Music – Heart of Loia `'.,°~

August 5, 2026August 6, 2026

Social Distortion — Hidden Gems from the B-Side (Week 37) 🖤

🎧 Footprints on My Ceiling • Nickels and Dimes

Mike Ness has lived a life most people wouldn’t have survived. He was kicked out of his parents’ house at just 15, and that’s when he started learning guitar. Not long after, the band’s original drummer, Casey Royer, handed him a distortion pedal, and that simple moment inspired the name.

At 16, Mike put together the first lineup of the band. By 17, he had dropped out of high school as Social Distortion started gaining speed in Orange County’s growing punk scene.

But success didn’t come easy. The early years were filled with chaos, drugs, jail, and rehab. By 1984, Mike was the only original member still standing. Everyone else had either quit or been kicked out. In the late ’80s, his heroin addiction nearly took his life.

Somehow, he kept holding on. He never let go of the dream, the band, or the music. He fought his way back when it would have been easier to quit. Decades later, Mike Ness and Social Distortion are still going strong. To me, that’s what makes their music hit a little differently. It’s not just songs—it’s the story of a guy who refused to give up.

Here are two great songs from 2oO4 “Footprints on My Ceiling” and “Nickels and Dimes.”

I also included an early years interview and a short behind-the-scenes video with Mike. I think it’s really cool to see him back then as a rebellious young guy trying to figure life out, and compare that to who he is today—a seasoned veteran who has lived through it all. It’s pretty amazing to see the journey.

One quick note “Footprints on My Ceiling” has the F-word in it. I’m not a fan of bad language in music, but it’s such a great song—and one of my favorites—that I look past it. 😄

Thanks for listening.

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© 2026 Bryan Loia Hudson. All Rights Reserved.

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August 3, 2026August 6, 2026

My Favorite Quotes

My own quotes are the best… not to brag.

What is your favorite quote?

“Cheese is the yuminess.”

— Me, just now.

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© 2026 Bryan Loia Hudson. All Rights Reserved.

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July 31, 2026August 1, 2026

Outlaw Roots — The Hank Jr. Legacy (Week 26)

🎧 Two Old Cats Like Us • When Something is Good Why Does it Change

So I’ve written several times about how I started playing guitar in 1988, but officially, it started a little bit before that. It was around ’83, probably. I was like 9 years old.

My friend DJ had a drum set and an electric guitar, and that summer we thought we were rockstars. He brought the beats, and I came up with the riffs and lyrics. We wrote our own songs back then. 😄

Those days are long gone. DJ is a pilot today for Delta Airlines, and me? I’m flying high too. 🎸 🥁 🛬

Here’s a great duet with Ray Charles and Hank from around that same time and When Something Is Good, Why Does It Change?

Hope yall have a great weekend, and thanks for listening.

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© 2026 Bryan Loia Hudson — All Rights Reserved.

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July 28, 2026July 28, 2026

Human Jukebox e̷d̷i̷t̷e̷d̷

What’s a song lyric that has stuck with you forever?

Umm… all of them? 🤷‍♂️

Being a musician that has specialized in covers from many different genres for more than 40 years now, it’s hard for me to give you just one. Most days I wake up with a different song on my lips and in my heart. Throughout the day, more lyrics come to me. I’m like a human jukebox with thousands of songs memorized.

I’m the same way with books, poems, and literature. I’ve memorized so much over the years. For example, when I first read Julius Caesar by Shakespeare as a teenager, I memorized the parts I really liked. In 7th grade, I auditioned for All-State Chorus and had to sing a solo. I chose the song version of Thomas Ford’s poem, There Is a Lady Sweet and Kind.

The Bible is no different for me. I have many chapters memorized in several translations. Psalm 91, for example, I know in three different translations and recite almost every day.

The reason I mention all this is because, to me, songs and lyrics are just like reading a book. You often hear writers and others talk about how important reading is. Well, I think songs are the same. They tell stories, they make you feel, they paint pictures with words, and I believe they can even help you become a better writer.

I’m constantly walking through lyrics, poems, Scripture, and literature in my mind. It’s always changing, always flowing. I’ve always been like this.

But I don’t want to send you away empty handed, so here’s some lyrics I’ve been thinking about some today… Jackson Browne, In the Shape of a Heart. I’ll probably cover this one soon.

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People speak of love, don’t know what they’re thinking of
Wait around for the one who fits just like a glove
Speak in terms of belief and belonging
Try to fit some word/name to their longing

People speak of love, don’t know what they’re thinking of
Reach out to each other through the push and shove
Speak in terms of a life and the learning
Try to think of a word for the burning

People speak of love, don’t know what they’re thinking of
Wait around for the one who fits just like a glove
Speak in terms of a life and the living
Try to find the word for forgiving

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© 2026 Bryan Loia Hudson. All Rights Reserved.

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July 24, 2026July 28, 2026

Outlaw Roots — The Hank Jr. Legacy (Week 25)

🎧 I’m Just a Man • The Blues Medley

I once knew an old man… he was a total jerk… so mean and hateful and bitter. His words were like vomit.

The first time I was alone with him, I tried to reach out with a kind conversation. To break the silence, I said, “It sure is a beautiful day.”

Then, for about ten seconds… you could hear paint drying.

As he slowly turned and looked at me in utter disgust, he said, “You’re Captain F#ckin’ Obvious, aren’t ya?”

Honestly, I wasn’t offended. Instead, I let go of the biggest smile.

