a picture is worth a thousand songs

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  • greenbend

    greenbend

    I can only imagine a recessed floor conversation pit and matching tiki bar on the other side of these curtains. What a gorgeous patio! I took this photo during the week of St. Patrick’s Day in New York City. The High Line is a converted ex-railway that now houses a walking path, sculptures, gardens, and beautiful murals. Along the path are some very unique Chelsea buildings, including this neo-modern building with each unit having its own curved patio. The vibe it gives off reminds me of Mad Men a bit; that 60’s-era, cigarettes and whiskey, suits and hats aura. Here are a few cuts that pair nicely with an afternoon out on the patio with a mint julep or lemonade.

    Equipment: Canon EOS R6 Mark II
    Location: Chelsea, Manhattan, New York
    Date: March 2026

  • shadow tracks

    shadow tracks

    This time of year always gets me itching for Summer. The sun stays out a lot longer and burns much brighter. It just feels warmer. There’s plenty of rain in April, though! This photo was taken at the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Gorgeous park and attraction, if you’ve never been. I’ve taken my family there a few times now, mostly during the Summer. I actually proposed to my wife at this park, just about 100 feet away from this location. I love the lines on this photo and the sharp red rock to green leaves to blue sky contrast. Beautiful colors! The fence’s shadow looks a bit like a pair of snakes, or even better, a road or track of some sort. Here are a few songs that remind me of hiking in nature.

    Equipment: Canon EOS R6 Mark II
    Location: Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs, Colorado
    Date: July 2025

  • hancock

    hancock

    Ninety-five floors above the street is a hell of a place to share a meal. Just months before The Signature Room shuttered their doors after a 30+ year run, my wife and I were able to snag a reservation and grab dinner high above the Windy City. The restaurant was on the 95th floor of the John Hancock Center (now renamed), with the bar and lounge on the 96th floor. The building is significant to me as a Chris Farley fan. Chris had taken his last breath just 35 floors below that restaurant back in 1997. The meal was excellent, but the view was better. I grabbed a quick photo before the sun went down. The shot reminds me of the mid-20th century, a bit more classic atmosphere. Chicago is home to some of the greatest blues and jazz musicians in history, including the legendary Herbie Hancock. Herbie was name checked in Chris Farley’s 1995 film Tommy Boy when Chris’ character mistakenly answers a test question asking about… John Hancock. Tommy Boy was released on March 31st, 1995, just five days before Kurt Cobain took his own life. To tie all of this together, here’s Herbie Hancock doing Nirvana’s “All Apologies”, along with a few other jazz covers to class up your dinner date.

    Equipment: Samsung Galaxy S21+
    Location: Downtown Chicago, Illinois
    Date: June 2023

  • copline

    copline

    There must have been a reason for them all to line up outside the New York Public Library, but the unnerving glares as I took their picture was a thrilling experience to say the least. I kept thinking to myself, “I swear, it’s just a a camera, guys!” the whole time I was snapping their photos. They were all chill, though. I think the NYC Half-Marathon was just ending and they were about to help with crowd control. Anyway, hard not to be reminded of The Strokes’ classic “New York City Cops” when looking at this photo.

    Equipment: Canon EOS R6 Mark II
    Location: Midtown, Manhattan, New York City
    Date: March 2026

  • olympia

    olympia

    It happened many times while I visited the City That Never Sleeps, but passing by this particular intersection stuck a familiar song from my younger years into my head. Standing here, as cars passed me by, none of them seemed to go my way. I wished I was on the highway back to Olympia, WA. Not really, but Lars did. I was on my way up to West 86th Street to grab some lox and a bagel from Barney Greengrass. Here are 3 versions of the 1995 track.

    Equipment: Samsung Galaxy S21+
    Location: Midtown, Manhattan, New York
    Date: March 2026

  • baize

    baize

    Rack ’em up! What a classic atmospheric feeling to see the lamps pointed towards the tables, the green baize chocked with pool cue chalk, the 16 balls sitting idle, ready to be smashed together at high speeds. Then you’ve got the smokey air, the bluesy jukebox aura echoing throughout the hall, and the stale smell of light beer and fried foods. I LOVE it. I wish I could experience it more! When preparing for a pool hall outing I actually burned this playlist onto a CD, like the good old days. Here’s the playlist.

    Equipment: Canon R6 Mark II
    Location: Lake Minnesuing, WI
    Date: January 2026

  • squares

    squares

    In the movie adaptation to Nick Hornby’s music-lovers novel High Fidelity, John Cusack’s character owns a record store in Chicago called Championship Vinyl. Throughout the story, his character recalls his Top Five relationships, noting each of their unique downfalls. In one of the more famous scenes of the movie, Cusack’s character Rob Gordon proclaims he will sell 5 copies of The Beta Band’s Three EPs. The song he plays is “Dry The Rain”, which is a perfect call out from these Scottish indie rockers. A few years later, the Beta Band would release Hot Shots II, featuring the single “Broke”. They initially wanted to release “Squares” as their single, but I Monster had put out “Daydream in Blue” around the same time, sampling the exact song “Squares” did; Gunther Kallman Choir’s “Daydream”. Both songs are elite and the original is even holds its own. Lupe Fiasco then sampled the Gunther Kallman track for his “Daydreamin’ in Blue” rap in 2006. With all of that being said, this photo just makes me think “miles and miles of squares…where’s the feeling there?”, a line from the Beta Band cut.

