See, I’ve got at least 8 weeks of scheduled releases. But I’m a little behind on all the content and data that goes with them. Thus, as I’m working through the uploads to my distributor, getting all the words written and making the subsequent videos that go with each post, I am needing a little pick-me-up for my body. It’s been sitting on it’s ass for hours on end – which makes anyone’s ass go numb.

That’s where Em comes into play. Her song Numb Little Bug is a punchy piano driven spot of pop lunch that hits the spot. One of the recurring lines I’m hearing in the song that jumps out is “Do you ever get a little bit tired of life?” Mind you I don’t take pills to make me feel nothing – like the start of the music implies she’s done. But I can relate that on rare occasions it’s hard to not be a little tired of the same old shit.

One of the things I think Em has smartly done is opened the song with a unique sounding piano for her opening riff. Its one of the 12 things needed for a hit song. Another thing is her unique voice, she sounds like her and I’m not comparing her voice to someone else. The lyrics almost feel like a conversation with me as the listener. Plus they are clever which helps. Plus there’s some nice little breaks through the song. And the ending is bringing it full circle by ending with a sonic vibe that harkens back to the intro.

Luckily I’ve got a few more things I’m working on that are leading me down a new path for music. Plus there’s a road trip in the stars coming pretty soon. And on that road trip this song will be part of the sing-a-long tunes I’ll be packing with myself and my significant other. We don’t seem to tire of each other and that is a plus.

The post Going Numb with Data appeared first on Single of the Day.

In 2001, Rock Star hit theaters with Mark Wahlberg playing a tribute band singer who lands the gig of a lifetime fronting a major metal act. It’s a fantasy a lot of musicians carry around quietly. What most people don’t know is that four years later, I nearly lived a version of it. Instead of a fictional band called Steel Dragon, it was INXS.

A Personal Connection to the Story

I came to Rock Star through a friend. Jeff Scott Soto has been mentioned on this blog more than once. He voiced the singing parts of the original Steel Dragon frontman and appears on several tracks on the soundtrack alongside a stellar roster of ’80s and ’90s metal vocalists. I own the film partly because of Jeff, and partly because the fantasy it depicts is one I understand firsthand.

Jeff himself later lived a real version of that story when he fronted Journey for a couple of tours. It happens. And in 2005, it almost happened to me.

The Call I Wasn’t Expecting

Before this blog launched, word got out that producers were casting Rock Star: INXS, the CBS reality series where the band would find their next lead singer through a live competition. A handful of musical friends suggested I throw in an audition tape. I passed. I didn’t think I was the right fit.

Then Deirdre called.

She had ties to the show’s producers, and they’d asked her point-blank: who do you know that has the range of Michael Hutchence, can write songs, and would be a credible match for INXS? She told me I was the only name that came to mind.

Would I come in for a private audition?

I told her: if I don’t have to send a tape and they’re asking for me directly, sure.

She was happy. We hung up. Thirty-five minutes later, a producer’s assistant called with the details.

Two Rules. One Address.

The instructions were specific. First: you cannot perform an INXS song. No problem. I had plenty of my own material. Second: you cannot dress like Michael Hutchence. Also fine. I’ve never been interested in being anyone but myself.

The address they gave me was the Whisky a Go Go on Sunset.

I thought that was a strange venue for a private audition, but I didn’t push back. I had a recording session elsewhere in LA starting at 2:30, so I figured thirty to forty-five minutes would cover it. I confirmed the 1:30 p.m. slot and moved on.

The Line That Wasn’t in the Briefing

When I pulled up to the Whisky the next day, I found a line that stretched out the front door, east along Sunset, around the building, and north up the side street (N Clark St). Whatever they’d described to me as a private audition, this was clearly also a full-scale cattle call.

I found parking right out front, grabbed my guitar, and walked to the door. I told the guy at the entrance I was there for a private audition at 1:30. He looked at me like I’d said something in a foreign language and told me to get in line.

I kept it short: “You guys called me. If you don’t want me here, I have a recording session to get to.”

