Still in shock, after having received the news this morning, of the death of our friend Jill Sobule, who died in a fire in Minnesota house fire while on tour.
I have so much to say about Jill, her particular brand of creative magic, the community she built, her activism and her playful enthusiasm. Not sure I can find the words to express all of that right now. Jill was a force of nature.
You may recognise her name as the author of the first ever openly gay themed song to crack the Billboard Top 20 in 1995 ‘I Kissed A Girl’….
…but this was just the tip of the iceberg of a truly unique musical career. At some point when youve got a moment, jump into investigating Jill’s back catalogue on Spotify and acquaint yourself with the body of work that this monster of songwriting put out.
But today, for this week’s PICK OF THE WEEK, we want to recommend Jill’s album “NOSTALGIA KILLS” produced by Ben in 2018. Its reflective, passionate, full of both grief and hope, and is a fitting listen as we bid Jill farewell.
Thank you Jill Sobule for everything you gave us as friends, fans and members of your creative community.
We love you.
I saw Jill once a long time ago, but I won't forget how charming,and engaging, and totally present she was for her audience. I'm going to listen to Palm Springs on repeat today. RIP.
I'm so fucking heartbroken. I love that album, and I loved Jill so much.