Hey, it’s Jess. 👋
When I first moved to Nashville a year ago, I quit my job before coming here. Spoiler alert kids: do not do this. I treated job hunting like a full-time job. My mornings were spent writing cover letters, scrolling LinkedIn, and tweaking my resume. The job market was tougher than I expected. I went through interview cycles where one day I felt sure I had it, then got rejected the next. I even did free projects for companies that never wrote back. It wore me down.
Eventually, I picked up a job as a hostess while I kept applying. It was completely different from anything I’d done. Surprisingly, it was the first job that didn’t mentally burn me out (even though it was one of the hottest spots in Nashville at the time). I realized it was because my job mainly consisted of talking to people every day. Those conversations grounded me. They reminded me that slowing down gives you room to actually be present, something that’s almost impossible when you’re rushing through life.
One of those moments happened while I was walking a woman named Morgan to her table. We started chatting about how we both moved from Miami. She asked if I was going home for Thanksgiving, and I told her I wasn’t. Without hesitating, she invited me to spend it with her and her fiancé. I still remember that moment so fondly. It was simply the beauty of someone offering genuine kindness for no reason other than wanting to.
And that’s what I keep thinking about as Thanksgiving gets closer. The way one small interaction can shift your whole day. The way people can offer generosity or warmth even when they barely know you. The way slowing down creates space for moments you might have rushed past otherwise. Since that day, I try to act more like Morgan.
So here’s my encouragement this week. Talk to someone you normally wouldn’t. The person in line at the coffee shop. The person sitting next to you at the bar. The person working the front desk at your gym you see daily. A hello or a real conversation might change the way you feel moving through the day.
And while you’re at it, give yourself permission to slow down. Enjoy the quiet moments too. They matter.
To wrap this up on a tasty note, here’s Do502’s Thanksgiving Full Belly playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/51wZgDPsHQc2rGVzbg5gp0?si=2f3bcbd9572d4891
THIS WEEK IN MUSIC NEWS & TOURS 🎤
The Weeknd just joined the billion-dollar club. His After Hours Til Dawn tour has officially passed $1B in gross revenue, making it the top-earning tour ever by a male solo artist.
The big three labels are getting into a relationship with AI. Warner, Universal and Sony all signed licensing deals with AI music startup Klay, making it the first AI company cleared to use their catalogs for training.
While they do that, Spotify just went full music nerd. The streamer acquired sample-sleuthing site WhoSampled and announced a new “SongDNA” and expanded credits feature, so you can finally figure out where that one drum break came from without falling into a six-hour Reddit hole.
Speaking of AI, Paul McCartney is protesting AI with… silence. He contributed an almost silent bonus track to protest LP Is This What We Want?, calling out proposals that would let AI train on music without permission. It is two minutes and forty-five seconds of room noise and pure copyright rage.
In other surprise-drop news, Skrillex released a new EP called Hit Me Where It Hurts X, featuring Caroline Polachek, Dylan Brady from 100 gecs, and more chaos agents.
Charli XCX is taking her brat era straight to the big screen. She just dropped a teaser for her A24 film The Moment, where she fully parodies herself with neon-green lighting, chaotic rehearsal mishaps, and guest appearances from Kylie Jenner, Alexander Skarsgård and Rachel Sennott.
Recent Tour Announcements
- Zach Bryan – With Heaven on Tour is going full stadium mode in 2026 with U.S. dates, Europe, the U.K., and then a massive North American return.
- Father John Misty – Extending his Mahashmashana era into 2026 with a mix of U.S. theaters, Europe, and major festival dates.
- Guns N’ Roses – A full 2026 world tour hitting stadiums across North America and beyond.
- Dwight Yoakam & ZZ Top – The Dos Amigos tour brings Bakersfield twang and legendary beard-rock blues to arenas throughout the Midwest and South.
- Ice Cube – 420 on the Rocks returns to Red Rocks for one night only with Big Boi and Czarface.
