Going to shows used to be a monthly if not weekly ritual. I spent my entire 20’s and early 30’s as a music publicist, band manager, music supervisor and record label owner. Music was my backbone and seeing live shows was just as thrilling as the sex, drugs and irresponsible behavior that went with it. But then something happened. I moved 3,000 miles from my comfort zone and decided to try on a new life. I have zero regrets and often reflect about the journey I was on. I chose music and it most certainly chose me back. It afforded me a life filled with remarkable people, places and moments. I got to travel the world, fall in love, fail and fail often, get back up and try again. Through it all, there was incredible songs that were soundtracks to this remarkable adventure. But then I grew up and I suppose I grew tired. I fucked up a lot of friendships and distanced myself from my past. I felt rejuvenated in a new city with new opportunities. I surrounded myself with family I hadn’t been close to in over 12 years. This new life brought new adventures and I feel like I really grew into my own. It’s rare I go see a band play anymore but this year there were two shows that got me out and reminded me how much I love that feeling. The one where you’re standing arm to arm with a few hundred people, all gazing and bopping heads, smiling as the song moves you to forget anything and everything other than that moment. It’s a beautiful moment and I feel grateful for noticing it.

The first show was The Rentals. Damn they’re old now (like me) but fuck they totally rocked. The place was packed and from the opening song to the last encore, I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. My buddy Randy dragged me out and I couldn’t have been happier. There was so much energy buzzing around I left the show wanting to hi-five everyone on my subway ride home.

The second show wasn’t technically a show but rather a monthly meetup I help organize for people in the NYC digital scene. The topic was how social media has changed the music industry landscape. I asked Asher Lock, singer/songwriter of local NYC band, Ravens & Chimes to participate. (Full disclosure: Ravens & Chimes was signed to my record label, Better Looking Records). Once the panel discussion was over, Asher performed a few acoustic songs to a crowd of roughly 50 Twitter pros. Asher absolutely killed. It was intimate, raw and moving people to Instagram when five minutes earlier they had no idea what was about to hit them. Here’s a guy that’s never seen any commercial success yet continues to work multiple jobs to support his true love. It was pure, honest and totally brought me back the early years of Holiday Matinee. Always hustling. Always an adventure and finding ways to do what you love. Fuck yeah. I might be old and not get out as much as I used to but damn those were great moments and I’m thankful I still get to experience that.

We don’t know about you, but we’re ready to relax for a few days and recharge for a kickass 2015. We couldn’t quite do that without one last mixtape to close out the year though. On this mix you’ll find new music, seasonal tunes and oldies my barista loves to play on vinyl. Come on, let’s go.

p.s. Not seeing a tape above? Mobile peeps head here.

Apps are taking over. From food and fitness to games and banking, there truly is an app for everything. And fuck yeah I love getting turned on to a new one. It’s almost replaced the excitement I used to get around a new song or movie. Plus, it’s become one of my favorite questions to ask people, “Got any new apps that are blowing your mind?” Since the homescreen is the new holy grail, I thought it’d be fun to put together a list of the top 5 kick apps that have taken up real estate on my phone. And like Apple now says, “Get it.”

Caviar – recently acquired by Square, Caviar has replaced Seamless as my go-to food delivery app. They offer an amazing selection of premium restaurants and every dish is shot beautifully by (clearly) a food photographer. The UX is flawless and the Apple Pay integration makes ordering drop dead simple.

Reporter – dubbed the app for understanding the things you care about, I’ve been hooked on Reporter all year. The design is stupid good and what’s great is the full-on personalization that allows you to jump head first into the quantified self movement.

Canopy – Amazon Prime is a godsend but shopping the site is about as bad as finding shoes on Zappos. Thankfully, there’s Canopy, an app (with no affiliation to Amazon) that curates the very best of Amazon. It makes discovery super fun and I’ve become addicted to creating collections and following tastemakers. Plus, it’s opened up a whole new world of products I had no idea Amazon even carried. Canopy is proof that good design equals good business.

SportsCenter – Sure, ESPN has had an app for a while but this year’s refresh was a game changer. Scores, news, highlights…they’ve got it all in a layout that makes my thumb very happy.

Flipboard – if there’s one app that’s truly dominated my home screen, it’s Flipboard. They’ve completely revolutionized how I consume content and there’s no turning back. Creating custom magazines is my jam and there isn’t a day I don’t check-in with Flipboard to read The Daily Edition.

I just got excited about an app. Wait, I’m not sure you realize how significant this is because I’m usually slamming them as a complete waste of time. Recho is different. It allows you to leave audio messages that can only be listened to when other users are at the location you recorded the message at.  The possibilities are pretty endless: city guides with insider tips, stories, jokes, music, love notes (don’t worry, there’s a privacy setting so you’re not professing your love to some creepy dude).

So far I haven’t stumbled across any messages in my daily routine, but I did leave a message right outside the Mission library branch in San Francisco. I’m all about apps that inspire us to get creative and interact with strangers.

I wasn’t always a fan of karaoke. It was only when my friend Scotty started hosting a night in San Diego that I would find myself up on stage each night embarrassing myself. You know what though? It was fun. Karaoke isn’t about being a great singer, it’s about singing the songs you were never meant to sing.

After a long hiatus, I recently found myself back at it, eight songs deep before I felt the need to call it quits. Still feeling those good vibes the next morning, I asked the HM team what their favorites were and threw them together in this karaoke mixtape. I hope it inspires you to get up on the the mic and let your questionable vocal talents take center stage, even if it takes a couple rounds of liquid courage.

Mobile // Rdio // Spotify