He conferred with someone behind the door. A minute later, a higher-up came out holding a packet with my name on it. He told me to read it, sign it, and come back.

Blacking Out the Contract on the Curb

I stepped out to the curb and opened the packet in front of a hundred or so musicians waiting in line for their shot. When I read through it, I found several clauses I wasn’t willing to agree to. I blacked them out, initialed the redactions, signed it, and walked back to the door.

The higher-up came out, took the packet, and waved me inside.

Inside, the line wrapped around the room with another twenty-five or so people already waiting. The person on stage at that moment clearly hadn’t received the same rules I had. He was dressed like Michael Hutchence. He was performing an INXS song. He appeared to be doing the choreography from the song’s music video. I couldn’t understand it. But there it was.

Waiting in the Wings with Kat Parsons

While I waited, I ended up standing next to a musician I knew: Kat Parsons. She was as baffled by the Hutchence impersonator as I was. She’d been given the same two rules I had. We caught up while the line moved, and then her turn came. She stepped up, played one of her own songs, and gave a solid performance.

Then they called my name.

The Audition

As I walked toward the stage, a stagehand was already adjusting the mic stand. I’m much taller than Kat, and he could see that. By the time I got there, the mic was sitting at Adam’s apple height. I went to fix it and the stagehand practically lunged at me. Touching the mic stand was apparently off-limits for anyone auditioning. So I waited while he corrected it.

Once the mic was where it needed to be, the producer asked me a few questions. I answered them straight, got some laughs, and felt the room settle into something easy. Then they asked me to play.

I’d chosen All the Things. It felt right for what they were looking for. I played the song and left everything I had on that stage.

When I finished, the room stood up.

That’s not something I say lightly. The people who’d auditioned before me had gotten polite applause at best. Kat had gotten some real cheers. But this was a full standing ovation, from the waiting musicians, from the room, from the film crew, and from upstairs, where I could see members of INXS watching from the balcony. They were on their feet too.

I was thanked for my time. I packed up and left for my recording session.

The Call That Never Came

I never heard from them again.

It took about a year before I understood why. But that’s a story for another time.

What I’ll say is this: the Rock Star fantasy cuts both ways. Sometimes you get the call. Sometimes you give the performance of your life in front of the actual band, get a standing ovation, and still go home without an answer. That’s the music business, and it’s also what makes stories like this worth telling.

There’s something timeless about the archetype. Judas Priest found Tim “Ripper” Owens singing in a tribute band. Jeff fronted Journey. A reality show put Rock Star: INXS on prime-time television. The idea of the right singer finding the right band at the right moment keeps happening. Just not always the way you’d script it.

The post Do We All Die Young? appeared first on Single of the Day.

Going through my posts for Single of the Day, starting at the beginning and working toward more recent entries, has been a wild trip down memory lane. There’s a ton of great music I haven’t heard in a while. That both disappoints me and makes me happy to remember that I was doing some genuinely cool work for a lot of years, showcasing a new song every single day. Sadly, a large percentage of the bands I featured in the early years are no longer around. Sometimes this blog is the only place those songs still live.

Why I’m Doing This

You might ask: why are you going through all your posts, Jody?

The answer is twofold. First, there’s a lot of websites and links that seem to have gone the way of the dodo bird. Thus I’m prepping the site for something it probably should have had from the start, a modest amount of digital advertising. My intent early on was to have a site that was only about the music, and I made good on that promise for a long time. But hosting costs money, and the site needs to at least start covering its own costs. That was part of why I had to stop posting, I couldn’t justify the time spent without some kind of return.

Now I’m setting things up for ease, and building a path that could eventually bring in other music people whose taste I trust – so they can post about songs. Which leads to the second part: that would allow for getting back to new songs every day, and possibly genre-specific pages down the road. That’s on the roadmap, but the timeline isn’t clear yet. Which is a lot like what it is like for a man to understand a woman, the real concept behind “CODEBREAKER.”

