​By Jess Santacroce
Music Writer, 955 The Heat, Phoenix Radio

On July 4, 2025, Donald Trump proudly signed a bill he refers to as his “big beautiful bill” into law. A few small portions of the bill, such as ending the taxing of tips and an increased tax credit for Americans aged 65 and older, may bring some small benefits to those who struggle financially, but the legislation almost exclusively benefits the wealthiest citizens of our country, and puts in place policies that will offset any benefits any lower income people may receive.  We may “all” get tax breaks, but the top 1% will see a reduction of around $60,000, while the bottom 60% will see a tax cut of less than $500. Resources many low-income people, including many working people, depend on will also see drastic cuts, namely Medicaid, student loan forgiveness and management, and SNAP. According to a Congressional Budget Office report released on June 12, lower income Americans can expect to see their resources decrease by about $1,600 per year. The stress those who struggle with limited financial resources already experience is about to get worse, and this is just the direct impact on taxes. Policies will also make prices go up, alter the economy through extreme immigration laws, and instill a spirit of fear as more and more emphasis is placed on surveillance and punishment of political detractors. 

 Some stress is normal, expected, and even healthy. It can motivate us to necessary action. Too much stress, such as that brought on by Trump’s bill, can cause dangerous increases in blood pressure and cortisol production, the end result of which could be a development of or worsening of some of the health issues so many people will no longer be able to afford to treat, namely hypertension, anxiety and depression. 

While simply listening to music is not going to make this bill or the consequences of it go away, music can help cope with the stress many of us are going to experience. There are countless songs that specifically address the types of struggles people are already beginning to experience.  Five of those songs seem especially appropriate right now. 

How Can a Poor Man Stand Such times and Live: Blind Alfred Reed:1929

Some sources of information incorrectly list this as an original Bruce Springsteen song, but “How can a poor man stand such times and live” was written decades before Springsteen was even born. It was written by Blind Alfred Reed in 1929. The confusion is due to the fact that Springsteen did write an updated, alternative version to the song in the early 2000’s in response to then-President George W. Bush’s handling of the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Like many at the time, Springsteen felt Bush was out of touch with the real devastation, and was instead over-focused on his own memories of partying there as a college student. 

Despite being nearly a century old, the original lyrics are more timely today, as they speak of grocery prices and education in addition to the references to healthcare that Springsteen left in his rewritten version. 

Fast Car: Tracy Chapman: 1988

The lyrics of “Fast Car” start with the story of a couple who faces hard times, but has found a way to cope, to stay connected to each other and have hope. By the end of the song, it’s revealed that the story ends with one character being abandoned by the other. Once the economic crisis ends, the leftover stress takes its toll and the relationship falls apart. 

Perhaps this one isn’t the most hopeful song, but one of the best ways music helps during times of crisis is by providing a story or message we can relate to. “Fast Car” fills that need, as anyone impacted by this new legislation will likely wish they could just flee the whole situation, while at the same time, holding onto the hope that things will get better in a few years. Sadly, just like in the song, many of us will be dealing with fractured relationships and other parts of our lives due to the impact of this time. 

Let’s Work Together: Canned Heat: 1970

“Let’s Work Together” winds up on a few playlists that come up when you search for songs about work. Most of these are rather long lists, full of songs that seem to have been added simply because they had the word “work” in them, rather than because they were actually about going to work for compensation that is much smaller than what would be expected. This appears to be the case with “Let’s Work Together,” as there is little in the lyrics to suggest that it is actually about working a job. 

It made this list anyway, because it does speak of every “boy, girl, woman, and a man” working together to lift each other up and “make someone happy,” bringing to mind not struggling to pay your bills and keep members of your household healthy and fed, but working together to help other people through these struggles. 

What It’s Like: Everlast: 1998

In verse one, a homeless person is judged for begging. The second verse tells the story of a young woman facing harassment while visiting a clinic to deal with an unwanted pregnancy. In the final verse, a young man who turned to drugs is killed, but the song turns its attention to the loss the family must feel after losing their loved one who made the wrong choice in a desperate situation. 

This one is dedicated to every lawmaker who signed that bill into law. Each verse addresses a situation someone struggling financially and/or socially might face, and the judgment of those who have never had to be in that situation. 

Downbound Train: Bruce Springsteen: 1984

Like “Fast Car,” this song tells the story of a character who lost a relationship due to the stress of economic hardship. Many of Springsteen’s songs address the struggles of working class and very poor people, making several eligible for this list. “Darlington County,” tells the story of two young men who ultimately wind up partying, picking up girls, and getting in trouble, but start out on a road trip looking for work. “The River” is about a young couple marrying because of an unplanned pregnancy and the poverty they face afterward. 

“Downbound Train” stands out among them as the music and vocals add a new level of despair to an already hopeless story. 

During this time, music can give us something to remind us that we are not alone. It can provide catharsis, hope, and sometimes just distraction. While these are all great songs that deal directly with the issues so many are facing and will continue to face over the coming years, any music that someone finds cathartic, uplifting, or encouraging can provide the same mental health benefits. 

Anyone facing a mental health emergency should not attempt to treat it themselves with music or any other at-home remedy, but should seek professional mental health services right away. 

By Jess Santacroce
Music Writer, 955 The Heat, Phoenix Radio

Social media and other online spaces have become a sea of aesthetics over the last several years. Visit any site where people can easily log in and communicate, and you will see users promoting curated sets of tastes, styles, and behaviors. “Clean girl aesthetic,” demands a sleek, minimalist wardrobe, simple beauty routines, and fresh, natural food and hygiene products. “Academia” aesthetics center around the worlds of prep school or college and university life, and involve dressing like a prep school student, college instructor or professor or librarian, and indulging in the expected foods and activities such as reading poetry and drinking coffee or tea. Some pages devoted to understanding modern aesthetics list more than fifty, while others offer thirteen pages of thirty-two each. While each aesthetic may include musical genres or bands that fit the clothing, décor, and lifestyle, this contemporary method of categorizing things has most directly impacted music through the increasing popularity of micro genres. Fans and musicians alike may find music increasingly categorized into micro genres, as more and more music is offered and accessed online. Narrowing things down into the smallest subcategory possible can make it more likely to draw the attention of the anticipated audience. 

