Breckenridge Soundtrack

By Jack Stephen

My wife and I headed up to Breckenridge, Colorado, for a long weekend. Importantly, what did I listen to on this trip?

To start, Robert Glasper, Black Radio III. I know very little about this artist, so I had to do a little bit of research. Glasper knew what he wanted to do right from the start—make music. He chose the piano—what an instrument to master. He did a series of these Black Radio albums with each track featuring an esteemed Black artist, such as Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Killer Mike, and Q-Tip, just to name a few. He put together a variety of solid jams. I really like the “Why We Speak” track on Black Radio III, featuring the great jazz bassist Esperanza Spaulding and the aforementioned Q-tip. This song is just a real funky, multilayered jam, and it has a great message. The singing goes back and forth between French and English, reflecting on language and the things we say. It ends with this line: “We’ve got a lot left to unlearn, but it’s easier when you know how to use the light in you.” I love this sentiment—we are always learning and we need to remember to use and respect that light that is within all of us. Glasper, thanks for the reminder, which you tell us in such an interesting way.  

We head through Longmont, Boulder, and Golden before hopping onto Interstate-70, traversing to the mountains. There is some idiot driving this huge beat-up Ford truck. He’s slunk down in the seat and doing the aggressive driving thing of pausing at stops to be on the phone, followed by driving six inches from someone’s bumper. I’m not sure why I find this so irritating, almost to the point where I have some sort of constant commentary as I drive. I guess I’m just wondering when this guy is going to wreck? I am also curious why this guy is such a moron. I mean, have you ever had a physics class? Defying the laws of science is an interesting driving strategy. Finally, this asshat heads south as we go west. I am glad to be clear of him, yet I wonder what he might be listening to, probably some Incubus or Everlast’s “What It’s Like?” What it’s like to be in front of you on the road—annoying and stressful.  

As we fly up Interstate-70 and past Loveland ski area, my wife plugs in and starts doing a bit of DJ’ing. There are a few diehard skiers at Loveland even though the snow looks spotty. Colorado skiers are a bit obsessive, constantly asking, “How many days did you get in?” Sadly, I didn’t make it up this year. Unfortunately, skiing has become a rich person’s sport. Perhaps, it always has been. It costs $225 for an adult full-day lift ticket at Breckenridge. Wow, I guess I can afford to take the day off, or not. 

What we are listening to: Eminem on Spotify mix. My wife has always been a huge fan, and I guess I am too, a bit. We’re married and that’s how it goes. He’s got some timeless hip-hop tracks, such as “Lose Yourself,” “My Name Is,” and “The Real Slim Shady.” I do have great respect for Eminem. I got to the rap/hip-hop genre late, but I think it’s one of those categories of music that is just really cool. The Beastie Boys set the pace for my generation and provided a bridge to the other stuff. (The Run DMC and the Aerosmith cover, “Walk This Way,” helped out too.) Race and rap create an interesting confluence, the oppression from elite white culture expressed with vitriol, mixed with smartly written lyrics, fantastic beats and loops. Once we got hooked, suburban white guys bought these albums at a massive rate. N.W.A., Ice Cube, and Geto Boys were our soundtracks as we wallowed in cultural wastelands. Also, thanks Eminem, call me a fan as well. (Note: Interestingly, Elton John was Eminem’s AA sponsor and was integral in him getting sober. They have remained tight to this day.)  

Some select tracks we were listening to while lounging around the condo:

Talking Head, “I’m Not In Love” (producer Brian Eno). This song is on a great album, More Songs About Buildings and Food, with tracks seeped in uniqueness. Other tracks cool tracks include “Artists Only” and “Found a Job.” I don’t know where David Byrne gets his musical inspiration but I’m sure glad he found it.

Charlie Parr, “Boombox.” This song is on his new album, Little Sun. It is sure a good one. I think he worked a dobro or a pedal steel in there somewhere, always a strong move. This is a song about dancing and yeah dance like you want right, just let “the music pull you this way and that.”  

Orang-Utan, “Chocolate Piano.” I stumbled onto this group a couple years ago and thought it was pretty fantastic. I learned these guys were bunch of English musicians who recorded this one album and had no idea that it was released only in the United States. They broke up soon after, in their despair. You could classify this record as kind of a psych-rock gem. I like to think of it as just some good old rock and roll.  

Jefferson Starship, “Find Your Way Back.” Jefferson Starship is a great reincarnation of the old Airplane crew. They rolled out some great jams, such as “Jane” and “Runaway.” Grace Slick has a more subdued role in this group, which works well, as her background singing really hits the mark. As far as classic rock goes, don’t forget these great Jefferson Starship jams like some people do.  

Archie Bell and the Drells, “Tighten Up.” This Houston band offers a real funky tune here, kind of reminds me of James Brown. It is always cool when bands pair a specific type of dance to their song—such as the Electric Slide or the Hustle. There’s some confidence right there! Who knows what the tighten up dance looks like? This track makes you want to try and figure it out.  

Waiting for some to-go food; What’s on the speaker? ELO, “Don’t Bring Me Down.” I fucking love ELO. What a fantastic band. This song is the last track on Discovery. It was their first song that did not feature a string section. It’s strange to me that Jeff Lynne has gotten so ego crazy on the rights and the ownership of ELO’s catalog. The band is now called Jeff Lynne’s ELO.  Really Jeff, this was a massive band with a lot of integral parts. Don’t you think you should share the credit a bit? Discovery was a nod to the popular disco music of the time (Disco-very). The lyrics of this song are fantastic. Note to everyone; don’t bring me down or anyone down. This is just as a standard rule of etiquette. 

Back at the condo. What’s on the speaker? Verve, “Lucky Man.” 

A vignette: We’re running up a hill. We’re wearing matching white robes. My wife ran out first, no clothes on underneath, and, perhaps by instinct, I figured I should have no clothes as well. I had on matching “Don’t Mess with Texas” socks. We shed the robes—freezing, if only for a second, naked. We slid in for some heavy groping. We fell back into the ergonomic seats. I heard the boom of an avalanche-trigger explosion. The light dimmed with the setting sun. I watched her close her eyes as the big snowflakes slowly fell. She smiled a beautiful smile.