ANNE MARIE TO STEPHEN:

AM: What is your favorite song?

SB: First, let me say that you slayed me this month. So many good songs that I'm feeling like I definitely need to step up my game in November (but don't you worry, I’ve got a few hidden gems in the pipeline). This was a really tough choice between Ghost Funk and The Marcus King Band, but in the end, had to go with Ghost Funk Orchestra cause I'm really feeling this type of music right now.

AM: Have you heard any of these tracks before?

SB: I've heard Big Thief's song before. And I'm reeeeeeeally upset you beat me to The Regrettes. Really regretting that.

AM: Name a song you WISH people used at weddings for their first dance. And one you wish you could hit a button and retire universally.

SB: Ok, I'm going to answer this question in reverse order because I want to get the negativity out of the way. The easy answer would be the Funky Chicken. It's probably my least favorite song of all time, mainly because it's designed to humiliate people IMO. Just imagine how The Godfather would have been ruined if, all of a sudden, all of these classy folks dressed to the nines had to start flapping their arms and imitating feathered rodents. In my time DJing weddings, I would avoid it like the plague and often pretended not to have it when requested. I just really hate that song.

Alright, now for the good part…but how do I even begin to choose? In general, I wish people would play more deep cuts from some of the classic wedding artists. I think there's something really cool about hearing a Frank Sinatra song come on, but you've never heard it or can't remember the words. My initial reaction would be to put some Chromeo on there because, well, Chromeo, but I'm going to go with a wild card and say Evan Finds The Third Room by Khruangbin. It barely has any words and is an absolutely amazing groove. It's a perfect transition song while people are eating. Put this on and I guarandamntee that folks start bobbing a little more and looking around like "hmmm ok is anyone else feeling like they want to get up and start making their way to the dance floor?"

STEPHEN TO ANNE MARIE:

SB: What is your favorite song?

AM: Wake the Wild, Body Language.

SB: Have you heard any of these tracks before?

AM: None!

SB: What is your favorite venue to listen to a concert? (could be anything...stadium, coffee shop...whatever)

AM: If you had asked me this last month, I would have said anyplace intimate, and I’d of meant anyplace where I’m 10 feet from the performer, like a small cafe or bar. But I just saw John Mayer play The Forum and it was one of the most intimate performances I’ve ever been to and it was in a stadium. So, the life lesson here is that sometimes you’re just damn wrong about your POV on something in life and you should acknowledge it. I’m acknowledging it.

Mayer’s show was intimate for many reasons — he played for 3 hours straight with one 10-minute break. He skipped effortlessly between albums and decades without us knowing the wiser. He kept the talking to zero until he was 2 hours deep with us, when he had already built the connection between himself and the audience, then he used that well-crafted rapport to tell us a few choice stories about his past, his volatile relationship with Your Body Is A Wonderland, and how difficult it is as a young artist to play in LA with the “crossed arm people” who root for you to fail. I saw thousands of fans silently turn on their iPhone flashlights and hold them twinkling in the air for an encore. What I learned that night is that intimacy is still king for me but that the artist can cultivate it in any space, if they are willing and able.