As corny as these sightings sound, in a way, they’re not too far off in terms of people actually seeing the King. Since Elvis’s death, the Elvis impersonator phenomenon skyrocketed into the stratosphere. Sure, ever since he started making music, fans had been making a career off impersonating the King but after August of 1977, it became a worldwide sensation. Dead or alive, Elvis is truly everywhere.

As of 2026, there are currently over 2,000 Elvis impersonators, or more commonly referred to as Elvis Tribute Artists, all around the world. Ranging in age, nationality, and gender, anyone can become Elvis with some sideburns, sunglasses, and the bedazzled white suit.

A favorite tribute artist of ours happens to be known as Extreme Elvis. A man of mystery, Extreme Elvis got his start, trying to do normal impersonations but it just wasn’t landing right. One year at Burning Man, he decided to perform as Elvis—naked. A star was born. Known for his nudity, use of bodily fluids, and raspy vocals, Extreme Elvis came to an end when the FBI got involved. Why? We’ll never know (but we can take a couple of guesses). A star burns bright and fast as far as we’re concerned.

Some do last longer than others; take Brendan Paul, for example. Coming in at six foot four, he’s the co-owner of the Graceland Chapel in Las Vegas. Every day, for the last 30 years, Brendan has put on his Elvis suit, one leg at a time, and clocked in as the Elvis wedding officiant for almost 80,000 weddings. That’s about 4,000 hours of “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” back-to-back. The Graceland Chapel has seen more days than Brendan’s, having opened its doors in 1939, making it the oldest chapel in Vegas. It was the first chapel to have an Elvis themed ceremony in 1977. Meanwhile, in 1990’s Los Angeles, Brendan dyed his long blonde hair black for his punk band. Once accepted into UCLA, the hair got shorter and the sideburns got longer. When he arrived at school in the fall, a student asked him if he was an Elvis impersonator and the rest is history. After graduation, he packed up his suits and headed for the bright lights of Vegas and got the part-time gig at the Graceland Wedding Chapel. He’s been singing “Love Me Tender”, ever since.

Ultimately, some Elvis sightings can be found in our own backyard or Basement. Our good friend, Brett Mikoll, had his turn being the King for a night at his best friend’s wedding a few years back. Well before his friends Zack and Cassie got hitched, they were all at a bowling alley together. After a few beers and a few spares, Brett confidently told the couple that he would perform as Elvis when they get married, no charge of course. Years later, after Zack proposed, Brett got the call: it was time to suit up.

Brett’s only experience with performing as Presley came from mimicking Elvis’s voice during karaoke and changing any tune into more of a ballad. The night of Zack and Cassie’s wedding, Brett performed two songs for the couple and the small, intimate group of wedding guests: “All That I Am” and “Suspicious Minds”. When we asked if he would do it again, he said, “It would take a suit that fits well in all the right places and a bottle of tequila.”

There’s a little bit of Elvis in all of us; all you have to do is look inward and let the King out.

A guy named Burt Gillett knew this was true long before we ever wrote it down. Burt came in guns a-blazing to the empire that was (and still is) Disney back in 1929, having some years as a newspaper cartoonist and creator of his very own studio under his belt. He also had quite the reputation at this point, well known for his erratic outbursts and touch of, well, let’s just call it “arrogance.” This story isn’t really about Burt at all, though. Burt, as it happens, would build a career at Disney, which would culminate into one pivotal moment for himself, and ultimately, for animation as we know it: Flowers and Trees.

If you haven’t seen the masterpiece, we order you to stop reading this immediately and look it up on the good ‘ol Tube of You. Or you can just click here. It’s easy to get caught up in the thinking that humans are as creative or as funny as we’ve ever been in this day and age. Flowers and Trees knocks that notion high into the sky and into oblivion. First and foremost, it’s a love story between two trees. And whoever you are — boy, girl, cynic, robot, or alien from outer space — everyone likes a good love story.

The opening credits are shakily filmed, a bit like a home movie, which naturally adds to the nostalgia of it all. The action begins with a meadow waking — trees yawning dramatically, flowers stretching their leaf arms lazily to the sky, and mushrooms popping their caps out from the dirt. We see our first glimmer of true genius and comedy when the flowers perform their morning stem calisthenics (cali-stemics, if you will) when the caterpillar takes a quick shower under the morning dew of a flower. The film then zooms in on our protagonists, two young trees, alive and bursting to their branches with energy. Bet you know where this one is going. The lady tree with bushels and bushels of luscious, leaf green hair catches the eye of the young strapping tree rooted next to her who proceeds to serenade her and the whole thing quickly evolves into a classic boy-meets-girl romance. Apparently trees move faster than humans in that department. This first part of the story is about as peaceful as it gets. An evil, old weathered stump notices the lovely lady tree too and after trying and failing to steal her away, brawls with the young strapping tree. Obviously the stump isn’t in the best of shape and loses, pivoting its strategy to wreaking havoc on the entire meadow and ultimately lighting it ablaze. (Make a joke about violence in trees here). Of course, this now becomes bigger than a simple get-the-girl situation. Every last flower and tree descends into a panic. Right here is where the animators really take it and run.

The bluebells transform into literal bells and start ringing their flowered heads in alarm, not unlike a fire station’s warning bells. The bird’s caw turns into a siren of sorts. The lilies work tirelessly to dump water onto the fire using their flowers as buckets. A few of the more cowardly residents like the mushrooms go running for the hills. Chaos ensues until the birds band together, drill holes into the clouds, and rain showers down onto the meadow, extinguishing the deadly fires. Everyone rejoices and lives happily ever after for the most part.

It’s a great story on paper, sure. That’s obvious to anyone with a knack for wit and making something out of nothing. However, at the risk of repeating ourselves, the magic is in the animation. The magic is in the movement. You have to see the trees running into the lake to put their pants on and the birds using their nests to dump water onto the flames to really understand the methodical creativity at play here. It’s pure genius in the form of a Disney short film.

The magic is also in the film — yes, the actual physical strips of film. Flowers and Trees was not originally destined for color. At some point during production, Walt Disney was approached by a man named Herbert Kalmus. For our purposes, we’ll call him “Herb.” Herb and his team had just polished off their creation of the first three-strip Technicolor film after obsessively mastering the system. Walt decided to try the new method out on Flowers and Trees, which was already in production as a black-and-white short. That decision is something we should all be thanking our lucky stars for and here’s why. The word Technicolor gets thrown around pretty casually nowadays. It’s often used as a fluff word to make a film appear more impressive due to being more “manually” created. However, no modern films actually use the original groundbreaking three-strip Technicolor that made color movies a thing.

A Technicolor system consists of a special camera, a unique film process, and a print-dye transfer hyperspecific to the laboratories of the Technicolor Corporation. We’re not sure if we quite understand the process ourselves, so we’ll leave it at this: the three-strip Technicolor process was so earth-shattering because, unlike its two-strip predecessor, it was the first system to ever incorporate all three primary colors. What does that mean? Well, most color movies up until the ‘30s only used red and green combinations to create all of the other colors in the film. The result was a sort of hazy muddy pink appearance. This new version used red, green, and last but not least, blue. By using all three primary colors, Herb literally gave filmmakers the rainbow. It was surreal at the time, giving films like Flowers and Trees extra-saturated and vibrant color with a clear focus. Hard to say if anyone realized the historical implications of this new creation. It’s the reason why we are still able to view these films in 2026 in all of their colorful glory. Not only did the three-strip system change the game of color, but it also changed the game of film preservation. It stabilized the film, allowing it to be viewed over and over again and stored for future viewing without heavy degradation. Without it, a whole half-century’s worth of movies would be lost to the hands of time. If Herb was still with us, we’d encourage everyone to send him a big bouquet for his work.

Okay, back to the cartoon. The oddball creativity shines through the cartoon of it all thanks to three main animators - Les Clark, David Hand, and Tom Palmer. These three were known as members of Disney’s “Nine Old Men,” the brains and hands behind some of the company’s most iconic animations from the ‘30s until the ‘70s. They weren’t mere pioneers of animation; they were advancers of the art. Alongside director Burt Gillet (hey, remember him?), Les, David, and Tom’s work in Flowers and Trees launched animation into a new category of cinema and with that, into the court of public and industry opinion. Their film offered proof that animation is not simply a novelty form of art but has the capacity to bring realism to the screen just as much as a live-action film can. For Disney, it was a way to reach new audiences, invoking a new sense of awe in viewers. Whether the movie-making empire realized it or not, it offered a new mode of storytelling to help us try to understand how our world works.

