Civil Twilight

This band first popped up on my radar back when iTunes offered a free music download “Pick of the Week.”

Remember that? Back when music wasn’t free and finding good music was much harder.

Just the other week on American Idol, I heard someone sing Sam Sparro’s “Black and Gold,” which started as a free “Pick of the Week” in 2008.

Creating zero friction for the right people to find and enjoy your art is step one for any artist.

That’s the easy part. The hard part is causing an immediate “I like this” reaction like Civil Twilight’s “Letter From The Sky” single.

For me, listening in the right melancholy mood makes it soar, but with them dropping a new single this week, I wanted to share the album that hooked me.

They started in Africa not knowing how to play their instruments and ended up in Nashville playing Bonnaroo for thousands of fans.

Just because you are starting where you are today does not determine where you will end up tomorrow.

The first edition was published in The Dolan Diaries, a weekly newsletter for creators.