“Silver Atomic”, Disheveled Cuss

This way: Silver Atomic

Nick Reinhart, guitarist, and singer of cult favorites Tera Melos has created a new project under the moniker Disheveled Cuss. The songs live somewhere in-between early Weezer and Teenage Fanclub with a heavy 90's indie rock influence. The self-titled debut album Disheveled Cuss is an accomplished new turn and an exciting indicator of things to come from Nick Reinhart.

 

[Spotify] Silver Atomic 

“I Know”, The Last

This way: NO!

The Last is a Los Angeles–based band formed in 1976 by Joe Nolte with high school bandmates Vitus Mataré and Dave Harbison. By 1978 the band included three brothers: Joe (guitar, vocals), Mike (vocals), and David Nolte (bass guitar). They released several albums on SST Records, Bomp! Records and End Sounds. 

The band was initially inspired by the nascent CBGB's scene as well as the first Modern Lovers album. Its sound was a mix of garage rock, surf rock, folk rock and psychedelic rock.[2][1] The first settled line-up included Vitus Mataré (keyboards, flute), the Nolte brothers, and Jack Reynolds (drums).[2] After three self-financed singles, the band was signed by Bomp! Records, who issued the debut album L.A. Explosion! in 1979 (described by Trouser Press as "a near-perfect debut"). It was also issued in Germany (Line Records), Japan Trio/Trash Records), and the UK by London Records.

They recorded a second album, Look Again (1980), which was not released until 2020. The original members began to disappear until its demise in November 1985, with David Nolte joining Wednesday Week and later Lucky, and Mataré forming Trotsky Icepick. The band was considered a major influence on the psychedelia-influenced LA bands of the mid-1980s, including the Bangles and the Three O'Clock.

Joe reformed the band in 1988 with Mike Nolte along with new members Luke Lohnes (guitar, vocals), Larry P. Manke (bass guitar), and Dave Nazworthy (of Chemical People) (drums). This line-up signed to SST Records, releasing three albums between 1988 and 1996. The early 1980s lineup of the band reunited for occasional reunion shows in Southern California between 2005 and 2013. That year, the Last released a new album for the label End Sounds featuring the Descendents/All rhythm section of Karl Alvarez and Bill Stevenson.

 

[Spotify] I Know 

“Make Believe Stories”, Speed 78

This way: Make Believe Stories

Speed 78 is the blues and folk moniker of Dutch musician and songwrtiter, Don van Dongen. The band's style can be desribed as a slightly psychedelic brand of folk with rich arrangements and a lo-fi sound indie rock sound. The first Speed 78 album, Skiffle (1998), came out thru Excelsior Recordings. 

 

[Spotify] Make Believe Stories 

“Hurricane”, Thinking Fellers Union Local 282

This way: Hurricane

Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 (often shorted to 'Thinking Fellers' or 'TFUL282') were an American indie rock band, which was formed in 1986 in San Francisco, California though half of its members are from Iowa. Their albums combine lo-fi noise rock and ambient sounds (referred to as "Feller filler") with tightly constructed rock and pop songs. There is a small but fiercely devoted cult following for the band.

For the majority of the band's career, Thinking Fellers consisted of multi-instrumentalists Brian Hageman, Mark Davies, Anne Eickelberg, Hugh Swarts, and Jay Paget.

The band achieved their greatest critical and commercial success in the mid-1990s, when they signed with the indie rock label Matador Records. It was during this time that Thinking Fellers produced their most prominent albums, Lovelyville, and Strangers from the Universe. They toured the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland and the UK in 1994 and made an appearance on the John Peel radio show on the BBC. In 1996 they toured briefly as an opening act for the alternative rock band Live but were not received well by the Live fanbase. Thinking Fellers has been largely dormant since 1996, having toured sporadically and released only one full album, Bob Dinners and Larry Noodles Present Tubby Turdner's Celebrity Avalanche, since. 

Elf Power's 1999 album A Dream In Sound featured a cover of Thinking Fellers Union Local 282's song "Noble Experiment."

In 2001, author Jonathan Franzen referenced the band in his novel The Corrections. The character Brian, a snobbish fan of "west coast underground bands," listens to the albums of Thinking Fellers while writing the music software that will make him a young millionaire.

 

[Spotify] Hurricane 

“Your Glow”, The Mountain Goats

This way: Your Glow

Through This Fire Across from Peter Balkan is the twenty-third studio album by American indie folk band the Mountain Goats. The album was released on November 7, 2025, on the band’s independent label Cadmean Dawn. It was recorded at Dreamland Recording Studios in New York and produced by band member Matt Douglas. It is the band's first full-band album in over 23 years not to feature longtime bass guitarist Peter Hughes, who departed from the band in 2024. 

The title originated from a phrase John Darnielle noted in a dream, which became the conceptual basis for the album. The record is dedicated to long-time bassist Peter Hughes, who left the group in 2024. Darnielle described the dedication as a tribute to Hughes’ decades of contribution to the band.

