MOJO WORKOUT

After making a list of favorite records of 2016, I failed to do one last year. I guess there just wasn’t as much new stuff that I was into last year, or I just didn’t have time to give it that much thought. This year was different. Spotify tells me that I listened to over 6,000 songs and spent over 20,000 minutes on the streaming service. That doesn’t count how much time I spent on YouTube, Bandcamp, Mixcloud, TuneIn, and the other various radio streams, podcasts, and other users’ playlists I’ve listened to. I’ve become addicted to it. It was just a couple of years ago I was all “Bah! Humbug!” about Spotify, declaring YouTube was better. I’ve been won over but you can call me a digital polygamist cause I still dig YT. I’ve also bought quite a bit of new vinyl as well. Of course you know I’m into this stuff called Rock ‘N’ Roll…garage, punk, power-pop or whatever you wanna call it. I like a lot of things, but I dig shit that makes me wanna move. As with my 2016 list, I’m happy to report that Rock ‘N’ Roll is still a international phenomenon, as my list has bands from New Zealand, Denmark, France, Switzerland, Canada,   England (I think Holly Golightly is technically an American), and four acts from Australia! I’ve also seen a lot of incredible live music this year, which is completely related to what I listened to and purchased. I tried to do right by the artists I’ve enjoyed throughout the year for free. So here is a list of 25 records (no separation between albums, singles or EPs) that I think were the bees knees in 2018. I own the vinyl of almost everything here, and I actually bought the download of one of them. I don’t have a clear ranking of anything, but there is a clear #1…(and the rest alphabetically…)

Surbort – Friendship Music (Cult Records/Fat Possum)

The leader of the pack by a wide margin. The best Punk album of the year. The best RAWK album of the year, IMHO. It’s been in constant rotation since its late-October release, and I’m still reeling from their stop in Dallas a month ago. It’s like an Oscar contender swooping into awards season and taking all the trophies home. “Les Be In Love” gets my vote for Song of the Year. Their music combines the rawness and anger of hardcore with the dissonance and melody mix found in ‘90s alternative rock. The use of two guitars and no bass does not make them a garage band, but does gives them a primal attack. Despite sounding pissed-off, and with every right, they’re really all about friendship and fun. The fact that the band features a couple of friends who I spent many a night watching play in bands 20 years ago, bands that had a monumental impact on my life, only multiplies my ecstatic congratulations for the success, acclaim, and thrilling ride that they are on right now. They just wrapped up a tour of Europe and are heading back for a longer Euro trip in early 2019, and they also recently toured Australia with their soulmates Amyl & The Sniffers, a band I first heard a year ago and thought “They need to come here and tour with Surfbort.” Fingers crossed that “Sniffbort” takes over North America next year. Speaking of…

Amyl & The Sniffers – Some Mutts (Can’t Be Muzzled)” b/w “Cup of Destiny” (Flightless/ATO Records)

Hopefully there will be a full length by the Sniffers next year too. Their latest 7” is just a hint at what they have waiting to lay on us. “Some Mutts” has a bit of a Stooges vibe with the piano towards the end. I’ve never heard of an Australian band sounding like The Stooges… 😉

The Cavemen – Nuke Earth (Slovenly Recordings)

The first of several records on Slovenly I got this year, and this has been “The Year of Slovenly”. The Reno-based label has been around since 2002 and has become the premier garage/punk label today, even connecting us trash-rock fiends to our own past by becoming the US distributor for Crypt Records. I picked up some Crypt back-catalog items as well as Nuke Earth and The Cavemen’s self-titled debut at the Debauch-A-Reno back in April, where I saw them play a 12 minute blitzkrieg of a set (a delay in the proceedings only gave them that much time). All my pictures were blurry. At times they remind me of The Reatards (although “Thug” sounds like it could have been a song by The Chumps). A line from one of their earlier songs became my motto for the year: “Play some goddamn Rock ‘N’ Roll!” Nuke Earth is a relentless ball of fun and drunken delinquency.