Smaller than a sub-genre, a micro genre has its own distinct characteristics not found in the wider sub-genre or the larger genre. A micro genre also differs from a sub-genre and from fusion in that, like an aesthetic, a micro genre is designed to cater to specific themes or tastes. Just like their fashion, décor, and food and activity counterparts, music micro genres are numerous enough to devote entire websites to the topic, but three stand out as the most accessible, the most startling, and the most obscure music micro genres. 

Most Accessible: Christian Rap, Pop, or Country 

Contemporary Christian music is described by some as its own genre. Others argue that because it does not have a distinct sound all its own, it is a sub-genre of whatever style of music is being played. However, each specific type of modern Christian music is often considered a micro genre, because it is written, produced, and marketed to appeal to very specific themes and tastes in music. 

Christian Rap is created to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ, as is all Christian music. But it is also created for and by people who love Rap music. Someone who accepted Jesus and their Lord and Savior, but did not enjoy the sound of Rap music at all would not be a Christian Rapper or a fan of Christian Rap. The same holds true for Christian Pop and Christian Country. It is this focus on a narrow category of listeners that qualifies each form of modern Christian music as a sub-genre for many. 

Rap fans who never thought to listen to Christian Rap before might want to try Lecrae. His song “Graced up,” performed with Miles Minnick, was released in May 2025, and sends a message of the blessing of the grace of Jesus Christ on a person’s life. Christian Pop is perhaps best exemplified today by Brandon Lake, particularly “Hard fought hallelujah,” a catchy song about being willing to go through trials in life to glorify God. “Deeper still,” by Ben Fuller is likely to appeal to Christians who love country music, as it sounds like a more traditional-leaning modern country song, but the lyrics center around finding Jesus “at the end of myself,” and a desire to know Him and His love deeper. 

Christian micro genres are easy to find, with entire stations, numerous playlists on streaming services, and whole sections of music stores devoted to Christian music. While aimed at Christians who enjoy each type of music, those who are not Christian may still like some Christian music in their favorite genre, as it basically sounds the same as what they are already into. 



Most Startling: Horrorcore

“Horrorcore” might best be defined as “Hip hop music for people who love horror movies, paranormal or horror fiction, and/or true crime.” The genre is Hip-hop, and some people call “Horrorcore,” a sub genre rather than a micro genre, but it qualifies as a micro genre because the themes in Horrorcore music are especially dark, even when compared to some of the grittier themes and lyrics of mainstream Rap and Hip Hop music. 

The most well-known Horrorcore artists may be the Hip-Hop duo Insane Clown Posse. Some of their song titles themselves are explicit, but like much of Horrorcore, even the most mundane sounding titles or choruses are woven around graphic, scary stories. “Prom Queen,” with its chorus beginning “Won’t you be my prom queen?” sounds like a typical teen crush tune, but listen closely and it is clear that the song is actually about a young man who is planning to murder someone at his prom. Similarly, Razakel’s “Cherry Red,” blends Hip-Hop with pop and sounds like it should be a dance song, but the lyrics reveal it to be written from the perspective of a murderer threatening a potential victim. 

Although the lyrics of Horrorcore music can be disturbing, it is important to remember that the artists are doing the same thing with their music that Stephen King does with his fiction or Wes Craven with film, that is, telling a fictional story to an audience who wants to enjoy that type of story. 


Most Obscure: Zeuhl

Even if you do not listen to them yourself, there is a good chance you know somebody into Christian Rap, Christian Pop, or Christian Country music. You may even know someone who listens to Horrorcore. But you probably do not know anybody who listens to one of the most obscure music micro genres, Zeuhl. 

This micro genre was formed in 1969. It is often described as a blend of Jazz, Progressive Rock, Classical Music, and other styles. Free Jazz is noted as a particular influence. Musically, this makes Zeuhl an extreme form of fusion music, but it is the lyrics that push it into micro genre territory. 

Zeuhl was founded by the French band Magma, but rather than writing and singing their songs in French, Magma’s music is almost entirely in a language called Kobaian, a language that was invented by the band’s drummer, Christian Vander. It may not be possible to find a genre more “micro” than “type of music that was founded in a language invented by a single individual for that genre.” 

Magma is not the only Zeuhl band. In a 2020 bandcamp article titled, “There is no prog, only Zeuhl: A guide to one of Rock’s most imaginative subgenres,” writer Jim Allen lists twelve bands he defines as “Zeuhl,” while the wikipedia entry for “Zeuhl” lists twenty-four. 

The easiest way to hear what “Zeuhl” sounds like is to search YouTube for videos of Magma. 

For more information about micro genres, vist….the entire internet. Then come back a few months later and search all over again. Just as some lifestyle aesthetics seem to be here forever, while others are fads that fade in a season, some music micro genres have been around for more than fifty years, while others may have lasted only a few years and then faded away, with new ones forming and categories shifting over time. 