The album is described in its promotional materials as a “full-on musical,” telling the story of a shipwrecked crew of sixteen men, only three of whom survive a catastrophic storm. One survivor goes missing, leaving the narrator and Captain Peter Balkan struggling with visions and physical decline.

 

[Spotify] Your Glow 

“Highway Man”, The New Eves

This way: Highway Man

The New Eves are a British folk punk band from Brighton, England. The band are currently signed to Transgressive Records. The group consists of vocalist/guitarist/violinist Violet Farrer, vocalist/cellist/violinist/ Nina Winder-Lind, vocalist and bassist Kate Mager and drummer/flutist/vocalist Ella Oona Russell.

 

The band formed in 2021, in Brighton, England. In 2023, the group released their debut single titled "Original Sin". The group released their second single "Mother" the same year. In 2025, the group announced and released their debut album titled The New Eve Is Rising. Upon the album's announcement, the group released the songs "Rivers Run Red" and "The New Eve". The album was written entirely in Brighton. The album received positive reviews and was named an "Album of the Week" by The Observer.

 

[Spotify] Highway Man 

“Pop Doormat”, The Dancing Cigarettes

This way: Pop Doormat

The Dancing Cigarettes were a popular punk and art band based in Bloomington, Indiana, active from 1979 through 1983. They were part of a cadre of Bloomington-based bands that made an impact on the underground music scene. Other bands included The Gizmos, Zero Boys, Dow Jones and the Industrials, and MX-80 Sound. These bands established Indiana as an innovative breeding ground for punk, post-punk and new wave music in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Early on, the group changed line-ups frequently, but it typically consisted of Michael Gitlin (guitar, vocals), Emily Bonus (bass, vocals), Tim Noe (keyboards, sax, guitar), Jaclyn Oddi (keyboards, percussion), John Terrill (drums, guitar), and G. Don Trubey (sax, guitar, drums). More avant-pop than post-punk, their music was as eclectic as their members' musical talents would lead one to believe, ranging from squonky Beefheart rock to bouncy Devo-esque new wave, as evidenced by the brilliant "Pop Doormat," which opens with a deceptively anthemic synth line, then uses an ebullient bass and keyboard melody to underscore a disconsolate lyrical theme that wraps with the repeated question "What am I waiting for?"

The band played regularly at numerous venues in Bloomington, including the Bluebird, Bullwinkle's, and Second Story. The Cigs also toured extensively, appearing at clubs throughout the US, including CBGB in New York, the 9:30 Club in D.C., Mr. Goodbar in Buffalo, the Music Box in Kansas City, Tewligans in Louisville, and Space Place in Chicago. Notable gigs included sharing the stage with DNA, Tiny Desk Unit, Babylon Dance Band, Men & Volts, The Fleshtones, and author William Burroughs, plus an inspired performance at the 1982 World SubGenius Convention in Chicago.

The group recorded frequently but released very little material (one 7-inch EP and a few appearances on "various artists" compilations) during its lifespan. Two CDs and an LP of their material have been released in the years since the band broke up.

 

[Spotify] Pop Doormat 

“Balancing Act”, Volcano Suns

This way: Balancing Act

Volcano Suns was an American alternative rock band from Boston, Massachusetts formed by Mission of Burma drummer Peter Prescott in 1984.

The band was founded in Spring 1984 by former Mission of Burma and Molls drummer Peter Prescott, the only founding member of the Suns to remain until their break-up in 1991. Prescott had auditioned for the position of drummer with Disneyland, but took two of that band's members to form Volcano Suns; The other original members were Gary Waleik and Steve Michener who would leave after 16 months, before the release of the first Suns album, to eventually form Big Dipper. Prescott then added Jeff Weigand on bass guitar and Jon Williams on guitar. This second line-up created the band's debut album The Bright Orange Years (1985), as well as its follow-up, All-Night Lotus Party (1986), both released on the now-defunct Homestead Records. In 1987, Bob Weston and Chuck Hahn replaced Weigand and Williams respectively for Bumper Crop, the band's final release on Homestead. Other contributors included Roger Miller on piano and Gary Waleik on sitar.

In 1988, the band moved to Greg Ginn's SST Records for their 4th release, Farced. The line-up however was the same as on Bumper Crop, including Miller on piano and Waleik on sitar. 1989 brought their most experimental release, Thing of Beauty, also on SST, on which David Kleiler (formerly from the band Sorry) replaced Chuck Hahn on guitar.This would be the Volcano Suns' final line up. The band moved to Chicago-based indie label Quarterstick Records for their final release, Career in Rock in 1991. The album was engineered by Steve Albini, who would later work with Bob Weston in their band Shellac.

 

[Spotify] Balancing Act 

“Another Love Affair”, Ice Nine

This way: Another Love Affair

From Clockwork Records, Vinyl, 7", UK

Released: 1983

Bass – Keith Wilce

Drums – Kevin Burton

Guitar – Nigel Route

Keyboards – Nigel Route

Percussion – Kevin Burton

Vocals – Jane Route

 

[Spotify] NO!

