Grateful For Good Music

Here's what we're thankful for this year.

by Marissa Lorusso and Lyndsey McKenna Thanksgiving looks a little different for many of us this year — but, even in the midst of such upheaval, we’re grateful for a moment to pause and reflect.  We started a new tradition in last year’s Thanksgiving weekend newsletter, turning over our weekly email to our team and asking them to tell us about the music and musicians they’re especially grateful for, and we’re continuing that this year. We hope you and your loved ones are safe, healthy and able to share gratitude with each other this week. Watching The Last Waltz, Marissa Lorusso and Lyndsey McKenna Newsletter continues after sponsor message Bob Boilen, All Songs Considered: I’m grateful for those working hard to keep our music venues alive while we all do our best to deal with this pandemic. I’m thankful for all those who reach out to musicians to show their support, buying their records and merchandise to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads. Suraya Mohamed, producer: I am grateful that I can turn off the news and listen to so many different kinds of music that heal my soul. Otis Hart, senior manager: I'm grateful for Discogs.com, the online discography that aspires to catalog the entirety of recorded music. When I became obsessed with carving out my own musical canon during the multiple nadirs of quarantine, Discogs was my go-to reference for the peaks of the past 40 years. Lyndsey McKenna, assistant editor: Though I write and edit the newsletter each week, much of my work for NPR Music happens behind the scenes. This year, I’m especially grateful for our team’s editors – especially resident viking Lars Gotrich and my newsletter teammate Marissa Lorusso – who have continued to find innovative ways to elevate artists; thanks to their guidance, I was able to interview one of this year’s breakout artists, Bartees Strange, and review Ruston Kelly’s deeply moving record Shape & Destroy. Tom Huizenga, NPR Classical: In the year marking the 250th anniversary of his birth, I’m grateful for Beethoven. It’s tempting to want to knock the iconic composer off his pedestal, but his music – shot through with beauty, violence and prayerful transcendence – still holds enough mystery and amazement to easily last another two-and-a-half centuries. LaTesha Harris, editorial intern: I'm really grateful for Flo Milli. She doesn't waste words – probably because she's a Capricorn – so her pen is outstanding. Witty bars, flow stay switching up and her style and visuals are unmatched. I consider her 2020's breakout rapper. It might be a stretch to call her this generation's Shakespeare right now, but with another solid mixtape… all my warm wishes to the Bard of Alabama. Marissa Lorusso, NPR Music & Events: I’m grateful for once-a-month Bandcamp Fridays, during which the platform has been waiving its revenue share to give more money directly to artists. It’s been a nice monthly appointment to seek out new musicians (plus old faves) and support them directly. Ann Powers, critic and correspondent: I’m grateful for books. Sheltering in place has created a space in my life for more reading, and the music-writing universe has answered my need with an extraordinary array of new books by Black women scholars, published recently or soon forthcoming: Maureen Mahon, Kimberly Mack, Daphne Brooks, Danyel Smith, Shana Redmond and Regina Bradley are, with their work, helping me rethink the whole history of American music. And novels raise the parallel universe where I can have adventures and close encounters — favorite novels this year include Tana French’s The Searcher, What Are You Going Through by Sigrid Nunez, Women Talking by Miriam Toews and (a memoir with a novel’s momentum) The Yellow House by Sarah Broom. Stephen Thompson, NPR Music & Pop Culture Happy Hour: In a year of profound isolation and loss, I’m so thankful for the many creative ways music can be made in solitude — and hopeful for a future in which live music can once again be safely played and enjoyed. I’m grateful for everyone who’s found ways to support struggling live-music venues and others who traditionally rely on big, joyous crowds for their livelihoods. And I’m reminding myself, constantly, to never again take for granted the communal thrill of clapping and hooting in recognition of a song perfectly played. NPR P.S. At its core, soul music really just needs a voice and a human story – for proof, check out Don Bryant’s recent Tiny Desk (home) concert. Stream your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: nprmusic@npr.org Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. 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