Defenseload

Nearly seven years ago, I started this small music blog with my best friend Hank.  I had thought about starting a music blog for years because I looked up to the likes of My Old Kentucky Blog, You Aint No Picasso, Aquarium Drunkard, I Guess Im Floating, and many more.  I couldnt understand how these gatekeepers of music knew so many bands/artists Ive never heard of before.  I wanted to be like them and, more importantly, wanted to help discover those unknown bands/artists and help talented people become known.

Over seven years, We Listen For You has had its ups and downs.  In 2010 we were named by our peers the #1 music blog in a friendly, blog-only voting poll and were seeing our largest traffic year to date.  What I want readers to understand is that all over the world, there are people like us at We Listen For You examining tracks, albums, videos, etc for no money and taking up tons of the little free time we have.  Its a weird obsession that slowly becomes part of your identity.  Over these seven years, Ive tried to shut down the site here and there (maybe three times a year), but I just cant imagine not having this outlet.  

These days, it feels like our music blog and many other music blogs are losing interest in moving forward. Weve seen our audience shrink, mostly due to our own irregular posting (or the lack thereof).  My biggest sadness in this comes in the form of musical discovery.  It seems every year it gets harder and harder to convince readers to check out bands/artists they arent already familiar with.  This is where I make a request to you, the individual reading this right now.  Im pleading with you to give us a chance... once a day... and give the same chance to the smaller artists we highlight as you give the ones you already know.  You will not like everything we write about. Still, music bloggers all over who are writing about the little guy, the band struggling to get the smallest amount of attention... were all pouring or hearts and time into this and it means nothing if you dont have the thirst to discover whats new.  The ultimate joke is that in the music industry today, even the bigger bands need help.

So... where does WLFY go next?  You might remember a few years ago we made a promise to cut all the fat... no music gossip, news, or irrelevant lists... just keep our modest music blog focused on the nuts and bolts: music analysis and discovery.  As I get older, it becomes harder and harder to post five times a day and turn pieces around before they become irrelevant to the reader.

Knowing this, I introduce you to the new WLFY format:

Every Tuesday, I will create a post like this with chapters.  Each one will highlight tracks, vinyl, and most of all, my personal thoughts on any and all topics relating to music.  A lot of the time, the title to these posts wont be sexy or have you itching to click... but please, give us your time for just a few minutes each day.  Hank and the rest of the staff will each have their own regular posting day.  We hope over time you get to know each of us personally through our weekly posts and at the same time, hope to open up a steady conversation with you, the regular reader.  Mondays will be open for larger, standalone writing like full album reviews, think pieces, and other features if a writer feels inclined to do so.

Thanks for reading.  WLFY might be practically dead, but Ill never be able to let it go.

If you hang around vinyl obsessed people long enough, the debate about missing songs/albums never pressed on wax begins like clockwork.  This is one of my favorite songs of all time and until recently was never available on vinyl format: