“Wild One ”, Jerry Lee Lewis, RIP

This way: Wild One

One of the inventors of Rock and Roll, Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935 – October 28, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Nicknamed "the Killer", he was described as "rock and roll's first great wild man and one of the most influential pianists of the 20th century". A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis made his first recordings in 1952 at Cosimo Matassa's J&M Studio in New Orleans, Louisiana, and early recordings in 1956 at Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee. "Crazy Arms" sold 300,000 copies in the South, and his 1957 hit "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" shot Lewis to fame worldwide. He followed this with the major hits "Great Balls of Fire", "Breathless", and "High School Confidential". 

[Spotify] Wild One

“Rang Tang Ring Toon”, Mountain Man

This way: Rang Tang Ring Toon

Mountain Man is an American singing trio of women described as "nestled in the tradition of American folk" with a traditional Appalachian folk sound. They have earned acclaim from a number of music critics. They often sing a cappella, with a "sparse, haunting, hymnal beauty" sometimes accompanied by soft acoustic guitar, but with their voices "virtually unadorned", according to Guardian critic Paul Lester. The group toured with the vocalist Feist in 2011, and New York Times music reviewer Ben Ratliff described their performance as "creating shifting harmonies" which "worked perfectly". The three members of the group are Molly Erin Sarle, Alexandra Sauser-Monnig and Amelia Randall Meath. They met as students at Bennington College in Vermont and began singing seriously together in 2009. (They were invited back to Bennington a decade later in 2019 to be the commencement speakers.)Two come from "singing families" and one got experience singing in a church choir. They were influenced in part by Bulgarian women's choir music, as well as artists such as Celine Dion. According to one report, they would sit on the porch of a shared house in Bennington and harmonize on songs they had written; when they sang as a trio, they realized it was "something special." Self-released recordings were picked up by influential blogs such as Pitchfork in late 2009, and they got a record deal with the label Partisan and others. They've been compared to the musical group The Roches. 

[Spotify] Rang Tang Ring Toon

[good live version ] Rang Tang Ring Toon

“Reactor”, Nots

This way: Reactor

Nots are a three-piece noise-punk band from Memphis, who released their debut album We Are Nots in 2014 and have toured North America and Europe. The band are fronted by Natalie Hoffmann (vocals/guitar) with Charlotte Watson (drums), Alexandra Eastburn (keyboards) and Meredith Lones (bass). The band are signed to Goner Records in North America and Heavenly in Europe. 

[Spotify] Reactor

“99 Cops”, Brian Dewan

This way: 99 Cops

Dude plays the zither, rocks it. Brian Dewan (born 14 June 1963) is an American multi-media artist, who produces music, audio-visual performances, decorative painting, furniture, poetry, filmstrips, illustrations, and musical instruments. He has released three albums of songs and performed extensively in clubs and concert halls as a solo artist and as a member of various ensembles. He lives in Catskill, New York. Dewan has a cross-genre approach to music, although he is predominantly known for his folk-tinged vocal stylings and instrumental electronic music, which on a performance level are generally mutually exclusive. His vocal repertoire references folk music, hymns, popular songs from bygone eras (especially topical songs from the 19th and early 20th centuries), and rock music. He also composes original songs reflecting these influences. These genres permeate his first two full-length albums, Brian Dewan Tells the Story (1993, Bar None Records) and The Operating Theatre (1998, Instinct Records). His songs often contemplate the nature of submission to authority, often in a storytelling manner. His lyrics are by turns humorous, philosophical, and contemplative. His historical song repertoire often betrays a post-modern irony in the re-telling. 

[Spotify] 99 Cops

“Sunkist”, 2nd Grade

This way: Sunkist

2nd Grade is a band from Philadelphia PA, with
Catherine Dwyer— guitar, vocals

Peter Gill— vocals

Francis Lyons— drums

Jon Samuels— guitar

David Settle— bass, vocals  

[Spotify] Sunkist

“Loss Like a Seed”, One Last Wish

This way: Loss Like a Seed

One Last Wish was a short-lived post-hardcore band from Washington, D.C. It was formed in May 1986 by members of Rites of Spring, and split up in January 1987.

Amidst the breakup of Rites of Spring in 1986, three of its four members – Picciotto, Janney and Canty – went on to form a new band after picking up Michael Hampton, former guitarist of the Faith and Embrace. With the name One Last Wish the band began playing shows in August 1986, which were mostly in the D.C. area and included a series of benefit shows. Their sole recording was done in November 1986 at Inner Ear Studios in Arlington, Virginia. It was engineered by Don Zientara and produced by Ian MacKaye.