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Distant Sky-Live In Copenhagen (Bad Seed LTD)

It’s taken me 30 years but I am finally a Nick Cave fan. I heard some of The Birthday Party in the late ‘80s, but ironically I found myself more drawn to Scratch Acid, The Jesus Lizard, and Laughing Hyenas, bands with an obvious BP influence. At some point I did hear Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds but I wasn’t too interested. It just wasn’t my thing. I understood the appeal and had friends that were fans, and my interest in PJ Harvey kept Cave on my radar. The year he and the Bad Seeds played Lollapalooza just happened to be the year I didn’t go. Another bit of irony, I saw Warren Ellis with The Dirty Three twice, but I didn’t know he was a Bad Seed until I watched the 2014 ACL performance when it aired on TV. A number of Austin friends were there and I was highly entertained by it. So over the past few years I’ve begun listening to his music sporadically, trying to absorb it. About a month before this EP was released, I watched the concert film of it, as well as several documentaries. I was pleasantly surprised a week or two later when it was announced that Dallas would be one of the few cities that the band would be visiting on their North American tour, and I promptly grabbed a ticket. It was a spellbinding performance and listening to this EP takes me right back to that night. I still haven’t added any of his records to my collection but here’s something funny I think all Nick Cave fans will appreciate. After the show I had intended on purchasing Lovely Creatures, their career retrospective that was released last year. I figured it would be perfect for my first Cave record and it was the only vinyl available at the show. I commented on a post about it the other day in which I explained that after the show the line to the merch table was about 50 people deep and I wasn’t up for waiting. My phone’s predictive text misinterpreted one of the words I used. It said “mercy table”.

The Chats – “Do What I Want” b/w “Smoko” 7” (self-released)

I believe I was listening to The Cavemen on YouTube when a song I didn’t recognize randomly came on. I picked up my phone to see a skinny, redheaded mullet-wearing kid, singing “I want smoko…” What? It took a couple listens for me to realize through his accent, he was saying “I’m on smoko” I was still confused by the title of the song. What is “smoko”? Is this some kind of synthetic weed the kids are into? If so, this guy must be high as fuck. Then I finally looked it up (I had never heard the term) and I began to laugh because I soooo identified with it. Ha! I instantly fell in love with this catchy little song by this two year-old Queensland , Australia trio. Within days I was following their shenanigans on Instagram as they were on tour with The Cavemen. It was all adding up now. “Smoko”, which was a viral sensation with 5.1M views of its video on YouTube, appears on last year’s Get This In Ya EP, but to celebrate their first headlining Australian tour this year they slapped it on the B-side of “Do What I Want”, another catchy tune that expresses the classic youthful refrain “Don’t tell me what to do!” The 7” has since sold out. Damn (a full-length is coming in 2019). On the surface they seem like a one-dimensional joke, as if Beavis and Butthead started a punk band, but then that’s what a lot of people thought of the Ramones and all punk rock for that matter, and many still do. I’ve seen some dissent against them and Amyl & The Sniffers from “old school” Aussie punk fans, which I don’t understand or give a shit about because I’m a yank, but it also makes me laugh because it’s the same whining I heard over Nirvana and The White Stripes. Nothing is more uncool than success. And nothing is more punk than kids who don’t give a fuck what older punks think.

Wild Billy Childish & CTMF – “Something’s Missing Inside” b/w “Walking On The Water” 7” (Damaged Goods) / The Chatham Forts – “Not Fade Away” b/w “I Wanna Be Your Man” 7” (Damaged Goods)

The Chatham Forts aka CTMF, have been Billy Childish’s main band for the past five years, and so far they’ve produced over 40 releases. However these two singles were all that 2018 got. “Something’s Missing Inside” is classic Childish, while “Walking On The Water” is a cover of the deep cut from Creedence Clearwater Revival’s first album that Richard Hell & The Voidoids covered on Blank Generation, and it’s amazing. To celebrate their 30th Anniversary, Damaged Goods started a singles club where they asked each band to cover a classic single, both A & B sides. After appropriating ‘60s r&b/beat, ‘77 punk, Link Wray, Jimmy Reed, Kinks, Sonics, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, and early Who, Billy finally pays tribute to my all-time favorite band by covering the first US single by The Rolling Stones (of course “Not Fade Away” and “I Wanna Be Your Man” were covers themselves). This follows last year’s “What About Brian?”, where Billy is giving Brian Jones credit for starting the Stones. Billy is still making quality music and I hope he never stops.

