Our playlist this month comes freshly-squeezed from our longtime digital partner, turned latest acquisition, Juice Interactive — featuring Tommy James & The Shondells, Earl Hooker, Digable Planets & more

OKRP's group of 2017 summer interns curated this month's playlist, a meditation on youth and possibility. Check out what the next generation of advertising sounds like! 8teen — Khalid This song — and Khalid in general — knows how to transport you to having no responsibilities, to driving through your hometown with your friends and all the windows d…

Our 40th volume of Whiskey & Bananas playlist is curated by Dena Blevins, Starbucks Creative Director. These tracks are as energizing as a shot of espresso. Way Back — Amber Mark I love this song, it just makes me happy, the positivity of getting back to where you want to be — makes you feel like anything is possible. I Can’t Go For That — the bird…

Ad legend Keith Reinhard, who is also the father of our co-founder & CCO Matt, curated this month's playlist of jazz classics, complemented by Matisse visuals. Leave Me Alone — Johnny Griffin When people ask what jazz is all about, I always quote the great Chicago-born tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin who said: “Jazz is created by and for people wh…

We asked our friend Ron Lazzeretti, writer, director, musician and ad man, to curate this month’s playlist, presented by “Whiskey & Bananas.” Almost Like The Blues — Leonard Cohen There’s not much Leonard Cohen music that I don’t like, but I like his last few records best of all. It’s like when his life was nearing its end, he collected all the wis…

This month's guest "Whiskey & Bananas" playlist is curated by John Nau of Beacon Street Studios in Venice, CA, one of OKRP's go-to musical production partners. Enjoy this groovy selection of 1970s California-vibed tracks. Help Me — Joni Mitchell A love song written by the master, Joni, featuring her impeccable voice and beautiful lyricism — one of …

Check out our guest playlist by OKRP's director of Groupon spots, Luis Peña, who curated hard-rocking and introspective tracks for adventure and the open road. Black Grease — The Black Angels Oh how I love The Black Angels. I almost made the whole mix with just their songs. This is what west Texas sounds like to me. Hustle And Cuss — Dead Weather T…

We're celebrating the release of Eddie O’Keefe’s film "Shangri-La Suite" with tracks picked by the director and film’s stars - Emily Browning, Luke Grimes & Avan Jogia. One Night — Elvis Presley Bringing it back to the classic early days of Elvis — not the latter-day one that the film’s main characters would set out to kill in 1974. I Want You — Bo…

Ghost Walk — The Budos Band A variety of influences from jazz, funk, Afro-beat, soul and more permeate the Budos Band, an instrumental group on Daptones Records who records in Brooklyn. Hollywood Swinging — Kool & The Gang Get down with the glory days of funk — 1973, to be exact. Le Marin — Babet You know we love our French-language grooves. Get Ou…

Last I Heard — Flesh Panthers Flesh Panthers are an excellent secret of Chicago’s rock n roll scene, who have played shows with our boys The Orwells. You should definitely check out their fantastic 2016 album “Willow’s Weep,” which this track is from. Ain’t It Funky Now — Jimmy McGriff You know we love the funky 1970s deep cuts — Jimmy McGriff is n…

Buddy — The Orwells It’s been too long since the world at large got to hear The Orwells’ new tunes — they’re back, buddy. Hourglass — Rodrigo Amarante Brazilian singer-songwriter Rodrigo Amarante opened for Angel Olsen here in Chicago recently, playing haunting music in multiple languages. The Palisades — Childish Gambino feat. Christian Rich We’re…

Lonely Jones — Post Animal We’re big fans of Chicago’s Post Animal, who opened for The Orwells during a weekend of local shows, features actor Joe Keery of Netflix’s “Stranger Things,” and creates cool blends of pop and psych-tinged indie rock. Am I Wrong — Anderson Paak (feat. ScHoolboy Q) Our Chief Creative Officer Matt Reinhard is a huge fan of …