After the dissolution of the band, both Canty and Picciotto would join MacKaye in the band Fugazi. One Last Wish broke up shortly after mixing was completed, and as a result the album was not released until 13 years later in November 1999, on MacKaye's Dischord Records label; Dischord had decided against the release in light of their growing reputation as a label of defunct bands. Prior to the release of this record, titled 1986, only one song, "Burning in the Undertow", had been released, having been on the Dischord benefit sampler "State of the Union" (April 1989). Twenty years after the 1999 release of 1986 material, the song "My Better Half" was listed by Vulture.com as number 81 of the 100 greatest emo songs.

After the band's breakup, Picciotto, Janney and Canty would reunite with Michael Fellows of Rites of Spring, taking on the new name Happy Go Licky. Hampton would go on to form the band Manifesto. 

[Spotify] Loss Like a Seed

“If I Had a Rocket Launcher”, Bruce Cockburn

This way: If I Had a Rocket Launcher

Bruce Cockburn (born May 27, 1945) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist. His song styles range from folk to jazz-influenced rock and his lyrics cover a broad range of topics including human rights, environmental issues, politics, and Christianity.

Cockburn has written more than 350 songs on 34 albums over a career spanning 50 years, of which 22 have received a Canadian gold or platinum certification as of 2018, and he has sold over one million albums in Canada alone. In 2014, Cockburn released his memoirs, Rumours of Glory. 

[Spotify] If I Had a Rocket Launcher

“Hey! Hey! It's the Vegetable Man”, The Happiest Guys in the World

This way: Hey! Hey! It's the Vegetable Man

One of the funniest efforts from the fabled house of Katis (i.e., Tarquin and Peter, the Greenwich, CT brothers also responsible for the Philistines Jr., the Zambonies, James Kochalka Superstar, the Pork Guys, Jazzin' Hell, etc.), The Happiest Guys in the World is just what the title implies: a celebration of all things good, happy and positive. On this album, Peter Katis plays drums. Guitar duties are handled with panache by Leon. As with most Katis-related projects, it's a little hard to tell when the jokes end and the "real" music begins, but of course that's part of the charm. These guys have made a career of (almost) always straddling the fine line between childlike innocence and rabid cynicism. Here they consistently and happily (pun intended) come out on the former side of the fence. That said, songs with titles like "Welcome Aliens!" "Hey! Hey! It's the Vegetable Man!" and "Thank You Dr. Heimlich!" (all Happiest Guys song titles are followed by exclamation points) can't help but be hilarious to anyone but the most serious, crystal-worshipping hippy. Musically, this album is somewhat less musically ambitious than the Philistines Jr.'s music, but there are some nice horn, guitar and bagpipe(!) solos thrown into the mix, which add a bit of spice to the Happiest Guys' stew of three chords and appealingly chirpy melodies. 

[Spotify] Hey! Hey! It's the Vegetable Man

“3 Angels”, Druidance & Willis Earl Beal

This way: 3 Angels

So the single Druidance & Willis Earl Beal "3 Angels" was born, which included three tracks - the main and two remixes. In January 2020, work began on the first album from the new "Ex-terra" series, which includes instrumental versions of songs and tracks from past and current musical projects of Vladimir Christopher. 

[Spotify] 3 Angels

“Navvy”, Pere Ubu

This way: Navvy

One of the greats! Pere Ubu is an American rock group formed in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1975. The band had a variety of long-term and recurring band members, with singer David Thomas being the only member staying throughout the band's lifetime. They released their debut album The Modern Dance in 1978 and followed with several more LPs before disbanding in 1982. Thomas reformed the group in 1987, continuing to record and tour.

Describing their sound as "avant-garage," Pere Ubu's work drew inspiration from sources such as musique concrète, 60s rock, performance art, and the industrial environments of the American Midwest.[8][9] While the band achieved little commercial success, they have exerted a wide influence on subsequent underground music. 

[Spotify] Navvy

“I Sell Soul”, Rocket from the Tombs

This way: I Sell Soul

Rocket from the Tombs (or RFTT) is an American rock band originally active from mid-1974 to mid-1975 in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. The band was reconstituted several times with various line-ups starting in 2003. 

Heralded as an important protopunk group, they were little known during the band's original lifetime, though various members later achieved renown in Pere Ubu and the Dead Boys. Billy Bob Hargus wrote, however, that "The sound of the Rockets is much more ferocious than Ubu or the Dead Boys."

The band played their first show June 16, 1974 at the Viking Saloon in downtown Cleveland. The original line-up was David Thomas (then known as "Crocus Behemoth" (vocals, bass), Kim Zonneville (bass, vocals), Glenn "Thunderhand" Hach (guitar, vocals) and Tom "Foolery" Clements (drums).