    Equipment: Canon EOS 450D
    Location: Chicago, Illinois
    Date: June 2023

  • fingerhut

    fingerhut

    A wall of stars painted accordingly. First Avenue’s Northwestern exterior showcases some of the artists who have graced the stage inside. George Floyd is the lone red star exception. Floyd was killed by Officer Derek Chauvin in May 2020. Senator Amy Klobuchar has a star on the wall, too, but I believe she graced the stage at some point. The Northeastern wall is also lined with a plethora of stars spotlighting past performers. Maybe someday I’ll get a shot of those.

    Alan Fingerhut was one of the original investors of the club that became First Avenue. The Depot opened at the former Greyhound Bus building in 1970 with a performance from Joe Cocker’s Mad Dog’s and Englishmen tour. Leon Russell was the featured keys player. After going through a Disco club era in the 70s, the 80s would bring international fame to the downtown Minneapolis club when Prince and his crew filmed Purple Rain there. From that point on, we had out Minneapolis gem. I was just there a few months ago and plan to be back soon, as their lineup of shows is still one of the best. Here’s a playlist of songs featuring artists on the stars on this wall.

    Equipment: Canon R6 Mark II
    Location: Minneapolis, MN
    Date: August 2025

  • copper blue

    copper blue

    Spruce needle silhouettes in front of a gorgeous July 4th sunset. I’m a huge sucker for sunset shots, probably because I’m a huge sucker for sunsets. This shot struck me as the spruce needles looked a bit like cactuses at dusk. The bright, striking orange-yellow line on the horizon lifts the shot as well. The fade almost looks like copper when it’s heated to a blue state. Of course, Bob Mould and Sugar’s Copper Blue rocks right into the evening with this one. Hot summer nights!

    Equipment: Canon R6 Mark II
    Location: Falcon, CO
    Date: July 2025

  • float

    float

    While out for a nice July hike in the stunning Rocky Mountains, I stumbled across this floating stump in one of the mountain reservoirs. It wasn’t moving much, but it was still bobbing gently in the water like a swan in a rainstorm. You could just feel the weight of it, too, with every bob. This stump was completely waterlogged, with just enough air pockets to keep it afloat. Drifting and floating along the reservoir from bank to bank. Here are a few tunes describing that feeling of floating along…

    Equipment: Canon EOS 450D
    Location: Pikes Peak, Colorado
    Date: July 2022

  • yhf

    yhf

    In a visit to the Windy City back in ’23, we took a stroll down by the Chicago River along the riverwalk. As many music heads would note, this parking garage just sticks out to anyone who spent part of their life spinning Wilco’s magnum opus; Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. Walking along North State Street across the bridge, you can recapture the shot that Sam Jones originally took back at the start of the 21st Century. With some luck, you’ll have a blank gray backdrop of clouds to mute the vibe a bit. Throw a little warm light filter on it and you’ve got a pretty similar image! Here are some Jeff Tweedy-adjacent tunes to commemorate the photo.

    Equipment: Canon EOS Rebel XSI
    Location: Chicago, Illinois
    Date: June 2023

  • red rum

    red rum

    Staring down at a shot of dark liquor in a dimly light bar with neon glowing above. I quit drinking back in 2018 and while I have some great memories of watering holes across the world, I just feel so much better without it. That being said, there’s something nostalgic for me when looking at this picture. There’s one shot glass, so it begs the question to wonder if this person is drinking alone. No chaser is shown either. I had ordered this shot from Billy Morrisette, one of the guitarists for Dillinger Four. During the final week of the Triple Rock Social Club, Billy tended bar a bit. My buddy Pat had requested a “Royal Flush” shot for us, which included Crown Royal, cranberry juice, and peach schnapps. Billy was unaware of the contents, and after some explanation proceeded to give it to us on the house due to him learning something new. Here’s to Billy, Paddy, Erik, and Lane, Minneapolis’ finest punk rock outfit. Yeah I said it…and I’m a huge Mould/Westerberg fan…

    Equipment: iPhone 5s
    Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota
    Date: November 2017

  • crestones

    crestones

    The Crestones are a group of 14,000+ ft. peaks in the Sangre de Cristo mountain range in Southern Colorado and Northern New Mexico. Colorado has this thing about 14,000 ft peaks; they call them fourteeners. It’s actually not specific to Colorado, either, but rather a mountaineering term. There are 53 fourteeners in Colorado, almost twice as many as the next state in line – Alaska with 29. I’m fairly certain that Crestone Peak, the Crestone Needle, Kit Carson Mountain, and Humboldt Peak are all visible in this shot. Kit Carson should be the tall white one, middle image, near the right side. I snagged this photo on a flight to Phoenix from Minneapolis back in 2023 while flying out to surprise my mom for her 60th birthday. It’s not exactly a skilled shot, but I felt it came out quite clear and looks so vast. How about a few tunes about mountains for a pairing?