Feeling Free — Nicole Willis & the Soul Investigators We’re loving this retro R&B/soul group of American-born Nicole Willis, based in Helsinki, Finland. Half Moon — Janis Joplin Can’t go wrong with some lost Janis classics. Naked Eye — Luscious Jackson Hard to believe it’s been 20 years since this alt-rock gem landed. Shut Up Kiss Me — Angel Olsen …

Moth to the Flame — Chairlift Get into the holiday weekend mood with this upbeat indie pop song. Let’s Dance — Ramones The Ramones take on the 60s dance classic. Lipslap — Kero Kero Bonito This Japanese pop-inspired project from London is on fire — can’t wait to check them out in Chicago this fall. I’ll Be Loving You — The King Khan & BBQ Show The …

Move On Up — Curtis Mayfield Kicking things off with this uplifting soul classic. Straight Up And Down — The Brian Jonestown Massacre Hard to say no to retro British Invasion-style rock from one of the top indie bands of the past 20 years. Long Time Now — The Ethiopians Reggae ska always puts a smile on our face, how about you? Don’t Want to Say Go…

Land Lobster — The Bingers Chicago’s own retro-inspired garage rockers The Bingers have been landing their tunes in everything lately, from James Franco films to ads for Veuve Clicquot and HUF skateboard apparel. Bones — Michael Kiwanuka British soul musician Michael Kiwanuka channels decades of soul, rock and R&B inspiration into his music. All Yo…

Gardenia — Iggy Pop The king of punk is still alive and well, with this new album produced by Josh Homme from Queens of the Stone Age. Davey Crockett — Hinds Hinds were an absolute standout of SXSW — four young women from Madrid playing extremely catchy rock n roll (tirelessly, across 15+ showcases during the week). They’re poised to blow up huge. …

Le Coeur Au Bout Des Doigts – Jacqueline Taieb Who can resist retro French songs? We can’t! Suckcess – Michael Rault Michael Rault is an up-and-coming, retro-style garage rocker from Canada who played a few great shows in Chicago recently. Windowpane – Mild High Club This Chicago/Los Angeles group creates groovy, trippy tunes that make it feel like…

When It Comes To You – Dead Ghosts The garage rock revolution continues with this great group from Vancouver, Canada. 100 Days, 100 Nights – Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings exist in a timeless space of great music. Most Wanted – Cults Cults’ incredibly catchy indie pop would be flooding the airwaves in our ideal world. So …

Coming Home – Leon Bridges Leon Bridges is making big waves as a new retro-soul singer in the tradition of Otis Redding and Sam Cooke. One Summer Night – Ariel Pink Indie multi-instrumentalist Ariel Pink brings a variety of eclectic retro influences to his avant-garde pop projects. Hold Me Tight – Johnny Nash The first international Jamaican-style …

Good Advice – The Growlers Southern California-based band The Growlers are a current garage rock sensation with retro 60s vibes that blend psychedelia, folk and more. Sutphin Boulevard – Blood Orange British indie musician Dev Hynes is an acclaimed songwriter for the likes of Solange and Sky Ferreira, and collaborates with a range of artists for hi…

Maxwell Lewis Harrison – Joe Bordenaro Joe Bordenaro is a young up-and-coming rock n roller from the Chicago suburbs, the latest teenager coming into the roster of the current Chicago rock revolution. Everyday – Diane Coffee Foxygen drummer Shaun Fleming’s “psychedelic Motown” solo project is a ton of modern glam pop-rock fun. Ca Plane – American B…

Over Under Sideways Down – The Yardbirds Rated #23 on Rolling Stone’s list of greatest guitar songs. Why? Two words – Jeff Beck. Optimo – Liquid Liquid If you were in NYC in 1993, this is what dance punk with a Brazilian backbeat sounded like. Jello and Juggernauts – Unknown Mortal Orchestra Jello and Juggernauts, meet Whiskey and Bananas. Anunciac…

That’s Love – Oddisee This rap/soul crossover jam dips into Santana-centric funk while lyrically touching the soul. Get ready, we think Oddisee is about to blow up. Mercy, Mercy – Don Covay RIP to the great Don Covay who blessed us with this tune in 1964. Somebody by the name of Jimi Hendrix plays lead guitar here. Dos Cobras – Clear Plastic Masks …

