Nathan's Small Delights: SD_011

Ayup, what’s good?

The tropical year has come to a conclusion as this oblate spheroid we call Earth officially completed the full cycle of astronomical seasons. Much like last month, the new year finds me precariously teetering on the brink of being overwhelmed. What better way to bring me back from the edge than to recount a selection of experiences that momentarily transformed the bleakness of the world around me into something slightly less bleak? In the immortal words of Charles Dickens’ Scrooge, "What's to day?" - to which I respond with wild gesticulations, “It is the 4th old chap! It is time for your monthly Small Delights!” Here we go!

The Delights

With December in full swing, my personal loathing of the holidays was ramping up to the max & I needed to figure out a way to tamp it down. The latter half of my calendar was already jammed up with various obligations, so I decided on a classic strat & joined my bestie for a jaunt to the GAwC Gamma level rated & 21st most populated city in the southeast - Nashville, TN!

Located on the shores of the Cumberland River & home to the world’s first skyscraper ever constructed in Nashville, this city is often referred to as Music City (most likely on account of the high concentration of music within the city). Everywhere you look is music. Music of all shapes & sizes. Look over there! There is a small amount of music! Look inside that building! A slightly larger amount of music! There! On the street next to the man screaming through a megaphone about God’s wrath! Not nearly enough music as the situation demands, but still, some quantity of music! In Music City, the music is all around you!

What is one to do while visiting a city bursting at the seams with so much music? The answer is obvious! Visit the world’s only exact-size replica of Athens’ own Parthenon, of course!

Other than being an exact 1:1 copy of Greece’s famed Temple of Athena, the Nashville replica houses an artifact that is the perfect portal into a time that once was. A simpler time where public interest in an exhibit was not driven by a social media algorithm, but rather the bombastic wordsmithery of the local barkers. Imagine, if you will, the electricity in the air as the crowds gather to finally see the much-talked-of microbe! Exhilarating!

The remainder of the trip was a collection of standard travel activities. I spent a good amount of time in the National Museum of African American Music, soaked up some incredible exhibitions at the Frist Art Museum, feasted on one of the top five pizzas in my life at Sho Pizza Bar, & most importantly, I visited some local record stores to get my digging fix. I spent a little bit of time at Third Man Records, but the bins did not hold the treasures I sought. On the recommendation of the clerk, I hoofed it across town & popped into Daydream Records, followed by a short stop at Grimey’s.

Daydream was the standout for me. I had a nice chat with the owner, Daniel & spent a few hours digging through every corner of the shop. The bins were flush with all sorts of funky treats & when all was said & done, I walked out with a fat little stack of wax.

Hot on the heels of the Nashville trip was the final gig of the year - the Holiday Vibe Artisan Market. It was another weekend slinging all assortments of deep cuts with longtime friend & San Antonio selector, Rick Lara. Throughout the year, I have played multiple gigs alongside him, & I walk away from each one feeling reinvigorated, inspired, & overflowing with the creativity - this last gig of the year had me feeling much the same. I am pretty chuffed for the upcoming year of Vibe Artisan Markets. Word on the street is that we are taking the show on the road for the Houston event in April. Oooh la la!

Earlier in the month, I was commencing with my morning dental hygiene routine & noticed something new. While executing the renowned Bass/Sulcular technique with my soft-bristled brush, I began aimlessly scanning the contents of the shelf behind me. Spread out in a haphazard arrangement were the usual sort of bathroom items - deodorant, prescription medicine, & exfoliant bar soap - nothing terribly interesting. From the corner of my eye, the blue packaging of the 625-count box of Q-tips grabbed my attention & I began perusing the text printed on the perforated dispenser opening. Four recommended uses & accompanying images were stacked atop each other as a sort of totem pole representing the product’s versatility, & at the apex were four of the most unintentionally hilarious words I have ever had the pleasure of seeing - Two Tips. Endless Possibilities.

Aside from being factually incorrect (there is indeed a finite number of possibilities for what can be done with a Q-tip), the image these words conjure in my head sends me into fits of uncontrollable laughter. All I can think about is a corporate board room with two slick suits from the marketing department emphasizing each word with index fingers pressed against thumbs while moving their hands towards the execs. Then, after an almost awkwardly long silence, one of the Johnson brothers says, “By golly, the possibilities ARE endless!”

What a delight!

Vinyl Jockey on the web

For the past few months, I have been casually mentioning an upcoming mix for the Motive Artistry Music YouTube channel & I am stoked to say that the final installment for Season 3 of In The Studio has hit the digital streets. The mix is an hour of mid-tempo edits & some pitched-down house. Check the YouTube version for the full video of me hamming it up, or if you just want to bop to the tunes while cruising, then you can give it a whirl via SoundCloud.

I am continuing the grand tradition of resurrecting track ideas from years ago that I could never get out of the loop phase & finally pushing them closer to the finish line. Back in 2023, I came up with this really funky synth bassline, but could never figure out how to make it work - it was just a groovy loop. I dusted it off last week & think I am finally getting somewhere with it. The arrangement still needs some work, but this is the version that is starting to make sense. Give it a whirl & let me know what you think - Work Your Body.

Vinyl Jockey in the wild

On the 16th of this month, dust off those dancing shoes & mosey on over to Marlow on East 6th for an evening jam-packed with top-shelf House music. Headliner for the evening is Atlanta’s own Quickweave, with opening duties locked in by the triple threat of myself alongside the debonair duo from San Antonio, Mike C & Kinn. The needle drops on the first record promptly at 9pm. Absolutely no cover, so mark those calendars & join us for ice-cold drinks & stone-cold grooves.

That’s a wrap for now!

-Nathan Stewart