I’d expect anyone who knows me – as a person, or as a musician, or as a social poster – knows I have this deep and broad affection for pop music of the 1960s. The songwriting approaches, the production values and arrangements, the stylistic variety across record labels, the sheer fun of being able to pin a single’s sound to a particular year and even location of origin – there’s so much I enjoy about the whole listening experience that I’ve never felt like I’ve had enough.
Shouldn’t be shocking. When I was a kid, “oldies radio” meant pop music from the late ‘50s through the very early ‘70s. The big hit records of that era were low-hanging fruit. When I got into my late teens, I started moving up the branches, exploring the interesting misses, the oddities, the true freak fare. But when it comes down to the ‘60s music I gravitate toward on a regular day, to the records I consciously emulate in my own work, I keep coming back to “the canon.” Call me basic, but the classics are often classic for a reason.
So, I felt inspired to share a list of some of my own favorite classic ‘60s albums that have informed my own music over the years, and probably always will. If you see a title you know and love, pull it off the shelf right now and spin it with me:
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Hey, It's Brian LaRue 
On Staying Out of the Comments in 2023
I’m taking a few seconds right now to consider how my social media habits have changed over this past year. Of course they’ve changed, because the discourse on pretty much all of the major social platforms has been changing. You can adapt, or not.
Basically, the way I’ve adapted is by steering clear of other people’s threads unless I can bring something unique to the table. And the way I need to continue adapting is by not simply taking my two cents to forums where I appear slightly more anonymous. An interesting thought deserves to find its proper place, and finding that place often takes time. If it’s actually an idea that deserves its proper place, the wait is worth it.
One practice I’m really glad I leaned into this year is: Whenever I feel compelled to post anything on any social platform, I ask myself whether it stands to reason that someone else who has better knowledge of the subject has already said the same thing, more articulately and authoritatively. Usually I’ll presume someone else has. Sometimes I’ll Google an entire phrase that pops into my head and find someone else said the same thing years ago. I’m just not here to post timeline white noise bs that makes me look dumb.
I’m especially wary about adding to the white noise because so many people I used to interact with heavily on Facebook and Twitter have been scarce on the socials in 2022.
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