This past weekend, my family and I overdosed on "quality time" driving around in search of our next pair of outdated transportational pods on wheels. (Seriously, we were promised flying cars… Read More

I've been away for a while, but I'm back now. Absence and fondness and...all that jazz. I could go into a long explanation as to why Venti took such a lengthy break or I could just let Irma… Read More

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Growing up, early Sunday mornings in my house smelled like coffee and the only soundtrack was the rustling of newspapers and the stirring of spoons. Before kids and fantasy football, I follo… Read More

10SONGSWELOVETHIS WEEK StarringBleachers, Sloan Peterson, The Wooden Sky, Nvdes, Maggie Koerner, Paul Shaffer And T… Read More

"If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that’s a full day. That’s a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you’re going to have something special.”Coach Jim Val… Read More

// WORDLESS WEDNESDAY :: INSTRUMENTAL SONG OF THE WEEK // “The word ‘listen’ has the same letters as the word ‘silent’.” — Alfred BrendelThe… Read More

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As Eddie Murphy used to say as Buckwheat on SNL, "Been a wong tye since dem day." First time in a long time, I have a full-fledged unfocused edition of the Grind covering an array of topics… Read More

WORK YOUR BRAIN OUT WITH OUR 5 FAVORITE LONG READS THIS WEEK Our Mental Yoga Sunday posts are designed to get our reader… Read More

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// WORDLESS WEDNESDAY :: INSTRUMENTAL SONG OF THE WEEK // “With instrumental music, it is traditionally hard to get exposure.” — YanniCity of the Sun"Sugar"@cityofth… Read More

Sex and sleep go together like peas and carrots, Jennay. Peas and carrots. In this edition of the grind, we feature a few doozies about both. If you get any ideas from this post, remember, i… Read More

// WORK YOUR BRAIN OUT WITH OUR 5 FAVORITE LONG READ THIS WEEK // Hu Kun is a Chinese artist, living and working in… Read More

// EAR BUDS // 10 FAVORITE SONGS WEEK OF 3.24.17 // THE 10 WORN OUT RECORDS THIS WEEKFeaturing :: Imaginary Tricks, Sjow… Read More

I'm as shocked as anybody it took me this long to post something about Blondie on Ventipop. As a kid, my mom would taxi me to the mall every time they… Read More

"When people hear good music, it makes them homesick for something they never had, and never will have again." ~ Edgar Watson Howe… Read More

// WORK YOUR BRAIN OUT WITH OUR 5 FAVORITE LONG READ THIS WEEK // 1 INTO THE WOODS (THE GUARDIAN)"Christopher Knigh… Read More

EAR BUDS // 10 FAVORITE SONGS WEEK OF 3.17.17 Featuring :: First Aid Kit, Fink, Rose Cousins, Parker Millsap & Sarah Jarosz, Wilderado, Mosa Wild, Shelby Earl, Matthew Logan Vasquez… Read More

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I felt I needed a little sunshine today. Winter decided she wasn't quite finished with us in my part of the world. Coffee, good news stories and not stepping a foot outside my house when it'… Read More

// WORDLESS WEDNESDAY :: INSTRUMENTAL SONG OF THE WEEK // “One of the best ways to persuade others is with you… Read More

This edition of the grind started out being all about money and finance and business...but then I got bored, started reading stories on the upcoming NCAA March Madness Basketball tournament… Read More

// WORK YOUR BRAIN OUT WITH OUR 5 FAVORITE LONG READ THIS WEEK // 1When Your Greatest Romance is Friendship (New Yo… Read More

// EAR BUDS // 10 FAVORITE SONGS WEEK OF 3.10.17 //featuring :: Colony House, Portugal. The Man, Amelia Curran, Alex the Astronaut, Alt J, Gizmo Varillas, Baula, Hurray for the Riff Raff, Mu… Read More

 Sample blog post text. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Proin quis tincidunt arcu. Vivamus nunc nulla, mattis in risus eget, auctor elementum est. Phasellu… Read More

// Slow Jam of the Week :: Paul Kelly "They Thought I Was Asleep" //@paulkelly :: official siteI don't know how I've lived my whole life loving music as much as I do and never heard of… Read More