By Jess Santacroce
​Music Writer, 955 The Heat Phoenix Radio

​Making a living entirely from practicing your art is rare for most artists, including musicians. Firm statistics on the number of musicians with outside jobs are not available, as both the musicians themselves and the people performing the studies may have differing ideas on what constitutes a job “outside” of music. A musician who supports herself by doing work that has no direct connection to music would certainly say she had a “day job” or a “side job” or “side hustle.” Someone who regularly performs his own compositions for small fees for an audience, but pays his bills by teaching high school music would likely consider both of those jobs part of his music career, but he might not. That same person might classify his teaching work as a “day job,” because it does not involve performing his own compositions. However, informal surveys conducted by various websites and companies devoted to supporting musicians report anywhere from 70% to more than 75% of musicians needing some type of steady work outside of playing, singing, or writing music to survive. 

This makes the modern workplace trend of the infinite workday particularly problematic for musicians. Coined on June 17, 2025 in a study done by Microsoft, “infinite workday,” refers to the unwritten and unstated expectation that an employee continuously check in to their workplace and remain constantly available to do work tasks, regardless of what their official schedule or contract might say. Your work files are accessible on your personal laptop, so your boss sees no reason why he can’t call you and ask you for some information from them at 9 p.m. on Saturday. Your company has always had a policy of responding to customer messages in one day, and now that you have the company app installed on your phone, your department head interprets that as 24 hours from the time the customer messages, not one business day, forcing you to continuously check in and deal with customers, even on your hours and days off. 

While great for the company getting essentially free labor, and for the supervisor getting to chalk their behavior up as “leadership” or “team building,” this is disastrous for the finances, mental health, personal relationships, and often physical health of employees in any field. For musicians, there is the possibility of it completely ruining a musical career, as writing time, practice and rehearsal time, and even meetings to arrange management and gigs and the performances themselves can now be interrupted or even completely ruined by demands from a day job supervisor or client. 

Since this trend does not seem to be going away, prevention is the best way to protect yourself and your music career.

Avoid phone conversations with supervisors as much as possible

Supervisors who push for “talking things out” or “working out arrangements” over the phone are not trying to make a personal connection with you, and it is not easier to do things if they call you on your cell phone after hours instead of sending you an email or message over company channels. They’re trying to escape accountability by preventing you from having a record of what they said. A department head or manager who sends an email stating, “We strive for work-life balance and only expect you to answer customer messages during your scheduled hours” risks getting that sent right back to them when they later turn around and expect you to respond to work inquiries at all hours. If they call you on the phone and promise that you won’t have to log in on your time off, they can claim they never said that when they suddenly expect you to be available all day every day. Communicate through email, messenger apps, and video calls that can be recorded and saved if at all possible. If they demand your phone number, or have access to it through already existing records, place the phone in another room during rehearsals, recordings, and performances, and make sure your work does not have any unnecessary numbers, such as the number to a recording studio you regularly use or the phone numbers of anyone in your band as emergency contacts. 

Decline any work accessibility measures that are not requirements of your job under your contract

When offered a company app you can download on your phone, an email account you can open at work and at home, or any other “take the job with you” technology, immediately email your supervisor or department head and ask if this is required of your position. If it is not required, do not download or open it. These features are not designed to help you in case you can’t come in to the office one day or want to do some quick catch-up work on the train on the way to work. They’re designed to give the company the means to make you work for them all the time.  

One trick managers use to get around this is to state that the company app or program is not required to be installed on your personal device, but then later demand that you do something that can only be done by using that same software. Do not add the software or app to your personal device “just for this task.” Remind your supervisor that you have a written record of them saying the software is unnecessary, and inform them that your devices cannot accept it and you need to be able to do whatever it is they’re asking you to do through your computer or phone at work. If they claim this is impossible, then they must provide you with a device you can use to access their app or software. Of course, you will leave that phone or other device at work, or if you work remotely, someplace you only access during work hours. 

Set up a dedicated work place, not work space for remote jobs

Most “work from home” articles advise you to set up a dedicated work space as soon as you accept a remote job. This is fine advice if you have a spare bedroom or den in your home, or even a spare desk you can wedge into a corner of your kitchen or den. It keeps your work things out of the way, and more importantly, it helps you separate day job time from music (not to mention everything else in your life) time. When you’re in your home office, or at your home desk, you are “at work.” When you’re not, you are “home.” 

The problem with this is that not everyone who takes a remote job has a room they can set up as a home office, or the money to buy a desk for work. If you are one of these people, buy a cheap bag or a bin at Dollar Tree. Keep all of your work materials, including any devices you use strictly for that job, in the bag or bin. That bin or bag should be kept tucked away. When it is work time, bring it to the kitchen table, or to the desk you already have in your bedroom or den. When work time is over, pack it away. 

Remember that work culture is not the same as it was fifty, thirty, twenty, or even ten years ago

Your music is always your most important work, but you may be investing too much into your day job anyway due to outdated career advice. In the workplace of the past, dedication was rewarded. If you went above and beyond, came in early, stayed late, did work outside of your scheduled hours, you would be rewarded with promotions and bonuses, and treated with dignity and respect. 

Today, workplace culture is usually completely impersonal, and seems to be growing more and more so by the year. Over-dedication to a company only shows your supervisors that you are someone who goes overboard trying to please people, and are therefore someone who is easy to disrespect, manipulate, and push around. 

Do what you need to do to keep your day job for the sake of supporting your music career, but keep it in perspective. Your music will always be a part of you, and nobody can create or perform your music exactly like you. Your day job will replace you within weeks of your departure. 

By Jess Santacroce
Music Writer, 955 The Heat, Phoenix Radio

Whatever your favorite type of music, it depends on other genres of music to exist. Anytime you listen to music, you are listening to influence, blending, and borrowing from at least one other type of music.

