The Plug’n Play: July (‘24)
July 31, 2024
Illustration by Malaaya Adams
You can listen to the full playlist on Apple Music, Spotify, or Tidal
On the cover: Zavetis
Each month, Kevin and I select some of our favorite songs from the month, searching high and low for something new (to us at least, and hopefully for you too!), compiling them into a monthly playlist. While our tastes overlap in a lot of ways, they also diverge.
Songs 1 - 18 were selected by me, Stanley and songs 19 - 31 were selected by Kevin. We hope you find a song you like and check out the larger body of work, whether it’s an EP or an album. Below are a few words on some of my favorite songs from the month:
Cool Cat — Zavetis
For up-and-coming musicians, it can be uncomfortable, difficult even, performing original music. It makes sense, too: these are often songs folks aren’t familiar with, songs folks haven’t had the benefit of time to attach memories to. Indeed, one of the benefits of playing cover songs is that people already know them, and they’ve been proven reliable.
On Friday, July 12th, I had the chance to see a collection Philly-based artists perform their original music at Two Locals Brewing Company in West Philadelphia, a brewery turned music venue for the evening. On this night, a group of artists dared to put themselves and their music first.
Nate Zavetis, the Philadelphia-based guitarist and singer-songwriter who helped organize the night, served as house band guitarist and headliner. Zavetis’ band — a trio made up of Zavetis on electric guitar, Christian Klinefelter on bass, and Simeon Johnson on drums — played original music, captivating the crowd with their brand of “feel good funk and facemelting Rock,” as described on the band’s Instagram account. Cool Cat, which was released on the day of the day of the show, is a fine example the band’s sound: a fiery drumroll to open, a hard hitting guitar and bass riff, and soaring vocals. Here are a few photos from the night:
Summertime — HAEINSANE & Smythe
A few years back, when I interviewed Smythe at his studio, he mentioned how important the sun was for his creative process, that he liked making music that was “bright” and how the sun was a source of inspiration for him. Notably, in the early stages of teaching music theory, teachers and music textbooks will often rely on “brightness” and “darkness” as metaphors to explain the role of the third musical interval: a major third indicates “brightness” and a minor third, “darkness” — a sort of shorthand explanation of the emotive qualities of music.
While a useful starting point, theory doesn’t dictate the way sounds, music, makes us feel. Summertime — a collaboration between keyboardist HAEINSANE and Smythe — defies the theory of “bright” and “dark.” Set in the key of F minor, Summertime is is bliss-filled. HAEINSANE’s lead line, played on a synthesizer, is captivating, Smythe’s guitars — nylon, acoustic, and electric — offer the perfect backdrop, and the drums make moving irresistible. The song’s cover art feels apt, too — it feels as if you’re driving under a canopy of trees with the sun peaking through.