The Cops – First Offense (Artificial Head)

This Houston band dresses in uniform and lays down the law with some arresting punk rock ‘n’ roll and funny cop-themed songs like “Life On The Beat”, “Repeat Offender”, and “Street Hooker Love”, the love song of the year (“In love with a street hooker, why does she make me pay?”). Been known to play shows outside of their jurisdiction, so keep-a lookout. All puns aside, this band seriously kicks ass.

The Courettes – We Are The Courettes (Sounds of Subterrania)

It’s been a while since I’ve heard a ‘60s-style garage band that has the look, the vintage gear, raw production, and actually play with pure fire and intensity. Most importantly, they have SONGS! The Danish/Brazilian duo of Martin and Flavia Couri aka The Courettes, deliver the goods with retro-style + punk attitude. Disciples of the teachings of Childish, they turn out chunks of “atomic” fuzz-driven Sonics/Kinks stomp, and then chill with some Shangri-La harmonies. Martin’s beat is old-school mod/r&b and provides excitement to this rumble as Flavia’s guitar is as sharp as a switchblade while she screeches like Kyra Rubella one minute, and delivering the playful soulfulness of Holly Golightly the next. David Fricke wrote the liner notes, stating that he “knows the difference, this far down the road, between passionate revival and the real sound of now…”. He describes this record as “kicking the history forward.” I couldn’t agree more.

The Crack Pipes – Fake Eyelashes (Super Secret)

The Crack Pipes released their first album in 11 years a couple of months back. This platter contains plenty of the psych-punk, garage blues and soul they’ve been known for, but there are also some sweet, melodic jangle that crosses into Reigning Sound terrain. There’s ten originals and one cover, a swinging version of the late Grant Hart’s “You’re The Reflection of the Moon On The Water”. Every song is a winner and every player shines. The front cover instantly brings to mind a couple of Beat Happening records, however the cover and inner sleeve were designed by former Motards (and currently Surfbort) guitarist David R. Head Jr. It’s an ATX thing…

The Exbats – I’ve Got The Hots For Charlie Watts (Burger Records)

I had seen Bisbee, AZ-based The Exbats’ name all across social media this year, and although I follow Burger Records, I haven’t really gotten into any of the bands on their roster. But I finally heard them a few weeks ago and OMG, it was instant love. Album title of the year not withstanding, they could have simply had me at “father/daughter duo” (Kenny McClain plays guitar while 18 year-old Inez sings and drums). I’m a total sucker for sweet and simple Ramones-style pure pop. “Iolaus” (re-titled “Hercules” for a upcoming Burger comp of the band’s two albums) uses a ‘60s pop structure that’s been done over and over, and certainly used by the Ramones so it’s not breaking any new ground, but when they hit that chorus “I’ve got your baaaack…”, I’m just a goner. There’s a certain level of purity in their bubblegum-punk that’s so infectious. And I couldn’t stop laughing the first time I heard “Mr. Bucky”. They also do a cover of Leon Payne’s “Psycho”. It won’t make you forget Beasts of Bourbon, but it is cute: “You better let him knock me up”.