    Equipment: Samsung Galaxy S21+
    Location: Clines Corners, New Mexico
    Date: March 2023

  • mother road

    mother road

    My son’s early obsession with the Pixar Cars franchise led me into my own mild obsession with the Mother Road, US Route 66. The history and lore buried under the interstate is immensely fascinating to me. Families moving West for a better life, traveling salesmen, freight carriers, leather tramps, and so many more rambling types of folks would venture out onto the mother road and make their way out to California from Chicago. Or, perhaps they were leaving the sunshine and heading back to the Windy City. Either way, I often ponder the amount of curious souls who made their way along that path.

    This shot is of an abandoned cafe in the ghost town of Glenrio, right on the border of Texas and New Mexico. During the Route 66 heyday, this stop included the First/Last Hotel in Texas, this Little Juarez cafe and gas station, and another motel. In 2025, as the traffic of Interstate 40 whirrs by, this little town is home to one sole business – a cannabis dispensary on the New Mexico side – and stands as a dilapidated reminder of the glory days before. The cafe in this shot was used as a model for the Glen Rio Motel in the Cars movie during their good old days montage. After the first movie, the cars of Radiator Springs converted it into the Racing Museum. Thanks to the Pixar team, this and many other buildings along the road are immortalized in film. Enjoy some songs reminiscent of that famous drive.

    Equipment: Canon EOS 450D
    Location: Glenrio, New Mexico/Texas
    Date: March 2021

  • suffrage

    suffrage

    Americans have a right and civic duty each November to cast their vote for candidates they feel will represent them best. While the debate seems to continue on about how well this democratic approach works for us humans, there is still merit to majority rule. Throughout history, we’ve seen the ugliness of a society when the proletariat isn’t represented adequately. Yet, time and time again, the hunger for power overcomes some, and they move their society towards a more tyrannical approach. Plato observed this many years ago in The Republic by calling out the 5 stages of government. Aristocracy, timocracy, oligarchy, democracy, and finally tyranny are the 5 stages in order, before resetting back to an aristocratic society. It’s truly fascinating to consider. I hope we can hold out on the 4th stage as long as possible here in the USA. Regardless of where your political views lie, I’ve got a range of songs here related to voting, elections, choice, and of course, flags. Enjoy the music and if you’re in the US, go vote!

    Equipment: Canon R6 Mark II
    Location: Two Harbors, Minnesota
    Date: September 2025

  • litterbug

    litterbug

    A bold command stands firmly in the fields near Amarillo, Texas. The blue sky and green fields contrast well with the bright red spray-painted sign. I agree with it wholeheartedly; do not litter. Find a trash can. This sign stands outside a famous Route 66 landmark; Cadillac Ranch. I’ll post a photo of the cars sometime. What’s really fascinating about this sign, though, is the strewn garbage and trash all around the entrance to the ranch. There is a dumpster, but many miss it. Here are some songs for the garbage people who cannot be bothered to put their trash in the correct receptacle.

    Equipment: Canon EOS 450D
    Location: Amarillo, Texas
    Date: March 2021

  • mulligan

    mulligan

    There’s just something off about this photo. I just cannot envision an image of a golf course in my mind that isn’t surrounded by various shades of green. I mean, the putting surface is literally called “the green.” With that said, the fog rolling off the lake and the long shadow sunrise light makes for a wonderful autumn shot. For those of you who hit the links regularly, this photo might bring out the end-of-season golf vibe. Other than songs from Caddyshack, what golfing songs do you know? There aren’t many. Instead of a playlist, this time, I suggest you dig out famous film director Gus Van Sant’s 1983 recording; 18 Songs About Golf. I can’t find a streaming version of this album, but here’s a link to the Discogs page. I found my CD copy at Cheapo Records in Blaine, Minnesota for $3. In case you cannot find a copy, though, here’s Kenny Loggins’ theme from Caddyshack; “I’m Alright”. That should at least put the golf vibe in your ear until you can find this Van Sant gem.

    Equipment: Canon EOS Rebel XSI
    Location: Lake Minnesuing, Wisconsin
    Date: October 2023

  • orbweaver

    orbweaver

    Do you see a bear face buried on the back of this spider? This orb weaver has a unique carapace that caught my eye. Even though I found this in late Spring, I knew this would be perfect for an Autumn photo. For those of you unaware or not from the upper Midwest of America, these little buggers are harmless and are actually quite fascinating to watch as they weave their webs. The songs below are all spider-related, but there are some real gems here. I find it so interesting how many groups use spiders as a visual for their instrumental cuts. All those legs dancing around, maybe…

    Equipment: Canon EOS R6 Mark II
    Location: Lake Sylvia, Minnesota
    Date: June 2025