STEPHEN TO ANNE MARIE:

SB: What is your favorite song?

AM: I’m sure you won’t be surprised at all to find out that it is Golden Hour by Oliver Heimach.

SB: Have you heard any of these tracks before?

AM: None - *claps*

SB: I recently sent you a little holiday book called Booze and Vinyl. One that pairs drinks with legendary albums. So my question to you is this: Do you have a specific drink for listening to any particular kind of music or album? Or better yet, when you drink a particular drink do you imagine any specific kind of music?

AM: This is tricky because I didn’t drink for years. Right after college I started bartending and slowly got into drinking as a pastime. Running with that crowd I was surrounded by other, much more experienced drinkers, so I went with “I’ll have what he’s having” for the first few years to try different things and see what I really liked. Then - also as a bartender - I learned that personally I like to keep things simple most of the time, especially if I walk into a place and the bartender is slammed. In that case, regardless of what is playing, I’m ordering a whiskey neat. If we’re talking about a quiet, high class kinda place where the staff has time to breathe, I’m probably ordering a martini while your precious rat pack is crooning to me. Extra special parties make me think of champagne, although my friend Allison made a bourbon eggnog at her holiday party recently that made me change my mind. James Bond weekend? I’m drinking anything within reach. I don’t drink much alone and I do listen to a lot of music alone so that’s a weird disconnect in your question, too. I will say if I walk into an establishment and I dig their vibe (what’s playing, the design, smell, ambiance in total) I will definitely order a house drink to see what they’re working with. I’m usually not disappointed.

PS: Love the book!

ANNE MARIE TO STEPHEN:

AM: What is your favorite song?

SB: Ok, so there are some really great songs on this list. Dreamz, Makeout, Shoot Your Shot all get honorable mention, but as soon as I heard Perta's From Fire, it was over. I love everything about this song, especially how passionate each word is sung. I expect this to make the 2019 top tracks for sure.

AM: Have you heard any of these tracks before?

SB: I've heard of Stoop Kids and Besphrenz, but not these songs, so congrats, all newbies.

AM: If you could only pick 3, which artists no longer living would you want to have seen live?

SB: Another tough question, but here's my take…

For starters, hands down, Michael Jackson. I'm still kicking myself for never seeing him. Although in my defense, you expect them to perform into their 90s, so you think you have time. Ethics aside, I’m sure it would have been a sight to behold.

Next up, Mr. Stan Getz. Just to be able to sit there and be captivated by him for an hour or so, would have undoubtedly been an experience to remember.

The final spot is really tough. Especially because you asked who I'd want to see live, so I feel like the performance has to weigh in, not just their music. I mean damn, Miles Davis, Billie Holiday, Marvin Gaye, Bob Marley, Amy Winehouse, Otis Redding, Ella, The entire Rat Pack (who if I could count them as one, it would be them at the Copa, but because I can't I'm not going to choose between them), Freddy Mercury, the list is endless! But, if I had to pick just one to round them out, I'm going to throw a complete curveball at you. One you didn't see coming and say...Frederic Chopin. That's right. For starters, he's Polish, so clearly there's that. But he's my absolute favorite classical composer, because he became the bridge from classic to jazz. Listen to his music. It's almost entirely solo piano and sounds nothing like the other classical music of his generation. I would have loved to sit there as he played and watched everyone's reactions. Would they be excited that the future of music is happening right in front of them? Would they be angry that he's destroying what was a style that had been popular for centuries? Probably a little of both. Fun fact, the day of every presentation, I put on his Nocturnes album while I read through the deck. So good. https://spoti.fi/2Wvz8uh