We killed 85 schoolgirls. We are not the good guys.

one time a songwriter told me that they like to do what they call “the bill callahan challenge” at bars, where they order a drink by only saying “beer, thank you”

Most people don’t understand that decibels are like points. The more you have, the better your album does. That’s why us mastering engineers do decibelmaxxxing. We ensure your music will have the maximum number of decimals possible so that you can win the game (music industry)

“‘The persecution is the point,’ said Rep. Abi Boatman, a Wichita Democrat and the only transgender member of the Legislature, who received the [Kansas Dept of Revenue] notice on Wednesday.” To underscore that: a Kansas state legislator is among those whose driver’s license will be voided. (🎁 link:)

"Artists peak at 30", "30 under 30", "by 30 you should" ridiculous. Arts industries capital craves young people to exploit and burn out. It doesn't want older artists thriving and guiding the young. It also doesn't want artists to exist. Stop letting cannibals tell you you only matter on a plate.

BDS calls for consumer [note: consumer, not artist] boycott of Spotify until the company meets demands to adopt an intersectional ethical programming, advertising, sponsorship, and partnership policy, and end all business with Partner Communications.

Tour cometh

have you seen the new STUCK video yet? www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymS0...

The forthcoming Hallogallo vinyl compilation I referenced in my November scene feature is now available to pre-order, it comes out next month

New Stuck single “Deadlift” out now! My personal fav off the new record.

What I Eat In A Day As A Mastering Engineer (2300 kcal, all macros)

Mastered by Greg ✅ at Chicago Mastering Service!

I have spent my life as part of a local and global music community based on mutual support and celebrating art. Being a part of this community is the only reason I have a career. None of these folks are going to have their music mastered by AI, and so I do not worry about it.

Replaced the battery on my PS5 controller

Mastered by Greg ✅

This Massaman curry is one of the best things I’ve ever made, including every album I’ve ever worker on. Very easy too!

i think a lot about how much anyone in favor of ai art/writing/music replaces the profit motive for the real value: human connection, a thing ai fundamentally cannot do

Mastered by Greg ✅

Graceless pivot to survival: I’m launching THE FUTURE IS OURS TO MAKE A music newsletter of reccos, rants, illumination, shade, endangered forms (concert/album reviews, human interviews), formless dangers (trash talk, love lore, bespoke illos) — an expansion of my work as your critic + co-listener

it's crazy to see your long held hypothesis about the modern american right wing—something you've ranted irl and written 10,000 pointless screeds over online, this website included—to literally be notarized by literally the world's foremost infamous pedophile billionaire rapist.

Landowner's "Rival Males" is a well-studied combative interrogation on toxic masculinity. Hear the lead single from the Western Mass post-punk band’s new album 'Assumption': lnk.bio/s/4d3ca Out 2/27 on @eisrecords.bsky.social

News: Stuck asks if self-optimization is possible with first single from forthcoming third album, taking aim at social media advertising and influencers regenmag.com/news/news-st...

This, to me, is the essence of what I love about Chicago artists. You don't make art here to become a media darling or get rich or parlay it into some other career. You make art here bc you love doing it for its own sake, unpretentiously. You do it here bc you love & are inspired by this place.

New No Expectations today. I don't know what it is about January, but it always brings out some excellent new post-punk LPs. Wrote about a couple of them here www.noexpectations.fyi/p/shaking-ha...

Announcing Stuck’s new album Optimizer out March 27th via @eisrecords.bsky.social! Watch the video for our new song “Instakill”! Links below!

Links to fundraisers follow in the thread below. Please help the families who are, for a variety of reasons including race and immigration status, receiving less attention.

I interviewed over half a dozen ICE and Border Patrol agents who describe an agency that sounds like Reno 911! “I thought federal agents were supposed to be clean cut but some of them pass around a flask as we are watching a suspect,” one told me: www.kenklippenstein.com/p/ice-unloads

I think “Boy In Da Corner” by Dizzee Rascal would still be a smash hit if it came out today. So ahead of its time.

In April 2024, Spotify implemented a new scheme: songs with less than 1k streams per year would no longer receive royalties. The data for 2025 was just released via Luminate, and 88% of songs have been demonetized. Read it again: 88% of songs on Spotify have been demonetized.

Also I mastered this :)

In 2025 I: ⭐️ took ownership of Chicago Mastering Service, the studio I have worked at since I was 21 ⭐️ mastered 100 hours of music ⭐️ deadlifted 300lb Partial round-up of some records I worked on. Thank you for trusting me to help make your music the best version of itself✨

It’s funny to me that New York is the largest and most dense city in America and every time I’m here I invariably wind up spending most of my time within a mile radius of the Morgan L stop. I’m sure this is like someone saying they only hang out in Wicker Park. Just funny 2 meee

Receiving my first project inquiry via the quote builder on the new CMS website feels… so good

Chicago Mastering Service has a new website! Features a partial discography of records mastered here, a quote building for, and a FAQ! Check it out! Designed by Jake McKelvie, all photos by Derrick Alexander. www.chicagomasteringservice.com

Little update of what I've been up to this summer and fall! Record round-up of some really cool records that came out last week. Here u go

Stuck plays Friday at Color Club with Bursting, Chicago IL, September 19th 2025 AD

Hey I got contributions on this playlist! One for @manekadevin69.bsky.social (mastering) and one for Lawn (recording)! Both are great! Music rocks

Here's the sitting president of the United States endorsing ethnic cleansing in Gaza.

when you die, no one will remember how much money you made, how many hours you worked, how much time you spent in the gym…. they will remember whether or not your music sounded loud on Spotify

In case you hadn't heard, Bob and Carrie Weston have moved to Portugal—which means that Chicago Mastering Service, one of the most sophisticated such studios in the city, has a new owner! I interviewed Greg Obis (@guypidgeotto.bsky.social) about his new role. chicagoreader.com/music/chicag...

Chicagoan of Note 🎵 I spoke with Philip Montoro for @chicagoreader.com about my new position as Owner / Operator at Chicago Mastering Service, and all things audio. If you don't know what it is that I do, this is a great place to start!

More of this would be awesome. There are other less evil/less crappy sounding places to stream music.

i'm rarely telling y'all to stop doing x or y bc of corporate entanglements but you cannot be using spotify in 2025 considering every stream is going toward a future full of AI-powered drone strikes

SCOOP: Details about Saturday’s “No Kings” protest are under watch by domestic intelligence centers, where analysts regularly distribute speculative threat assessments among federal, state, and local agencies, according to an internal alert obtained by WIRED. UNPAYWALLED:

BIGGEST NEWS: You are looking at the newest owner of Chicago Mastering Service! Excited to continue to deliver the high level of service and S-tier quality masters that have made CMS a staple in the greater music community. I feel immeasurably lucky to be here. Excited to share more soon. Thanks! ♥️

Tremendous honor to be supporting The Jesus Lizard at The Metro this fall 🙇🏻

greg is great, as is this newsletter name