Expect a ‘meteoric’ snow show | Morning Newsletter

Happy Super Bowl Sunday! Here’s what you need to know this morning.

It’s snowing here again after seeing the biggest snow in five years last week. It’s not going to last that long this time around. Experts say it will be “meteoric.” Here’s what they predict today.

While you’re trying to stay warm today, you can read up on how to get your wage tax refund from Philadelphia, if you worked remotely in the suburbs during 2020.

And tonight is the Super Bowl. The Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are preparing to face off. Here’s how to watch the Chiefs take on the Buccaneers.

— Lauren Aguirre (@laurencaguirre, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

Each week we go behind the scenes with one of our reporters or editors to discuss their work and the challenges they face along the way. This week we chat with music reporter Dan DeLuca about his work and what’s happening in Philly pop music.

How did you get into covering pop music?

It’s a long story, but I got into it just by doing it, really. When I was a kid nothing fired my imagination and filled me with excitement and a sense of possibility like music. I was always a bookworm, I guess, and listening to records and going to see bands drew me into a wider world. I didn’t study journalism at college. I majored in English and political science. When I got out I knew I wanted to write, but I didn’t know what. Music made sense because it was what I cared about the most. I worked for a bakery delivering bread for four years and freelanced. Then I got a job as a clerk/editorial assistant at the Inquirer. That was my in. I started freelancing at the paper, and I got my journalism education by watching people do it. Eventually, I got hired on staff.

What does a typical day look like for you?

A typical day depends on what day of the week it is. I write a Sunday column every week which is due Thursday. Early in the week, I’m figuring out what that might be, reporting, listening, thinking, obsessing, before bearing down on Thursday. I’m also writing album reviews for Sunday and previews for Friday that are due earlier in the week. And then other news stories and posts and obits and features that might land on other days. On most Mondays, there’s a full week planned, and then something else always comes up. It’s unpredictable, but basically involves getting up and checking email and Slack and social media between 7 and 8 in the morning and going from there.

How has it been covering music during a pandemic with no concerts?

I used to go out probably four nights a week, to review shows once or twice a week, and also just to see bands, talk to people in the scene, put it in my notebook so to speak. All of that came to a sudden halt. It’s weird. Thankfully, musicians and the music business have carried on, putting out albums and singles and videos and doing livestream shows. And covering how it has all changed and the pandemic’s impact on artists is a huge story.

In normal times, the pop music beat is a never-ending treadmill; it keeps going and going. The pandemic and everything else that happened last year — the election, the Black Lives Matter protests — caused a lot of artists and people in general to pause and rethink their priorities. That’s been fascinating to cover. And then there’s just lots of news about all the changes the pandemic has wrought, and when things might hopefully get back to something like normal.

Any interesting news from local music groups that just came out or is upcoming?

January is usually a slow month, but it’s been a pretty good one. Jazmine Sullivan, the R&B singer from Strawberry Mansion, has a really good new album out called Heaux Tales. Cassie Owens covered it for us. Pink Sweat$, a singer from West Philly who I did an Inquirer Live at Lunch with back in the fall has his debut album finally coming out in February. Sheer Mag, a hard rock band from South Philly I love, just put out a new song called “Crushed Velvet,” so hopefully there’s more from them on the way. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, who were a big blog breakout band back in the 2000s, has a new one due this month. There should be a Tierra Whack project coming this year. There’s no shortage of stuff.

What is an article you wrote recently that you’re particularly proud of?

I was pretty happy with both of the Sunday columns I’ve done so far this year. The first was about RFA. It’s a sad story because it’s about a really talented young Philly band on the way up who were basically stopped in their tracks by the pandemic. Their record is great, but they almost didn’t bother putting it out because they couldn’t go out and play behind it, and not having any gigs broke the band in pieces. It’s something that happens to almost all bands, eventually. The pandemic is just speeding up the process.

And then the other one was kind of a critic’s notebook column about a bunch of new dramatic movies made by Black filmmakers that have music from different vintage eras at their center: Soul, Sylvie’s Love, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, One Night In Miami, and Lover’s Rock, which is the second film in Steve McQueen’s series of five Small Axe movies on Amazon Prime.

How do you recommend people analyze music they’re listening to? What are people getting wrong or could do better?

There’s no right or wrong way to listen to music. Music helps us think and feel, and feel alive. It’s maybe more important now than ever. It’s important to hang on to your fandom. The job of a critic is to be insightful and analytical, to provide fresh perspective both to people who know nothing or next to nothing about the subject at hand, and also to the people who think they know everything already. If I have something negative to say about an artist that people love, that makes people angry, which is okay, as long as I’m being fair. But if you disagree that doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong, it just means that you care a lot, as you well should. That’s the whole idea.

How do you relax in your free time? What do you look forward to at the end of the day?

I walk the dog, I read, I watch the Sixers and Phillies. Dinner! Also, Jeopardy. I listen to music. I’ve watched a million movies since I stopped going out at night. I look forward to going to shows again.

Email Dan DeLuca at ddeluca@inquirer.com and follow him on Twitter @delucadan.

With the snowfall last week, the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps became an impromptu ski slope for this guy. Stay safe as more snow heads our way today. ❄️ Thanks for sharing, @travel_pel!

Tag your Instagram posts or tweets with #OurPhilly and we’ll pick our favorite each day to feature in this newsletter and give you a shout-out!

As soon as the snow stops falling, it’s time to get shoveling. In Philadelphia, you have six hours to clear the sidewalks in front of your home, or you could be fined, according to city rules. Same goes for if you’re a renter, unless you’re in a multifamily dwelling like an apartment building. In that case, it’s usually up to the owner of the building unless your lease says otherwise. There’s also rules for how wide the path has to be and what businesses need to do. Here’s your FAQ.

A group of three women in Philly’s suburbs managed to get COVID-19 vaccine appointments for their eligible family members, and wanted to give back. In just two weeks, they’ve established a network of volunteers helping dozens in the area, most of them strangers, get vaccinated.