Flowers and Trees brought to life the woods behind the house and the flowers in the gardens, personifying them and evoking a newfound curiosity about how these beings live their lives and we live among them. At the end of the day, yes, it’s a cartoon, and no trees do not walk around putting out fires. Adults know this, and most kids know this. Those facts are obvious, but that’s not the point. The point? To bring fantasy not just to life, but into life itself.

Flowers and Trees came out 94 years ago on July 30th, 1932. So you should probably watch it today.

Growing up in 1920s Brooklyn, Melvin Kaminsky was constantly searching for a laugh from friends, family, and neighbors. Being the youngest of four, it was his duty to outshine his three older brothers. At age 14, Mel got a gig in the Catskills as a busboy for the summer, where he met friend and future co-writer, Sid Caesar. Mel spent the summer understudying and making bad jokes, as often as he could. When the US entered World War II, all four Kaminsky brothers headed for France, leaving their mother behind in Brooklyn. Mel’s battalion was responsible for removing booby-traps from buildings and defusing land mines in Nazi Germany. At the end of the war, Brooks became a comic who toured Army bases and was put in charge of the entertainment. In June of 1946, Brooks was honorably discharged from the Army.

Mel came home and drove straight to the Catskills to keep working at being a comic. Back at the Borscht Belt, Mel got in contact with his mentor, Sid Caesar. Sid would do his best to give Mel writing gigs whenever he could. Finally in 1950, Mel joined Sid’s incredible writing team for Your Show of Shows. The writing roster included Carl Reiner (The Dick Van Dyke Show), Neil and Danny Simon (The Odd Couple), Mel Tolkin of (All in the Family), Woody Allen (Annie Hall), and Larry Gelbart (M*A*S*H). Mel worked hard during his time at Show of Shows, but he craved more and expressed this need to his good friend, Carl Reiner. The two broke out of the writer’s room and became the comedic duo that created the 2,000 Year Old Man and a James Bond television spoof, Get Smart. His next move, while unpredictable, would shake up the Hollywood business forever.

Mel’s next big project, The Producers, needed a leading man to star with Zero Mostel. Gene Wilder, who was in and out of off-Broadway productions, came at the suggestion of Mel’s then-girlfriend, Anne Bancroft. Gene was just the man Mel needed. Later on, when asked if he knew meeting Mel was a significant moment in his life, Gene responded, “When God spoke to Moses the first time, if you asked him, was that significant in your life?” Gene never left Mel’s side, and the two continued their teamwork with the movie Blazing Saddles. During their wild West production, Wilder asked if Brooks could produce his new script, Young Frankenstein. The two worked tirelessly to perfect the script, to get it just right. The success of the movie is a testament to their friendship and trust in each other.

Now considered a breakout director, Mel wanted to get into more serious productions as a producer. An old assistant director, Jonathan Sanger, brought the script for The Elephant Man to his attention, and Mel knew he had to finance this movie and see it through. What he needed was a director who could tackle this heavy script. Sanger suggested a young director by the name of David Lynch. Sanger and Lynch set up a viewing of Eraserhead for Brooks and at the end of the movie, Brooks burst through the doors of the viewing room, ran into Lynch’s arms, and said to him, “I need you to direct Elephant Man. You’re the only one with the empathy to do it.”

Mel has worked with some of the greatest leading men, including Burt Reynolds, James Caan, and Paul Newman in his film, Silent Movie. In 1987, when it came time to cast the lead role of Lone Starr for Spaceballs, Brooks was looking at Tom Cruise and Tom Hanks. But again, at the suggestion of Anne Bancroft, he pulled another future movie star out of Broadway, none other than Bill Pullman. Only ever having done one film, Bill was guided and encouraged by Mel through the entire production. Thanks to Brooks, Pullman entered the ranks of Hollywood fame. Mel ended up doing the same for Dave Chappelle in 1993. At just the age of 19, Chappelle made his debut on the big screen in Brook’s Robin Hood: Men in Tights. Later, GQ asked Mel about his discovering Dave; he said “It’s very important for us who’ve been through it to help young people that we think are talented.”

Mel Brooks undoubtedly understood that in the business of Hollywood, the only way in was through any available open door. Well, he got in with quite the entrance, and he left all the windows wide open and all the lights on, so the rest of us knew the way home.

Way out there, in the middle of California’s Colorado Desert, is a message of love. “God Is Love”, to be exact, painted over and over again, countless times, on Slab City’s Salvation Mountain.

The three story high, 50 foot wide mountain is the creation of American folk artist, Leonard Knight. A high school drop out from Burlington, Vermont and a Korean War vet, Leonard drifted through the American landscape working in body shops and giving guitar lessons.

By 1967, Knight in his mid-30’s, was living in his van. He was visiting his sister in San Diego, when he had an intense religious experience. Knight found himself repeating the Sinners Prayer and from that moment, his dedication to God’s message of love began. He brought this passion to many churches in Burlington but found that he was brushed off by the church leaders. His idea of love was so simple, but he was told over and over again that it wasn’t so simple.

In 1970, a hot air balloon passed over Burlington with a message on the side. That’s when Knight knew he needed to make a balloon. So, he headed west to start constructing it. After his van broke down in Nebraska, Knight stayed for 5 years, learning to sew his hot air balloon. After 14 years, the balloon got too big and began to fall apart after too many attempts to inflate.

By 1984, Knight was living in Arizona, working for another body shop. One weekend, he had to travel to the Colorado Desert, and that’s where he knew he had to build something more permanent. For the next 28 years of his life, he set out to build Salvation Mountain. “I was just going to stay one week. It’s been a very good week” Leonard Knight, 1996. The mountain was built from found items from thousands of trips to the local dump, including the paint. The original mountain was not structurally sound because by 1989, a big rain storm hit the desert and destroyed 5 years worth of work. But Knight thanked God for destroying the original mountain before someone got hurt. After getting new materials, Knight set off to work on the second mountain.

The new mountain is covered with 100,000 gallons of paint, possibly up to half a million, all donated of course. The technicolor mountain is also coated in messages of love and hope, the upkeep in the hands of volunteers. Leonard Knight passed away in 2014 and a non-profit was established to maintain the sculpture. The mountain is still open to visitors and creators alike.

So, whatever the message of love is that drives you to create or to be good to your fellow man, keep that drive and compassion. Keep on creating and keep on loving.

It’s been a pretty long time since the New York Knickerbockers have found their way into the NBA finals. 27 years ago to be precise. It just so happens that following two consecutive series sweeps, the Knicks are back among the NBA’s elite, playing for the coveted Larry O’Brien trophy. A lot has changed since 1999. Aside from the fact that it’s the same two teams facing off, it’s practically a brand new world upstairs. In a way to celebrate, we put together a list of things that have changed over the years to give a peek into what the world looked like the last time the Knicks were in the Finals.

Not all of us down here are Knicks fans, but we do call New York City home. And when the Knicks do well, the Big Apple does well.

January 1: The introduction of the Euro.

January 10: The Sopranos debuts on HBO.

January 11: The first episode of Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show.

January 13: Michael Jordan announces his second retirement from the NBA.

January 19: First BlackBerry device hits the market.

January 31: Family Guy debuts on Fox.

February 23: Eminem releases The Slim Shady LP.

February 24: The 41st Grammy Awards: Record of the Year: ‘My Heart Will Go On’ – Celine Dion

March 21: The 71st Academy Awards Best Picture: Shakespeare in Love

March 24: The Matrix premieres.

May 1: SpongeBob SquarePants debuts on Nickelodeon.

May 19: Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace is released in cinemas.

June 1: Napster Launches

June 27: Tony Hawk lands the first 900

July 16: John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife Carolyn Bessette Kennedy and his sister-in-law Lauren Bessette are tragically killed in a plane crash.

July 22: The Woodstock 99 music festival begins.

July 25: Lance Armstrong wins a race for the first time at the 86th Tour de France.

July 30: The Blair Witch Project releases in theaters.

August 15: Tiger Woods wins his first PGA championship.

September 9: The 16th MTV Music Awards take place with Video of the Year going to Lauryn Hill for ‘Doo Wop (That Thing).’

September 11: Serena Williams wins her first Grand Slam title at the US Open.

October 12: The six billionth human being is born.

November 3: The Los Angeles Lakers debut in the STAPLES Center.

November 8: The 19th James Bond film, ‘The World is Not Enough’, premieres.

December 31: The Y2K scare takes over the world. Until the next morning.

Happy New Year. Welcome back to 2026. Knicks in 4.