- Anne Wilson – Expanding The Stars Tour with 20+ new dates across the U.S. and Canada.
- INJI – Her SUPERLAME Tour kicks off in Europe before leveling up to 1,000-cap North American rooms.
- B2K – The Bros 4 Life reunion tour brings Omarion, Lil’ Fizz, J-Boog, Raz-B, Bow Wow, and more early-2000s icons back to the arena stage.
MEMBER’S ONLY 🔥
The holidays are here, which means it’s officially the season of casseroles, chaos, and doing a little good where you can. If you’re looking for ways to give back, we’ve got a few city guides that make it easy.
Indy has a Where to volunteer in Indy roundup full of simple ways to show up for your community.
Boston readers can tap into Resources for Food Assistance Around Boston, a guide that’s perfect whether you need support or want to help someone who does.
Portland has Where to Buy Thanksgiving Dinner, a straightforward guide for anyone looking to outsource the big meal this year.
San Diego’s Guide to Giving During the Holiday Season is packed with donation drives and volunteer events if you’re on the West Coast.
And if none of these are your city, you’re still in luck. Every DoStuff city has its own local guides you can browse right on your downtown page, and we also keep hubs of seasonal events, like NYC’s Guide to Thanksgiving in NYC, so you can get into the spirit whether you’re giving back, eating good, or doing a little of both.
DoTell: Where YOU tell us 💬
Last week’s question was all about frisson. The goosebumps. The tears. The feeling you get when something hits your heart deeply. Reading through your stories felt like getting little windows into the lives of the people who read this every week. I felt lucky to sit with each one.
Since so many of you wrote in with long, heartfelt replies, here are just a few highlights that stopped me in my tracks:
Laicee went to a LaRussell show and watched her 6 year old daughter get invited onstage to share a story about losing her dad. The crowd cried. LaRussell hugged her. The video went viral. And it became a moment that shifted her daughter’s confidence and filled their whole family with love.
Nathan was scrambling for Foo Fighters tickets, finally secured some, then discovered his seats didn’t actually exist. That chaos turned into a surprise upgrade to the pit. During My Hero he looked down at his tattoo of his dad’s initials at the same moment Dave Grohl sang “There goes my hero. He’s ordinary.” That was his frisson moment.
Stu (our very own from DoStuff) was driving with his then girlfriend when Shallow came on and he broke out in full body goosebumps. He showed her his arm. She later told him that was the moment she knew he was the one. He eventually walked down the aisle to an acoustic version of the same song.
Tiffany stumbled upon the music video for "Monsters" by James Blunt and was so emotionally overwhelmed that she reached out to her father after seven years of silence. They now talk every day.
And here are a few more things that gave readers frisson:
- Steph Strings live on her first tour, with Pliny the Elder on tap, while holding a partner’s hand
- A Bread tribute show where family photos played during “Lost Without You” and released a wave of memories for someone missing their mom
- The final scene in the movie Sentimental Value
- Jack’s Mannequin performing “Rescued” at the Wiltern
- Andrea Bocelli’s voice
- The return of Hollerado after years of silence
- Wicked
- The Chosen
- The Holy Spirit
- Linda James by Nicholas Jamerson
- Derek Trucks slide guitar
THIS WEEK IN RANDOM, BUT AWESOME, EVENTS ✨
If running a 5K before eating stuffing feels physically wrong, Tito’s has created the perfect alternative. The Turkey Rot is their proudly lazy answer to the Turkey Trot where you swap the race bib for a cozy seat, a cocktail, and the satisfaction of doing absolutely nothing. Registration is free and comes with the option to upgrade to themed kits, and every sign-up helps support charities nationwide. It’s the only Thanksgiving event where “I stayed on the couch all day” counts as participation.
That’s it for this week.
Now go forth, slow down, and remember to say hello to a stranger!
Jess ✨
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