// Anyone hungry? Grind #108 - The Food One //We blend and marinate a bunch of stories on food and drink in this edition of the Grind. I hope you're not too hungry because the Juicy Lucy vid… Read More

// WORK YOUR BRAIN OUT WITH OUR 5 FAVORITE LONG READ THIS WEEK // 1I DID RUTH BADER GINSBURG'S WORKOUT. IT NEARLY BROKE… Read More

// EAR BUDS // 10 FAVORITE SONGS WEEK OF 3.3.17 //featuring :: BNQT, Sunset, Simen Mitlid, Tim McGraw & Faith Hill, The Districts, The Mountain Goats, Matt Epp & Faouzia, Louie… Read More

// WORDLESS WEDNESDAY :: INSTRUMENTAL SONG OF THE WEEK // “He who does not understand your silence will probably not understand your words.” — Elbert HubbardLudovico… Read More

AKA // Imaginary Bookstore, Typewriters & Tittles // Tom Hanks perusing our Imaginary Bookstore. That's me on the ri… Read More

London based band Colouring's latest single "Everything Has Grown' is a reflection on the breakdown of a relationship" explains singer Jack Kenworthy. "When you have found peace with the pas… Read More

// The Oscars, Bad Movies, Misquotes, Castle Rock, Keanu & Late Night Dancing // “Movies touch our hearts and awaken our vision, and change the way we see things. They take us t… Read More

// EAR BUDS // 10 FAVORITE SONGS WEEK OF 2.24.17 //featuring :: The Bookshop Band, Lana Del Rey, Nvdes, The Shins, Middle Kids, Holly Miranda & The New Asylum Choir, Willie Nelson, Matth… Read More

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// Grind #89 :: Art From Every Angle // “Two boys arrived yesterday with a pebble they said was the head of a dog until I pointed out that it was really a typewriter.” &md&hell…Read More

Pace is a three piece project from London. They announced themselves to the scene in 2016 with melody rich debut 'Heartbeat'. The piano driven tune is modern, but instantly memorable.'F… Read More

“Sunday is the golden clasp that binds together the volume of the week.” — Henry Wadsworth LongfellowMental Yoga Sunday :: Our favorite long form reads for the week… Read More

// EAR BUDS // 10 FAVORITE SONGS WEEK OF 2.17.17 //Here are the 10 songs in heaviest rotation this week at Ventipop:1Muna :: "Crying on the Bathroom Floor" :: @whereisMUNA :: New A… Read More

// WORDLESS WEDNESDAY :: INSTRUMENTAL SONG OF THE WEEK // “A single word often betrays a great design.” — Jean Baptiste RacineFuture of Forestry :: "You" (Piano/Stri… Read More

// POSITIVE VIBES :: GOOD NEWS :: LAUGH, THINK, BE MOVED // I've had a soft spot in my heart for Michael Buble ever sinc… Read More

"16, Maybe Less" is an older song, but it has stuck with me over the years. It's a collaboration between Calexico and Iron & Wine. It's off their 2005 record titled In The Reins.Cal… Read More

Growing up, early Sunday mornings in my house smelled like coffee and the only soundtrack was the rustling of newspapers and the stirring of spoons. Before kids and fantasy football, I follo… Read More

Here are the 10 songs in heaviest rotation this week at Ventipop:1Caroline Spence :: "Hotel Amarillo" :: @carolinespence_ :: New Album Spades and Roses Out 3/3 2Sunny Sweeney :: "B… Read More

“Man’s mind stretched to a new idea never goes back to its original dimensions.” — Oliver Wendell HolmesIt's been a long while since we featured imaginative d… Read More

GoGo Penguin :: "All Res" :: @GoGo_Penguin :: Official Site :: Latest Album Man Made Object Artist Bio:&n&hell…Read More

Porcelain Raft's new album Microclimate is available now.Official SiteStream AlbumWatch Porcelain Raft Videos@porcelainraft… Read More

According to a recent Gallup Poll, the United States rank as the 14th happiest country in the world. The top 5 are Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden and Netherlands. Seems like I write a lot… Read More

John Mellencamp's music always paints a picture. His new single "Easy Target" has a smoke-filled piano bar vibe touching on income inequality, social issues and a gloomy view of what's next… Read More