“Faith”, Sex Clark Five

This way: Faith

Sex Clark Five (abbreviated SC5) is an underground indie rock band formed in the early 1980s in Huntsville, Alabama. Calling their inventive, sawed-off power pop songs "strum and drum" (a pun on Sturm und Drang), SC5 released several albums that featured the jangly Rickenbacker guitar sound characteristic of Southern college rock bands of the time, including R.E.M. Guitarists James Butler and Rick Storey and drummer Trick McKaha were all friends from Huntsville High School. After stints in Kinks cover and pseudo punk bands, the three recruited bassist Joy Johnson. 

Primary singer/songwriter Butler built quirky, catchy melodic hooks around lyrics that often included offbeat European historical references, and wrapped them around rapidly strummed guitars and rave up surf guitar riffs. Politically charged tunes such as "Liberate Tibet" and "Sarajevo" were called prophetic by some critics. In spite of their political content, SC5's songs were often filled with the kind of wry, outlandish humor exemplified by the band's name (a play on The Dave Clark Five). SC5 would count both Goethe and the Marx Brothers as musical influences. The band was also notorious for erratic live shows. Drummer Trick McKaha would sometimes wear a bag over his head.

 

[Spotify] Faith 

“Everybody’s happy nowadays”, Buzzcocks

This way: Everybody’s happy nowadays

Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band formed by singer-songwriter and guitarist Pete Shelley and singer-songwriter Howard Devoto in Bolton in 1976. Their songs include punk rock, power pop, and pop punk. They achieved commercial success with singles that fuse pop with rapid-fire punk energy; these singles were later collected on Singles Going Steady, an acclaimed compilation album music journalist and critic Ned Raggett described as a "punk masterpiece". 

Devoto left the band in 1977 and formed Magazine, after which Pete Shelley became the principal singer-songwriter. The classic lineup of Shelley, Steve Diggle (guitar), Steve Garvey (bass) and John Maher (drums) recorded Buzzcocks' first three albums, after which the band broke up in 1981 following a dispute with their record label. The band reunited in 1989 and released six more albums before Shelley's death in 2018. Members during that time included Tony Barber (bass) and Phil Barker (drums). The band has remained active, being anchored by long-time guitarist Diggle, who has since also assumed lead vocal duties. As of 2019, the band consists of Diggle, Danny Farrant (drums), Chris Remington (bass) and touring member Mani Perazzoli (guitar, backing vocals). This line-up released the band's tenth album, Sonics in the Soul in 2022.

Howard Trafford, a student at Bolton Institute of Technology who had been involved in electronic music, placed a notice in the college looking for musicians to play the Velvet Underground's song "Sister Ray".[12][13] Fellow student Peter McNeish, who had played in a rock band called Jets of Air, responded to the notice. By late 1975, Trafford and McNeish had recruited a drummer and formed an early version of what would become Buzzcocks. The band formed in February 1976; McNeish assumed the stage name Pete Shelley and Trafford named himself Howard Devoto.

Devoto and Shelley chose the name "Buzzcocks" after reading the headline "It's the Buzz, Cock!" in a review of the television series Rock Follies in Time Out magazine. The "buzz" is the excitement of playing on stage and "cock" is northern English slang meaning "friend". They thought the name captured the excitement of the nascent punk scene and had humorous sexual connotations following Pete Shelley's time working in a Bolton adult shop.   

 

[Spotify] Everybody’s happy nowadays 

Strum & Thrum: The American Jangle Underground 1983-1987

This way [Bandcamp]: Strum & Thrum

Here are links to a cool-ass compilation for of some great music of the 80's that could have fallen thru the cracks if not saved here. I have knoweldge of some of these bands but over all I'd say this is a stellar endeavor worth an extended listen . . . 1 hour and 32 minutes well spent.

 

[Spotify] Strum & Thrum  

“Resident Evil”, Friendship

This way: Resident Evil

Friendship is an American indie rock band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The band consists of Dan Wriggins, Michael Cormier-O'Leary, Peter Gill, and Jon Samuels.

Friendship began in 2015 with the release of their first full-length album, You're Going to Have to Trust Me, on Burst & Bloom. On August 8, 2017, the band premiered a song titled "If You See My Beloved" from their upcoming second full-length album. They premiered another song on Stereogum in October titled "Skip To The Good Part". Their second full-length album, and first on Orindal Records, titled Shock Out Of Season, was released later in 2017. On September 11, 2019, Friendship once again premiered a new song through Stereogum titled "Clairvoyant". One month later, Friendship premiered another song on Stereogum titled "You Might Already Know". The album, Dreamin', was released on November 8, 2019. On July 29th, 2022, the band released their fourth full-length album, Love the Stranger, on Merge Records. Its fifth studio album, Caveman Wakes Up, was released in 2025. 