Country music fans wouldn’t have the music they love today if not for African music

Pretty much all music we listen to today has roots in Africa. Samba, Salsa, Gospel, Hip-Hop, Reggae, Rap, Jazz, Blues, and R&B are commonly known to have developed from African people moving into other parts of the world and taking their music with them, even if that was the only thing they got to keep.
Most of us think that country music is an exception, that it grew entirely from immigrants from Europe bringing their folk music to the new nation. Country music would indeed not exist as we know it today if not for immigrants from Europe, but it also would not exist without the influence of music from Africa.
Many of the instruments closely associated with country music, such as banjos, fiddles, and harmonicas, are based on African instruments. Lyrically, country music directly borrows from the music brought to the United States by those who were made to come here in the slave trade. As would be expected, much of this music centered on themes of misfortune and despair, both common themes in country music, especially country music from the 1950s-1970s (Stoia 2021).
Over the past twenty years, these similarities between country music and musical genres more directly associated with the music brought over from Africa has even evolved into country-rap fusion music. In 2004, Country singer Tim McGraw and Rapper Nelly teamed up for “Over and Over.”
In the 2020’s, Moran Wallen regularly blends country with rap via collaborations with rap artists. In 2022, he teamed up with Rapper Lil Durk for “Broadway Girls.” In 2025, he released “Miami,” a song in which he raps about being a “redneck” and having “sand in my boots” against the backdrop of Hip-Hop music and background vocals.

Blues fans have a connection to Greek folk music

American Blues is completely American. Most sources trace it back to the 1860s in the south, where it began as the music of Black Americans during Reconstruction and Jim Crow laws. Music termed “Blues” in other countries is not exactly the same, unless of course, it is American Blues being performed overseas. But other countries and cultures do have their own versions of Blues music, including Greece.
When hearing Greek music for the first time, most Americans unfamiliar with the culture would expect to either hear folk music or pop music sung in Greek. Both of those things do exist, and are the first things that come up when you search for Greek music on streaming platforms today. Finding Greek Blues takes a bit more digging, but even if you cannot understand the lyrics, the differences between Greek pop, Greek folk music, and the distinctive style of music that is the Greek version of the Blues, Rebetiko stand out.
Rebetiko, often called “outlaw blues”, developed between the turn of the century and the 1950’s in Greece. Like American Blues, it was born out of the voice of those with the least power in society, in this case the poorest people in Greece.
The music will likely make many American listeners think of folk music at first, as Rebetiko uses many of the same instruments. However, Rebetiko’s status as underground music of the lower classes, the vocal stylings, and the lyrics’ emphasis on topics like substance abuse, unrequited love, death, exile, and loss of love bring it firmly back into the Blues category (Athens Insider, 2020).
Although some sources seem to suggest that Rebetiko died out in the 1950’s, travel and vacation websites devoted to exploring Athens occasionally feature articles directing tourists to current places to find genuine Rebetiko musicians.

Jazz and Reggae both had a strong influence on Punk music

Most people miss the connection between Jazz and Punk, but that is only because so many have a narrow definition of “Jazz,” limiting it to swing and big band era legends like Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald, or Cool Jazz artists like Chet Baker and Dave Brubeck. Writing for the website “Musician Wave” in 2021, writer Brian Clark’s article “Fifteen different types of Jazz music,” details fifteen distinct forms of Jazz, including the Free Jazz that most strongly influenced Punk music.
Lou Reed was particularly influenced by Free Jazz, primarily Ornette Coleman. Reed was such a fan of Coleman, he would attend his concerts even when he couldn’t afford to go inside, and listen to what he could hear from outside the building. Coleman’s music had an immense impact on Reed’s music, with “Lonely Woman” often mentioned as the one song that Reed would continuously listen to.
Reggae and Punk share a focus on issues of social class and race, with many Punk artists being big Reggae fans. Bassist Paul Simonon of The Clash was particularly noted for bringing Reggae-infused sound into his band’s music. Several of the band’s songs can be described as “Reggae-inspired,” with one song, “Police and Thieves” a Punk cover of a Reggae song.
The intermingling of these two genres has lead to a subgenre of Punk known as “Reggae Punk.” with bands such as “Bearin Peace” a 2010s band that layered Reggae style vocals over Punk guitar with a Reggae beat, and West Swell, a California based band that seems to completely blend both styles, along with elements of Rock and Alternative music.
​
Next time you listen to an old favorite band or song, listen for the presence of other types of music. You just might hear something different this time.


























Works Cited: Please visit these sites for more detailed information about some of the topics covered:


Athens Insider (2020). Rebetiko: Music of the outlaws.
https://www.athensinsider.com/rebetiko-music-of-the-outlaws/
June 17, 2025


Clark, B. (2021). 15 different types of Jazz music. Musician Wave.
https://www.musicianwave.com/types-of-jazz-music-styles-subgenres/
June 17, 2025


Stoia, N. (2021). Blues lyrics formulas in early country music, rhythm and blues and rock and roll. Music Theory Online
https://www.mtosmt.org/ojs/index.php/mto/article/view/657
June 17, 2025

 By Jess Santacroce
Music Writer, 955 The Heat, Phoenix Radio

In recent years, tipping has grown into a controversial issue. Some argue that too many people expect tips today, and that tip amounts have grown much too high, while others counter that without tips, the people working would not be able to make anywhere near a reasonable income for the work they are doing. Artists, and musicians in particular, are often caught up in this issue from both sides.

While it is always the final decision of the person giving the tip, there are certain situations in which a musician can expect a tip, some in which they can be hoped for but not expected, and some times that a musician would be expected to be the one giving the tip during the course of their work week.

You are performing live and offline at a paid gig. The performance goes as expected.

Performing the music you were expecting to perform for pay may or may not get you a tip. When you made arrangements to perform for your client, you likely either agreed to a percentage of the ticket sales, a percentage of the bar tab, or a flat fee. Whatever agreement was reached, this is what you are owed.