Gino and The Goons – She Was Crushed 7” EP (Black Gladiator/Slovenly)

This is the real shit. Trashy, boozy Ramones/Devil Dogs style garage punk outta Tampa. “The undisputed kings of 21st Century Budget Rock” begins the description of them on Slovenly’s Bandcamp page. In the age of people referring to the ‘64 Rolling Stones as their “garage band period” and calling anything with slightest bit of fuzz on it “garage”, it’s refreshing to hear a band that carries on in the tradition of The Mummies and Oblivians. I totally snoozed on their album Rip It Up earlier this year. In true Budget form, the self-released platter used thrift-store albums covers with the Goons’ own artwork pasted onto them, making each cover unique. It was a limited run and their all gone. Hopefully it get reissued some day, because it rocks just like this. There was also a 7” on Certified PR Records in 2018, and it appears they will have a shit-ton more new stuff in 2019.

Holly Golightly – Do The Get Along (Damaged Goods)

I’m always a step or two behind the move, so this year found me catching up to records that were released a couple years or so ago, like Jack Oblivian & The Sheiks’ The Lone Ranger of Love (Mony Records), Kim & Leanne’s True West (Bang! Records), The Mystery Lights (Wick Records), and The Monsters’ M (Voodoo Rhythm), all released in 2016. Likewise, one of my favorite records last year was 2015’s Slowtown Now! (Damaged Goods) by Holly Golightly. At that point the former Headcoatee had released 13 solo albums (including duets with Billy Childish and DanMelchoir), but then spent 11 years recording with her partner Lawyer Dave as Holly Golightly & The Brokeoffs (they released their 10th album this year as well). For Slowtown Now! Holly reunited with her old band of exceptional players Bradley Burgess, Ed Deegan, Matt Radford, and Bruce Brand. The results were one of the best albums of her career, IMO. Do The Get Along is Ms. Golightly’s 2nd full-band solo album in three years, and it’s another ultra-chill, blues/r&b/beat good time, picking up right where Slowtown Now! left off. Three wonderful covers are joined by nine HG originals that prove she is still the girl with all the gifts. Last week I spoke to a friend who has a Rolling Stones cover band that I’ve yet to see. He informed me that they now have a female lead singer, and I thought that sounded like a really cool thing. It had me thinking, in a way Holly Golightly and her band sound like the early Stones, or not just the Stones, but the sound of’63-‘66 British R&B. However, this isn’t a tribute or cover band. Holly and her band have been playing this type of music for so long that it sounds completely natural and effortless.

Les Lullies – s/t /“7 AM” b/w “Dog Food” 7” (Slovenly Recordings)

Another band that blew me away at the Debauch-A-Reno. In September, Les Lullies delivered their self-titled debut full-length and the “7 AM” single. It’s perfect pop-fused Rock ‘N’ Roll, in the tradition of the Flamin’ Groovies and The Real Kids, with the energy near-Teengenerate level. I don’t understand the words on “Mourir D’ennui”, but I sure understand those guitars, loud and clear. It thrills me to hear a young band play a tried and true style, yet bring such a freshness and urgency to it. The kids are alright!

Mudhoney – Digital Garbage (Sub Pop)

Mudhoney are in the midst of their 30th anniversary celebration. They started the year with the release of a live album LiE (Sub Pop), and there’s another recent live album released by a French label bringing the total of live Mudhoney albums in recent years to four. But the important thing is the release of their 10th studio album, which might be their most punk record yet, at least lyrically. Mark Arm attacks just about everything that annoys him: religion, politics, social media, the brainwashed, and the vultures who prey on them. Meanwhile Steve Turner shows his love of mid-to late ‘70s Sabbath, and there’s also the wonderful nod to Devo on “Kill Yourself Live”.