 

[Spotify] Resident Evil 

“Teenage Wasteland”, Wussy

This way: Teenage Wasteland

Wussy is an American four-piece indie rock band formed in Cincinnati, Ohio in 2001. The band consists of Chuck Cleaver (vocals/guitar), Lisa Walker (vocals/guitar), Joe Klug (drums) and Mark Messerly (bass). Former members include Dawn Burman (drums) and John Erhardt (pedal steel). Cleaver and Walker write most of the songs and either alternate lead vocals or sing them in harmony. Live performances feature the two vocalists having a "combative rapport". The band has released seven albums, one live album, two EPs, one mini LP and a number of singles. 

Wussy formed in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 2001 while Chuck Cleaver had just released the last album with his previous group, Ass Ponys. He met Lisa Walker and asked her to perform with him at a local awards show in Cincinnati in 2001. Following the performance the duo decided to form a band together. Walker, originally from Muncie, Indiana, attended Cedarville University and has worked in marketing. They were joined by Messerly on bass and Dawn Burman on drums in 2002. Burman had not yet mastered the instrument but joined as she "loved their sound and wanted to be part of it". 

The album Strawberry was released in November 2011 and was described as "driven by an unpretentious, rust-flecked honesty and a warped worldview". Former Ass Ponys member John Erhardt joined the band before recording started. The band embarked on a three-week headlining tour in support of the album. In 2012 they released the Europe-only seventeen track compilation Buckeye on Damnably Records, their first international release.

In 2014 they released the album Attica!, the title inspired by the film Dog Day Afternoon, while the single and The Who tribute "Teenage Wasteland", received some airplay. The album was released in the UK through Damnably Records. 

 

[Spotify] Teenage Wasteland 

“Instructions for getting by”, Cottonwood Firing Squad

This way: Instructions for getting by

Cottonwood Firing Squad aka Bill Rodriguez, is primarily known to the indie scene as the producer of the hit song “Postmodern Fade”, which encapsulates the character of his entire discography: music for and about struggles, depression, and the introspective.  

  

[Spotify] Instructions for getting by 

“Heartless”, John Doe

This way: Heartless

John Doe, is an American singer, songwriter, actor, poet, guitarist and bass player. Doe co-founded LA punk band X, of which he is still an active member. His musical performances and compositions span rock, punk, country and folk music genres. As an actor, he has dozens of television appearances and several movies to his credit, including the role of Jeff Parker in the television series Roswell. 

In addition to X, Doe performs with the country-folk-punk band the Knitters and has released records as a solo artist. In the early 1980s, he performed on two albums by the Flesh Eaters.

Doe moved to Los Angeles, California, and in 1976 met guitar player Billy Zoom through an ad in the local free weekly paper, The Recycler.

As a musician with X, Doe has two feature-length concert films, several music videos, and an extended performance-and-interview sequence in The Decline of Western Civilization, Penelope Spheeris's seminal documentary about the early-1980s L.A. punk scene.[5]

Along with co-writer Exene Cervenka, Doe composed most of the songs recorded by X. Wild Gift, an album from that band's heyday, was named "Record of the Year" by Rolling Stone, the Los Angeles Times, and The New York Times. With Dave Alvin, he co-wrote two of the songs on The Blasters' 1984 album Hard Line, "Just Another Sunday" and "Little Honey". He also wrote "Cyrano de Berger's Back" for The Flesh Eaters LP A Minute to Pray, a Second To Die.[6]

 

[Spotify] Heartless 

“Alright Guy”, Todd Snider, RIP

This way: Alright Guy

Live until you die.

Todd Daniel Snider (October 11, 1966 – November 14, 2025) was an American singer-songwriter whose music incorporated elements of folk, rock, blues, alt country, and funk.

Snider was born on October 11, 1966 in Portland, Oregon and grew up in nearby Beaverton, where he lived until he graduated from Beaverton High School in 1985. After high school, he moved to Santa Rosa, California to attend Santa Rosa Junior College. He attended for a semester and while there, learned to play the harmonica.

Snider met Kent Finlay at his very first writer's night, which was at Finlay's San Marcos club, Cheatham Street Warehouse. Finlay, who was a songwriter in his own right, became an important mentor and introduced Snider to the songs of Kris Kristofferson, Guy Clark, John Prine, and Shel Silverstein among others. Snider was soon packing small rooms in San Marcos and during the next few years, he began to draw enthusiastic crowds in Austin, as well.

Snider also discovered Memphis songwriter Keith Sykes while living in San Marcos when a friend at the local record store turned him on to a pair of albums Sykes made in the early ’70s. In 1989, Snider's father moved to Memphis and happened to meet Sykes’ sister-in-law. Through that connection, Snider sent Sykes a demo tape of some of his songs. Sykes thought one of the songs had potential, so Snider moved to Memphis to try to work with Sykes. Not long after he arrived in Memphis, Snider landed a weekly residency at a local club The Daily Planet. He not only was soon packing the room, the audience knew the words to the songs and would sing along. Through Sykes, Snider met Prine in 1991 while assisting on pre-production work Prine was doing with Sykes in Memphis for his album The Missing Years. It was the beginning of a friendship Snider and Prine had until Prine's death in 2020. In 1992, Sykes helped Snider land a development deal with Capitol Records. He recorded a number of sides in Nashville for the label, but they declined to pick up his option for a full album. Around the time of the Capitol deal, Snider began performing with a small band backing him which he dubbed the Bootleggers. The band's lineup fluctuated some over the first year or so, but by the end of 1994, the lineup was set with Will Kimbrough on guitar, Joe Mariencheck on bass, and Joe McLeary on drums. Snider also had changed the band's name to the Nervous Wrecks.