Should your client decide to tip you, they will likely pay you an additional 15% of your total fee for the event. This money is typically given after the event. Audience members are not expected to tip at most performances. If tipping is a part of the event you are working, the owner or manager will make an announcement and provide a tip jar, but audience members are under no obligation to put money in that jar. When they do, most tip anywhere from $1.00-$5.00 on their way out.

During the paid performance, audience members request songs. You honor their requests.

According to the website “etiquette scholar,” your client is not expected to offer any additional tip money, but audience members should tip musicians at least $1.00 every time their request for a song is honored. Like all tipping, this is optional, so it is entirely possible that someone may sit there and demand songs all night, and not pay anything for the extra personal service you just provided, but it is customary.

After the performance, you stop at a diner or other sit-down restaurant for a meal or snack.

Sometime in the past few years, the standard tip for a sit-down meal or snack has grown from 15% of the total bill to 20% of the total bill. Tipping 15% might make the server think they provided bad service. If your gig ended very late, and you’re running in the door at the last minute, you might even want to increase that tip to 25%, as the server was probably planning on doing their closing duties at that time.

During a break at rehearsal for your next performance, everyone takes a coffee and pastry or small snack break at a cafe.

Five searches for this information will generate ten different answers, but many seem to agree that 10% is the standard tip for service when you place the order at the counter, and either wait for it there, or the person brings you your order. If your band or other group has only ordered smoothies, sodas, or coffees, $1.00-$2.00 per drink is a standard tip. As with all tipping, this should be adjusted according to the amount of work it took to serve each person. If one person orders a cup of brewed coffee with two sugars, tipping the person who brings it to the table $1.00 is fine. If someone else wants a large latte with three pumps of vanilla syrup, extra foam, and a light sprinkle of cinnamon on top, they might want to tip $2.00 for that drink.

Everyone goes back to someone’s house or hotel room after the gig and orders food from UberEats, GrubHub, Door Dash, Postmates, or another food delivery app.

The topic of tipping can generate anger today, and tipping on food delivery apps can be especially upsetting. You’re likely already paying more for the food and drinks than what you would pay if you went to the restaurant. The corporation that owns the app is charging you a service fee, and in most cases, a delivery fee on top of that. Then they have the nerve to embed an obnoxious popup demanding you tip your driver several more dollars.

If the fees give you a bit of a shock, tip as much as you can, but if at all possible, tip 15%-20% of the total bill. The same holds true if the order contains non-food items. Just don’t tip low out of anger. The corporation that owns the app gets all the fees, and the driver gets the tip money. If you refuse to tip, or tip a small amount because the total upset you, all you’re doing is punishing the driver for something corporate did.

Somebody needs a ride to and/or from the performance, and must rely on Uber or Lyft

The cost of getting a ride through a ride share app is often startlingly high and only seems to be rising. A simple ride from a residential area of New Hartford to the Target can cost just under $20.00 one way. Seeing this pop up on your phone screen can make the idea of tipping seem preposterous.

But like food delivery from the same company, the driver in no way benefits from any fees tacked onto the ride and gets a tiny percentage of the fare. Withholding a tip only punishes a person who is just trying to earn some money, just as you are when you perform for money or work your own day job or side hustle. Try to tip at least 15% to 20% of your fare.

Tipping is controversial today. You may find people reluctant to tip during or after your performance due to frustration over feeling like they’re asked to tip for anything and everything today. At the same time, when it’s your turn to be the potential tip giver, you just might be one of those people who feels like you’re being asked for a tip everywhere you turn. Perhaps the best way to cope is to keep current on expectations, but err on the side of both grace and generosity.

By Jess Santacroce
Music Writer, 955 The Heat, Phoenix Radio
​ As June arrives, it brings with it large outdoor concerts and other music filled events. It is also a month designated to celebrate numerous communities, cultures, and historical events, including but not limited to LGBTQ Pride month, the Juneteenth holiday, Caribbean-American heritage month, and Filipino-American heritage month. For most people, this adds up to the opportunity to display solidarity and healthy pride in a community we belong to, or to learn more about and honor members of a community that may not include us, but definitely includes some of our friends, neighbors, family members, coworkers, or members of our church.
For others, culturally based summer music festivals become twisted into an excuse to express bigotry, hatred, and fear of any community they are not a part of. On June 1, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s coverage of its city’s LGBTQ pride month kickoff received comments such as “Happy mental instability month,” That is a sick day and I could puke,” and “Insane people are bored.” Those are just the ones that could be repeated without posting a content warning on this blog. Many more remarks included graphic references to the imagined private lives of strangers. Utica’s posts about upcoming Juneteenth celebrations received comments calling the event “pathetic” and “lame.” While the internet does give people that “tucked away” feeling that allows them to express things they might not express offline where unwanted consequences might go beyond an angry written reply, it is possible, especially in the social climate of 2025, for people harboring these sentiments to show up in person at an event. Taking steps to keep each other safe at these events must be a top priority.

Before the event

Ideally, you will want to attend any large public gathering in a group. It does not have to be a large group, but avoid going alone if at all possible. Everybody in your group should make sure to fully charge their cell phones before the event, and bring them along. Our phones may have a well-deserved reputation for allowing us to ignore and disregard each other, but they can also serve as an important safety device. Make sure everyone in the group has each other’s number or easily accessible chat app account programmed into their phone.
We all know about dressing for the weather and using sunscreen and insect repellent, but make sure everyone wears clothing and shoes they can easily move in should they need to exit the event quickly in case of an emergency. Fitted skirts, narrow heels that get stuck in soft ground, and overly bulky clothing may be difficult to move in. Anything you bring with you, such as a chair or a bag should either be something you can easily carry or something you are willing to leave behind.
Spend a few minutes before arriving at the event to agree on a plan in case you get separated from members of your group. Choose a spot that’s easy for everyone to find and remember and agree to meet there at a certain time, and make sure everyone knows when and where that is and is willing to take it seriously.