There was some fluctuation of the group's personnel, but what's come to be known as the "classic" lineup included, Thomas, Peter Laughner,[3] Craig Willis Bell (a.k.a. Darwin Layne), Gene O'Connor (a.k.a. Cheetah Chrome), and Johnny Madansky (a.k.a. "Johnny Blitz").

When RFTT disbanded, the personnel split and formed three different musical groups:

O'Connor and Madansky joined with singer Stiv Bators (who made a guest appearance on-stage at the last RFTT show) to form Frankenstein, which later morphed into the Dead Boys, a more straightforward punk rock group. Laughner and Thomas went on to form the more experimental Pere Ubu with bassist Tim Wright (RFTT's soundman). Laughner died in 1977, of acute pancreatitis brought on by years of drinking and drug use. Bell moved to Connecticut and started a band called Saucers

[Spotify] I Sell Soul

“Hand Grenade”, Team Dresch

This way: Hand Grenade

Team Dresch is an American punk rock band originally formed in 1993 in Olympia, Washington. The band made a significant impression on the DIY punk movement queercore, which gave voice through zines and music to the passions and concerns of LGBT people in the punk scene. In 1993, Donna Dresch formed Team Dresch with herself playing guitar and bass, Jody Bleyle on guitar and vocals, Kaia Wilson on guitar and vocals, and Marcéo Martinez on drums. Dresch and Bleyle met in the early 1990s, and together decided they wanted to form “an all-dyke band." Dresch has roots in the queercore movement, contributing to the zines J.D.s and Outpunk, as well as writing her own, called Chainsaw. Dresch's involvement in queercore influenced the band's style and involvement in the scene from the beginning. 

Team Dresch's first release was "Seven" on Rock Stars Kill in 1994, which generated enough attention for them to book multiple shows "all around the country," including the first Yoyo a Go Go in 1994. Today, Donna Dresch admits "people didn’t know who we were... [they] didn’t know what to make of a bunch of ’queer freaks’ onstage." In 1995 the four released their debut album, Personal Best, co-released by Chainsaw Records and Candy Ass Records, Dresch's and Bleyle's record labels respectively.

[Spotify] Hand Grenade

“Rio”, Low Cut Connie

This way: Rio

Low Cut Connie is an American rock and roll band based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Low Cut Connie has become the alter ego for frontman, pianist, and songwriter Adam Weiner, who has been the band's only constant member since its formation. Beginning as an impromptu recording session in 2010, Low Cut Connie gradually evolved into a vehicle for Weiner's songwriting and his onstage persona. The band has earned praise for its high-energy live performances, which Los Angeles Weekly described as "unmatched in all of rock right now."NPR Music described Weiner as “masterfully fluent in the foundational languages of Western pop.” Low Cut Connie has also gained notoriety for attracting high-profile endorsements such as a surprise inclusion on Barack Obama’s Spotify Summer Playlist in 2015, and a personal association with Elton John, who has called the band one of his favorites. Drummer/bassist Jarae Lewis joined in 2019.

[Spotify] Rio

“Shiny New Model”, Bodega

This way: Shiny New Model

BODEGA is an American punk band from New York City, United States. BODEGA's name comes from the name of a corner shop in New York City. They released their first full-length album in 2018, titled Endless Scroll. The album was produced by Parquet Courts member Austin Brown and released through record label What's Your Rupture? In 2019, BODEGA released their first EP titled Shiny New Model. 

[Spotify] Shiny New Model

“I know I'm not Easy to Like”, Pip Blom

This way: I know I'm not Easy to Like

Pip Blom is a Dutch indie band from Amsterdam. The band is named after lead singer Pip Blom. The band has released two full-length albums. Their first album titled Boat was released in 2019.  In 2021, Pip Blom released their second full-length album titled Welcome Break. The album received positive reviews. 

[Spotify] I know I'm not Easy to Like

“Crawl out Through the Fallout”, Sheldon Allman

This way: Crawl out Through the Fallout

Sheldon Allman (June 8, 1924 – January 22, 2002) was an American-Canadian actor, singer, and songwriter.

In 1960, Allman released Folk Songs for the 21st Century, an album of novelty songs all revolving around science-fiction themes. The tongue-in-cheek material, which Allman wrote and arranged himself, included titles such as "Crawl Out Through The Fallout" and "Radioactive Mama", "Crawl Out Through The Fallout" is used in the video game Fallout 4. 