Over time, he and I became friends. We wore each other down… haha.

The more I was around him, the more he slowly got better. I did things for him like running errands, doing his shopping, and helping him with different things. And whenever he was a dick to me… which was often… I just fired off smile after smile like bullets at him.

As things got lighter, I began to witness another side of him. The walls started to come down. He opened up some. He would sometimes share words of wisdom with me.

Turns out he was well-read, had been to college, had earned degrees, and loved great literature and writing.

He once told me, “If you have a foot in yesterday and a foot in tomorrow, then you’re pissing all over today.”

He died alone… no wife… no family and very few friends… I’m determined to get better the older I get… not stay the same or get worse… the thought of ending like that scares the hell out of me.

And what are great words really? If not applicable.

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I have two great songs for you today… I’m Just a Man and The Blues Medley featuring John Lee Hooker and Ray Charles along with Hank. The three of them together on this Delta blues number is something special.

And I’m Just a Man is kind of the mood I’m in today… because some things make me feel sad. I feel like I could cry… but feeling you next to me? Ahh… that makes me feel alright.

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© 2026 Bryan Loia Hudson. All Rights Reserved.

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July 22, 2026July 23, 2026

Social Distortion — Hidden Gems from the B-Side (Week 35) 🖤

🎧 Making Believe • Born to Lose

As we search for meaning and purpose… some things are inevitable in life, like change.

In the pursuit of connection, some things are instinctual… like trying to bond with others, to feel understood, to love, and to be loved.

Some things have always been so from the beginning… like heartbreak, for example. It’s just as timeless.

“Making Believe” is a country song originally written by Jimmy Work in 1955, and it became a massive hit that same year for Kitty Wells. I love Mike’s version of it… it’s one of my favorite Social D songs.

The second song is “Born to Lose.” Although it shares a title with another country song from the ’40s by Ted Daffan and his Texans… it’s an original Mike Ness song.

I also added two great rare live performances of these songs. Mike has a great stage presence and really connects with the fans at his shows. He’s always seemed like just one of the guys… a fan himself.

Some things we just inherently understand, right? Whether we’ve lived long or are trying to figure it all out today.

Hope you enjoy.

Thanks for listening.

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© 2026 Bryan Loia Hudson. All rights reserved.

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July 17, 2026July 18, 2026

Outlaw Roots — The Hank Jr. Legacy (Week 24) e̷d̷i̷t̷e̷d̷

🎧 The Girl On The Front Row At Fort Worth • Come And Go Blues

Hey yall…

So I was thinking… the coldest place on the planet is the inside of a pimp’s heart. And these days, you’ve got about a 50/50 chance of running into one… so keep your head on a swivel and your heart toasty. 👀 Oh, and a polar bear’s toenails are a close second.

Alright, enough of that. Back to the music.

🎧 The Girl On The Front Row At Fort Worth 1983

🎧 Come And Go Blues 1979
Originally written and recorded by Gregg Allman and The Allman Brothers Band. It first hit the shelves in August of 1973… a month before I was born.

Hope yall enjoy ’em and thanks for listening.

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© 2026 Bryan Loia Hudson. All Rights Reserved.

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July 15, 2026July 15, 2026

Social Distortion — Hidden Gems from the B-Side (Week 34) 🖤

🎧 When the Angels Sing • Through These Eyes

What do you do when something feels amiss but it could be a hit? Idk… let’s just stick to the music. 🎯

So these next two songs carry many past moments for me… memories? Oh, I got them.

Through These Eyes is super special to me… more so than any other song I know. It became so real to me in 2oO6, right around the time I first heard it and learned it on guitar… It began to come true in my life.

Today it is like my testimony song, pretty much all the lyrics but especially the line…

“Through these eyes I’ve looked the devil in the face and I’ve seen God’s Holy Grace.”

I never thought I’d be able to relate literally to words like that in a song. To me, it hits like no other. It’s personal, and just so happens… it rocks. 🪨

When the Angels Sing was a fun one to sit around and learn. I used to play it with just power5 chords. Most songs from back in the day, I just listened to them and started playing them how I heard it.

But this entire record is just fire. 🔥
WHITE LIGHT, WHITE HEAT, WHITE TRASH from September of ’96.

Thank you for listening.

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Featured image at the top is by Jared Gaines Art.

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© 2026 Bryan Loia Hudson. All Rights Reserved.

`’.,°~

July 10, 2026July 10, 2026

Outlaw Roots — The Hank Jr. Legacy (Week 23)

Ain’t Nobody’s Business 🎧 Man to Man

I’m not sure how much longer I’ll keep this Hank series going. I may be getting close to the end, even though there are still plenty of great songs left to share. I’ll think about it.

Today I’ve got two cool ones.

🎧 Ain’t Nobody’s Business — Lone Wolf (199O) / The Bocephus Box (1992, reissued 2oO0)

🎧 Man to Man — Lone Wolf (199O) / The Bocephus Box (1992, reissued 2oO0)

Most people don’t realize “Ain’t Nobody’s Business” goes all the way back to 1922. Originally titled “‘Tain’t Nobody’s Biz-ness if I Do,” it was written by Porter Grainger and Everett Robbins, then first recorded that same year by Anna Meyers with the Original Memphis Five. Over the years it was covered by legends like Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, and Jimmy Witherspoon. Hank Jr.’s version gives the old blues classic a gritty outlaw-country feel all its own.

Hope y’all have a great weekend! 🎸

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