Sykes was a one-time member of Jimmy Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band and Buffett had recorded a few of his songs, so when the Capitol deal fell through, he reached out on Snider's behalf to Buffett's label, Margaritaville Records, which was distributed by MCA. Not long after label exec Bob Mercer saw Snider perform at an industry showcase in Memphis in April 1993, Snider flew to California to open a show for Buffett. After seeing his set, Buffett offered Snider a deal with Margaritaville.

 

[Spotify] Alright Guy 

“IV”, Shoppers

This way: IV

Meredith Graves was a guitarist and vocalist for Syracuse noise rock trio, Shoppers. The A.V. Club described their 2011 release Silver Year as "a short, intense breakup album about the terrible things we’re capable of when our feelings are hurt;" Punk News called it "top notch noise-rock."   

 

[Spotify] IV 

“This is Your Life”, Glaxo Babies

This way: This is Your Life

Glaxo Babies are a Bristol-based post-punk band, formed in late 1977. There were three distinct phases in the band's life and after initially breaking up in 1980, they reformed in 1985, only to finally break up again in 1990. The band reformed once again in 2015 for the Un-Peeled 2015 event with Steve Street on bass and Tony Wrafter's son Oscar on vocals.

The band was formed by Tom Nichols (bassist), Dan Catsis (guitarist) and drummer Geoff Alsopp (previously Nichols and Alsopp had been in another Bristol based band called The Vultures). The initial band line-up was completed by Rob Chapman (singer) joining in November 1977, and their first gig was held just 3 weeks later in The Dockland Settlement, St Pauls, Bristol. The band signed to local label Heartbeat Records (marketed by Cherry Red), with their first release being the This Is Your Life EP in February 1979. This led to them recording their first session for BBC radio's John Peel the following April, and the track "It's Irrational", from this session, opened the seminal 1979 Bristol Compilation album "Avon Calling". For this release the band had been forced by pharmaceutical company Glaxo to change their name, and this resulted in the use of "Gl*xo Babies", with an asterisk replacing the "a", although subsequent recordings have used a mixture of the two forms.  

 

[Spotify] This is Your Life 

“Your Rival”, Vera Violent

This way: Your Rival

The band Vera Violent was originally formed in 1985 by brothers Brien and David O'Sullivan and their friend Alan Fitzpatrick in Waterford, Ireland. The band played locally in Waterford for a few years. Playing petered out as family and work took priority. They got back together for two gigs in Waterford the mid-2000's.

Since 1989, David, the main songwriter, continued to write and record new material on his Tascam 4-track, and later on ProTools and Cubase.

In 2014, David found himself living in Sligo, 4 hours from his home in Waterford. It was here that he formed a new Vera Violent line-up for playing live and recording. His now wife, Paula, plays bass and their good friend, Jason Geraghty plays drums. 

[Spotify] Your Rival 

“Falling Around”, Adam Green

This way: Falling Around

Adam Green (born May 28, 1981) is an American singer-songwriter, artist and filmmaker.

Green is well known for his involvement in the anti-folk music movement and as one half of the band the Moldy Peaches, alongside fellow singer-songwriter Kimya Dawson. Green has found success as a solo artist, enjoying increasing popularity in the United States as well as a number of European countries, particularly Germany.

Green attended Emerson College for one semester in 1998 before leaving to concentrate on his music, going on to co-found the Moldy Peaches with Kimya Dawson. In 2002, the Moldy Peaches went on hiatus, and both Green and Dawson embarked on solo careers. 

 

[Spotify] Falling Around 

“Please No Mary”, Mydolls

This way: Please No Mary

Mydolls is an American rock band from Houston, Texas, formed in 1978. The group consists of Linda Younger (guitar and vocals), Dianna Ray (bass and vocals), Trish Herrera (guitar and vocals), and George Reyes (drums and vocals). 

Mydolls formed in 1978 in Houston, Texas. Dianna Ray and Trish Herrera began writing songs together. Dianna and Trish were then joined by Linda (Bond) Younger. After several attempts working with various auditioning drummers, Trish's cousin, George (Jorge) Reyes, joined the band, and the post-punk sound took shape as the band remained inspired by punk ranging from the 1960s and 1970s, including Iggy Pop, Magazine, Television, Red Crayola, the Velvet Underground, Patti Smith, New York Dolls, and other disruptive bands. Trish and Linda tended to play their guitars in a very unconventional way. Linda would sometimes play the top three strings, while Trish played the bottom three, making the sound textured. Meanwhile, Jorge Reyes percussive style de-emphasized a hi-hat based rock'n'roll meter in favor of a syncopated, Latin-flavored approach that concentrated on rhythmic tom tom usage rather than basic back-beats. The vocals, were mainly shared by Trish and Linda, with Dianna adding chanting and George singing back-up vocals on a few songs while playing drums. Since the band pre-dated punk as a strict genre, the band wasn't aware of making "mistakes", since no musical box constricted them. Only later, they felt, did punk begin to form uniforms and formulas.