Enter FELICITY

FELICITY was introduced to me by a long-time fan. While they specifically sent me a different song, it was “CODEBREAKER” that felt most relevant given everything going on, all the server work dragging me away from my own music, and of course the ongoing puzzle of understanding my better half.

Like everything in life, there are ups and downs, backs and forths, and the occasional setback. All of which is to say, “CODEBREAKER” is a fun romp that hooks you with a cool bass groove right from the start.

The track comes from the Orlando trash-rock band’s 2025 album Mixtape for the End of the World, Vol. 1, and it’s a sharp, playful slice of pop-punk that wastes no time making its case. FELICITY blend pop-punk energy with hard rock teeth, and “CODEBREAKER” sits right in their wheelhouse, confident, melodic, and built to stick in your head.

Reading the Room (or Trying To)

The verses are an easy look into how hard it can be to read someone else’s real output. FELICITY keeps the language direct and the energy tight, letting the frustration breathe without turning it into a therapy session.

Then the chorus kicks in and spells it out in the simplest possible terms: I need a CODEBREAKER to read your body language.

Don’t we all?

It’s a line that earns a knowing laugh whether you’re trying to figure out a partner, a collaborator, or a web server that has decided today is not the day it cooperates. “CODEBREAKER” doesn’t overstay its welcome at just over two and a half minutes, but it delivers on every front, the groove, the hook, and the wry self-awareness that makes FELICITY so easy to root for.

The post Feeling Like a CODEBREAKER appeared first on Single of the Day.

The good news? Thousands of people have apparently already found their way back here without a single announcement. That’s not nothing. But it does mean the clock is ticking on updating 1,800+ posts, because nobody should land on a page and find dead audio. Working on it.

(Side note: if you’re handy with AI tools and have thoughts on automating a backend content audit at scale, genuinely curious. Drop a comment or reach out.)

A Week of Loose Ends

Getting a long-dormant site back into shape isn’t just flipping a switch. The back end needs attention. Links need auditing. Pages that worked four years ago don’t always behave the same way on a rebuilt server. It’s the unglamorous side of running an independent music blog, and it eats time fast.

The goal has always been simple: every post should work. Every song should play. Every artist link should go somewhere real. That standard slipped during 14 years of dormancy, and getting back there is the priority.

Why Time Machine Feels Right for This Moment

Choosing the first real song post of the comeback wasn’t hard. “Time Machine” has been remixed, remastered, and mixed into Atmos, which alone makes it worth your ears. But beyond the technical upgrades, the title says everything about where this blog has been.

Fourteen years is a long absence. Looking back now, it feels a little like being lost in time, drifting through other projects and other eras, always meaning to return but never quite landing. This song is the landing.

The Atmos mix in particular deserves your attention. If you have the hardware to hear it properly, spatial audio does something to this track that the original couldn’t. The depth and separation open the song up in a way that feels genuinely new, not just a remaster for the sake of a remaster.

The original version of “Time Machine” came from a different headspace entirely. It was written and recorded during a period where the creative output was high and the pressure to make something lasting felt very real. Getting it right mattered then. Getting it right still matters now.

What the remix does is strip away the ceiling the original recording had. Every mix has a ceiling, a point where the technology or the time constraints of the session put a cap on what the final product could be. The Atmos version removes that ceiling entirely. Instruments sit in their own space. The low end has weight without mud. The vocals have air around them that the original simply couldn’t achieve.

It’s the kind of upgrade that makes you wonder what other songs in the catalog deserve the same treatment. Probably more than a few.

If you’ve never listened to a spatial audio mix on proper headphones or a capable speaker setup, you will need to head to Apple Music. “Time Machine” in Atmos is a genuinely convincing argument for why the format matters.

What Comes Next

Posts are coming. Music that moves, from artists who deserve ears, chosen by a human who actually cares what goes up here. No algorithm decides the playlist on this site.

If you’re an artist and want a shot at being featured, the submission form is live at the top and bottom of every page. Fill it out in full and it moves faster.