Over 90 years ago tonight, the MLB hosted their first-ever night game, courtesy of the Cincinnati Reds at Crosley Field. They beat the Phillies 2-1. In honor of this first night game, we invited some good friends of ours to come downstairs, to talk about why the night game is so special.

Molly M: Night games are the best. Ending a hot summer day outside as it cools down is the best part of the season. My grandparents lived on Cape Cod when I was a kid and my favorite memories of night games was walking to the high school near their house to watch Cape Cod college league games. We sat on a grassy hill with our family, Dad would bring a score book along, and we would watch the sun set over the field while cheering on our favorite teams.

Adam T: Playing in night games is the best because there’s a different energy to them that day games don’t possess. Every game under the lights always had a “Big Game” feel to it that made it as if something surreal was going to happen; that you were in store for one of the greatest, most dramatic games of your life. Without the sun bearing down on you during the dog days of summer, night games always carried a bit more focus and a bit more intensity. From little league to beer league, night games make you feel like a big leaguer, even if just for a moment.

Evan D: One of the best feelings on earth is a summer night under the lights where it’s warm enough that you’re not chilly, but cool enough that you’re comfortable, eating a hot dog with your friends, watching the game. In those moments it almost feels like the outside world doesn’t exist, and we need that.

Colton A: It’s cooler out, you aren’t tired from the sun, and sitting under the lights with a breeze coming in makes the usually slower, quieter sport all the more exciting. It feels more like an event than going during the day time. Especially as a kid, even playing on the playground at a local field at night felt almost magical.

Harper F: In my very short youth softball career, the game I remember most is the one and only time we had a night game. There’s something special about being surrounded by the deep blue evening that slowly creeps into the dark night, and yet you are completely illuminated by the bright lights. It seems that time stops and that this moment is the most important moment in the world. It was even more special of an evening since we weren’t at our usual field and this field had a PA system with a volunteer running it. So every batter was introduced at the plate, making you feel like a big leaguer.

Sam M: I love baseball so much, I really do, it is one of the biggest parts of my life currently and there’s no better feeling than going to the ballpark for a game. Even better, is going to a game with the sun out, and over the long length of a baseball game, the emotion of the ups and the downs, and the sun’s going down; it’s just truly a fantastic feeling, and no feeling makes me happier than fireworks after a hot summer ballgame. I often think of one of my favorite movies ever, The Sandlot. There’s a scene where it’s the Fourth of July and the kids all go out, late at night, and they play baseball under the fireworks. As a kid, it always stuck out to me, and as an adult it still resonates with me.

Evan W: I like when they have the fireworks.

Kate P: The fireworks, of course. They make me cry every time.

Nick S: Night games are great but beyond the iridescent glow of the lights, juxtaposed with the dark sky, would have to be the hot dogs. A night hot dog hits differently with friends, walking out the stadium into the warm, cold summer air sounds great.

Zoe A: As a new Chicago transplant, I had a choice: Cubs or Sox. I went to a Cubs night game first and was immediately thrown up on by a drunk Cubs fan. He was ready to go out to bars after the game. Then I went to a Sox night game where I was welcomed as if I was one of their own. I was given the best experience and was offered multiple beverages at a tailgate. At the game, I not only had the best time, but I got whacked in the head with a baseball and thought I was concussed. I was not but I did leave with a giant welt to remember the night by. The wonder of night games.

Greg L: Baseball; I got nothing. Went to a bunch of games in Seattle, been to Fenway, been to Wrigley, but no great stories other than just how it feels to watch baseball at night. Would have loved to be able to be romantic about it, but it was always just a small part of an itinerary and way too drunk to take it all in.

Dave H: Few words carry as much weight for a young athlete as “night game” does. I recall playing in both my first and last night games growing up in sports, and you can’t quite describe the feeling of stepping onto the field beneath the glow of those high school lights that have probably been there since the 80’s. Humming and buzzing 50 feet above the stands. It was typically the same crowd as a game right after school, parents and friends, but the whole world might as well have been watching. That’s how it felt anyway. Night games have become commonplace in Major League Baseball, to the point where catching a midweek day game is the new rarity. But the Chicago Cubs do it right, still playing around 70% of the games at Wrigley during the day, making the remaining night games a special occasion, a baseball spectacle. It’s hard to beat the view from the stands as you step into the park before sunset and watch the shadows slowly creep across the diamond until they overtake the ballpark entirely, leaving us basking in the glow of the lights above.

Brian S: I quit t-ball or rather forced out because I was digging holes in the in field because I was bored. But my older brother was incredible at every sport he did but baseball was his favorite. So growing up we went to a lot of his games and my dad would take us to games in the area. Growing up in Virgina, we did not have any professional teams so we had to travel to the DC/Baltimore area. So the Orioles became my brother’s de facto team. The one I can recall was the game where Cal Ripken was positioning himself to break the all time home run record. We were there when he broke the record set by Ty Cobb. But that’s not my memory. What I do remember is that after every game we attended, regardless of where we were or who played, my dad would make us wait until the stadium was 99% clear and then we had to walk the stands and start collecting the souvenir cups that were left behind. So while ushers are trying to get us to leave, I’m holding a stack of beer soaked souvenir plastic cups, so my dad could take them home to wash them and do God knows what with.

Zach P: I think it’s important that these night games are outside to really experience the full mystique. This applies to any night game. It’s always special to me because when you go to these games, it’s a declaration of how you want to end your day. For some, that’s watching tv on the couch. For others, it’s buying a hot dog and tossing peanuts into your beer and experiencing the calm yet tense ambience of a baseball game. Better yet, you meet up after a long work day for a pregame beer or tailgate and then tackle the evening in front of you together. It’s an event. There’s a special feeling to knowing that you are there. The lights can be seen from far away and you, like the players, are underneath them.

Greg M: I'm not a big baseball guy but I find that going to the game still feels weirdly nostalgic, especially night games. A bunch of years ago when I first moved to Buffalo, it was a Friday night in the summertime and I remember not really feeling comfortable in the city and just kinda figuring out where I was with everything. So I'm biking around downtown and I had stopped and met some friends for a drink and on the way back, the Friday night baseball game had just let out and we could hear the explosion of the crowd so it must've been a big game. So we’re biking back and everyone was just pouring out of the stadium and then the fireworks started going off and I just remember the sick moment of being on my bike downtown, pretty empty of cars, and the people were everywhere walking and laughing and screaming and hollering and the fireworks were going off and just being electric and I thought whatever this is, it’s incredible.

Ryan S: They’re almost mythical, because what other sporting event has a sunset falling behind the skyline of the city while the 8th inning hits and dads in every section are holding their sleeping kids with one hand and a Miller Lite with the other so they have to ask the guy in the seat next to them to help turn their hat inside out to make sure they can activate the rally cap and get a come from behind victory going? Day games will always have their place, but even Wrigley Field got wise and realized that night games are something special.

Drew B: So I grew up outside of Austin and in high school, I went to a pool party. That same weekend, my grandpa was in town visiting, which wasn’t often. When I got back to my house, I found my dad and grandpa sitting in the garage and they were listening to a baseball game on the radio. It’s probably midnight and it’s the Texas Longhorns versus Army, a playoff game maybe, and come to find out it’s the 20th inning of this game. I think it went 25 innings and it was just really beautiful just sitting in the garage with the game on the radio, three generations of people just embracing the commentators’ words. But after all of that, they had to play again the next day, so we decided to go down to Austin. The Longhorns were losing the whole game but then they got the bases loaded in the ninth inning and they almost hit a grand slam. It bounced off the wall so they scored one or two runs. They’re still down by a point and then they load the bases again and smack a grand slam. It was the greatest two days of baseball and it was even better because I shared it with my dad and grandpa.

Mom’s have a special place on this earth. They also have a special view of the world around them. Child rearing is a tough task and many take it the job in stride. Take Linda McCartney for example: mother of four, photographer, and singer of the award winning band, Wings, Linda was nothing short of incredible. She was known to drive her kids to and from school everyday with a recording device, so she could record her parts for Wings or packing up the whole family in the bus for the Wings Across America tour. So in honor of Mother’s Day, we’ve picked out our favorite photos from Linda’s collection.

Born at or around midnight, no one can be too sure if his birthday is on the 29th or 30th, but that doesn’t matter to us. We’re so glad to share the good Earth and the good life with this friendly outlaw. We’re giving a big Happy 93rd Birthday to Mr. Willie Nelson.