 

[Spotify] Please No Mary 

“The Wait”, Pretenders

This way: The Wait

The Pretenders are a British rock band formed in March 1978. The original band consisted of founder and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), James Honeyman-Scott (lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboards), Pete Farndon (bass guitar, backing vocals) and Martin Chambers (drums, backing vocals, percussion). Following the deaths of Honeyman-Scott in 1982 and Farndon in 1983, the band experienced numerous personnel changes; American-born Hynde has been the band's only continuous member.    

 

[Spotify] The Wait

“Bad News”, Cari Cari

This way: Bad News

Cari Cari is an Austrian indie rock duo consisting of drummer and singer Stephanie Widmer and guitarist/singer Alexander Köck. They have stated that they formed the band to get their music in a Quentin Tarantino film. As of 2025, they have released three studio albums, one EP, and two live recordings.

In 2014, the duo released the EP Amerippindunkler and followed it with a tour through Australia, including shows in Darwin, Cairns, and Melbourne. Their songs "No War" and "White Line Fever" were featured in the American TV series Shameless and The Magicians.   

[Spotify] Bad News 

“It's Not My Fault”, MX-80 Sound

This way: It's Not My Fault

MX-80 Sound, is an eclectic American art-rock band founded in 1974 in Bloomington, Indiana, United States, by guitarist Bruce Anderson. Considered “one of the most out of step but prescient bands of its time", MX-80's signature sound consisted of breakneck metallic guitar combined with atonal chord structure, cross-rhythmic percussion and dispassionate vocals. Notoriously difficult to categorize—the band has been labeled noise rock, post-punk,[3] acid punk, and heavy-metal—MX-80's sonic melange set the stage for bands such as Swans, Sonic Youth, Codeine, and Shellac. 

Originally named MX-80 Sound formed in 1974 by Bruce Anderson (guitar) and Dale Sophiea (bass). Sophiea and Anderson, former members of Bloomington's Screaming Gypsy Bandits, shared an interest in modern classical composers as well as in avant rockers like Captain Beefheart and the Hampton Grease Band. They soon added two drummers, Jeff Armour, and Kevin Teare in 1975, and the quartet contributed the instrumental composition, Spoonfight, to Bloomington I (Bar-B-Q records 1976). Rich Stim (vocals, guitar, and sax) and Dave Mahoney (drums), both formerly of Chinaboise, joined MX-80 in 1976 and Teare left the band to pursue a full-time art career. Anderson and Stim emerged as the band's primary songwriters, with occasional lyric writing by Andrea Ross (aka Angel Corpus Christi).

Unable to obtain gigs in most local music venues, MX-80 performed a regular series of Sunday concerts at the Monroe County public library, tracks of which were later compiled on CD. The band's first studio release was the EP, Big Hits: Hard Pop From The Hoosiers (Bar-B-Q Records 1976), recorded at Gilfoy Studios, produced by Mark Bingham and engineered by Mark Hood. A review of Big Hits in the British music magazine Sounds by Caroline Coon, spurred Island Records A&R man Howard Thompson to license the band's second recording, their debut LP.  

[Spotify] It's Not My Fault 

“Crassy Mel”, Sextile

This way: Crassy Mel

Sextile is an American electronic music project from Los Angeles, California. The project consists of founding members Brady Keehn (vocals, guitar, electronics) and Melissa Scaduto (drums, electronics, guitar). The project takes its name from the aspect of the same name in astrology.

Sextile was formed in 2015 by Keehn and Scaduto, after the duo relocated from Brooklyn, New York to Los Angeles. They were soon joined by bassist Kenny Elkin and multi-instrumentalist Eddie Wuebben. Signing to Felte Records after supporting Ritual Howls at local gigs, the band released its debut album, A Thousand Hands in the same year. The follow-up, Albeit Living, was released in 2017; by the time of its release, Elkin was replaced by bassist Cameron Michel.

In 2018, with the band reduced to its two founding members for their EP, 3, later in the year. Sextile entered a hiatus in 2019, with Keehn and Scaduto pursuing other projects, Panther Modern and S. Product, respectively. The band's former guitarist, Eddie Wuebben, died on 5 October 2019, at the age of 29. 

  

[Spotify] Crassy Mel 

“Rigamarole”, Whitimer Thomas

This way: Rigamarole

Whitmer Alexander Thomas is an American comedian, actor, and musician. He is best known for his voice role on FXX animated comedy Stone Quackers (2014–2015), and his work with LA-based comedy troupe Power Violence.