More soon. Glad you’re back.

The post After 25 Years, Time Machine Remix Is an Insane Atmos Upgrade appeared first on Single of the Day.

Here’s the thing: algorithms have failed us. Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, they’re optimized for engagement, not discovery. Not the kind of discovery that comes from a real set of ears, someone who’s been obsessed with music long enough to know when something genuinely moves. That’s what Single of the Day always was. That’s what it’s going to be again.

What Happened to the Site (The Honest Version)

About six months ago, while migrating servers, things went sideways. Twice. Theme files, gone. Music files, gone. Post data, thankfully, survived all of it.

After the second crash, I made a deliberate choice: slow down, do it right. Other projects took priority, and Single of the Day sat dormant a little longer than I’d like to admit. But a few days ago, a window of time opened up and I decided it was time for a proper revival. Not a patch job, a full rebuild.

Finding a hard-copy backup of the music files was the turning point. That was the real concern, because there are demos and alternate versions living in this archive that you simply cannot find anywhere else.

The New Site: Faster, Sharper, More Functional

The old theme was a security liability, too outdated to run on the updated server. So the rebuild started from scratch. The new design is cleaner. The header image is higher resolution. Pages load significantly faster. It’s the same soul, modernized.

Fair warning: a lot of old links are dead. With 1,800+ posts in the archive, most entries may have audio, some may only have readable text until I can track down working links. I’ll be working through it, but it’s going to take time, especially while I’m also writing and releasing new music.

Submitting Music: There’s a Form Now

The old “email me a link” method is gone. There’s now a proper submission form, and the more detail an artist fills in, the faster it moves through. If a song genuinely moves me, it goes up. Simple as that.

• Artists: Want a little extra promotional push? Go Submit.
• Fans: Know someone who deserves ears on their music? Go Submit for them.

The submission link lives at the top and bottom of every page.

A Word on Ads (Yes, Really)

This one stings a little to write. After years of keeping this site ad-free, there will now be one, just one, lightweight ad per page. No autoplay, no popups, nothing aggressive. The server and the site have real costs, and after 14 years this is finally the compromise I’m making to keep it sustainable. I appreciate your understanding more than you know.

First Song Back is by Griff & Sigrid

To kick off the return, something that’s been on repeat in this house for weeks. Two artists who really don’t need the help, but deserve every word of it anyway.

Griff and Sigrid have released something dangerously catchy called Head on Fire. Relatable in the best way. The kind of track that lodges itself somewhere behind your sternum, between your ears and refuses to leave once it worms it’s way into your brainpan. Press play. You’ll understand immediately.

Welcome back. Let’s make the world better with music.

The post Single of the Day Returns After 14 Years. Algorithms Failed You. appeared first on Single of the Day.

Speaking of City Lights I’m hopin you’re here on the Single of the Day page right now checking out Malynda Hale. I’m going through a backlog of material that has been sent my way. After sending about 20 requests to the ether bin I found Malynda’s song to be something that caught my ear. Right from the get go it’s the hook of the music grabbing me and pulling me right in. The song is there. It’s thumpin from a writing standpoint. Hooky piano, hooky bass, and a groovin drum loop. Malynda’s voice comes in and starts flowering over the top. I really like the chorus when it pops on. From that aspect it’s ready as can be.

There is one thing I’m sitting here thinking though – There is no dynamic between sections. Sure things come in and out of the mix. However, I’m missing an element of volume change. It’s a common issue with artists wanting to compete against the majors who are getting hot records that still have some dynamic to them. Maybe it’s the fact that I’m watching tons of episodes of a show all about mixing from and by the “big” name mixing engineers. For my own ability to mix for projects I do and for others, I’m really beginning to pay attention to little details.

For most people I think this won’t be an issue – no volume change. However, when the verse is already on 10 and the chorus is to pop in and bring the song further up, there’s no where else to go – especially when there is so much ear candy to latch on to. This doesn’t mean I don’t like the song. I really dig it. But it can be better with dynamics.