Prince's wink, playful smirk, mouth-drawn guitar solos, unexpected turns of phrase, flamboyantly original style and his all-encompassing other-worldliness will never be duplicated. He lives… Read More

We're all guilty of the "unspoken addiction" of technology. Just look around while you're waiting for a table at a restaurant, standing in line at the grocery, riding a train or a bus or wor… Read More

"You think we need one more?""You think we need one more.""OK. We'll get one more."Sometimes one just isn't enough. One of my favorite, sadly now defunct, radio stations used to play "Twofer… Read More

I'm going to give in and feature this song because it's been in my head ever since I saw La La Land two weeks ago. I walk around either whistling it or singing the opening line repeatedly, "… Read More

From the Did Ya Know Department: John Bull is a figure who stands for England in literary and political satire and in cartoons. He's described as "a stout, feisty man, often shown in a suit… Read More

Phoebe Bridgers premiered her new single this week, “Smoke Signal” follows the announcement of a supporting tour with Conor Oberst across Europe this winter.In “Smoke Signa… Read More

Wednesdays...bleck. No one wants to get out of bed on a Wednesday. Rochester, New York based rockers Slumbers provide us the perfect soundtrack for every Wednesday with their tune "Doboom So… Read More

I DVR'd the Golden Globes...so Shhhhh.  I'm tip-toeing about my morning, navigating pop-culture websites like a drunken soldier across a minefield avoiding spoilers. Needless to say, th… Read More

Enjoy a few stories on the beauty and/or lack thereof of Marriage. (For the record, I do love my wife and am happy. And if you find my body, she did it.)… Read More

Follow Roddy on Twitter...he shares his favorite books. Roddy Woomble's "Every Line of a Long Moment" is a track I hear on a loop in… Read More

Former Toad the Wet Sprocket frontman, Glen Phillips, gives us Our Song of the Day.  "Go" is the opening track on his newest album,  Swallowed by the New, which came out in October… Read More

I don't remember the answers as well as I used to, but I've always been very adept at "why" questions. Nearly every school year, I'd have at least one teacher tell me I should be asking "how… Read More

Our Song of the Day is the dreamy "Cellar Door"  from Minnesota's Graveyard Club. Record of the same name...out now.@graveyardclub… Read More

Goodbye England's Rose Back to the Daily Grind. Literally. Ventipop hopes you and yours had a happy, happy, joy, joy-ful holiday. In… Read More

Our Song of the Day is the track "Backwards Centaur"  from the new The National Parks record Happy Belated...available now… Read More

Alternative country. insurgent country, Americana or modern country. Whatever label you want to place on this sub-genre of country music, it's becoming a larger part of my music library ever… Read More

Lucy Dacus, Red Sleeping Beauty, Middle Kids, Echo Ladies, The Shakers and Allison Crutchfield get their day in the Ventipop spotlight in this edition of the Afternoon Spin :: Six-Pack of So… Read More

Thanks for supporting Ventipop as we learn to walk on wobbly legs. Maybe by this time next year, I'll have figured out what this little endeavor is going to grow up to be. However, the excit… Read More

French artist Gilbert Legrand calls his work "happy accidents". As a child, he saw faces in things like clouds, trees and shells on the beach. Today, he sees art in even the most mundane obj… Read More

Over The Rhine, Ventipop's favorite band, performed their annual Holiday concert at the Taft Theater in Cincinnati, Ohio last night. They always put on a fantastic show, but last night… Read More

Here's what you do when you know you just can't out Fa-La-La your neighbor's Christmas decorations: In this edition of t… Read More

Bleached :: "Sour Candy"Trying to regain the Ventipop rhythm by stepping back into the 80's with this Runaways sounding single by the band Bleached. Let's Grind.It's difficult to visit any w… Read More

A Christmas list full of goodies for oddballs. We all know one, and if you say don't...then you're the oddball. Go crazy and swap out that morning mug of coffee for some hot chocolate. You'r… Read More

Holiday Stress Levels - Progressing To December 25th "Come on down to Stumpy's Hatchet House and relieve that holiday stress!" This isn't a commercial on public access tv at 3… Read More

