A Sample of Mike W’s Favorite Tunes

Hey all, Mike W here and while I’m enjoying my third cup of Dead Sled’s Draven Black Walnut coffee I started listening to some tunes on my shuffle. I have a playlist comprised of all-time favorite songs and thought it might be fun to share the first three that pop and why these songs are meaningful to me. So sit back, enjoy some Dead Sled Coffee and listen to these tunes with me. You can find them on Dead Sled Coffee playlist here:

First song to pop is Teenage Riot by Sonic Youth

The first time I heard this song (and album) I was blown away. I was a senior in HS when this was released and, truth be told, I was kind of a jazz snob obsessed with music theory. There was something about the melody and chord changes that instantly hooked me and made me a lifelong Sonic Youth fan. Although I don’t foresee Kim and Thurston ever settling their differences anytime soon, I still hold on to hope for a reunion.

Next song to play is Disorder by Joy Division

In my opinion, Unknown Pleasures is a masterpiece of a record and Disorder is the jewel of the crown. Peter Hook ripping that bass line, Stephen Morris’ lightening fills and precision on the drums, Bernard Sumner playing chords bringing you right back to the 80s new wave scene and of course Ian Curtis with that baritone voice full of both talent and sadness that appealed to so many of us in our youth all culminate to create this classic. Like many of us, I’ve dealt with my own personal demons of sadness and when I first heard this song and the opening line, “I’ve been waiting for a guide to come and take me by the hand, could these sensations make me feel the pleasures of a normal man?” I felt like Ian was describing me. Just recapping this makes me want to play the whole album and brew more coffee but I’ll listen to the next song and finish this up. Do me a favor though, listen to this song and embrace how ahead of its time it was.

Last song for today….  Ghosts on the Boardwalk by The Bouncing Souls. 

The band is #SoJersey and I adore them. I saw them back in March in Jersey City and they are one of those bands that always make me happy. This song in particular makes me think of where I grew up (Point Pleasant, NJ) and the memories of the boardwalk, happiness, the ocean and all GOOD things. When they played this acoustically last year at their annual stoked for summer show at the Stone Pony summer stage I was overwhelmed and it’s one of those songs that makes me emotional. Thinking of the cancer scare and surgery I had the year before, all the friends and people that have entered my life making it a better place, I cried. “You say you’re empty, stripped away by the pain of broken dreams. All these emotions clouding up your eyes ‘til you can’t see” gets me EVERY TIME!

I have tickets to this year’s stoked for the summer show July 13th as a last hurrah before another major surgery. Why not come out, have a dead sled coffee with me and we can sing along together. 

Thanks for staying with me and being part of the Dead Sled Coffee family. I hope you enjoy these songs and I would love to hear what you’re listening to. Follow me on Instagram @sirkayak as I’d love to hear from you. I’ll give you all more songs soon