10/01/2026
❤️❤️❤️ *** Jo’s Mix Picks, October 2026 Playlist *** ❤️❤️❤️
This is my new October playlist and it is guaranteed to be one you’ll want to play many times. I play these playlist quite often and never get tired of them. This one has several bluesy songs as well as rockers and a few more mellow ones. I love it. I think you will too.
Artist included and why I chose them.
01) Deedra Patrick Good Day
I love this uplifting song from the awesome Deedra Patrick. She is a force in the rock world. Her vocals have it all - strength, emotion, conviction and quality. How could you listen to her telling you “It’s going to be a good day” without feeling the truth of it. It’s going to be a good day.
02) JoDan Music The Puzzle of Your Live.
This rock song is well told and is an intriguing story using the puzzle as an analogy for life. It’s a Dan thing and, in my opinion, has sort of a Frank Zappa vibe. Whatever song Dan does completely or almost completely by himself is always different and interesting. Love it.
03) Wes Herndon Blues For a Wife
I love Wes Herndon’s bluesy rock music, and his vocal is right on and has so much personality. His songwriting is cool too. This song is a different take on a breakout song, or let’s hope it’s a breakup song. In the song, he’s been warned but doesn’t say if he’s staying or going.
04) Flawed Theorem Under
There is something just right about this collaboration between Nadine de Macedo and Christopher Matthew Smith. They enhance each other’s talents perfectly. I love this one “Under” about being trapped in your own body.
05) The Steeldrivers Where Rainbows Never Die
I just happened across this band “The Steeldrivers,” a happy accident. Now I love their music. They have a large following and I can understand why. There’s a bit of a
Bluegrass-feel to their music. Well actually it’s more like they play bluesy rock on traditional bluegrass instruments. To me “Where Rainbows Never Die” is about acceptance and it’s awesome. Check out the lyrics on Spotify.
06) RedPrint Immersion
For a while, when I was playing a playlist and I’d hear something by this group with their excellent vocalist, I stop and say to myself who is that? And I’d look. RedPrint. Now I know. Their music is attention-grabbing with the grooving bass lines, tasteful guitar leads and fills, and of course the stellar vocalist and her meaningful lyrics. What’s not to love.
07) Frank Terzo Six String Love
Frank Terzo is known for his Youtube program “The Community Pulse” but I’ve just recently been checking out his music, and it is good. Love this understated arrangement and production of his awesome new release “Six String Lover.” It’s uncluttered and leaves plenty of room for the song to breathe. And interesting idea – finding love in a garbage can. It’s a great song that makes you want to hear the rest of the story.
08) The Sun Watts Lost in Space
Who hasn’t felt lost at some point along the way. That feeling is what this song is about, and I think they captured it well. The music floats with some heft and the vocals are sort of tucked and float right along with it like another instrument. It does feel like you’re lost in space. I love it. The song I mean, not being lost.
09) Rob Bennett All I Need
This rock song has a groove that gets you moving and an upbeat vibe that lifts your spirits. I would say that Rob was in a great up-mood when he wrote this song about the awesome life-changing moment when you meet that special someone. All I Need is the air that you breathe and the courage to say that I need you. Yeah! Love it.
10) Optimal Confusion Old Friends
Optimal Confusion only came together this year, but they hit ground running with great music, usually leaning toward fast and hard. This one also has a bluesy hint to it, great dynamics, guitar leads and riffs and driving bass and drums, plus a stellar vocal by Billy Lowery. Old Friends – Love it.
11) Eric Eracleous Still Feel the Rain
Eric has such a rich resonant voice. If he’s not careful AI will steal it. Just kidding, I hope. I never get tired of hearing his vocal and the awesome bluesy guitar and this classy arrangement. The song is intimate and so well done. Love it.
12) Lovestruck Born in Hell
This fairly young Copenhagen band is another new band to me. This song by them caught my ear with its classic driving hard-edged tight groove, well produced, but not overproduced with solid competent vocals. Cool Song.
13) Anthony Gomes In the Name of the Blues
Anthony Gomes is a Toronto born guitarist, vocalist and songwriter. He has a pretty large following on Spotify, and one of them is me. His voice is awesome and his guitar playing is stellar as well. This song is a fantastic mix of blues and rock. Love it.
14) The New Black Diamonds The Love We Seek
This song rocks. It’s by a classic-rock style band from Sweden. I love the vocal, the cool bass line, the guitars, the tight accents. The Love We Seek. Cool theme for a song.
Note: were in NAS in 2023 – not sure if they still are.
15) Redemption Rising Burning Sky
Redemption Rising is Eric Carroll, and he creates music based on biblical history. I like history and appreciate the fact that it’s based on the bible but is not preachy. This song rocks with driving grooves, excellent guitar work, and a dynamic arrangement. I love it.
16) Fall of Abel Signs of Life
This song by Fall of Abel is slightly hypnotic to me. That repeating bass line and the groove put me almost in a trance but then it rocks out of it and wakes me up. Here again the vocal seems like another instrument. I Love the musical arrangement.
17) Tension Splash Firefly
I mainly love the deep vocal delivery, the sung backup vocals, and the story but it’s also got a heavy beat, and intricate guitar fills with two guitars playing off each other. And I like the take-away the vocalist leaves us with: Never whittle towards yourself and never p**s against the wind. I like it even though I’m a girl who doesn’t whittle and so I don’t need that advice.
18) Jake Sommer Groove
For me, it’s all about the groove and I love the groove on “Groove; it’s groovy, and I love Jake’s smooth spoken word delivery with the sung vocals along with it. I call it spoken word and not rap because of the accompanying music. It’s not a rap vibe. It’s an awesome mid-tempo spoken word vibe, a new release by Jake Sommer, a great arrangement and well produced.
19) The Creeping Candies Sour Candies – Radio Edit
The Creeping Candies always set a tight groove that you just can’t ignore. I love this one with its syncopated feel, and meaningful lyrics.
20) John Salaway, Isaac Corbitt, Samantha Git Cry Wolf
This is another artist and song I’ve never included before, but hey I just heard it. John Salaway has had some success as as a songwriter and musician according to his Spotify page, but I followed him on the strength of this one song, Cry Wolf. The song itself is excellent, the production is perfect and the vocals are over-the-top good.
Playlist is on Apple Spotify and Youtube
LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/josmixpicks.october
Artist tags: 1st comment.
