“Follow The Money” by Theo Black

 

     It’s not surprising that a song about the control money has over society owes its origin to Las Vegas, Nevada. “Follow The Money” was released in early 2026 by Theo Black, a Indie musician based in Miami, Florida. While talking about the song, Black explained:
   "Last summer I took a solo cross-country road trip to get my creativity flowing and try to write some tunes along the way. This song began in a Vegas hotel room, the one shaped like a pyramid, with my first-floor window staring directly at the backside of a replica sphinx. And as I continued my trip listening to the demo, the lyrics fittingly turned toward money.
  How much of modern life and culture has been subsumed by labor and the constant hamster wheel required for most people to stay on their feet? This song is about the imbalance between the majority of the world that has to work every day to survive and those at the top that disproportionately benefit from our labor.
  Definitely something that weighs heavy on the minds of small musicians as we try and get our ART heard in a world that treats music like CONTENT."
 
     Theo Black is a man with a sense of humor, which is apparent from content on his website and Bandcamp pages. Our personal favorite from him: “No man is an island unto himself, but Theo Black is from a peninsula,” which makes more sense when you remember that he is from southern Florida.
 
      “Follow The Money” by Theo Black

Website: https://theoblack.net/
Bandcamp: https://theoblack.bandcamp.com/

Lyrics of “Follow The Money” by Theo Black
all my life they been draggin’ me down
it’s the same damn demons in a different town
you wanna know why you’re kicked around?
you’ve gotta follow the money
 
all my life it’s been easy to see
that no one really cares until there’s something they need
so where does that leave you and me?
we’ve gotta follow the- the- the-
 
the money gives, the money provides
the money takes and the money lies
they’ve got a secret that they don’t try to hide
you know that nothing can be wrong if the numbers are right
 
cornered in the ring for another round
they’ve got you dollar for dollar
beat you pound for pound
that’s what you get for sticking around
you’ve gotta follow the money
 
gathered ‘round the room wearing family ties
they say “we’ve gotta invest, gotta capitalize
rinse and repeat until one-of-us dies
always follow the the the—“
 
the money gives, the money provides
the money takes and the money lies
they’ve got a secret that they don’t try to hide
you know that nothing can be wrong if the numbers are right
 
the money rips, the money divides
the money shakes and the money binds
they’ve got a secret that they don’t try to hide
always follow the money
 
throwing precious stones from stained glass homes
thinkin’ you’re alright
but we’ve got bigger rocks here on the ground
 
the money gives, the money provides
the money takes and the money lies
they’ve got a secret that they don’t try to hide
always follow the money
 
the money rips, the money divides
the money shakes and the money binds
they’ve got a secret that they don’t try to hide
always follow the money

“Quite Like Me” by Jerry Arlen – A Song Feature

 

     The texturing is diverse and often rich. At the start of “Quite Like Me,” it’s the percussion that stands out. But Jerry Arlen shifts the kaleidoscope often. Just beyond the two-minute mark, vocal skills command the spotlight. Both before and afterward, distinctive instrumentation drives the song.
 
     Still, Arlen says that “Quite Like Me” is the closest track on the recently released album “Luna I” to traditional, acoustic-forward Rock. He adds, “It's got a nice hook that eventually gives way to a pretty slamming sonic space, then the track kind of collapses in on itself like a dying star.”
 
     Jerry Arlen is a songwriter & producer based out of Ann Arbor, MI. Jerry was a full-time touring musician until his 20's, when he settled down and opened Studio Arlen to produce albums and collaborate with other creatives. His scores have won numerous film festivals and he wrote the 2019 feature length musical hit “Groove.” With a Master's degree from Berklee College of Music, Arlen's music marries his midwestern folk roots with modern pop production to create some new ideas.
 
      “Quite Like Me” by Jerry Arlen

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JerryArlenMusic/
Bandcamp: https://jerryarlen.bandcamp.com/album/luna-i-collectors-edition

“Neil Young” in Song Lyrics

 

     Is any living musician mentioned in lyrics more often than Neil Young? That was the question we asked ourselves while listening to the latest release by Nashville’s Moon Taxi. In their song “Highwave,” Moon Taxi approvingly states “Got Neil Young singing to us” as they drive down the road.
 
     Inarguably, the most notorious mention of Neil is Lynyrd Skynyrd's “diss-track” as a response to Young’s reference to Southern racism and slavery in his songs “Southern Man" and "Alabama." Lynyrd Skynyrd responded “Well I hope Neil Young will remember, a Southern man don't need him around anyhow” in their song “Sweet Home Alabama.”
 
     There are too many other mentions of Neil Young for a comprehensive list. But here is a partial list that shows he crosses into almost every genre:

• Bob Dylan in “Highlands” – “I'm listening to Neil Young, I gotta turn up the sound. Someone's always yellin', ‘Turn him down’."
  
• Grungy: Pearl Jam in “Santa Cruz” – “I got Neil Young on the stereo // He comes along whenever I go.”
• Hip-Hop:  In “Bokeem Woodbine,” Nas states, ” Motivation for the trappers livin' ounce-to-ounce // This is rockstar status, Neil Young with a bounce.”
  
• Sonic Youth in "Creme Brulee" – “Last night, I dreamed I kissed Neil Young. If I was a boy, I guess it would be fun."
• John Mayer in “Queen of California” – “Looking for the sun that Neil Young hung. After the gold rush of 1971.”
• Lady Gaga in “Then You'd Love Me" – “I scream your name across the bar.  I carry pictures of your Neil Young guitar.”
  
• Kris Kristofferson in “If You Don’t Like Hank Williams” – “Forgot to say John Prine, Neil Young, Lyle Lovett (God bless him), Chris Gantry, Jerry Jeff Walker, and David Allen Coe...”
  
• Drive-By Truckers in “Ronnie and Neil” – “’Southern Man’ and ‘Alabama’ certainly told some truth // There's a lot of good folks down here, Neil Young just wasn't around.”
• Weezer in “Byzantine” – “I want Neil Young on your phone speaker in the morning and fuck him if he just can't see this is how his songs are supposed to be heard. No more lectures on fidelity.”
  
• Lucinda Williams in “Ventura” – “Take the long way home so I can ride around. Put Neil Young on and turn up the sound.”
• HAYDEN in “Neil Young Song” – “And I left to put on a Neil Young song, and by the time I came back you were gone.”
• Juliana Hatfield in “Because We Love You” – “Neil Young on the radio. Four dead in Ohio.”
• Opera - Luciano Pavarotti in Certe Notti – “Certe notti la radio che passa Neil Young sembra avere capito chi sei.” TRANSLATION: “Some nights the radio playing Neil Young seems to have understood who you are.”

     “Highwave” by Moon Taxi

Lyrics of “Highwave” by Moon Taxi
Hey ey ey
Floating on a Highwave
I'm on a Highwave whenever I'm with you
 
Long drive up the coastline
No need to say a word
A promise we made in the past
That I'm forever yours
 
We got miles behind us
And we got miles to go
Got Neil Young singing to us
On the radio, singing
 
Hey ey ey
Floating on a Highwave
Hey ey ey
In a sky of blue
Hey ey ey
Floating on a Highwave
I'm on a Highwave whenever I'm with you
 
Got a drink in Boston
On the way to old St. John
With you I could get lost on
Every road we travel along
 
'Cause time just disappears
When we're sitting side by side
Watching the sunrise over the ocean
At the end of a long night, singing
 
Hey ey ey
Floating on a Highwave
Hey ey ey
In a sky of blue
Hey ey ey
Floating on a Highwave
I'm on a Highwave whenever I'm with you

[Repeat after the bridge]