can feel the pain and heart in every single one of his songs that helped make this tour the best of the best. And helped make me feel a little less isolated in this dark, terrible time.





Well, there ain't nobody safer than someone who doesn't care
And it isn't even lonely, when no one's ever there
I had a lot of dreams once, but some of them came true
The honey's sometimes bitter when fortune falls on you

And you know I've been a soldier in the armies of the night
And I'll find a fatal error in what's otherwise alright
 Something shines around you and it seems to my delight 
To give you just a little sweetness...
Just a 

33 And 1/3 Under 45 – Track Twenty-one: Built To Last

33 and ⅓ Under 45 is a monthly music column by Ryan Lynch, exploring the records that keep him inspired in a cynical world.

33 & 1/3 Under 45

Details

Recent Episodes