During the concert or other music event

As soon as you arrive at the event, note the exits. If the event is an indoor/outdoor event, the exit signs for anything held indoors will of course be marked. When you are outdoors, the exit areas are going to be the edges of the space reserved for the event. You will also want to visually scan the area to find law enforcement or other security personnel. As the music begins, most of your attention will of course be on the performers onstage. This is the entire point of the event, and there is no need to ruin your own evening constantly monitoring everyone and everything in the crowd. Event security is there for that purpose, and you should absolutely enjoy yourself and your time with your family and friends.
This does not mean you should become oblivious to the people in the crowd with you. Should you spot one or more people displaying behaviors that may indicate a plan to behave violently, alert security and prepare to leave the event. These behaviors include appearing to spy on or intently watch certain people or those in a certain community, carrying or wearing excessively bulky items or clothing, or taking videos or pictures of things not normally kept as keepsakes by audience members, such as vents of nearby buildings or the security area.
Some of us may have fantasies of rising to social media fame by loudly and cleverly confronting anyone who infiltrates an event and begins mocking, threatening, demeaning, or insulting the community or communities featured at the event. We picture our words being filmed, posted to YouTube, and bringing the troublemaker and everyone who agrees with them to worldwide shame Those fantasies are just that, fantasies. Resist the temptation to confront anybody who decides to become verbally abusive or combative in the crowd. What seems like it should be humiliating to you is likely exactly what this type of person wants to happen. It gives them an excuse to escalate their behavior, allows them to see that they have upset you, and brings them added attention.
Instead, move quickly and quietly to the exit areas and alert security or law enforcement on your way out. If you are able to do so without drawing the attention of the person or their allies, quietly document the incident on your phone. Film the incident if you can. If not, try to at least get an audio recording. This material will be useful should you need to file a police report or offer any additional evidence of the incident.

Once everyone is safely home

Now is the time to network with others in your community. Reach out to groups and individuals who oppose the type of sentiments the event disrupter expressed, and plan additional events and service projects. If appropriate, reach out to anyone who was harmed in any way and offer support to that person.
It is probably temping to post the video you or someone in your group took now that you are safely away from the situation. Take some time to think things over before you do this, as it will have mixed consequences. Posting a video of someone behaving in a hostile or demeaning manner targeting a certain group will expose that person to others who were not at the event. At the same time, remember that the person or people you filmed may experience any type of attention as a reward. You and your family, friends, and coworkers posting their video and speaking out against them online might be exactly what they were hoping for in order to further inspire their own base.


Let’s keep each other safe as we celebrate with music this summer.

By Jess Santacroce
Music Writer, 955 the Heat, Phoenix Radio 
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 Music fans know that music itself is vital to our lives. We use it for everything from marking our happiest moments in life to helping us through the worst, expressing our opinions, or even just setting a mood or providing entertainment. We even know that music has permeated our language, with expressions such as “like a broken record,” describing someone who talks about the same thing all the time or repeats the same information, or “music to my ears,” to refer to hearing something you wanted to hear. But there are a few words or phrases even the most devoted music fans may not realize stem from or at least were heavily popularized by music.

Pull out all the stops

Although this one isn’t used quite as much these days, saying that you “pulled out all the stops,” means that you did all you could to reach a goal, that you made every effort possible to get something done. If the web page you’re reading right now goes down, and everyone here on “the heat squad” calls everyone we know with any background in computers until the page is up and running again, we can say we “pulled out all the stops” to fix the page.
The wording of the phrase may sound like it has something to do with transportation, with stopping at every stop, or like it may refer to “stopping what you’re doing,” repeatedly, but neither of those things are accurate. The “stops” in “pull out all the stops” are the “stops” on an organ. When you pull out all the stops, the organ does the most it can do, as it produces the loudest sound the instrument can possibly make.

Your forte

Your “forte” is your strength, or something you are particularly good at. When “not” is added to it, as in “not my forte,” it then refers to something you are especially bad at doing. If I am good enough to make my living as a writer, I can say, “Writing is my forte.” If I am also aware that I would struggle to pass a high school math class at fifty years old, I would say “Math is not my forte,” or even “Math is very much not my forte.”

While the term actually originates from fencing, that pronunciation is actually “fort,” with a very soft “t” sound. The way we pronounce the word when we say something is “our forte” or “not our forte” as “four-tay,” comes from the Italian for “strong,” and is most commonly associated with music.
As anyone who plays and/or reads music knows, “forte” refers to playing in a very forceful, loud, or strong manner.

Bling

“Bling” is a relatively recent slang word, first widely heard in the 1990s. It of course refers to very flashy and expensive jewelry, usually diamonds and gold, though any necklace, ring, bracelet, earring, pin, or chain can be described as “bling” if it stands out as costing a lot of money. Some people use the term “bling” to describe any shiny jewelry or accessory, such as saying a pair of shoes or a dress accented with rhinestones has “some bling” or “a little bling,” but most “bling” costs or is worth a lot of money.

In the 2000’s the term took a derogatory turn, as it became associated with showing off to a criminal degree….literally. “The bling ring,” was a nickname given to a group of middle class and moderately wealthy kids living in Calabasas in 2008-2009. Although none of these kids were anywhere near poor, they were not as wealthy as most of their peers in this most exclusive neighborhood of Los Angeles. Rather than getting jobs and saving up for what they wanted, these kids decided that breaking into celebrities’ homes and stealing their designer clothes and bags, cash, and jewelry was a better way to show off for their classmates. The term may always be associated with these individuals now, but this is not where it originated. Before the widely publicized case, the word “bling,” was used in song lyrics to describe expensive jewelry.