Nosferat II – Blood Bangers EP (digital release) My favorite local release is from these pals. I wish this digital only release was available on vinyl. I actually still have it on my phone from the text Matt sent me in late 2017 when it was recorded, but I’ve continued to go back to it. However, I’m a shitty friend as I just saw them play live for the first time, a year after their first gig (and a few tours). They were awesome and I love ‘em. https://nosferatii.bandcamp.com/album/blood-bangers

The Real Kids – 28:18:39 (Ace of Hearts)

I picked up a few reissues this year too including one from my beloved Shovels & Rope – Predecessors (Dualtone) is a 3xLP set consisting of one of each of Cary Ann and Michael’s solo albums and a third disc of acoustic cover demos including Ramones and Hank Williams songs. The demos of Kim Salmon’s 1976 punk band Cheap Nasties (Hozac) were actually released digitally by the Numero Group alongside the incredible Scientists box set in 2016, but Hozac Records has now put it to wax for their archival series and ironically it was released October 5, the first of two dates they played in Austin. Great singles comps from two early 21st Century punk bands I slept on; Carbonas Your Moral Superiors (Goner), which I’ve only listened to, and The Marked Men’s On The Other Side (Dirtnap) which I just got. The power-pop punk perfection of the Marked Men existed 35 miles away, yet I never saw them. The members’ previous band (The Reds) were one of my favorite late ‘90s Texas bands, but I spent too much time in my cave in the ‘00s to realize how popular The Marked Men were. I also went for the reissued first album by Green River (Jackpot) and have already pre-ordered the upcoming Sub Pop/Green River reissues, and after years of having the tape and CD, I finally have Metallica’s $5.98 EP: Garage Days Re-Revisited (Blackened) on vinyl. Although I only started listening to them 20 years ago, The Real Kids are an all-time favorite band. Shockingly, I have not gotten the insane series that Crypt has put out of  never before heard Real Kids demos and live stuff, but I have listened to quite a bit of it (the killer version of Link Wray’s “Rawhide” was a nice surprise). I did however get the limited DJ-promo sampler titled 28:18:39, a preview of the forthcoming NEW album that has them giving longtime live favorites “Hot Dog” and “Bad To Worse” proper studio treatments, and a great version of Badfinger’s “Baby Blue”. I also did the crazy thing of buying Norton’s sweet original cover gatefold reissue of their 1991 reissue of The Real Kids’ classic ‘78 debut. It’s crazy since I already have the ‘91 version. It’s just one of the greatest Rock ‘N’ Roll records ever, so…

Reverend Beat-Man and Nicole Izobel Garcia – Baile Bruja Muerto (Voodoo Rhythm) /Reverend Beat-Man and The New Wave – Blues Trash (Voodoo Rhythm)

I’ve been aware of Swiss punk-blues madman Reverend Beat-Man, as a one-man-band, with his long time garage-punk combo The Monsters, and his incredible record label Voodoo Rhythm (“Records To Ruin Any Party”) for a few years now, but hadn’t heard much of his work. I got to see him play twice during the Debauch-A-Reno, the first night in Reno and on Sunday in the Old West tourist town of Virginia City, where he performed at a 155 year-old opera house with The Cavemen, Les Lullies, and Haunted George. When I first saw that he was billed as “…and Sister Nicole Izobel Garcia” I didn’t know who she was or what that was all about. I had no knowledge that he and Garcia had been performing together for a few years. Dressed in a nun’s habit to complement Beat-Man’s punk priest, she sat and read a Holy Bible while Beat-Man finished setting up his drum and guitar control center. Garcia’s sultry, sung-in-Spanish “folk noir” ballads added a quirky originality to Beat-Man’s crazy punk-blues sermons. It was a completely different performance than anyone else I saw that weekend. I picked up a record they have done together called Baile Bruja Muerto, that they were selling a special tour-only edition. It was supposed to have been released in September, but it has been pushed back until January 18. It’s an amazing album. Did I mention the Doors (“Love Me Two Times”) and Venom (“Black Metal”) covers? I heard that he once said his two main influences were Lighting Hopkins (Lightning Beat-Man was one of his early monikers) and Venom. In a recent interview he said that as a teenager Venom taught him about “…outsider music. Music for Rolling Stones, not conservative squares!” Amen! My favorite song on BBM, which they played live, is a reworking of the 1965 garage punk classic “Come Back Bird” by Abilene, TX combo The Chevelle V. Beat-Man changed the lyrics and title to “Come Back Lord”, and actually recorded another version back in 2001, but it’s soooo much better with Garcia’s organ and backup vocals (she also plays a snare drum and other percussion on most songs). I wish at the time I had grabbed Beat-Man’s other new album, Blues Trash. Released as Reverend Beat Man and The New Wave, it features Garcia and several other musicians who were taught the songs and then recorded in two takes. I’ve streamed it many times and like the record with Garcia, it is a remarkable mix of raw punk-blues and more folk/jazz sounding stuff. Garcia’s appears on “But I Love You”, an acoustic version of BBM’s opening track “Pero Te Amo”, and “You’re On Top” is damn near a pop song with electric piano (or Farfisa?) and accordion, and it’s my favorite song on it. I just love his repetitive use of “Bay-bee!” They’re two of the most unique and enjoyable records of the year. If you like weird eclectic stuff, do yourself a favor and grab Blues Trash now, and Baile Bruja Muerto next month.

