volume 132 - these walls

the power of community

memes of the week 🤠

zach silberberg @zachsilberberg

told my boss i was going on a date next week. she asked if i was taking my date “to the halloween store.” i asked what she meant. she refused to elaborate.

being memorable > making sense

kurtis conner @kurtisconner

normalize asking bartenders if they’ve “heard any rumours lately” so they can give you a fun little side quest

a lifelong side quest: making friends as an adult

bittersweetbootycall🦔 @KatyEustis

i’ll tell you what the answer is not: starting a podcast

Jason Goldman @goldman

Finally someone is in my corner

same energy as Joel in The Last of Us

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these are wild economic times. especially in the tech industry. according to layoffs.fyi, the tech industry has laid off nearly 290,000 workers since the start of 2022, with about 40% of them coming this year. this reckoning was bound to happen with how fast companies grew in 2021

i unfortunately was part of this mass reduction. i’ve considered doing DoorDash or something similar just to pay (some of) bills. my pride doesn’t get in the way of reality

i didn’t think i’d be here. then again we didn’t think we’d ever live through a pandemic, yet here we are in COVID’s senior year living in this new normal

this is where community can make the day-to-day a bit easier. the trope that a DIY attitude will help you sprint to the top works for some, but the reality is that life is a relay race

we run. we pass off the baton. we get the baton back. we run together. we run as a team

that’s why i was so stoked to tap in with my community at the most recent Pinoy Potluck event here in Austin during South By Southwest (SXSW). (editor’s note: Pinoy / Pinay is shorthand to refer to someone of Filipino heritage)

it felt like one big family party which reminded me so much of home. because there would be so many people at those parties, there’d be folks i’d meet that i wouldn’t know if we were blood related or not. but it didn’t matter because the sense of community was so strong

it was so dope to have different options for lumpia!!

as a second generation Pinoy myself, it was incredible learning about different peoples’ experiences with our heritage, with some living / studying in the motherland and others discovering what it means to be Filipino

back in SF, Filipinos and our culture are so prevalent, it was second nature for me. but now, i didn’t know i need to tap in with 1/2 of my heritage

it was a great event overall. amazing food, a lot of talented artists, dope vendors, and we even got some stragglers coming through to see what was going on. i also managed the bar for a lil bit with a new friend lmao

i was really good at telling people we didn’t have beer

it boils down to this: when times are tough, our community provides the scaffolding to help make whatever we’re going through go a lil easier. and i’m grateful for that opportunity

and with that, let's get to the music for the week ❤️‍🔥

- claudio / claud / @offballscreen

this week’s music ⤵️

1. These Walls - Live
   Tedeschi Trucks Band
   Released: 2017

piggybacking off last week’s rant on live recorded albums, i knew it was time to check out this project from top to bottom. it’s been on my “to-listen” listen for awhile, so i made time while playing FIFA recently to check it out

(randomly, you may have heard them perform in this Chevy commercial of all places lmao)

there is so much soul in their performance. +1000 for it being played at the legendary Fox Theater in Oakland:

so many great acts have come through

the way the lead singer, Susan Tedeschi, sings these lyrics gets me every time:

Says, ‘I've been thinking
I've been thinking
I've been thinking 'bout you, baby
For such a long, long time’

such an emotional performance. i’m glad we get to hear the live version straight from the source. and i’m grateful to come see them when they come to Austin later in May

2. Heartbeat - Club Mix
   Taana Gardner
   Released: 1981

Movin’ all around
From my head to the ground
Everything you said
Went right straight to my head

Larry Levan was a legendary DJ from the 80s / early 90s who’s known for spinning legendary set after set at the Paradise Garage in NYC. his influence laid down the foundation for modern dance clubs today

through his cult following, fans have released playlists of his old sets on streaming platforms and that’s how i came across this track. there’s also official releases of songs he made popular:

there’s so much to learn about him and i have no idea where to get started besides his Wikipedia page lmao. one way is through all his old mixes and edits and i’m grateful to his community for keeping his sound alive

3. Oranges On A Jet Feat. Curren$y
   Larry June
   Released: 2019

Ay, what it do, what's your name?
Beat nuts, whip wet like rain
Bitch, I'm gettin' too much money, quit the hate
All that talkin', you be jawsin', you fake

long-time readers know: i love Larry June. i love Cardo. so best believe i eat up whatever they put out

they’re undefeated in pickup

Curren$y’s been putting out music for close to 15 years now and it hasn’t gotten stale. his DIY style matches Larry’s approach in staying true to themselves and carving out their own lanes

as an OG Curren$y fan, it was dope hear them finally cross paths over Cardo’s signature cowbell 🙏

4. Waterfall
   Disclosure & RAYE
   Released: 2022

Won’t you please
Pour your loving over me
All your loving over me
Like a waterfall baby

this is really just here because i went for a run with the dogs the other day and this helped me push through the last 5 minutes because i really don’t like running nor like to think about running but this gets Remy tired so i pushed my feelings aside so we could go on a run (which should be categorized as a jog lmao)