Thomas's hour-long comedy special, The Golden One, premiered on HBO on February 22, 2020. An accompanying album, Songs from the Golden One, was released via Hardly Art Records. Thomas's sophomore record, The Older I Get The Funnier I Was, was released on October 21, 2022. Whitmer Thomas was raised in Gulf Shores, Alabama. His mother, Jenny Henderson, founded the musical duo Syn Twister with her twin sister Jude Hammock. The previous occupation of Thomas's father, Whit Thomas, is unclear; as of 2020, he is employed as a paralegal. Thomas has one older brother, Johnny.  

 [Spotify] Rigamarole 

“Coward”, Soft Kill

This way: Coward

Here is a tune from a great new LP by one of my current faves Soft Kill. Tobias Francis has been making music under the moniker Soft Kill since 2010 after the dissolution of Blessure Grave. Currently he resides in Chicago, IL.

Truth: 

"link in bio and apologies for the fidelity. I mixed this on the ear buds they hand out on planes. Old habits die hard."

 

[Spotify] Coward 

“Guard Dog”, Snõõper

This way: Guard Dog

Snõõper is an American punk rock band formed in Nashville, Tennessee in 2020. The band consists of vocalist Blair Tramel, guitarists Connor Cummins and Ian Teeple, bassist Happy Haugen & Meredith Hanscom and drummer Cam Sarrett. The band released their debut studio album Super Snõõper in July 2023, which was met with positive reception. Due to their non-serious nature, their music is often described as egg punk. They are known for their large papier-mâché puppets at their shows, including their mascot, a large green bug.  

 

[Spotify] Guard Dog 

“Going Hey Hey”, Gleaming Spires

This way: Going Hey Hey

Gleaming Spires was an American new wave pop group in the 1980s. Performing as Bates Motel, they were enlisted by brothers Ron and Russell Mael to be a part of the 1981–85 incarnation of their band, Sparks. After completing demos with neophyte producer Stephen Hague, principal members Leslie Bohem and David Kendrick (later of Devo, Xiu Xiu) recruited fellow Sparks members Jim Goodwin and Bob Haag to form Gleaming Spires with the blessing of the Mael brothers.

Following promotional materials by graphic artist Kevin J. Walker (who designed punk band covers for T.S.O.L. and Channel 3, among others), they were signed to Posh Boy Records on the strength of what had been intended by the group as a non-LP B-side, "Are You Ready for the Sex Girls?". "Sex Girls" became a hit on Los Angeles' KROQ-FM radio station and was later featured in the films The Last American Virgin and Revenge of the Nerds, the latter of which also featured the Gleaming Spires song "All Night Party". The cover art for Gleaming Spires' Walk on Well Lighted Streets album was designed by artist Mark Kostabi, who later went on to design album covers for Guns N' Roses (Use Your Illusion) and the Ramones (¡Adios Amigos!). 

 

[Spotify] Going Hey Hey  

“Homer” by Miracle Legion

This way: Homer

Also this way: Homer

Baseball season ends tonight, by hook or by crook. Thanks to Jeff Twiss for guiding us thru the sounds of baseball. I'm trying to convince him he needs a daily Baseball SOTD blog. Am I right? Otherwise the off season looks like a diminished place to be. —Bdev

Somebody told me I needed to listen to this song (It was me!-B deVallance). I can’t remember why…probably because of the line, “You’re too good for Baltimore.”

Miracle Legion were a Connecticut-based band that immediately sprang to life on the heels of a post-R.E.M. guitar rock boom, chiefly because lead singer Mark Mulcahy's voice bore an uncanny resemblance to Michael Stipe's, and the arpeggio guitar structures were akin to Peter Buck's. But the band -- Ray Neal (guitar), Jeff Wiederschall (drums), and Steven West (bass), and later just Mulcahy and Neal -- ultimately became unique in its own right. 

In 2016, Miracle Legion staged a reunion tour, and recordings from two of the dates were compiled into a live album, 2017's 'Annulment'.

--notes adapted from Miracle Legion biography by Denise Sullivan at Allmusic.com

 

[Spotify] Homer 

“The Star-Spangled Banner”, performed by Jose Feliciano

This way: Star-Spangled Banner

“The Star-Spangled Banner”, performed by Jose Feliciano at the fifth game of the 1968 World Series, unaccompanied by Merl Albi’s band.

Prior to October 7, 1968, the National Anthem was intoned at baseball games; after that date it was interpreted.  Feliciano's take on the song paved the way for others like Marvin Gaye, Jimi Hendrix and Whitney Houston to try out more personalized versions. [Gaye had performed a ‘straight’ version of the song before the previous game.]

In a 2019 interview for WBUR, Roger Weber asked Feliciano why he sang the anthem the way he did.