Rocket 808 7” (12XU)

There really isn’t anything that my friend John Schooley has ever done that I don’t like. List or no list, the last three records that he appears on have been favorites of mine in the year they came out. And now comes his new thing Rocket 808. When I first heard he was playing with a drum machine and described it as Suicide meets Link Wray, I thought “Ok.” I really didn’t know what to think but I should’ve never doubted that it wouldn’t be something cool. In fact, it’s my favorite single of the year, and I’m not just saying that because we’re friends. “Digital Billboards” is perfect for the soundtrack to the sci-fi film noir/spaghetti western mashup that’s in my head. If the concept of this project seemed less believable, and again how could I ever doubt Schooley, then his choice to cover “Mystery Train” should have been met with a “Really?”, or as he put it, “Obvious”. All I can say is that it doesn’t sound like any version I’ve ever heard before. The bassline is a gimballed thrusting hook. I need a full album of this. Perfect for cross country traveling, or to Mars.

Scientists 7” (In The Red)

I first heard The Scientists in 1986 with the Weird Love album. Besides some of the early power-pop punk material, and tapes of Human Jukebox and some live stuff, I didn’t have nearly enough Scientists in my collection until I got the fabulous A Place Called Bad box set that The Numero Group put out. One year to the day that I got the set, I was at Beerland in Austin, standing five feet from Kim Salmon and band on their very first US tour. Not only did the Scientists have a triumphant tour, featuring the mid-‘80s Weird Love lineup, but also released its first new music in three decades. They remade a classic in “Braindead (Resuscitated)”, recharging the Cramps treatment that was at the core of the original, and Salmon wrote a tribute to the late Spencer P. Jones in “SurvivalsKills”. And they were truly amazing live, gracious and appearing to have the time of their lives.

Jon Spencer – Spencer Sings The Hits (In The Red/Shove Records)

I feel Mark Arm’s frustrations with the world we live in today, but what really concerns me is whatever happened to the Blues Explosion?!? It’s been six years since they played Dallas. They never came in support of 2015’s Freedom Tower (and neither did Boss Hog during their recent activity). Russell is currently in this band called S-E-R-V-I-C-E, and I’m not sure what Judah is doing. I heard Jon say in an interview that he had gotten the itch to do something and “I didn’t have a band” so he put together the HITmakers. I hope there’s more down the road for one of the greatest bands ever. Hopefully Jon can answer these questions next month when he brings The HITmakers here to play his first ever solo album. He takes elements of everything he’s done before and comes up with something that fits right into the same groove you’re so familiar with, yet sounds totally new (long time fan bias). My favorite cut is “Wilderness”, where he’s preaching to the choir about the world where new Rock ‘N’ Roll exists and the struggle to keep it alive: “Set the way-back machine for NEVER!” For the record, Spencer assembled a band consisting of drummer M. Sord and keyboardist Sam Coomes, and for the live show he’s recruited his old Pussy Galore pal Bob Bert and his gas tank for the metal beat. PG and BX classics are on the setlist. Woo-hoo! Can’t wait! And Mudhoney will be in Austin in March, so 2019 is off to an impressive start.