Raised in Abbott, Texas by his grandparents, lovingly called Papa and Mama Nelson, Willie and his sister Bobbie were no strangers to good music. Their grandparents taught the two children how to play piano, and they gave Willie his first guitar, purchased from the Sears catalog, at just 6 years old. From then on, Bobbie and Willie could always be found at Sunday Service making music together. Other than music, Willie’s dream was to be a cowboy like Will Rogers and Hopalong Cassidy; as any good Texan boy would. He just needed to figure out how to marry the two dreams.

From the age of 18, Willie worked hard and bounced from music halls to radio stations to the Air Force, finally moving to Nashville in 1960 to kickstart his music career. His homebase, like his fellow songwriters at that time, became Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge, the bar directly behind the Grand Ole Opry. It’s the same bar where he would eventually sign with a Nashville publishing company to write hits, like “Hello Walls,” “Funny How Time Slips Away,” “Pretty Paper,” and, “Crazy.” With all of this newfound success, Willie bought a beautiful ranch in the hills of Tennessee.

Nashville was also the place where Willie would meet his lifelong friend and companion: a Brazilian rosewood, spruce top Martin N-20 guitar, which he eventually named Trigger after Roy Rogers’ horse. Every good cowboy needs a good sidekick, and Willie’s guitar was no different. He loved that guitar so much that when his Tennessee ranch went up in flames, he ran right back into the burning building to save his friend.

With everything gone up in smoke, Willie decided it was time to hit the road and make music his way. So he packed up everyone and everything, and headed back to Texas; Austin to be exact. The cowboy set up shop, signed with RCA, and formed his new backing band called the Family. The lineup included drummer and former criminal Paul English, 21-year-old harmonicist, Mickey Raphael, bassist Bee Spears, guitarist Jody Payne, and piano extraordinaire, his sister, Bobbie Nelson. Willie traveled all over and played with every Nashville musician worth knowing, but all he needed was to go home and make music with his sister, once again. Austin allowed Willie to creatively grow into his own genre, Outlaw Country, and it’s where he started his annual festival: Willie Nelson’s Fourth of July Picnic.

One summer, Willie found out that his manager, Neil Reshen, had not been paying the IRS. Meanwhile, a package with some cocaine traveled from Reshen’s office in New York to his friend, Waylon Jennings, in Nashville, which was followed by the DEA. Jennings was arrested, but the charges were dropped, and Reshen’s assistant, Mark Rothbaum, took the fall. When Willie heard about this, he fired Neil and told the Family he would be hiring Mark as his manager as soon as his jail sentence was served. Once you’re part of Willie’s circle, you’ll always be taken care of.

And Willie kept on giving; he always made sure his people were taken care of. In 1985, Willie’s good friend and Governor of Illinois, Jim Thompson, told him about the farmers that were struggling in his state along with his concerns for their livelihoods. Twenty-two days later, Farm Aid came to fruition with help from Neil Young and John Mellencamp, two of Willie’s good friends.

Willie could make friends anywhere he went. During the third season of SNL, Willie and the Family made their first musical appearance. What a rowdy week that was. Every night after rehearsal, the band would head to the Lone Star Cafe and play deep into the early hours of the morning. They were joined by new friends Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Gilda Radner, and Jim Belushi. Years later, Aykroyd would tell Willie that the Family was the first backup band Blues Brothers ever had.

In 1990, everything came to a head. The IRS seized every asset Willie had and put them up for auction to pay the back taxes he owed. Suddenly, Willie had nothing to give and watched all of his earthly possessions get sold off one by one. The outlaw had nowhere to run. Now was the time for the Family and Willie’s friends to step up and give their pal a hand. The studio and golf course was purchased at a low bid by Willie’s long-time friend, Darrell Royal, the University of Texas football coach. Willie’s home was purchased privately by a group of farmers that benefited from Farm Aid. And when the instruments were up for auction, a bus driver from Florida Coach, the company who built out all of Willie’s tour buses, saved Bobbie’s piano and several other pieces from the studio.

Once a friend of Willie’s, always a friend. But what about Trigger? Ask anybody: the Family, Willie’s lawyer, and friends alike will all tell you they kept Trigger safe during the auctions. No one ever revealed his hiding place. After all that upheaval, Willie and Trigger were reunited, never to part again.

Born in 1949 in Los Angeles, California, Larry had always dreamed of flying. When it was time to enlist for the US Air Force, Larry learned that his eyesight was just poor enough that he was unable to become a pilot. Bummer. Instead, he served as a cook and a truck driver during the Vietnam War.

By 1982, Larry knew it was time to make his lifelong dream a reality. When he was younger, Walters recalled seeing weather balloons for sale at a local surplus army store. So it started there, with Larry purchasing over 40 weather balloons, helium tanks, water jugs and a lawn chair. Having the support of his good friends and fiancée Carol, Larry got started on building his aircraft. $15,000 later, his helium drawn flight apparatus, aptly named Inspiration One, was ready to soar.

“A man can’t just sit around.”

— Larry Walters

The plan was to take off in Carol’s mother’s backyard in San Pedro. His goal was not to travel too far, as the chair was tethered to his Jeep. He packed his camera, radio, pellet gun, some sandwiches, and a case of beer. Before he could call the FAA to report his flight, a gust of wind disconnected the tether from the Jeep.

Larry soared higher and higher, ultimately reaching 16,000 feet in the sky. The air was thin, the temperature dropped to two degrees Fahrenheit, and two commercial aircrafts already spotted his chair in the sky. The sandwiches were going to have to wait. Larry began losing feeling in his body and the wind was pushing him towards the Pacific Ocean.

“Ah, the difficulty is, ah, this was an unauthorized balloon launch, and, uh, I know I’m in a federal airspace, and, uh, I’m sure my ground crew has alerted the proper authority. But, uh, just call them and tell them I’m okay.”

— Larry Walters on his CB radio

He knew it was time to come down, so Larry grabbed his pellet gun and started shooting the balloons one at a time. Bad luck was on his side once again, as the pellet gun dropped from his hands. Larry, however, did manage to shoot enough balloons to descend rapidly and straight towards an area filled with high voltage power lines. So, to lighten the load and slow down his descent, Larry started pouring the water out of the jugs that balanced his aircraft. Larry ended up running into the power lines, but he survived the crash while knocking out the electricity in Long Beach. It’s unclear if this was pure luck or if the power station had enough notice to turn it off.

When the police arrived to charge him, they had a tough time arresting Larry, since he technically didn’t break any laws. Larry was finally charged $4,000 for operating an aircraft within an airport traffic area without establishing communications with the control tower. Larry ended up appealing to the court and had the it dropped to $1,500 since the original charge did not apply to the type of aircraft he had. Such is the price of fulfilling your dreams.

From the team at Basement, be like Larry and keep on dreaming and soaring to new heights.

Happy birthday to the man many call a good friend and neighbor. An ordained minister who many relied on for advice. A musician and composer who understood that there are many modulations of life, some easy and some not so easy. A man who had a singular view on love and kindness: Love thy neighbor and love thyself. Please join us in a big Happy 98th Birthday, to Mr. Fred Rogers.

In a span of just over a decade, Fred moved to New York to work at the NBC television studios, moved back to Pittsburgh to be a program developer at WQED and went to the seminary becoming a minister. But serving his community just wasn’t enough for him. So Rogers attended the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Child Development. Why stop there? In 1963, the CBC in Toronto contracted Rogers to develop a children’s show called Mister Rogers; Fred then acquired the rights in 1967, and returned home to Pittsburgh to start his big, new project. Phew.

On February 19, 1968, Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood was introduced to the world. What a beautiful day in the neighborhood that was. Every episode began the same way. You remember: Fred would enter his house, switch his jacket for a comfortable sweater, change from loafers to tennis shoes, and he would feed his fish. All while singing the very familiar theme song, “It’s A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood”.

However, in 1969, public broadcasting funding was on the line. $20 million to be exact. The fate of the show was in the hands of congressman John Pastor. Mr. Pastor held congressional hearings where the American people who worked in various forms in public broadcasting sought to woo the congressman to continue funding. After two days, John was not moved by anything he had heard. However, Fred did his homework and knew that ole Johnny boy was very serious when it came to what television children consumed. So when Fred took the stand, he quoted his song, “What Do You Do With The Mad That You Feel?” John Pastor broke into a smile and said “That’s just wonderful. That’s just wonderful. I believe you just earned yourself $20 million dollars.”

​​What do you do with the mad that you feel

When you feel so mad you could bite?

When the whole wide world seems oh, so wrong...

And nothing you do seems very right?

Fred quickly became a friend to all and a shinning light for children navigating through the difficult darker things in life. He felt he was the best person to do the job because he still felt so close to his own childhood as he spent a majority of it isolated due to a few illnesses. As a boy, Fred was shy and spent most of his time with his grandfather. In that time he found his love for puppets, started piano lessons, and let his imagination grow.

