No Expectations 150: Touch Grass
A cool newsletter milestone. Plus, a 60-song patio-ready playlist for the holiday.
No Expectations hits inboxes on Thursdays at 9am cst. Reader mailbag email: Noexpectationsnewsletter@gmail.com. Daily Chicagoan, the local news newsletter I produce at my day job with WTTW News (PBS Chicago), can be found here.
Headline song: Major Murphy, “Touch Grass”
Thanks for being here.
This week, the newsletter crossed the 10,000 subscriber mark. That’s a ridiculous number. I’m grateful and amazed that so many people have supported this writing project. When I started No Expectations in Dec. 2022, I figured the best-case scenario was that I could eventually get 1,000 people to sign up. Now, in just three and a half years, running this blog has brought me so much joy it’s hard to quantify. I honestly can’t imagine what my life would’ve looked like without it.
This little indie rock website is directly responsible for me getting hired at the best full-time job I’ve ever had: producing the newsletters for WTTW News (PBS Chicago). It’s allowed me to search for and find so much amazing music. I’m reading more, too, and I’ve made so many friends from just writing about independent artists making worthwhile and stellar albums. There are so many great writers, excellent publications, and must-read newsletters that you could support instead, so I’m especially thankful for every email signup, every nice thing someone said to me via social media or at a show, and every generous person who’s chosen the paid tier.
As much as it’s gauche to care about subscriber totals, it’s good to celebrate a W sometimes. Thanks to everyone who’s made No Expectations a sustainable and fun endeavor. There’s an audience for organic music discovery outside of the streaming service algorithms and the bigger, well-funded outlets. When AI slop abounds, it turns out people want to hear interesting and under-the-radar human-made tunes. I’m still floored that I get to do this every week and that this newsletter is still growing.
Here’s the spiel for new subscribers: Each week, you get a wildcard main essay (often new album recommendations), a 15-song playlist, as well as updates on what I’m listening to, watching, and reading. Sometimes you’ll get an interview with an artist I love, and other times it’ll be a deep dive into one band’s discography. Since I’m a Chicago-based writer, this newsletter is very Midwest-focused. So, if you live in this city too, you’ll also receive a curated roundup of upcoming local shows to check out.
Here’s where I politely ask for money: This newsletter is something I write in my spare time after work. It does not have a paywall and won’t for the foreseeable future due to the generosity of my readers. I am not in the business of gatekeeping. If you have the means and like what you read, I’d encourage you to sign up for a paid subscription. If your budget is tight, telling a friend about a band you found out about here is just as good. You can also post about No Expectations and say nice things. That works too. It’s still $5 a month—the cost of one Old Style plus tip at Rainbo Club. Every bit helps, keeps this project going, and allows it to stay paywall-free. It’s rough out there, so it means the world you’re reading and supporting this writing project.
The July 4th Playlist For Grilling and Chilling
It’s the 4th of July on Saturday, and I have a three-day weekend on deck. Even though Chicago’s in the middle of a heat wave, you’ll find me on a bud’s rooftop drinking beers and hopefully grilling hot dogs one of those days. No Expectations typically celebrates holidays with a massive playlist of old favorites: an eclectic mix of songs from decades past. But this year, because it’s the newsletter’s 150th regular installment, I figured I’d compile a breezy collection of songs I’ve covered in this blog since 2022. If you’re a newer subscriber, think of this as a “No Expectations Greatest Hits.” If you’ve been reading since the very beginning, you’ll hear a handful of tracks I haven’t written about or featured in any of the weekly mixes. Enjoy the weekend. I’ll be back next week with a packed edition full of LP, movie, and book recommendations.
The No Expectations 150 Playlist: Apple Music // Spotify // Tidal
Dusk, “Pissing In A Wishing Well”
Angela Autumn, “Mountain Stream”
Dari Bay, “Walk On Down”
Sam and Louise Sullivan, “Down on Love”
Billie Marten, “Feeling”
Erin Rae, “True Love’s Face”
Good Looks, “If It’s Gone”
Lawn, “Down”
Alex G, “Runner”
Florry, “First it was a movie, then it was a book”
Wednesday, “Phish Pepsi”
Way Dynamic, “People Settle Down”
Silver Synthetic, “Cool Blue Night”
Sierra Ferrell, “Dollar Bill Bar”
Hannah Cohen, “Summer Sweat”
Eliza Niemi, “DM BF”
Good Morning, “A Telephone Rings”
hemlock, “Hyde Park”
Foxwarren, “Deadhead”
Greg Freeman, “Gone (Can Mean a Lot of Things)”
Mildred, “Fleet Week”
Lily Seabird, “Sweepstake”
Golden Apples, “Waiting For A Cloud”
Superviolet, “Locket”
LAKE J, “Wild Wind”
Brad Goodall, “River Water”
GENA, “Circlesz”
Gia Margaret, “Good Friend”
Liz Cooper, “Sorry (That I Love You)”
Styrofoam Winos, “Next Thing”
Waxahatchee, “Crowbar”
Bonny Doon, “Maybe Today”
Ratboys, “The World, So Madly”
Whitney, “In the Saddle”
villagerrr, “Barn Burnerrr”
Tyler Ballgame, “I Believe In Love”
Mapache, “Rainbow Song”
Real Companion, “New Moon Ave.”
Neu Blume, “Power”
Red PK, “Red”
Graham Hunt, “Speeding Towards A Wall”
Soft Surface, “What Love Is (feat. Frankie Cosmos)”
Golomb, “Other Side of the Earth”
Minor Moon, “I Could See It Coming”
Video Age, “Away From The Castle”
Divino Niño, “Drive”
Bad Bunny, “BAILE INoLVIDABLE”
Sword II, “Sugarcane”
Uwade, “Harmattan”
Tobacco City, “America”
Tasha, “Summer”
Shoulderbird, “Rocket”
Fine Food Market, “Wild World”
Widowspeak, “If You Change”
Closebye, “Hammer of My Own”
Star Moles, “Overdog”
Big Thief, “Spud Infinity”
Cory Hanson, “Driving Through Heaven”
Major Murphy, “Touch Grass”
Luluc, “Rewarding Melody”
The Weekly Chicago Show Calendar:
The gig calendar lives on the WTTW News website. You can also subscribe to the newsletter I produce there called Daily Chicagoan to get it in your inbox a day early.
Thanks for making my music consumption more enjoyable and thoughtful. Keep it up!
10,000 is epic! onto the next 10K!
Thanks once again for playlisting on Tidal.