Teenage Cavegirl 7” (self-released)

Speaking of the home in my heart, Austin has produced some of my favorite records of the year too (The Crack Pipes and Rocket 808 being previously mentioned). Teenage Cavegirl had me at “boy/girl duo called Teenage Cavegirl.” After a long wait I finally got to see them a year ago, and then again when they opened for the Scientists. I meant to grab a copy of their 7” at the show but forgot and had to wait a few weeks for the official release. Their re-imagining of “Psychotic Reaction” is impressive, but the flip “They’re Gonna Get Ya”, well, gets me every time. The heavy fuzz and bam-bam beats make it easy to drop the C word, but this is different than the usual guitar/drums garage duo. It’s not exactly psychobilly, but more ‘60s Punk with a touch of psych-pop vocals, making it one hypnotic ride.

Barrence Whitfield & The Savages – Soul Flowers of Titan (Bloodshot)

They’re not from Austin but it was on the drive home from the Chili Dog Fest that I finally gave myself over to Barrence Whitfield & The Savages. I know, what took me so long? Too many bands, too little time. I can’t begin to explain how much I regret not seeing them at Three Links about three years ago. I listened to them many times throughout the year, and waited to the last second to grab their newest. It’s killer-diller with no filler. Damn, they’re good. “Kick-ass” and “Bad-ass” are just two of the ass-related things I can think of to describe this. You’re gonna wanna pull the furniture back for this one.

If all of that wasn’t enough, I just got a package from Slovenly with more good stuff I’ve been digging. Just like the Oscars, everyone gets a participation award:

Th’ Losin’ Streaks – This Band Will Self-Destruct In T-Minus (Slovenly Recordings)  Sacramento’s highly flammable freakbeat combo who I also saw in Reno and last year at the Boogaloo.

Tommy and The Commies – Here Come… (Slovenly Recordings) Superb power-pop from Ontario. All 8 songs on both sides of a 12”. Brilliant.

Des Demonas – “Bay of Pigs” b/w “Skrewz” 7” (Black Gladiator/Slovenly) Swirling psych-garage from Washington D.C. punk scene vets.

Young Skulls – “Bomb Train Blues” b/w “We’re Gone” 7” (Slovenly Recordings) Explosive and loud as fuck guitar/drums/organ trio led by author and former Chrome Cranks frontman Peter Aaron.

Ok, so I lied…I mentioned more than 25 records. I can’t help myself. So naturally I had to make a playlist(s). Spotify really came through this time with most of what I wanted on here, but there’s a slightly different one for YouTube as well (The Spotify one is better, just sayin’). I also included some other stuff that I’ve listened to lately and throughout the year: Bad Sports, Bloodshot Bill, Death Valley Girls, Hollywood Sinners, Killer Hearts, Mr. Airplane Man, The Revox, RunHideFight, Sick Thoughts, Mark Sultan. I tried to keep the playlists down to 100 songs, but much like this post I tend to go overboard. Now if anyone is wondering why my 2018 playlists include the Ramones, The Rolling Stones (circa ‘64) or two King Khan & The Shrines songs from 2001, or a Reigning Sound track from 2014, or Meet Your Death and Labretta Suede & The Motel 6, who were both on my 2016 list, plus that one Nick Cave song…I won’t bore you with the details but there’s a reason for all of them, and some just had very special meanings for me this past year. So there ya go…

https://open.spotify.com/user/jefferymojo/playlist/5Mk9zSspiAyPtmHRtjS1Ui?si=Xot2E7kJRlunSSr3kjyA0w h

…Oh! Oh! Alice Cooper Live From The Astroturf (Good Records Recordings). Full show on vinyl! And new/old Iggy & The Stooges – Rare Power (Columbia)…Ok that’s it! Done. If you like any of this, buy it or show these bands some kind of support. Have a rockin’ 2019! Cheers!