January 2026 - The Songs We've Yet to Live

One of the powers of a great song is how easily it lets you step inside it.

Sometimes you hear a line and it’s like watching a video of your life you didn't know was taking place. Like your very own Truman Show in audio form. Other times, the song isn’t about you at all, but somehow it still becomes yours. You start seeing yourself in it, or someone you love. A road you’ve driven, a room you've been in. A decision you’re still coming to grips with. Life.

That’s always been the magic trick. The best writers don’t just tell their story, they leave enough space for you to move your furniture in too. It's theirs, but the best ones are simultaneously universal. That is the magic.

I’ve spent my whole life finding pieces of myself inside songs. Sometimes it’s the reckless optimism, sometimes it’s the words you want back or the ones you wish you had said. Sometimes it’s just the feeling of knowing you’re standing in the middle of your life while it’s happening, not after. Those songs tend to stick around the longest. They age with you. Related, what they mean changes as you do.

As we moved into a new year and all the reflection and projection that comes with it, I’ve caught myself imagining songs that haven’t been written yet. Not because they don’t exist, but because I haven’t lived them yet.

What does your 2026 sound like?

Is it a rebuilding year song? One about starting over, tightening the bolts, figuring it out as you go? Is it a wide open highway tune where things finally feel aligned? Is it quieter? Is it louder? Is it about learning to stay when you used to run, or learning to leave when you always stayed too long?

I like the idea that somewhere out there is a song waiting on you to catch up to it. A chorus you haven’t earned yet. A verse that only makes sense once you’ve lived another year.

That’s the beauty of this music. It doesn’t just soundtrack who we are or were, it runs in front of us and grabs the person we're becoming.

So as 2026 comes fully into view, I’m listening with ears and heart open wide. Not just for songs that explain the past, but for the ones that might be trying to tell me what’s next. The ones that let me imagine the weeks, months and years ahead. As I am now firmly entrenched in middle age, this becomes extremely prescient.

Sooner or later, if you’re lucky, you’ll hear a song and realize you’ve become the person you used to pretend you were when the chorus hits. What's 2026 got in store for you? Just listen. MINOR CHORDS:

-If you haven't yet, please click the contact tab on our menu and join our email list. We won't overload your inbox and have some fun exclusive things planned for the email folks. I dropped a little nugget in the last one that I've gotten lots of great feedback on. Your boy is coming to a Kindle near you soon. -MusicFest in the rearview, full blown Mile 0 mode begins now. Hard to believe this will be the 9th time we've had to the place where dreams come true. It's fun to go back and read some of the stuff from 2017/2018 that led up to that first year. Old Key West pros now. Lots of content, previews and the like coming your way this week.

-I can't recall a crazier college football season, but I do know the photo we shared of Charlie Robison playing in his SWT days has legitimately gone viral. As of this posting, just the Facebook post alone has had over 3 million impressions. I just hope each one of those people went and followed it up with some of his music.

-"Of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind the most." - Mark Twain