Random thought of the day. There's nothing better than listening to your kids talk to each other when they do not know you are listening. It's a good barometer as to whether or not your pare… Read More

Time for another bite-sized edition of the Grind we like to call the Weekend Espresso. Here's hoping you and yours are all having a great 48 hours of down time. Enjoy… Read More

“And now we leave the noisy well-lit room. We slip away through a side door. We let the chatter fade, and there is new growing wetness on the after dark grass along this tree-lined… Read More

It's time once again to gather and reminisce about the month that was as November comes to a close already. This month, Ventipop featured approximately 45 products, 22 books/writers, 20 musi… Read More

Get your learn on. You should really send me a check for all the knowledge I'm dropping on you in this edition of the Daily Grind. To… Read More

Hope you all bonded with family members this Thanksgiving and no turkey or mashed potatoes were thrown in anger. It was a much needed change of pace and break here in the Ventipop household… Read More

"Quotes found on the internet are not always accurate."~ Abraham LincolnGoogle can now tell you how busy a restaurant is in REAL TIME.Ticketmaster has had a monopoly on ticket sales for as l… Read More

Enjoy this Double Shot. Two driving tracks to get your through your day. Our 2 featured artists are K. Flay & Chickn...which, I admit, sounds like a KFC value meal. But damn they are bot… Read More

In Today's Grind: Thanksgiving Sugar Rush, Kill The Fake News Feed, Creepy and Insignificant Eye Contact, Tidal Waves of Foam, Free Black Cats on Black Friday, Marlboro Beer, There Is No "M"… Read More

Chief among Ventipop's core beliefs is that when it comes down to bare bones, people are generally good. Or at the very least, they start out that way. So, every day, I seek out stories to v… Read More

“People are like stained glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from withi… Read More

I haven't been slacking over here at Ventipop Headquarters. I'm a one man show so I have to do it all which includes all the behind the scenes grunt work you never see. I really need to hire… Read More

Today, we try and have some honesty with our positivity. I've gone nearly the entire year without talking about the election. It's been a chore somedays to gather happy, positive stories dur… Read More

Nothing beats the healing power of music. Ventipop has been afflicted with a bad case of bronchitis and the blahs over the past couple days. But the sun is out, the slight chill has me feeli… Read More

It's a Historic day in the U.S. And not only for the obvious reasons. On this date in history, many memorable things have occurred. John F. Kennedy became the youngest elected president in 1… Read More

Enjoy this video/Hollywood heavy edition of the Grind. We've got a lot of cool links and fun movies playing us into the weekend. So, Lights, Camera...Action! Enjoy Back… Read More

Enjoy Our Favorite Links From October The more you laugh, the longer you live. Especially, if you're a woman.I often do find myself thin… Read More

We're back to our traditional Daily Grind today as we take a quick gander at the interesting stories floating around the interwebs today. Thanks for all the positive comments on Ventipop's 2… Read More

If you missed it, we're counting down Ventipop's 25 Scary Good Books. #05. In Cold Blood by Truman CapoteIn Cold Blood by Truman Capote is the only non-fiction book on t… Read More

If you missed it, we're counting down Ventipop's 25 Scary Good Books. #10. A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul TremblayThe scares in A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay are… Read More

If you missed it, we're counting down Ventipop's 25 Scary Good Books. #15. 20TH Century Ghosts by Joe HillIt's rare a collection of short stories can simultaneously scar… Read More

If you missed it, we're counting down Ventipop's 25 Scary Good Books. Click the link for #25-21:SEE 25 SCARY GOOD BOOKS :: #25 - #21 #20. The Girl Next Door by Jack Ketc… Read More

It's odd we celebrate a holiday dedicated to remembering the dead. The word Halloween is literally a contraction of All Hallows' Evening; a time we dedicate each year to think about the… Read More

In Today's Edition of the Daily Grind, we fixate on science, health and the human mind. It's an uplifting, informative mix. My hope is you'll learn something, feel something and pass along s… Read More

" Genius is the ability to reduce the complicated to the simple."                                   … Read More

When you hear the wind, rain and leaves whipping around outside and your house smells like Folgers and Vicks VapoRub had a baby, it's safe to assume Autumn has fully arrived. We're only nine… Read More