When I’m Gone, Leave the Light On...
As I reflect on this season of The Quinn Spinn, I must acknowledge, once again, that it almost didn’t happen. Coming back to the show after experiencing burnout, loss, frustration, and the accumulation of other priorities was not easy – but it was meant to be.
I realized over the fall and winter that I needed an outlet again, and The Quinn Spinn was, once again, right there for the taking. I knew that this time needed to be different. Gone were the days of recording shows, endlessly and aimlessly, hoping SiriusXM would just happen to stumble across our immense talent. I knew, in order for The Quinn Spinn to be successful and rewarding, that it all needed to start here at home.
So, I latched the show onto Lehigh Valley Underground. Together, both have provided a fresh, much-needed voice to my local music scene. We’ve also given deserved acknowledgement to artists from all over the world, both on Mondays on The Quinn Spinn, as well as on LVU in the form of album reviews and Q&As.
In doing this, The Quinn Spinn has become everything that it needs to be in the here and now. The Quinn Spinn is a reliable source of great indie music, and one that the locals here in the Lehigh Valley have really taken to. To hear people tell me, face-to-face, that they look forward to our shows every week, and that they’re going to miss hearing new episodes over the summer, gives this show a new life that it didn’t have during our previous run. The Quinn Spinn is no longer trying to be all things to all people – we are trying to serve the independent, original music community with opportunities, starting at home and spreading out from there. I must say, we’re doing that quite well.
That is why taking off for the summer is important. Last time, staying in “go mode” for nearly two years straight took its toll on the show’s direction and my ability to plan for the future, and nearly destroyed the show from the inside. Now, I have an entire summer at my disposal to figure out how to take that next step, and how The Quinn Spinn can continue #BuildingBetter for indie artists in our backyard and yours. It also keeps things fresh – for you and for me. It gives us a chance to re-stock on great, new indie music that we’ll be sure to hit you with in September.
I know that many of you would probably tell me that I don’t need to explain anything, but that is exactly what I want to. The support from our small army of Quinn Spinn artists – old and new, at home and abroad – has always been something to write home about. However, it is over the past year of swift transition that I’ve realized how lucky I am to call so many of you collaborators and friends. There are too many of you to name, but I thank you for your support, continued or new. Please know that The Quinn Spinn will continue to exist for you, and that we’ll continue to work together for the betterment of the music community.
So… that about does it. Stay tuned here for updates all summer long, and make sure you check out Lehigh Valley Underground. I assure you, LVU is just heating up for the summer.
But, as far as the show goes, I think this song from one of my favorite new Quinn Spinn artists, The Wayside Shakeup, sums it up. I’ll be out on the scene this summer, but please “leave the light on” for me. I’ll be “coming home” with a big, rowdy “HEY NOW!” soon enough.