Alright, first let me just preemptively defend myself by saying that I am from the midwest and that I have driven through blizzards, tornado weather, and survived the original polar vortex with the shittiest space heater money can buy. I have at one time owned a full body parka out of necessity and my waterproof bean boots have like a permanent layer of soot stained on them. None of this is to say that I am rugged by any means; I am certainly not.

All of this is to say that Californians have it soooo good. So when I heard about the impending Pineapple Express/Stormageddon system that was lurking over the Pacific and headed our way, I was skeptical to say the least. Actually, I was way more than skeptical and probably even a dick about it. “You think you know rain? I was born in it” was something I may have even said to no one in particular while I was raging about this supposed storm that would cripple the Pacific Coast.

Turns out, I was really wrong. With violently howling winds, large swaths of flooding, power outages, and injuries, Stormageddon was a lot more harrowing than I had expected. After being woken up by a rogue palm frond smacking the window above my bed, I couldn’t help but remain awake to see the magnitude of the storm that woke me up firsthand. Though I have certainly been through worse in Cincinnati, where I am from,  I have never seen a storm like this in the ever-serene context of Los Angeles. It was wild.

Instinctively, I crafted the below playlist full of tracks I think sound good in the rain. My favorite is Steve Reich’s fifteen minute composition, “Four Organs,” but there are some Rolling Stones, The Doors, and Bob Dylan in there for good measure. If this mix finds you in stormy weather, stay safe, stay dry, and enjoy.