🦷 Best Bands to Listen to in the Dentist’s Chair (Shoutout to Kristen @ Smile Source North 🤘)

by Ian Primmer — CommonX Podcast

Let’s be honest — most of us would rather be anywhere else than reclined under a bright light while someone scrapes away at our molars. But sometimes, the right music and the right person behind the mask can change everything.

This morning I found myself back in the dental chair, mouth numb, AirPods in, bracing for the worst. But my hygienist Kristen changed the game. She was calm, patient, and so gentle I barely realized the cleaning had started. For once, I wasn’t white-knuckling the armrests. I was vibing.

🎧 The CommonX Chair Playlist

If you’re lucky enough to have a hygienist who lets you plug in, here’s the ultimate Gen X-approved soundtrack for your next appointment — equal parts chill, nostalgic, and dentist-chair zen:

1. Nirvana – “All Apologies”
   A soft-grunge lullaby for your nerves. Kurt’s voice somehow makes even the sound of scraping feel poetic.

2. The Smashing Pumpkins – “1979”
   A hypnotic hum that turns the whir of the polisher into background ambience.

3. The Cranberries – “Dreams”
   The gentle rhythm and Dolores O’Riordan’s vocals make the chair feel like a daydream.

4. Foo Fighters – “Learn to Fly”
   Because even in a dentist’s chair, there’s a strange freedom in just letting go and floating through the moment.

5. Men Without Hats – “I Love the ’80s”
   The perfect closer — CommonX had the world debut of this track, and it’s impossible not to smile while it plays.

😁 Shout-Out

Huge thanks to Kristen and the crew at Smile Source North for restoring my faith in dentistry. I walked out feeling cleaner, lighter, and weirdly… happy? Never thought I’d say that. Additionally, April is also amazing she was just out today.. just sayin 😎🤘

Turns out, sometimes it’s not about avoiding the dentist — it’s about finding the right playlist and the right person behind the mask.

Zombie and the Voice That Still Echoes

Zombie and the Voice That Still Echoes

There are moments when music becomes more than sound — when it turns into a cry from somewhere deep inside the human condition. For Gen-X, that cry had a name: Dolores O’Riordan.

Her voice was raw and haunting, tender one second and thunderous the next. When Zombie hit MTV in 1994, it wasn’t just another grunge-era anthem — it was a protest wrapped in vulnerability. Dolores sang of violence, war, and the weight of generations growing up in the shadow of conflict. Her voice cut through the noise — not just in tone, but in truth.

She was supposed to record a new version of Zombie with Bad Wolves in 2018. The world knows the rest. Hours before she was set to step back into the studio, her light went out — but her legend only burned brighter. Bad Wolves went on to release their version as a tribute, donating proceeds to her family. The song became both a eulogy and a celebration — proof that the spirit of Dolores can’t be silenced.

For so many of us, The Cranberries were the soundtrack to coming of age. Songs like Linger, Dreams, and Ode to My Family didn’t just define an era — they defined emotion itself. Her lyrics were poetry for the misunderstood, a reminder that pain can be beautiful, and that rebellion doesn’t always need distortion pedals — sometimes, it’s carried by the voice of one brave soul daring to sing anyway.

Dolores didn’t just sing for Ireland. She sang for everyone who ever felt unseen, unheard, or undone by the world around them. And in doing so, she became one of us — one of the true spirits of Gen-X.

Even now, years later, her voice still echoes — through speakers, through memories, through every young artist chasing authenticity in a world that trades it for algorithms. Dolores taught us that art doesn’t have to be perfect — it just has to be real.

Rest easy, Dolores.

The world still hears you.