The Return Of Funk Punk Lives

Jan 13

Surprise!

Welcome back to Funk Punk Lives after over a year hiatus.

A lot has changed since I closed this project down in October of 2024. Fast forward to January of 2025, I got laid off from my job — one that paid me a decent amount I won’t disclose. I went from that, to zero money coming in overnight. It was a life halting hardship that made it difficult for me to keep staying where I was, since cost of living in Reno is astronomical (housing prices are 13% higher than the national average). I literally could no longer afford to live, given Unemployment Benefits cover nothing and I was applying to thousands of jobs and getting nowhere, so I made plans to move away from my hometown. Halfway through that process was a whirlwind of trying to go back to school and earn another degree, encountering family issues and having to go back to square one, and it was an exhausting rollercoaster I almost saw no way out of. I lost my marbles for a bit.

Ultimately though, I ended up embarking on a journey across the United States. From trying to cram everything I owned in and on top of my SUV, trying to accommodate two very upset cats along the way, to a hotel room that had leftover food from previous guests in some drawers, to experiencing tornado sirens for the first time, to a semi truck that was on fire driving along the freeway, to the most magical array of sauces, jams and pickle jars at a truck stop in the middle of nowhere… It was a hell of a ride.

I'm coming back to this music blog because I realize personal passions are incredibly important, especially after everything I've been through in my life. From losing my source of income to going through breakup after breakup, to losing friendships, to family troubles, and so much more I never talk about, everyone needs and should have that “little something” that keeps them going. For four years, this blog was that for me.

Somewhere along the way, I lost sight of what I loved amid the harshness of life. I've survived very dark places over the last few years, and moving out of Reno was probably the catalyst for things finally looking up in my life. It was what I desperately needed but didn’t know it.

At first I wasn’t going to reveal where I moved out of privacy concerns. In the past, I feel like I blasted some TMI content about my life onto the internet, and this time around I’d like to turn over a new leaf and… not do that as much. Hopefully that means I’ve matured a little bit. I also didn’t feel very safe in Reno (for reasons I can rant about but won’t… see? I’m learning), and I was worried my history would come lurking back to bite me in the butt. I realized I was allowing my past mistakes to dictate how I moved on.

But you know what? Screw that.

I’m ready to live my life bolder than I ever have before, because I’m finally surrounded by supportive, loving people. I have a new, amazing community to explore, along with a new family that has been more than welcoming. I have the most amazing partner right now, who takes care of me in so many ways and puts forth conscious effort into understanding me, meeting me where I’m at, and protects me. I am safe. I’m not holding back for anyone, I won’t apologize for being myself, and I refuse to live my life in fear. I’m not going to let any bullshit control my pursuit of what makes me happy and feeds my soul. And most importantly, I have to forgive myself from some of the stupid things I did in my past, instead of letting them put pressure on my future decisions.

I spent 25 years in Reno. That's a lot to unravel and rewire, but I promise to my readers that I'm coming back, stronger than ever: from my new home: Buffalo, New York! I can’t wait to make new friends, foster new connections and get back into networking with musicians and artists in this City Of Good Neighbors, now that me, my boyfriend and my pets are finally getting settled in.

While I am ready to go on full steam ahead, I will say I’ve disabled the Funk Punk Lives contact page and archived the email contact. Funkpunklives@gmail.com will no longer be monitored, I am no longer accepting email submissions, and I will not be answering any incoming mail from that account any more. This is the one privacy measure I am taking, and I hope you guys will understand.

In the meantime, I would love to share with you some of the playlists that got us through an almost 2500 mile road trip through most of the country. Was it difficult and stressful? Sure. But it was also a blast! I think everyone deserves a second chance and a fresh start — and while I've wiped my slate clean, here are some of the tunes that helped ushered in a new era of this blog. There’s also not a lot of people I know, that gets the privilege of driving across the whole USA — so I’d love to share some of the music that made that experience so special.

Looking forward to learning more about the local music scene in my new area, and as always: Keep on jammin'!