In honor of Turtle Wax launching their new campaign- “Protect The Body. Free The Soul.”- we’ve curated this podcast to serve as the perfect driving companion, guaranteed to enhance even the most mundane of driving occasions. Comencemos (Let’s Start) – Jungle Fire Latin funk that integrates horns, a driving bass-line and a constant ambush of bongos.…

“A guy walks into a bar and requests a copy of the playlist that he’s hearing. Each playlist that I’ve curated for the Avalon Hotel in Beverly Hills has easily over 1,000 songs on it, plus they’re only on the hotel’s iPod. There isn’t some master on my computer at home. How the hell do you share something like that? Beats the hell outta me. So then…

Always the Same - Donny Hathaway This combination of gospel and jazz is what soul is all about. Picking Wild Mountain Berries - Kurt Wagner and Cortney Tidwell The guy from Lambchop teams ups with the sweet-singing Cortney Tidwell for some old-school country fun. Figure it Out - Royal Blood Believe it or not, that wall of sound you’re hearing is co…

Shoop - Salt-N-Pepa One of many hits from the first all female rap group who met while working at Sears. Life Of Sin- Sturgill Simpson Simpson took an eight-year music break to work in a rail yard. Outlaw country is back. Let There Be Drums - Sandy Nelson As James Brown once said, “give the drummer some!” Let’s do that. Drive By Buddy - Black Lips …

Alone Again Or - Love The opening track (and one of only two not written by Arthur Lee) from Love’s opus, “Forever Changes.” The mariachi horns put it over the top. The Fife Piper – The Dynatones A little soul flute courtesy of the Hanna-Barbera record label. Yes, the Flintstones’ Hanna-Barbera. Boys Are Fine – Smith Westerns From Chicago’s own - g…

Nothing But A Heartache – The Flirtations 1968 Southern California soul. Feel – Ty Segal Bay Area pop perfection. Wolf Teeth – JD McPherson What do you get when you mix Fats Domino, Led Zeppelin, The Pixies and Little Richard? What Is Hip? – The Juju Orchestra Connonball Adderly once said, “Hippness is not a state of mind, it’s a fact of life.” The…

Born In The 50’s - The Police More specifically, October 2, 1951. Sting’s Baby Boom anthem. Beggin’ - Madcon Popularized by The Four Seasons in ’67 and then covered in ’07 by this Norwegian hip-hop band. Moody Trudy - Giorgio Moroder Inspiration…clearly The Beach Boys. Animal Of One - The Fresh & Onlys Two lane highway, middle of nowhere, top down …

Wild One (Real Wild Child) - Jet Harris “i tear wings off of flies…” Bad boy stuff, 1962 style. Eu Sambo Mesmo - Gilberto Gil Summer samba sounds from a master. Season (Waiting On You) - Future Islands Four albums in and they finally hit it with this one. And boy…Samuel Herring can dance. I Can’t Get You Out Of My Mind - Art Freeman 1966 R&B single…

I recently started blogging at http://astein94.wordpress.com about my favorite 80's music. I feel that I am an expert on 80's music, as I worked at retail record stores and a record label throughout the 80's. Having attended high school and college throughout most of the 80’s, this music is very near and dear to me. The selections here are a mix of…

Cinco de Mayo – War Once you hear the lyrics, you’ll realize that this is not about the Battle of Puebla in 1862. A Summer Thing – Cayucas Indie pop from Santa Monica. Salad Days – Mac DeMarco This Canadian rocker’s been called “rude, crude and obnoxious,” but he sounds like pussycat on this track. (Give Me Back My) Bunty Bunty – The Bombay Royale …

New York Groove – Ace Frehley Kiss lead guitarist, Ace Frehley rocked hard in ’78 with this solo gem. Ain’t Got No Home – Clarence ‘Frogman’ Henry The ‘croak’ voice that happens at 1:27 is how he got his nickname – no auto tune here. Grape Peel (How I Feel) – Buffalo Killers From their album Heavy Reverie – meaty pop from Cincinnati, Oh-hi-o. Come …

