January is a build month for gearheads here in North America. Garages all over have cars torn apart, with the smell of WD-40, Brake-Kleen and grease hanging in the air. Whether you are catching up on maintenance on the daily beater or you have an engine out, getting ready for racing season to kick off, the wrenches are spinning and the music should be playing in the background. That was the one thing I enjoyed about laying underneath a car in the makeshift garage as a kid: the music. Growing up in western Washington, your choices were typical rock on 99.9 KISW, or alternative rock on 107.7 The End. Either way, I was fine…I needed music that matched my mood, and more often than not, younger me would get frustrated and want angry music.

Older me isn’t that far divorced from what I used to be in that regards. I might throw wrenches less, but there are still plenty of moments where I have to get out of the shop and go take a five-minute breather. I also have to restrain my language a bit better than I’m normally used to doing…our neighbor has a little girl, and I do not want to ever find out that she wound up repeating something I’ve yelled. So, for today’s song, I’ve picked a nice mellow tune that’s soulful, catchy, and says just about everything I need to when I’ve removed most of the skin off of my knuckles. Enjoy!