Published in the Quad-City Times on June 26, 2024

Alright, I’ve got a problem. I can’t stop tweeting. 

As I’ve gotten older, X (gag) has drawn me in more and more every year. That’s certainly not because of its leadership.

It’s mostly because I’ve followed enough musicians and music journalists to make it a great forum for discovery. When new albums come out from artists I’ve never heard of, I’m always able to find out which ones are must-listens, thanks to the taste of my timeline.

I’ve been careful to make sure it’s not an echo chamber, either. I follow rap critics, indie writers, DIY emo bands, you name it. Some of it is up my alley, some of it is not. 

I use X to share my own music takes as well. For the last few years, there’s been one music tweet format that I can’t get enough of. 

It’s simple: if I’m listening to my music in my car, or at home, and hit a perfect, eclectic sequence of songs in my shuffled playlist, I share them all in one big song dump. I title each tweet, “I’ve got the aux,” and they always get two or three likes.

But I persist, because I’m nothing if not stubborn. 

These tweets are fun, but offline, I hate getting passed the aux cord. It’s too much pressure to control music in a car or at an event. In a family of DJs — my dad went to school for it before pivoting to a career in teaching, my brother still DJ’s house parties and events, my other brother DJ’ed weddings to pay rent in college — I’m an outlier. 

When the situation comes up — “Hey Gannon, you like music, right!” — I have a playlist ready. I call it “one size fits all,” built with the aim of having at least a few songs that anyone could like. 

But just like any clothing item labeled “one size fits all,” one size does not fit all. 

“What is this sad stuff?” my pop-loving college roommates asked as I played the most upbeat Mitski song I could find. 

“Ugh, I hated this song when it was on the radio,” my alternative pals protested as I fought the urge to say, “Actually, The Lumineers are a great band.” 

In this column, I’m overcoming the intimidation of the aux. If you handed it to me today, here’s what I’m playing.

Concert of The Week: Tree0nine Festival at The Rust Belt

The easiest artist to throw on, if you’re looking to please everyone, is Girl Talk.

The revolutionary, sample-swapping, mashup DJ from Pittsburgh blends rap, classic rock, R&B, soul and pop with grace. His 2008 record “Feed The Animals” is probably my favorite dance album of the ’00s, and my biggest obsession right now. I’ve been playing at least a chunk of it almost every day. 

Girl Talk is the headliner for the first day of Tree0nine Festival, a music, arts and cannabis fest being held Friday and Saturday at The Rust Belt in East Moline. The second day will be headlined by club-rap-hitmaker Waka Flocka Flame. General admission tickets are $50 for Friday, $65 for Saturday and $100 for both. 

On This Daytrotter: Lydia Loveless on June 25, 2012

On the flip-side of the genre-warping coin is Lydia Loveless, who teeters between punk, country and down-tempo folk jams. They recorded a Daytrotter session this week in 2012, which featured one of Lydia’s most iconic songs, “Steve Earle,” an absurd lyrical fiction about being stalked by the famous country songwriter. 

It may mess up the energy at the function, but I’d play it on the aux anyways. It’s somehow not even Lydia Loveless’ best song named after a famous singer. That award goes to 2014’s “Chris Isaak,” a middle-finger break-up ballad about an ex who… really liked Chris Isaak. 

Isaiah Rashad – “RIP Young”

What’s better on the aux than a song with a call-and-response hook? An Isaiah Rashad song with a call-and-response hook. 

“Every time we hit the red lights: just shine,” the rapper goes on the chorus for “Rip Young.” “Ain’t nothing but a good day: don’t die.” 

Rashad, one of hip-hop’s unheralded underdogs, absolutely glides on this beat. Ethereal piano chords whirr in the background as the kick drums thump. Boom, boom, boom, they accelerate, an assertive knock on the front door of a good time. My only gripe with “RIP Young” is that I wish it was longer. 

MUNA – “Home By Now”

When it comes to pop, all the rage is (rightfully) about Chappell Roan right now. If you love Roan’s hit “Red Wine Supernova,” you’ll almost certainly love this one from MUNA in 2022. “Home By Now,” an indie synth-pop heater from MUNA, isn’t the song you play at the party. It’s the song you play on the way home from the party, reflecting on how it all went by so fast. 

The electronic percussion on “Home By Now” spins like the big wheel on “The Price is Right.” The song evaluates a relationship that can’t survive without change, and you’re all out of nickels. Considering the simmering emotions, it’s impressive vocalist Katie Gavin can hold it all in, but her subdued voice hits every line with the punch of a pep talk. 

Adeem the Artist – “Nightmare”

I don’t think country songwriter Adeem the Artist has missed yet in their short career. I was lucky enough to see them play at Raccoon Motel in December, when it was clear that, from stage presence alone, Adeem is destined for stardom. They aren’t quite a household name yet, but if any album will do it, it’s 2024’s “Anniversary.” 

That album’s “Nightmare” is admittedly a tough pill to swallow — it’s about feeling conflicted about going to church, in the face of hatred from certain leaders. But it reveals Adeem’s unmatched skill: making doses of social frustration and heartbreak feel like a pale ale in paradise. 

Arcadia Grey – “Made 4 Love”

I didn’t know anything about Indianapolis emo band Arcadia Grey when I first saw them at a punk fest in Milwaukee this winter. But it was an easy sell from the second they stepped on stage. With each song, their frenetic sound expanded to the point where it didn’t feel like such a small room could contain them anymore. Someday, it probably won’t. 

I earmarked Arcadia Grey by following them online and patiently waited for a new record. Full-length LP “Casually Crashing” dropped in May and is full of bangers. “Made 4 Love” is my personal favorite, an energetic fuzz-rocking ode to self-love with swathes of solar power chords. It’s the rare emo track that sounds just as futuristic as it does vintage. It belongs on a long lost “American Pie” soundtrack — and your playlist.

Remi Wolf – “Monte Carlo”

I’ll end with an aux success story.

I was obsessed with Remi Wolf for a good chunk of my junior year of college. Could anyone blame me? Her breakout record “Juno” dropped that year without a single miss, and I had it on loop. But her first true hit came a year earlier, the raspy hip-pop heater “Monte Carlo.”

It’s mostly nonsensical, with high-pitched bars about fancy cheese, “I Love Lucy” and a “tiny little boyfriend.” But the beat keeps its foot on the gas and Remi’s chemistry is velvety ecstasy.

On a trip to the grocery store that year, I played this one for one of my college roommates and I heard him sing that hook — “Hey-uh! Think I’m gonna rent a Monte Carlo!” — once a week for the rest of our apartment lease. 

So take that, haters. I can handle the aux.

I’ve gotta tweet about this.