With his wonderful imagination we came to know and love, Fred helped children through confidence and creativity to tackle topics such as fear, sadness, divorce and death. Suddenly that lonely boy wasn’t alone anymore. He had friends and neighbors to help him along the way, like Mr. & Mrs. McFeely and Officer Clemmons. But let’s not forget our friends in the Neighborhood of Make Believe like Daniel Striped Tiger, King Friday XIII, Lady Elaine Fairchilde, Queen Sara Saturday, and X the Owl.

Fred worked tirelessly for the next three decades, becoming beloved by all. He retired in the 90s to live a quiet life, but after September 11th, Fred was called upon once more to make several television PSAs that would help reassure his young audience. This is when he famously said “Always look for the helpers.”, a quote often used when there is repeated violence in the news cycles. But it’s a message often taken out of context, mostly by his adult audience. Yes, go and look for the helpers, but turn inwards and become the helper. The neighborhood would be a much better place if we took our turn to be the helper.

So from the Team Downstairs, Happy Birthday, Fred. We like you just the way you are.

When I walked into a bar on the Upper East Side of New York City back in December, I wasn’t anticipating a slap in the face by the hand of rock n roll history. It was cold and the wind on 1st Ave was about as bitter as the Fernet Branca behind the bar. The type of cold that numbs the cheeks so bad I probably wouldn’t have felt the slap had it been literal and not a metaphor. I wanted the only thing that could warm me up, the only thing that could take the chill off: an ice cold Stella and the golden glow of a pool table lamp.

As I became familiar with my drink and soaked in the artificial vitamin D from a stool beside the friends I’d met there, a song played through the speakers overhead and drifted through the drunken chatter. Amidst the conversations that filled the bar I heard the stomping intro of the tune, followed by a tambourine and a few guys harmonizing on some “ooo’s.” What came next was what really managed to catch my ear and pulled me out of a billiard table scanning daze. What I believe were kazoos came buzzing in to lead the song, welcoming a familiar melody into the bar. I looked to a pal and gave the universal bar room sign of “what song is this? I kinda dig it.” A bob of the head, a face of slight confusion, and a pointed finger to the sky. Before I could finish saying “What the hell is this?” I recognized the kazoo laden melody as the iconic slide guitar riff to George Harrison’s “My Sweet Lord.”

No sooner than the lyrics had started, I had my phone out shamelessly Shazamming the song to see who the mastermind behind the cover was. It was a 1972 release from The Belmonts, a band known mostly for their backing role to Dion on late fifties doo-wop hits like I Wonder Why, A Teenager in Love, and plenty more. On this track Dion is nowhere to be found. Perhaps he’s not a kazoo guy.

Anybody who’s a somebody’s favorite Beatle is Ringo. That said, the team downstairs is no stranger to the idea that George Harrison had arguably the best solo career of the four lads from Liverpool. Arguably. And somehow, through the osmosis of music consumption, I had some prior knowledge of the controversy that surrounded My Sweet Lord and the lawsuit the song shrouded in holiness spurred. But it wasn’t until I had gotten home and the cover came across my shuffling music that I discovered The Belmonts’s dance back and forth between George’s lyrics and the words from “He’s So Fine” by The Chiffons. That’s when it clicked for me. Turns out when sung over the same chords, “My Sweet Lord” and “He’s So Fine” sound pretty similar; and when you replace Harrison’s famous “Hallelujah’s” with the Chiffons “Doo lang” backing vocals, it gets pretty interesting. Apparently, Bright Tunes thought so too because in February 1971, they opened a lawsuit on Harrison for copyright infringement that lasted nearly 30 years.

We did some digging and rock n roll investigative work and found that throughout the legal proceedings of Bright Tunes Music Corp. v. Harrisongs Music Ltd. both “He’s so Fine” and “My Sweet Lord” were studied at nauseam by the attorneys, jurors, judges, and those who make these complicated legal decisions. Ultimately, it was settled that Harrison was found liable for “subconscious plagiarism” in 1976, and was ordered to pay roughly $1.5M in damages. Perhaps even more interesting, is that among the music played in the court room was our new favorite cover by the Belmonts. Although the cover’s fluidity between both of the song’s lyrics dealt right into Bright Tunes’ argument, it was ultimately dismissed and not used as valuable evidence to sway the case. Worth a shot we suppose.

If you think this all ended there, you’d better fire up the turntable for a few more spins of these two songs. In 1978, Allen Klein, a former manager of Harrison’s, was looking to profit from the situation. Klein went ahead and purchased the rights to “He’s so Fine”, a move that ultimately backfired in court. Allen Klein saw Bright Tunes’ floundering financial situation and saw an opportunity to make a quick buck off of his previous client. However, given Klein’s prior relationship with Harrison and inside knowledge on the case, the judge deemed this was not fair play and by 1981, allowed Harrison to purchase the rights to the song that had caused him so many nightmares. With the help of the judge, Harrison paid a whopping $587,000 to Klein for the rights, the same amount Klein paid in 1978 preventing any profit on Klein’s behalf.

But we’re not finished yet. Following a number of appeals and an array of disputes around rights and royalties between Harrison and Klein, the case finally came to a close in 1998. A case that spanned six U.S. Presidents and four trips to the moon, finally rested with Harrison owning the American and British rights to the Chiffon’s “He’s so Fine.” The ultimate “I’ll do it myself” move.

If anything, let this be a reminder to open your ears when you’re at the bar next time. Not only will you probably hear some great side conversation, but you might also stumble onto some rock n roll history.

Anyway, we digress. The handwritten letter is numero uno when it comes to expressing “I love you.” Before the text messages, fishing for likes on an instagram story, or sending a late night DM, someone somewhere sat down at a desk with a fresh sheet of paper and a pen, pencil or quill. Their thoughts traveled out of their brain, down their arm, over their hand, through the pen and onto the paper. Some folks even went the lengths to having customized sheets of paper so you’d know just who your letter was coming from. They call this letterhead. We Downstairs have our own letterhead and so did plenty of other people back in the day. Turns out artists, musicians, politicians, astronauts, and apparently subterranean magazines don’t want you to forget who took the time to send you a note.

To serve as some inspiration to write your valentine a handwritten note this year, we collected some of our favorite letterheads throughout the years. Don’t forget the post script and make sure you add a little heart next to your name.

With love,
Basement <3

We turned our calendars over to 2026 a month back but it seems like our ears are still stuck in 2025. The team downstairs tends to indulge in many different hobbies and forms of entertainment, but one of the pillars of this project is music. Last year introduced us to a number of different artists, albums, singles, concerts and tunes we’re still tapping our toes to. We thought why not document some of our favorites from the past year. Had a feeling you’d be dying to know what your pals in the cellar are digging on from last year’s 365.

It happened to work out that when we began to write up this piece, we found our friend Sam from Perth’s artwork. Sam, or @worldeater__ on Instagram, makes some of the raddest music art we’ve come across recently. Given Sam’s album cover sketches, we thought, “Hey, rather than dropping in photos of the covers we found on google, why don’t we just ask Sam to draw them for us?” And that’s what we did.

So, sorry for the delay here but cut us some slack. A lot of music came our way and we’ve only got a few sets of ears. Don’t get all sour if your favorite isn’t mentioned, just do yourself a favor and give some of these a go. You won’t be sorry. Unless you don’t like them. In that case we’re sorry. We’ll start this thing off with a few honorable mentions. That’s how these lists usually go, right?

Honorable Mentions

Getting Killed - Geese

Grain of Dirt - Brooks Nielsen

Florence + The Machine - Everybody Scream

Dollar a Day - Charley Crockett

Moisturizer - Wet Leg

Great albums, every last one of ‘em. But without further ado, here are Basement Mag’s top albums of 2025, accompanied with artwork by Sam from Perth. Kick back, grab a beer, turn up the speakers, and enjoy friends.

Lonesome Drifter - Charley Crockett

Two things we learned about Charley - he’s always on the move and brakes for no one. Coming in at studio album number 14, Crockett delivers the first album off of his Sagebrush Trilogy while also making his major label debut on Island Records. Recorded in just 10 days with legendary producer Shooter Jennings, the storytelling of Lonesome Drifter comes over the Basement’s speakers like a warm gust of wind filled with western cowboy motifs of love, loss, gambling, rambling and playing games you can’t win.