Rapper B.G. of Cash Money Millionaires is credited with coining the phrase in 1999 in the song “Bling Bling.” The song features several lines that start with “bling bling,” including one about a “pinky ring worth about fifty.”

YOLO

This one quickly went from catchy and cute to annoying to something to be avoided. Today, “YOLO,” meaning “you only live once” is often used as an excuse for making poor choices. One of the more recent sightings of YOLO was on the YouTube channel, “Social Symone,” a platform the host, Symone, uses to call attention to and critique many of the poor financial decisions people make today.

Her May 17, 2025 video titled “You scream YOLO but you’re broke,” features a woman who refuses to save money, budget, or pay that much attention to her bills because she wants to spend in order to live her best life now, arguing that “you only live once...yolo.”
Of course, people have been saying “You only live once,” to both make excuses and encourage beneficial choices others are reluctant to make, for many years. However, expressing it verbally using the acronym YOLO comes not from excuse-makers on social media, but from music.

Canadian rapper Drake first voiced the classic phrase “you only live once” as “YOLO” on his 2011 song “The Motto.”
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Let’s see what words music will give us next. 

by Jess Santacroce
Music Writer, 955 The Heat, Phoenix Radio

 At midnight on May 19/May 20, 2015, the Heat Beat mascot, a four and a half pound Chorkie, Miss Callie Santacroce, was born. Today Callie spends her days providing love, comfort, and an iron paw that keeps the day organized as each edition of “The Heat Beat” is written.
To celebrate her tenth birthday this week and wish her many more, this edition of “The Heat Beat” is dedicated to Callie, with a top five list of songs about dogs.

The songs on this list span genres and are in no particular order.

Martha My Dear: The Beatles

On the surface, this does not seem to be a song about a dog. The lyrics mention encouragement for Martha to hold out her “hand,” not a paw. They go on to remind Martha to “be good to me.” These details led listeners to speculate that the song was about Paul McCartney’s girlfriend at the time the song was written and released, a woman whose name was not Martha, but Jane.
In later interviews, however, Sir Paul McCartney has confirmed that the “silly girl” he sings of so lovingly was not a girlfriend, but Martha, his Old English Sheepdog.

Everything by the Beatles stands out, but “Martha My Dear” is a particularly enduring and endearing dog song, as it perfectly creates an image of a playful, loving and very loved dog in the listener’s mind.

Man of the Hour: Norah Jones

Like “Martha My Dear,” the lyrics of “Man of the Hour,” start out in a way that might make some listeners think the narrator is singing about romantic relationships. She describes two problematic potential boyfriends, noting she cannot decide between guys with these two issues. The song goes on to detail the narrator’s decision to instead choose neither of them, refuse to put up with any potential relationship issues, and instead choose her dog.

This of course means the narrator/singer will have to give up romantic love, but she’s fine with that. The trade-off is worth it. In the end, she asks her dog to be her “only man of the hour,” and he responds with a “yes” in the form of a bark as the song closes.

Searches for “Jazz songs about dogs,” will bring up a fair amount of results, including some full playlists, but most of the songs featured only use dogs, traits associated with dogs, and the word “dog” to describe or allude to human traits or behavior. “Man of the Hour” stands out as one of the few that is not only about an actual dog, but was written for a real dog, Jones’ poodle named “Ralph.”

My Dog and Me: John Hiatt

The lyrics of “My dog and me,” leave no room to question if the song is about a dog or a person. It is the straightforward story of spending a day in the outdoors with a dog, beginning with a description of the dog marking their trail and asking “How many times can one dog pee?”

​Despite the opening, the main character in the song has no real complaints about their dog. The rest of the lyrics go on to detail the feeling of freedom the narrator has when spending a day outdoors with their dog. Of course every dog owner does not enjoy outdoor activities, and all dogs will not run along a trail as the dog described in this song does, but the song is relatable to anyone who loves to spend time with their dog, as we can all relate to a relaxing afternoon just hanging out with our canine best friend.

I Love My Dog: Sublime

“Sublime” in its original lineup was on the music scene from 1988-1996, ending with the death of lead guitarist and singer Bradley Nowell from a heroin overdose at the age of 26. Perhaps best known for their 1996 songs “Santeria” and “What I Got” the band blended elements of ska, punk, reggae, and other genres to create their unique sound.

Although his life was tragically cut short, Nowell’s fans can look back on one memorable bright spot, his Dalmation, King Louie, nicknamed “LouDog.” King Louie is mentioned in “What I Got,” and can be seen in several of the band’s videos, as he served as their mascot.

King Louie/LouDog was reportedly adopted by the band’s manager following Nowell’s death, and himself passed away at age 12 in 2001. (Typical of larger breeds, Dalmations have a shorter lifespan than the typical expectation of 15-18, with most living to be only 11-13 years old. LouDog had a long life for his breed).

The song “I Love My Dog” was written about a week that LouDog went missing in the early 1990s. They announce simply that the narrator, who we know to be Nowell writing about himself and his real life, loves his dog and has to keep going on.

Cold Wet Nose (Teala’s Song): Kevin Keating

Utica musician Kevin Keating has written and posted three songs about his dogs on his YouTube channel as of the writing of this article. Each song is about one of his Border Collies who has since passed away. There is “Forever Home (Dolly’s Song), “One More Walk” about the passing of Teala, and “Cold Wet Nose” about the love and support Teala provided to him.

In “Cold Wet Nose,” Keating describes a dog who was by his side and keeping him smiling and happy with the” love behind her cold wet nose,” even through his toughest times.

Whether remembering a beloved pet who now waits in Heaven, honoring the best friend beside you, or looking forward to getting a new dog, pet parents can certainly relate to “Cold Wet Nose,” and its portrayal of a dog as a constant companion through it all.


