Ben Howard - "Depth Over Distance"

I realized when I posted last night that I haven't written about anything musical...or anything in general, since October 3rd 2011. That's unbelievable to me because all I've done over the past year+ is even further deeply dive into new artists, albums, and even genres. My stomach dropped when I saw the last post was 10/3/11. Where has the time gone, and more importantly, so much has happened. How can I not have written anything?

My life is not the same as it was a year ago, in no way, shape, or form. I'm with a fantastic girl who absolutely loves me for me and that can't change. From my (at times) overpowering A.D.D. to my consistent obsessive behavior around fixing things in the apartment, she laughs, giggles, smiles, and just loves me. Not much more to be said about that except it's an amazing feeling.  The feeling of reciprocating the love she shows me is one that I've never enjoyed so much and it's an honor to call her my girlfriend, or Rocky B as nicknames have it.

In January I adopted a 10 month old Rhodesian Ridgeback / Lab mix and aptly named him Jackson. If dogs have last names, which I absolutely believe they do, he's known as Jackson Brown; my favorite piano player. While Jackson, or JB as we call him, makes noise just walking on carpet; his ability to tickle the ivory isn't an option and therefore all aspirations for musical lessons and stardom have been abandoned. Either way, it's awesome to have Jackson join the family and he's already 80 lbs at 1.5 years.

On the job front, Gilt Groupe is in my past and I'm now heading up digital ad sales at CBS Boston. Pretty cool gig, managing 4 digital assets and 5 teams of Account Executives; it's certainly a good move from a team of 12 and the remote island of the Gilt City startup world. I'm definitely enjoying the challenges and rewards of large scale, corporate organization.

Hard to discuss through a "let's catch up blog," but I miss my cousin. For those of you reading this, you know that my cousin Ryan passed away on January 29th of this year. It still doesn't really feel comfortable to talk about, nor can I really keep it together to fully form sentences and reflect on his life, so I need to dedicate some more time to figure out what to say. I get sudden impacts from time to time when I realize he won't be at Christmas this year, or I can't email him and check in on Shaylon and Alisha; that I can't reminisce about the 31 years we had together, playing with Scott and Derek. I love you Ryan and I will write soon....I miss you and think about you everyday.

With that said, I give you Ben Howard and "Depth Over Distance." Changes are inevitable in life and it's the only thing that truly makes you know that yesterday is not today and tomorrow will not be the same as today. You never truly know what will happen in life and as things grow farther, or "taller" as Ben mentions in this song, all you can do is wish that you could get back to the roots. My roots lie in my family, my passion and obsession for the way music make me feel, and my love for finding true happiness. Since Ryan's passing, this song has been on my mind for some time:

"Hold on, wait until that lone sun
Breaks from the arms of the Lord
Hold on, though we may be too young
To know this ride we're on
Hold on, wait though we may be too young
To know this ride we're on?"

The below version is the best quality, live from KCRW. You'll be blown away. There are versions where he brings the last verse up an octave (or two) and it's unreal ( ww.youtube.com/watch?v=UkfuRaAjFPM) It's spine tingling and a true reflection of the power this song has over him. Ben is a true artists in all senses of the word.