Hey Reader, It's Keppie here!

Here are 7 things worth sharing this week:

1. "Who is going to give you the authority that what you notice is important? I guess it'll have to be you." A quote from Verlyn Klinkenborg, author of "Several Short Sentences About Writing", referenced by Austin Kleon on his recent interview about writing newsletters that people want to read.

2. Which is very meta, because I have stolen this format right here from his wonderful newsletter, in this 'x things worth sharing' format. And extra super hyper meta, because the first thing I ever read of his was "Steal Like An Artist". It's probably the book I recommend most to songwriters in our Community.

3. "There’s music you pay attention to, and then there’s music you use to change the way you pay attention to everything else." This interview with Brian Eno on the Ezra Klein show was such a necessary conversation about music and its relationship to technology. Eno and Klein dissect the 'moral' dimension of music exposure (does it make you a 'more civilised' person? Nope. But it possibly makes the mind and imagination work better).

4. Eno talks about "making the music you want to hear". When he was in an airport in the 70s, he thought "why are they cranking German techno...here?" It was music 'as a mask' - using music to try and distract from the actual environment. So Eno created his ground-breaking work, "Music For Airports" - music designed not to mask, but to actually enhance the environment. To turn the experience of airports into something, possibly, spiritual. (I've been listening to it a lot at home lately...).

5. Benny and I have been busy making the music we want to hear. Our first new song release it out now - 28 Names for Longleaf Pines explores the power, possibility, and limitations we impose in the very human inclination to name and categorise.

6. We officially released the song in a live listening party with friends and fans around the world - you watch the whole thing right here! Our goal with our music is not to rack up millions of streams, have a global touring career, or create a perfume line. It’s to make something meaningful to us, pour energy into the details, so that it connects with other people.

7. Your turn to create and share your work: The next 8-week Songwriting Sprint closes tomorrow! We provide fresh, creative songwriting prompts that span the literary, to the rhythmic, to the lateral. If you've never done one (or are a serial Sprinter and haven't registered yet), jump in now. You can find out what all the hubbub is over here.