Lonesome Drifter continues Charley’s authentic South Texas sound, paired with his magical western storytelling. With the accompaniment of strings, brass and the click of castanets, you’re suddenly transported into a bona fide western movie that you haven’t seen before but seems familiar. Charley truly is pushing the needle forward when it comes to the future of country music grounding it back to its roots. If you see us out with our jeans starched, walking around like we’re cosplaying Jon Voight in Midnight cowboy chances are Lonesome Drifter is playing through the headphones. That’s a bet you can win guaranteed, partner.

Basement Favorites: Game I Can’t Win, Easy Money, This Crazy Life

Guitar - Mac DeMarco

Mac DeMarco ditches the reverb-drenched amps and vintage synthesizers for a more laid-back approach that sounds like your friend is strumming on the couch right next to you. Maybe in a basement, I don’t know. But don’t be fooled. When we saw him at Radio City back in September, it was still the same Mac with that classic stage presence. A guy that can cut loose and rip it loud when he wants to, but with a growing sense of calmness to some of his tunes.

In typical fashion, the production of this record feels accessible and makes you think you could probably record something just like it in your bedroom. Just toss up a few blankets for soundproofing and get yourself a 3 piece drum kit from Craigslist. We won’t be shocked to see people follow Mac’s lead as he’s tended to steer the boat that is the indie music sound for the past decade and a half.

Basement Favorites: Phantom, Home, Punishment

The Crux - Djo

We can only imagine the pressure the average person would feel having to write a follow-up to 2022’s Decide which introduced the world to the mega hit “End of Beginning.” A song that at the time of writing checks notes has eclipsed 2 billion streams on Spotify alone. But then again, we wouldn’t really call Joe Keery the average Joe. It was a big 2025 for Keery. He wrapped it up with the final season of Stranger Things, kicked it off with his third studio album, The Crux, and let’s not forget those clips from Lollapalooza this past summer.

The Crux adds onto the sound Djo continues to solidify, a sound that’s uniquely his own within the alternative space. Pressure or not, Joe doesn’t really come across as a guy to pay much attention to what others anticipate from him musically. Not that we know the guy or anything. Creating the music he wants to create seems to take center stage for Djo and we can get behind that.

Basement Favorites: Gap Tooth Smile, Charlie’s Garden, Delete Ya, Back On You

WHATMORE - WHATMORE

These five friends from New York City are making music more authentically than most. Before the release of their self-titled debut album, we got to know each member pretty well through their intimate video storytelling shot by Patrick Linehan. By the time the album came out, it felt as if we were riding along in the backseat as they pulled up to their first performance.

WHATMORE is made up of Elijah Judah, Jackson August, Sebastiano, Yoshi T., and Cisco Swank. Each member brings their own signature style create a genre-bending sound full of hip-hop/rap, indie rock, and jazz influences. Wouldn’t be surprised if you see these guys everywhere in the future as they are just getting their feet wet. To the moon, fellas.

Basement Favorites: bombay (keep it alive), jackie chan, eastside w my dogs

The Pit - Arcy Drive

A debut album from the crew out of Northport, New York. You’d hear that and normally think these kids must be some new act, but Arcy Drive has cut their teeth touring across the country showcasing their brand of “Attic Rock” for the past four years. The Pit feels like a culmination of the groups hard work over that time, and it must be a rewarding feeling to finally release a debut record that kicks as much ass as this.

Energetic indie rock tunes like Louie and Under The Rug, paired with the folkiness of Oak Tree (Daydream), are complemented by darker tunes like Creatures of the Night. It shows just how versatile these guys are. There’s something for everyone here and we’re as excited as anyone to see what 2026 has in store for Arcy Drive.

Basement Favorites: Under The Rug, Inchin’ Up, Lights Fall, Oak Tree (Daydream)

SHISH - Portugal. The Man

This one almost blew our speakers. SHISH took us by surprise with its heavy, raw, and vast sound. John Gourley looks inward and brings you back to his rural Alaskan roots with themes of isolation, angst, and the overall vastness of what it’s like to grow up way out there.

After his departure from Atlantic Records, Gourey is fully behind the reins here with an untamed sound. Hardcore, heart-pounding compositions are paired with dreamy anthems, evoking something as raw as the Alaskan tundra. Goes to show sometimes you gotta go back to go forward.

Basement Favorites: Knik, Shish, Tanana

NEVER ENOUGH - Turnstile

We must have good taste. As we’re writing this, the crew from Baltimore just won Best Rock Album at the Grammys. Good taste aside, this album piggybacked off 2021’s Glow On, challenging their rock/hardcore genre with a small dash of 80’s nostalgia.

NEVER ENOUGH gave us a range of tracks that made us want to run through a wall and others that made us want to dust off our jacket, apologize for breaking a wall, while attempting to carefully fix said wall. Lots of emotions here.

Basement Favorites: LOOK OUT FOR ME, BIRDS, I CARE

Twilight Override - Jeff Tweedy

Jeff Tweedy can do no wrong in the eyes of the basement. Whether it’s with Wilco or his solo work, we’re going to listen. And if we listen there’s probably a good chance we’ll dig it. The triple LP is said to explore Tweedy’s thoughts feelings on life in the world since the turn of the last decade. As you can imagine the highs and lows of life are reflected in the tonal landscape of the record, but not in the quality.

The folk rock album includes some moodier sounding acoustic tunes straight from the Jeff Tweedy playbook, but similar to his work with Wilco, he never pulls too far away from the amps and electric instrumentation. Arguably his best solo work, Tweedy hit us with 30 songs that’ll make you want to shake until your shoes untied.

Basement Favorites: Mirror, No One’s Moving On, Lou Reed Was My Babysitter

Light Hit My Face Like a Straight Right - Mallrat

Mallrat was the purest music discovery we had in 2025. We first heard an unknown (to us) Mallrat open up a show and loved every minute of it. Soon her album Light Hit My Face Like a Straight Right was constantly shining through our speakers and headphones.

The sophomore album from the Aussie artist searches through light and darkness, paired with dreamy synths and stripped-down acoustics. Her impressive vocals and songwriting hit you in the face, as you guessed, like a straight right. Thank you, may we have another?

Basement Favorites: Hideaway, Hocus Pocus, Pavement

Small Talk - Whitney

Whitney went back to what worked best with last year’s Small Talk. The Chicago-based indie folk group took a stripped-back approach to their fifth studio album in comparison to 2022’s Spark. While the record dives deeper into the rootsy-er side of the band’s DNA, plenty of the track list is still packed with folky energy.

Of the bands mentioned on this list, Whitney may provide transparency into their influences the most. With songwriting reminiscent of Labi Siffre and The Band, Small Talk is the perfect record for an easy Sunday afternoon.

Basement Favorites: Silent Exchange, Won’t You Speak Your Mind, Damage, Dandelions, Back to the Wind

As we celebrated the queen herself on her 80th birthday, we’d also like to express our love, our devotion, and our gratitude to Dolly Rebecca Parton.

From humble beginnings, Dolly lived with 11 brothers and sisters on a mountain in Pittman Center, Tennessee. By the age of 10, she had sung on most local radio and television stations in East Tennessee. By 13, she recorded her first single and appeared at the Grand Ole Opry where she met Mr. Johnny Cash. Dolly then signed on as a songwriter for a Nashville song publishing company and wrote chart topping songs during her time there. At just 21 years old, she found national success when she was invited to star with country music legend, Porter Wagoner on The Porter Wagoner Show.

The list of her accolades is long, but don’t worry, we counted them for you. 25 #1 hits on the country charts, 13 Country Music Awards and 32 nominations, 11 Grammys and 43 nominations, 3 Emmys and 3 nominations, 2 Academy Award nominations, 5 Golden Globe nominations, a Tony nomination, and a Kennedy Center Honor to boot.

Dolly is a titan in her craft; it’s legend that she wrote Jolene and I Will Always Love You on the same night. She works quickly and diligently, known to have written feverishly on cocktail napkins, candy wrappers, receipts, and even dry cleaner tickets. With over 3,000 written songs and over 1,000 songs recorded, very few can match that talent.

Going to a Dolly Parton show is like a religious experience. People from different backgrounds dressed up as Dolly herself, hold hands together while her angelic voice showers upon them. Her story telling and guitar strumming becomes a hypnotic trance for her audience. Dolly sings from the heart with her songs written for the voices who are rarely heard. In a world where it’s hard to be yourself, Dolly asks you to be you, wholeheartedly. She is a role model when it comes to kindness and respect.

Dolly is the light in our lives; a bright, blonde, glittery pink light in fact. She has been known to give a little back over the years. This includes monthly relief checks to Tennessee wildfire and flood victims, high school scholarships for her hometown county, an eagle sanctuary at Dollywood, millions donated to the children’s hospital at Vanderbilt, and a million dollar check to Vanderbilt to help with the research for the Covid-19 vaccine. She even offered Dolly the Sheep, named after Parton, a home in Dollywood for when the Roslin Institute in Scotland would be finished with her. Dolly’s love and generosity is in a class of its own.

On that note, we have one more story on that Dolly trademark of generosity. It’s well known that Dolly wrote I Will Always Love you for her longtime music partner, Porter Wagoner, when she asked to depart the show to go solo. What some people don’t know is that after the song came out, Elvis Presley’s manager Colonel Tom Parker, called Dolly up to tell her that Elvis wanted to cover the song. As starstruck as Dolly was, she declined because she would have to sell the song rights to Elvis. 20 years later, Kevin Costner asked Dolly if Whitney Houston could cover the song for their upcoming movie, The Bodyguard. She said yes and when the record was finished, Dolly listened to it on the way home and had to pull over because of Whitney’s powerful vocals. The song finally found the right fit. The end of the story is a beautiful one; while we did lose Whitney in the last decade, Dolly recently revealed that all of the royalties she earned from Whitney’s cover of her song have been entirely invested into a predominantly Black neighborhood in Nashville. Dolly even said, “This is the house that Whitney built.”

Happy Birthday, Dolly. We will always love you.

What drew you into music photography?

The reason I picked up a camera in the first place was due to finding Nirrimi Hakanson’s work back when I was 13, when she was only 14. Something about her work spoke to me, I can’t explain why. I loved the softness to her work mixed with a grittiness and how she brought out a wide eyed, almost fairy-like feel to the subjects she shot. There’s a sense of calm and wanderlust she manages to capture in people. When I look back over my work I can see just how much her photography influenced the way I shoot today. I seem to seek out the softness and intimacy in someone, juxtaposing it to the chaos when shooting on tour.

How I got into music specifically was during university my close friend started dating a musician - we all became friends. We ended up skipping lectures to join him on tour and taking my camera along to document what was happening around us felt like second nature. I fell in love with capturing the late nights, the pre show anxiety, the post show party, the travelling to and from venues squished up in a car looking out at the new cities we were passing through. I unintentionally built up a portfolio and coincidentally, the week after I graduated I was offered my first paid gig. I thought to myself “you can get PAID to do this?!” I guess it was never an intention for this whole thing to end up as it has..I ended up here because I just love taking photos (and I have no idea what plan B would be).

How did you connect with the Arcy Drive crew?

I had an Instagram DM from their manager (shout out Lou!). From what I could see, we had no mutual connections which made me think it was a spam message. This job relies so strongly on recommendations and I very rarely have a cold job. We jumped on a group FaceTime a month or so before they hit the road to say hey and talk through what they were after for their tour content (and I guess suss the vibe from both sides?!) Turns out someone over in America had passed my name on when Lou was scouting for U.K. based tour photographers.

Do any shows in particular stand out from the tour?

It has to be the London Headline. The crowd was electric, singing every word. It was the crowd the band deserved. Everyone in that room was beaming from ear to ear.

One memory that stands out from the tour?

You can’t make me pick just one?! To name a few..Nick climbing the venue rig in Southampton during their set, Brooke and Austin speaking in an English accent for 95% of tour, lasering Pat’s face into pints of Guinness, sharing endless stories in the van travelling city to city, exploring an abandoned building somewhere up north and the views at the top of Conic Hill, Loch Lomond in Scotland.

Was there a favorite piece of UK culture or slang you shared with the band?

We picked up seaside fish and chips before their set in Brighton. I’m not sure how sold they were on the mushy peas or curry sauce..

Favorite camera to use on tour?

I have a little vintage camcorder which I bought off Ebay for £40. I didn’t think much of it when picking it up but the camera quickly became a key piece of kit for me on tours. It’s such a non-invasive piece of gear which weighs nothing and you can always have it over your shoulder for capturing little off the cuff moments. It almost works like a point and shoot for me, with no need to worry about changing settings etc. I have hours of footage on the memory card, some of which is forgotten about until after the tour when I’m putting together a recap video. With it being so affordable, I’m less precious about it getting knocked around in mosh pits or taking it out when the weather isn’t working in our favour. It’s also a million times lighter than my main camera set up which is always a plus when walking around a city pre show.

If you can sum the tour up in 3 photos what photos would you choose?

1) There’s a shot backstage in Southampton of Nick doing a handstand with Brooke, Pat and Austin’s reaction in the background. I think it showcases them all so well.

2) The film shot of the band running down the Scottish hills barefoot, happy, sun glowing behind them, looking out over Lake Lomond at golden hour.

3) The photo of the band climbing up a watch tower in Winchester, looking like they’re in the Stand by me movie. Thinking about it now.. there’s a lot of photos of them climbing anything and everything including a roadside tower during stand still traffic somewhere on the motorway.

Now pick the photo you’re most proud of?

Honestly I can never pick just one photo from a whole tour (sorry?!) however I’d like to think I captured their first U.K. run pretty representative to them as a band. I try to shoot as off the cuff, fly on the wall as possible simply because when I see tour photography I love feeling like I’m there in the dressing room, van, hotel rooms, experiencing little moments you’d only know about if you were there. They really are just four friends with a love for life who frickin’ love music, experiencing this mad music world together. It was a really great tour to be a little part of.

Dream band to go on tour with?

The tour I’m leaving for in two days is with an Irish four piece rock band called Florence Road who I adore working with. They’re actually supporting one of my favourite artists, Wolf Alice. I very rarely get star struck but I think it may happen this time around..

Do you have any advice for someone looking to shoot shows or musicians?

Music/tour specific…. understand that the trust and privacy you have between yourself and the artist is more important than getting the shot. This industry is exhausting, exciting, stressful, overwhelming, filled with early starts and late nights with beautiful movie-like moments all mashed into one experience you live together for a stint of time. With how crazy it all is, sometimes the last thing someone needs is a camera in their face. Being able to read the room is so vital.

Have fun, be kind, have a seamless hard drive filing system for backing up shots from every show (trust me), always wear all black (music photographer specific) and remember to celebrate your little wins and find little moments of calm to be present and take it all in :)

More about Cara below:

• Instagram - @cara.kealy

• Website - www.carakealy.com

You can also find more of Cara’s photos in Basement Demos: Arcy Drive UK/Ireland Tour ‘25 -a collaborative project between artist and publisher that ventures beyond the walls of the basement.

When Abraham Lincoln established Thanksgiving as a national holiday in 1863, we’re certain the president knew exactly what the day would look like for generations of Americans to come. Family, appreciation, good food, and John Madden awarding his famous Turkey Leg MVP Award to the best player in the NFL’s Thanksgiving Day slate.

Thirteen years after the top hat-wearing presidente staked his claim that the final Thursday of November would be a day of thanks and gratitude, the first Thanksgiving football game was played. On a chilly fall day in Hoboken, New Jersey, around one thousand fans gathered to watch Yale take down Princeton by a score of 2-0. Regardless of how strong the buzz was around this new sport, those poor fans didn’t need a turkey induced coma to be put to sleep after watching that snooze fest they called a football game. Snooze fest or not, a gridiron rooted seed had been planted within American holiday culture that still shows its helmet, or head, every last Thursday in November.

George A. Richards hadn’t been born when the Bulldogs of Yale met the Princeton Tigers in that historic Ivy League Clash on Thanksgiving Day in 1876. But in the spring of 1934, the radio executive purchased the Portsmouth Spartans, a professional football team out of Ohio. Upon taking ownership, Richards immediately moved the team to Detroit and thus, the Lions were born. In a city that was dominated by Tigers baseball, the new owner found himself searching for ways to market his new team to his new fans.

Enter George Halas and his Chicago Bears. The Monsters of the Midway, as they’re known, were an established franchise in the growing NFL and were one of the most successful teams in the early years of the league. Richards saw an opportunity to help grab hold of the Detroit faithful and convinced Halas to schedule a game on Thanksgiving later that season in an effort to help bolster attendance. Anticipation grew not only in Detroit, but around the entire league as the game drew closer. By the time kickoff approached the Bears were 11-0, holding a perfect record and the top spot in the NFL’s Western Division. Perhaps the biggest surprise was that the young Detroit Lions were 10-1, shutting out each of their first seven opponents and sitting just one spot back of Chicago in the standings. Along with the hefty division lead implications, Richard’s background also lended its hand in the game’s surging buzz.

