3 musical resolutions worth doing now

‘Twas the morning after Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even the four dogs in the basement. They’re exhausted from dodging the loving — but insistent — advances of a 2-year-old hopped up on the Christmas spirit.

The rest of the family has the good sense to sleep in after a day of binging on sausage balls and sugary monkey bread. I’m just sitting here at the kitchen table, a lonely newspaper columnist reflecting on the year that’s passed and watching the clock inch closer to the last deadline of the year.

Like this time last year, I’m thinking about the new year, specifically as it pertains to music in Macon, and wondering how I can resolve to make the make the city a better place in that arena.

Here are a few entries on the list that are worth sharing:

Buy a T-shirt or sweatshirt at the Rosser Riddle pop-up shop on Second Street. NYC-based designer Rosser Riddle is down in Macon for the holidays with his vintage soul and Macon-inspired shirts. I got a “Chitlin Circuit ‘62” T-shirt for Christmas, and it’s the most comfortable article of clothing that I own.

As I was rushing around town doing some last minute Christmas shopping, I stopped in to buy a sweatshirt at the store, where Ross mentioned that he’d be back after the holidays, freshly stocked with more inventory. Don’t miss out on a chance to get your own shirt while he’s local.

Go see a show at Fresh Produce Music Hall. If you’ve been to the Rosser Riddle pop-up shop, you might’ve noticed that there’s also a record store that’s also popped up next door. Willie D. of Fresh Produce has moved his record selling operations to a new spot to focus on live music at the former Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard location, which is now dubbed Fresh Produce Music Hall. It’s home to the most interesting and diverse schedule of live music that Macon has to offer.

The schedule for the new year is already packed with shows, from minimal ambient to scuzzy, free-form noise. If you’d like to live in a city that offers a chance at musical discovery on any given night, Fresh Produce is worth your investment.

Learn about your city’s rich musical history on a Rock Candy Tour. Sure, you could pick up a book and read all about Macon and the role it has played in the direction of popular music, but text on the page won’t get you the palpable experience of creeping through an alley right on top of where it all happened. Rock Candy Tours gives you the history that you’ll find in the books, but also fills in the timeline with the nitty-gritty local details that may not make it past an editor without the names changed, revealing that every nook and cranny around town is filled with a little bit of musical significance.

The tours pass right by the first two items on this list, so you can knock out all the resolutions at once.

Of course, there are plenty more items that can be added to this list, but these will get you off to a great start. Have a happy musical new year, Macon.

This story was originally published December 27, 2016 at 12:58 PM with the headline "3 musical resolutions worth doing now."