Maybe there comes a point where the artist runs out of money and can’t go any further with it. Maybe that’s the issue with these co-writers who are missing deadlines on the project I’m doing going to a major network. The unfortunate thing is, it’s a business and the music while important, often has to take a back seat when money is involved. That doesn’t stop me from paying attention to detail. As we learn and grow, the production and the music should be getting better. When we hit that awesome balance that’s when the City Light are shining on us. I do think Malynda has a great future. Keep an ear out for her!

The post City Lights Are Shining appeared first on Single of the Day.

Coming from across the pond is an air of sports. In a short time from the date of this post, London or rather England will be hosting the world for the Olympic games. That’s a pretty wild thing. In catching up on the news of it, I caught some interviews about the last minute prep and security measures. Apparently one apartment building near the festivities will have missiles on their roof for the duration of the games. Some tenants are not overly joyed. Understandable. Unfortunately getting whatever you want isn’t always going to be reality.

What I was impressed with was the pre prep of the sports. BMX in particular. BMX is now an Olympic sport. The course for the women had a particular jump that if the wind was blowing a certain way, resulted in too many crashes. Thus they modified it to reduce the crash rate. That’s awesome.

Enough about the Olympics. The real gist of this post is for the video you see above. The band Air Bag One comes from across the pond. While they might not agree, I’d liken the immediate look to that of a British version of the Jonas Brothers. Musically I’m hearing a bit more stylized sound from Air Bag One. There’s a harkening homage to the falsetto of the Bee Gees going on here.

Snappy is the first word that comes to mind in describing the tune. Personally I like the way they’re using the falsetto of their voices. Lots of layers going on sound wise with nice stops and starts throughout the song via the more prominent instruments. There’s some serious production going on in there. Ear candy galore.

Video wise this song had some creative input that also pays homage to an era when music videos collided with avant garde film making. I hate to write it, but some of the visuals and their metaphorical meanings complete escape me. Doesn’t mean they’re not cool to look at as it’s extremely well shot and edited.

Expand the horizon with some tunes from across the pond. Add some Air Bag One to your library and hopefully you’ll be getting whatever you want.

The post Getting Whatever You Want appeared first on Single of the Day.

In thinking about the concept of a deadline I have friends who have been wildly successful. They built a business made tons of money then decided they wanted out and sold. Made large chunks of money and now travel, and talk of doing other things, but then never do. While I’ve never approached the subject of if they feel lost without the job or lack of deadlines, I have to imagine there’s a point where getting up and having no goal, and nothing to do can actually be a road to despondency.

I’m aware that mine is only fleeting. I’m pushing myself right now to put these words out into the digital ether-space. I have a theme to write. I have songs to practice and commit to memory. I have a radio interview tonight (UMR) <– listen at 8 p.m. Mountain Time. There are other things coming. However I’m feeling like I’m in limbo and that will eventually push me to take action.

Despite that, I’m rolling with a song that was presented to me a great song for my blog about Yoga. I had a bit of a chuckle about that when I opened the email, mostly due to the fact that I don’t have a blog about yoga. While I’ve got several years worth of posts here on Single of the Day, and I’m sure I’ve mentioned yoga as it pertains to the beachbody P90X and P90X2 workouts I do, SOTD is not about yoga. Though in thinking about it right now, I’m in a two week break from working out before I start another 90 day adventure of getting into better shape. That’s another thing that is likely part of my ponderings this morning.

The track is Unstruck Chord by Steve Gold. It’s based on a poem by Lorin Roche. I found it to be a nice little relaxing tune. There’s a spirited feel to the guitar playing. I get a sense that Steve probably listened to a bunch of Cat Stevens in his formative years. Maybe some Michael Hedges and some of the other great acoustic guitar players and song writers. Steve’s voice has a velvety flow over the top of music. I’d liken it to feeling of a soft tissue of a cover that is gently folded into the mix.

In a way I’m feeling a bit unstruck today. I’d attribute that to the restless without deadlines aspect of my day. Which means it’s now time to go make some. What’s your deadline today? Does Steve’s song help relax your stress as you achieve your goal? It should.

The post Restless Without Deadlines appeared first on Single of the Day.

It’s odd that right now we have a political system that has dropped the idea of doing something good for the people. Instead they’re into sound bites and propaganda. Sad. Especially when we have a president that is having issues fixing a broken system. Even worse when the “opposite” major contender lies out of his mouth and ass at the same time – oddly I’m still amazed that very few people cares that he lies and continues to lies with no repercussion.

The rise of poor health is mostly about poor food supply. Yet instead of making the idea of fucking with the food supply illegal, we let it continue. In this respect I’d like to dare America to be more like Europe and stand up against the corporate destruction of our food supply. Stop allowing Monsanto and other purely evil companies to screw up the food supply.

There’s a bright side. Those that create, work, and stand up can make a difference. Will you?

Right now I’ve got a song that’s been sitting in my inbox for a bit.  Of course I’ve been shirking my made up job of this blog to work other aspects of my existent. One, I’m happy to say that one of my goals recently has been to Look Good Naked [hint hint, main reason why I’m rolling with today’s song], to that end I’ve been doing P90X2 and I’m saying – it works. I’m an advocate of taking care of my own health. Beyond that I stretch out in my main career.

Roshambeaux, who’s song you’re listening to right now, is about people using their “money makers”. The obvious idea of a mm is a woman’s ass and/or boobs. For a guy it’s generally his rugged looks and/or his package. The thing is, this song is perfect for something like the collegiate/university market. Not heavily polished, but very live feeling. Plus, when you’re out drinking at a party, then main idea you’re pursuing is being attractive naked to those whom you’re interested in.

With the swagger this song has, I can imagine that should Roshambeaux put on a hot and sweaty show, the crowd will be going home lucky. That’s the whole idea right? It’s what makes your money maker drive right? It should. Love yourself enough to be the change for yourself and ultimately for others. Get on their bandwagon. Get on my bandwagon. Buy the music. Sign up for email updates. Go forth and be alive.

The post What Makes Your Money Maker appeared first on Single of the Day.

I’ve been hearing of this recently beyond being ill too. It happens in sports. I know of a sport where an athlete has recently decided to take on the governing body. Chances are they have overinflated their importance to the sport and will have likely destroyed their career.

This also happens a whole lot in entertainment. Music particularly. I can think of several artists that are petulant and believe they are better than they really are. Some are famous, some not so famous. There’s a fine line between being confident and being arrogant. Confidence is great, arrogance is supremely annoying.

How do you find that line? That’s a very good question. Pay attention to what people say or act around you. That’s the simple answer.

What would be a good transition from all that into writing up a song? There isn’t one. Here’s a song by Deer Park Avenue which for some reason reminds me of what I call my home town, Park City and the finger land of Deer Valley. Why? Because there is a Park Avenue that runs a good portion of town, and of course the Deer part of Deer Valley. To further that, Deer Valley is considered the “money” area of millionaire 2nd homes. With Deer Park Avenue’s song – Millionaire, I make it that way.

There’s a strong collegiate vibe going on in the recording. It’s not super polished, but there’s a good vibe there. From a production standpoint, I really think there’s a power hidden in there that could be unleashed with a bit more mixing polish. That’s a personal preference. I do like the vocals. They’re the standout point in this song.

The build into the chorus really a good way to push into it. I’d love to hear those punches really punching me hard. The elements are there and it will be interesting to see where they go when they get to polish themselves up a bit more from a production standpoint. The great thing is, the song is there. I’d be interested in knowing what they’re like live.

In the meantime, don’t be that person that is going out in public while sick, that kind of self importance blows. Watch your arrogance. Be confident, but don’t be a dick. That’s the trick. To that end, get Deer Park Avenue’s song from your favorite store. Get on their email list. Get on my email list while you’re at it. Enjoy your day!

The post Self Importance That Blows appeared first on Single of the Day.