My colleagues at OKRP have turned the musical reigns over to me this week. As a strategist, I’m inclined to use this playlist as some form cultural commentary; something like "this playlist is a parable of how labels and delineations like 'genre' are becoming less relevant to millennial tastes and musical preferences.” While that may be true, the t…

Emajer– Tinariwen From the album “Emmaar” meaning “heat on the breeze” - music from northern Mali. Whistle Song – The New Mastersounds British soul funk silliness Easy Easy – King Krule From Londoner Archy Marshall’s debut LP as King Krule Strawberry Letter 23 – The Brothers Johnson Originally penned by Shuggie Otis, about a girlfriend who wrote le…

Southern Girls – Cheap Trick Pure expression of raw rock and roll. This version with Steve Albini behind the board. Haxel Princess – Cherry Glazerr If you listen to SOCAL radio, then you’ll get the name - power punk trio from LA. How Gee – Black Machine Call it breakbeat or jazzdance, this track from ’92 is still infectious! Sahrah – Mehrpouya Iran…

Hobo Rocket – Pond I Wonder If I Care As Much – The Everly Brothers Hot Knife – Fiona Apple Rock Creek Park – The Blackbyrds Gone Completely – Disappears Momentum – The Cook Trio Go Down Moses – Louis Armstrong Lariat – Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks Help I’m Alive – Metric What Kind Of A Fool Do You Think I Am – Tams…

Tramp – Lowell Fulson Whistle – Sporto Kantes A Minha Menina – Os Mutantes Bitter Rivals – Sleigh Bells Cattle Call – Eddie Arnold Devil Again – Thee Oh Sees Groovin’ – Willie Mitchell Let It All Hang Out – The Hombres A Merry Jingle – The Greedies Tepache Jam – Terrestre

Transcribed Hi-Fi – Radio Announcer The way it used to sound. The Sad One – Eddie Lang Mule Skinner Blues – The Fendermen In The Wilderness – Those Darlins Furia – Furia Blue Pepper (Far East of the Blues) – Duke Ellington Sunshine Day – Osibisa Frontier Psychologist – The Avalanches Some Of Shelley’s Blues - Michael Nesmith Cherry Red – The Ground…

1. Record Shop – Jerry Lewis 2. Prisencolinensinainciusol - Adriano Celentano 3. Genesis – Justice 4. 20th Century Boy – The Replacements 5. Laundry – Antipop Consortium 6. The Horror – Sweet Knievel 7. Mississippi Goddam – Nina Simone 8. Why Can’t I Touch It? – Buzzcocks 9. Kibe Kibe - The Mombasa Vikings 10. Belle – Al Green 11. Connected – Stere…

1. I Wanna Dance (But I Don't Know How) - Skaters 2. Back And Forth – The Bright Light Social Hour 3. Ready To Go – Guards 4. Harper Lee – Little Green Cars 5. San Francisco – The Mowgli's 6. Last Of The Summer Wine – Palma Violets 7. Inhaler – Foals 8. Messiah—Dirty South Remix - Monsta 9. Sail to the Sun – Wavves 10. Where The Kids Are – Blondfir…

1. 52 girls (Album Version) - The B-52's 2. Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings - Father John Misty 3. Would That Not Be Nice - Divine Fits 4. King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown - Augustus Pablo 5. Shakin' All Over - Johnny Kidd and the Pirates 6. Lightning Bolt - Jake Bugg 7. Can You Get To That - Funkadelic 8. Royals - Lorde 9. Come E' Profondo ll Mare…

1. Do I Make Myself Clear – Etta James 2. Get Lucky – Daft Punk 3. Under The Flowers – The Orwells 4. Elephant – Tame Impala 5. Eye Know – De La Soul 6. Mizrab – Gabor Szabo 7. Paris Summer – Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood 8. Electric Feel – MGMT 9. Hot Stuff – Border Sound 10. Running – Baby Huey