While most songs are written about human relationships, dogs can have an immense impact on music, whether that be through comforting us through the ups and downs of our relationships with other people, keeping us company throughout our day, or serving as a mascot and inspiration for a song.

by Jess Santacroce
Music Writer, 955 The Heat, Phoenix Radio

Regardless of your career path, the fear of being replaced by artificial intelligence or AI, is common to most fields. Some even worry that the arts will be taken over by AI. While voices can be mimicked, simple jingles can be produced, and parts of songs can certainly be enhanced using artificial intelligence, the features that make music vital to our lives are the same ones that protect musicians from ever being replaced by AI.

AI will never write a song in response to something that happens to it or to someone else

Most lyrics have something to do with some form of strong feelings for or about something. . Romantic songs may be about anything from crushes to forever love between two people. Protest songs reflect feelings of anger, fear, and a desire for justice. Sadness, grief, longing, joy, love and gratitude, reverence for God, and even guilt, dread, or terror are all commonly expressed through song lyrics.

AI content generators can put together words commonly associated with all of those things, but it can never truly feel anything, or respond to a human being the way another human being can.

Jason DeFord, known professionally as “Jelly Roll,” has risen to fame among fans of R&B, Hip-Hop, Rap, Country, and Christian Contemporary music. In “Creature,” featuring Krizz Kaliko and Tech N9ne, DeFord draws parallels between the mythical “boogeyman” and “monsters in closets” from childhood and the song’s main character’s own bad choices with the line “The monster that’s outside my window, he’s like family to me now.”

This song, like much of Jelly Roll’s music, is described as reflective of his own struggles with addiction and past criminal behavior. When a listener hears “Creature” or another Jelly Roll song, they only enjoy listening to the music, they can both reflect on the inspiration behind it, and anything from their own lives or the lives of others they are familiar with to form an emotional connection with the song.

When prompted to write a song about addiction, chat gpt simply generated a basic song with the line, “I’m chasing the ghost, I’m chasing the high,” both common terms to refer to drug addiction, “chasing the ghost” being an especially common term used and explained around the internet.

Music enthusiasts do not only like individual songs, we like artists and bands

Jelly Roll’s music may have struck a particularly deep connection with fans who struggle with addiction and other serious issues, but he is far from the only artist whose music has formed a sort of community based around it.

Perhaps the most famous is “Deadhead” subculture. Beginning in the 1970s and lasting into the present day, people known as “Deadheads,” are devoted fans of the band The Grateful Dead, a band that has inspired them to adopt the values and aesthetic of the mid 1960’s-early 1970’s counterculture. Deadheads value peace, sharing, and a sense of community, and tend to favor a “hippie” or “bohemian” style in dress and atmosphere. While the original group disbanded in 1995 due to the death of Jerry Garcia, Deadheads have gathered as recently as 2024 for performances by “Dead & Company,” comprised of former members of the Grateful Dead with the addition of John Mayer.

Taylor Swift’s most ardent fans refer to themselves as “Swifties,” reflecting their enthusiasm for not only listening to Taylor Swift’s music, but attending her extravagant live shows. YouTube content creators Lizze Gordon and Ryland Adams even created multiple “days in our life” reality-show style videos centered around their efforts to see as many concerts on Swift’s “Eras” tour as possible.

In 2021, pop/rock band Train performed at the Great New York State Fair at Chevy Park. Among the crowd were young girls wearing homemade T-shirts declaring themselves “soul sisters,” in reference to the band’s 2009 song “Hey Soul Sister.”

Other artists’ collective music and their associated personas, styles, and genres inspire individuals to change their lives. The current Amazon fashion and style series “Wear whatever the <expletive reference> you want,” includes one episode featuring a man who was helped through his struggles with an eating disorder by punk music, and one with a woman who is finding her style and identity in part because of her love of country superstar Dolly Parton.

No AI content bot will ever generate a subculture, create a sense of community, or support someone through long-term healing and emotional growth.

The limited capabilities of AI content generators result in lower quality work

Anyone watching or reading the national news today knows that President Trump’s tariffs are a current divisive issue. When prompted to write an anti-tariff protest song, the AI content generator chatgpt’s first offering included lyrics it described as being “in the spirit of Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie,” and then appeared to mimic both artists. Microsoft copilot wrote “Once we traded far and free, built a bridge across the sea.”

When the same content generator was asked for a song about being a writing teacher for ten years, it came up with “Ten years of ink, ten years of dreams, a classroom filled with voices unseen.” And when “Write me a folk song about my dog, Callie,” was the prompt, the result included “Down by the creek where the tall grass grows” and “Callie runs free in the morning light.”

Even in offline classrooms, there has been little “ink” involved in writing classes for the past ten years, as most people have turned to taking notes on their laptops and phones, and it’s unclear how the voices are unseen if they’re writing things down and handing them in, but “ink” and “voices” are commonly associated with classrooms, so the bot picked that up and used it. In the “Callie” song, the bot simply picked up on country and outdoorsy details commonly associated with folk music and spit out “creek” and “grass” and “morning light” material, and since the prompt said “dog” and “folk” song, running free was read as a theme commonly associated with both of those words.

“Write me an alternative rock song about being a freelance writer,” resulted in a song that referenced “every pitch” described as “a shot in the dark,” despite the fact that writing pitches is slowing fading from the practice of freelance writing.

The bot was doing what it was designed to do, quickly gather common details from around the internet, and spit them back out in a technically correct format as input by the prompt. It has no ability to experiment with form or style, ponder the current political climate or career trends of a certain field, or pick out creative details and draw interesting parallels.

There will no doubt be more and more AI generated lyrics and notes in our future. But true music, that which is created from human experience, will never be replaced by a window on a computer screen.