"Because I was sick and tired of hearing it the old way and the audience, kind of, not being into it," Feliciano said. "Get to the end of the song, and the audience would start clapping as if to say, ‘Thank God this thing has passed.’ And I got tired of that. I did. I really, really did. And I said, ‘I'll fix it.’ "

"You sure did," Roger said. "Well, it fixed me for a while," he said. "You know, my records were stopped. People at radio stations stopped playing my records. They wanted to deport me. But you can't deport a citizen of the United States. But it was funny to me. I thought, ‘Where the hell am I going to go?’ "

The live recording was released as RCA Victor -47-9665, a vinyl 7-inch 45rpm single. You can hear a mix of cheers and boos at the end.  A listener of today wonders why the controversy? It sounds soulful, bluesy, reverent, even prayerful.

The prayer must have worked, because the Tigers roared back to win Games Five, Six, and Seven. They became only the third team in MLB history to rally from a 3-1 deficit. There have been numerous documentary analyses of the controversy in the past 57 years.  Here is a link to one of them:

 

[Spotify] Star-Spangled Banner 

“The Sidewalks of New York”, composed by Charles Lawlor, lyrics by James Blake

This way: The Sidewalks of New York

Jeff still with all the answers and some of the questions. The Sidewalks of New York”, composed by Charles Lawlor, lyrics by James Blake

First recorded by George Gaskin on October 29, 1895, and released in 1896 on Berliner Gramophone 959Z

After one of their World Series victories in the 1920s or the 1930s, the Giants or the Yankees gathered up in the clubhouse and sang “The Sidewalks of New York”.  It is a popular song about life in New York City during the 1890s. It was composed in 1894 and became an immediate and long-lasting hit.  It is often considered a theme for New York City. Many artists, including Mel Tormé, Duke Ellington, Larry Groce, Richard Barone, The Grateful Dead, and Blondie have performed it.  --Wikipedia

 

[Spotify, Duke Ellington version] The Sidewalks of New York 

[Charming Cover] The Sidewalks of New York 

"Sleep", by Max Richter

This way: Sleep

Jeff Twiss baseball week continues into its second week with this homage to the 18 inning game the other night . . . .

Max Richter has released an album that contains musical compositions designed specifically to help calm the nervous system and make it easier to fall asleep.

The total duration of the album "Sleep" is eight hours, which, according to Richter, provides listeners with a calm and deep eight-hour sleep. For two years, while composing music, the composer consulted constantly with an American specialist in neurology and neurobiology, David Eagleman, from Baylor College of Medicine.

Max Richter is a German-born British composer and pianist. He works within postminimalist and contemporary classical styles. Richter is classically trained, having graduated in composition from the University of Edinburgh, the Royal Academy of Music in London, and studied with Luciano Berio in Italy.  Richter arranges, performs, and composes music for stage, opera, ballet, and screen. He has collaborated with other musicians, as well as with performance, installation, and media artists. He has recorded eight solo albums, and his music is widely used in cinema.

--notes adapted from YouTube and Wikipedia

 

[Spotify] Sleep 

“Hank Greenberg and Jackie Robinson”, The Tinklers

This way (full LP link): Hank Greenberg and Jackie Robinson

Jeff keeps it going and as some games never end baseball songs are also endless (apparently) . . .

The Tinklers are a band from Baltimore who have been together since 1979. The group consists of Charles Brohawn and Chris Mason, both of whom sing, play guitar, and percussion instruments of varying degrees of quality (including cigar boxes, spoons, and other types of junk). Both members are also actively engaged in creating art in other mediums including visual art and books. Their music can be characterized as outsider music due to its lack of traditional musical skills and abilities including proficiency at their instruments and the ability to sing in tune. Their performance method and practice eschews conventional standards of skills thought necessary for making music and can be historically placed with other acts such as Jad Fair and Half Japanese, Daniel Johnston, and many more obscure musicians.

While the band's roots are in the mid-70s Baltimore art scene, they did not release a proper record until 1990 when the band caught the attention of legendary producer Kramer. They were promptly signed to Kramer's record label Shimmy Disc and released their first LP, Casserole. The band would release two more LPs on Shimmy Disc - Saplings and Crash - all of which contain similar material.

While The Tinklers have not disbanded, since 1993 the band has released only one full-length album, Slowpoke, and made a few other compilation appearances. Live performances are infrequent.

This account of Jackie Robinson's collision with Hank Greenberg is from the SABR website:

Jackie Robinson's collision with Hank Greenberg: Collision

As it happened, the most significant part of Jackie Robinson’s Dodgers’ debut in Pittsburgh was not reflected in the statistical ledger. When Greenberg reached first on his fourth inning walk, an inning after his accidental collision with Robinson, he asked Robinson if had been injured and offered words of encouragement. “I know it’s plenty tough,” Greenberg said. “You’re a good ballplayer, and you’ll do all right.” It was a moment of warmth for Robinson, as his pioneering season marched on. They remained friends for the rest of Robinson’s life; Greenberg attended Robinson’s funeral in October 1972.

“He helped me a lot by saying the things he did,” Robinson said of Greenberg after the game. “I found out that not all the guys on the other teams are bad heels. I think Greenberg, for instance, is pulling for me to make good.”

“Class tells. It sticks out all over Mr. Greenberg.”

 

[Spotify] NO!