Given Richard’s past in the radio business and his relationship with NBC, the owner managed to smooth talk his way into the network broadcasting his team’s game nationally. This would be the first time a football game was welcomed into every home in the United States, and it proved to have a massive effect on the way the sport was viewed by the public moving forward. What was once looked upon as a game for adolescents and college-aged boys was growing into a serious movement that would eventually go on to claim the top spot of the American sports hierarchy.

Back to the University of Detroit Stadium. In seven home games leading up to the highly anticipated holiday clash, the Lions were averaging an attendance of just over 12,000 fans per game. No small feat and nothing to laugh at by the time’s standards. But on Thanksgiving Day over 26,000 excited Michiganders packed the bleachers to watch the game, doubling their season average. So many showed that thousands had to be turned away at the gate. And although the exact number of listeners is unknown, the game was broadcast across 94 radio stations nation wide. Proof that good marketing and a connection in the radio industry can help grow your new business. We’ve been saying that for years.

Although the Lions took a 16-7 lead into halftime, the Bears pulled off a second half comeback lead by Hall of Famers Red Grange and Bronko Nagurski to win 19-16. It was a game that had immeasurable influence on not just Thanksgiving football but the entirety of the NFL. The Lions and the Bears weren’t the first teams to play on the holiday, but they had a major say in the tradition it has become. A tradition that has seen Detroit host a Thanksgiving Day game every year, aside from a brief hiatus during World War II. To this day, that game in 1934 holds the record for the most combined wins between two teams heading into a Thanksgiving match-up and it rightfully has gone down as an NFL classic. Perhaps most importantly, it was a hell of a lot more entertaining than that first game in Hoboken in 1876.

In honor of the late great John Madden, here are a few clips of the legendary coach and announcer’s best moments in the booth throughout his time calling games for the NFL on Thanksgiving.

Not only is the 2025 class strong, but the diversity of sounds, cultures, and backgrounds of the artists sums up what music is all about. We’ll be spinning these tracks for the next few days. We’re not saying you should be too, but you probably should be too. From the earliest days of Rock & Roll with Chubby Checker, to the stage at Woodstock with Joe Cocker, to the Goonies Soundtrack with Cyndi Lauper, to the embodiment of Atlanta Hip Hop with OutKast. This class of inductees has something for everyone. Congratulations to those whose names will be immortalized in Cleveland, Ohio. Not everyone can say such a thing. Pretty cool.

Gone, Gone, Gone (1979)

Seagull (1974)

Ready for Love (1974)

Bad Company (2025) Bad Company, Charley Crockett

ATLiens (1996)

Spaghetti Junction (2000)

SpottieOttieDopaliscious (1998)

B.O.B. - Bombs Over Baghdad (2000)

Witness (1983)

The Goonies ‘R’ Good Enough (1985)

Time After Time (1986)

Calm Inside The Storm (1986)

The Twist (1960)

Quarter to Three (1961)

The Watusi (1961)

Surf Party (1963)

Burden In My Hand (1996)

My Wave (1994)

Black Hole Sun (1994)

Blow Up The Outside World (1996)

Delta Lady (1969)

Feelin’ Alright (1969)

Come Together (1969)

Hitchcock Railway (1969)

Fell In Love With a Girl (2001)

Girl You Have No Faith In Medicine (2003)

We’re Going to Be Friends (2001)

The Denial Twist (2005)

Steady Rain (2007)

Johnny Strikes Up the Band (1978)

My Shits Fucked Up (2000)

Nighttime in the Switching Yard (1978)

We’re always quick to chat music downstairs. If you’d like to keep up with what we’re listening to, feel free to follow along with our every-so-often playlists. Rock on friends and thanks for tuning in.

Earlier this year, word got out that our pals in Arcy Drive were headed across the pond to play their first shows in the UK and Ireland. What we lacked in plane tickets to tag along was made up by 6-7 disposable cameras to document the journey for us. The result far exceeded our expectations, and when we came to the band with a rough draft of a magazine covering the tour, all of us thought, “Sick. But how the hell could we make this thing even cooler?”

Enter Nick, Brooke, Pat, Austin and their manager, Lou. What began as a small zine turned into a full-blown 100-page collaboration full of stories, drawings, blurbs, and even more photos from the road taken by Arcy Drive’s photographer for the tour, Cara Kealy. Follow along as the band toured through Dublin, Glasgow, Manchester, London and more. Trips in the van, shots from soundcheck, show after show, and a pint of Guinness here and there.

Introducing the first edition of Basement Demos - a collaborative project between artist and publisher that ventures beyond the walls of the basement. A big thank you to the Arcy Drive crew and Cara for helping our vision go to print. Copies now available at basmentmag.co. Cheers mate.

It’s that time of year when images of witches in black garb with green faces populate our feeds, television, and convenience store decoration aisles. But we’re not talking broomsticks here, Dorothy. For those unfamiliar, “Night Witches” was a nickname given to the all-women pilots of Russia’s 588th Night Bomber Aviation Regiment by the Germans during World War II. With the hope of contributing to the war effort, Major Marina Raskova, a top aviator of her time, wanted a little action during the war. Specifically from above. At the time, women were allowed to fight on the front lines but barred from the Soviet Air Force. After receiving letter after letter from women looking to start an integrated Air Force, Marina presented the demand to some higher-ups and boom the 586th Fighter Aviation Regiment, 587th Bomber Aviation Regiment and 588th Night aka “Night Witches” Bomber Aviation Regiment were born.

The least qualified and inexperienced pilots, typically ranging from 18-25 years old, were placed in the 588th Night Bomber Regiment and with that, got the short end of the stick regarding their equipment. While other regiments boasted jets and radios, the 588th Regiment made due with outdated two-person Polikarpov Po-2 biplanes made of wood and canvas, better known as “coffins with wings.” With an open cockpit, pilots and navigators were exposed to the elements and could only carry two bombs at a time with no room for a parachute as they added too much weight. Oh, and all of these bombing runs were done in the middle of the night. No compass, no radios.

Despite having the odds stacked against them, what they lacked in equipment made them the most feared and deadly out of all the women-led Soviet Air Regiments. Due to the wooden construction of the planes, they were undetectable by German radar. They could also land and take off in just about any terrain, creating flexibility when changing refueling bases, which happened quite often.

When it came to bombing strikes against German encampments, they would run in sets of three. Two planes would lead the charge taking fire and exposure from German anti-aircraft, while the third plane would target the objective. To remain stealthy, the pilots would cut their engines, glide low over objectives, drop their load and hope they could start the engine again to maneuver away. German soldiers described the attacks starting with a “whoosh” sound, a gust of wind over their head, followed by explosions from above.

The “Night Witches” reigned from June 1942 to October 1945. Over those 3 years the 588th:

• Flew approximately 23,672 combat runs

• Logged 28,676 flight hours

• Dropped over 3,000 tons of bombs and 26,000 incendiary shells.

• Destroyed:

  • 176 armored cars

  • 86 prepared firing positions

  • 26 warehouses

  • 17 river crossings

  • 12 fuel depots

  • 11 searchlights

  • 9 railways

  • 2 railway stations

Oh, and they also made 155 supply drops of food and ammunition to Soviet forces1

To go along with the 3,000 tons of shells the Night Witches dropped, there are about 3,000 lessons this story can teach us. The one lesson that sticks with us is despite the lack of proper equipment or resources, making due with what you have, combined with perseverance is an unstoppable force. Also, don’t fuck with the Night Witches. Happy Halloween.

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For those unfamiliar with Forest Hills Stadium, it is nestled in between the quaint tree lined neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens. The stadium’s roots are engrained in the sport of tennis and was constructed for just that. Opening back in 1923, it was the previous home to the U.S. Open hosting the likes of Arthur Ashe, Billie Jean King, Maureen Connolly and many others.

In the 1960’s the venue branched out and began hosting concerts that went on to define the time with performances from Sinatra, Barbra Streisand and an electric Bob Dylan fresh off making headlines over at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. Eventually the stadium would become vacant in the mid 90’s up until it’s revival with a sold-out show from a guy named Mumford and his sons. Since the folk rock group shot life back into the venue, it has continued to host some legendary performances and Bill Sullivan has been right there documenting shows with his artwork.

Bill, a painter and designer by trade, has been creating posters for the shows at the Forest Hills Stadium all defined by it’s iconic horseshoe bowl. Each poster is as unique to the artist that preforms. You can find his work over at the Kiosk near portal 5 at the stadium or online as well. He’s even got a book that’s on our coffee table filled with his posters spanning from 2015-2023. Big fans of Bill downstairs and the posters to follow are some personal favorites. Thanks for the constant inspiration, Bill.