[Spotify] Crawl out Through the Fallout

“I Drove All Night ”, Roy Orbison

This way: I Drove All Night

"I Drove All Night" is a song written and composed by American songwriters Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly and originally intended for Roy Orbison. Orbison recorded the song in 1987, the year before his death, but his version was not released until 1992. Cyndi Lauper recorded the song and released it as a single for her A Night to Remember album. Her version became a top 10 hit on both sides of the Atlantic in 1989. Lauper still regularly performs the song in her live concerts. Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician known for his impassioned singing style, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. His music was described by critics as operatic, earning him the nicknames "The Caruso of Rock" and "The Big O." Many of Orbison's songs conveyed vulnerability at a time when most male rock-and-roll performers chose to project machismo. He performed while standing motionless and wearing black clothes to match his dyed black hair and dark sunglasses, which he wore to counter his shyness and stage fright. 

[Spotify] I Drove All Night

“Go Go Go”, The Lurkers

This way: Go Go Go

The Lurkers are a British punk rock band from Uxbridge, West London. They are notable for being the first group ever on Beggars Banquet Records for whom they released two albums, the first of which charted in the UK Albums Chart, while five singles also charted in the UK Singles Chart. The Lurkers formed late in 1976, the original line-up consisting in Pete Stride on guitar, Pete "Manic Esso" Haynes on drums, Pete "Plug" Edwards on vocals and Nigel Moore on bass. Edwards was replaced by Howard Wall after a few rehearsals, with him becoming the band's road manager. Stride was the band's main songwriter. The band played their first gig at Uxbridge Technical College in December supporting Screaming Lord Sutch to an audience of 10. The band were one of the early punk bands that played live in the first few months of the Roxy Club in London. Moore was swiftly replaced by Arturo Bassick. They supported The Jam in February 1977, Eater in March, and Slaughter & The Dogs in April. 

[Spotify] Go Go Go

“Boy (Go)”, Anton Feir

This way: Boy (Go)

Sad news, Anton Fier has died, June 20, 1956 – September 14, 2022, was an American drummer, producer, composer, and bandleader. He worked in a record store, began drumming, and contributed to recordings by the Styrenes and Pere Ubu. He moved to New York City and got a job at SoHo Music Gallery where he had the chance to talk with musicians.

Answering an ad in the Village Voice, Fier became a member of The Feelies in 1978.

He was in The Lodge (with John Greaves), worked with The Lounge Lizards, was briefly in the Voidoids, and founded The Golden Palominos. The 1978 Pere Ubu EP titled Datapanik in the Year Zero was dedicated to Fier. Fier collaborated extensively with Bill Laswell and also toured and recorded with Hüsker Dü guitarist, vocalist and songwriter Bob Mould. He also played with bassist Jack Bruce and Japanese guitarist Kenji Suzuki on the 1987 album Inazuma Super Session – "Absolute Live!!"

Fier played and recorded on the John Zorn-led album Locus Solus in 1983. They recorded a live album for Zorn's 50th birthday celebration: 50th Birthday Celebration Volume 3 of the 50th birthday series on Tzadik Records. In 1984 he played on Laurie Anderson's Mister Heartbreak.

Here he is with Richard Thompson and Michael Stipe from 1985.

[Spotify] Boy (Go)

“King of Spain”, The Tallest Man on Earth

This way: King of Spain

Kristian Matsson (born 30 April 1983) is a Swedish singer-songwriter who performs under the stage name The Tallest Man on Earth. Matsson grew up in Leksand, and began his solo career in 2006, having previously been the lead singer of the indie band Montezumas. 

Since 2006, Matsson has released five full-length albums and two EPs. He records and produces these in his home, and usually records his voice and guitar together on one track. He is known for his charismatic stage presence. 

He was previously married to Amanda Bergman, also known by the stage name Idiot Wind. Together, they wrote the music for the Swedish drama film Once a Year.

[Spotify] King of Spain

“Flight”, A Certain Ratio

This way: Flight

A Certain Ratio are an English band formed in 1977 in Flixton, Greater Manchester by Peter Terrell (guitar, electronics) and Simon Topping (vocals, trumpet), with additional members Jez Kerr (bass, vocals), Martin Moscrop (trumpet, guitar), Donald Johnson (drums), and Martha Tilson (vocals) joining soon after.

Among the first white indie groups to draw heavy influence from funk as well as disco and Latin percussion, the band were among the first to debut on Tony Wilson's Factory Records in 1979 with "All Night Party," produced by Martin Hannett. During ACR's early years with Factory, they scored seven Top Ten U.K. independent releases, highlighted by "Flight" and "Waterline," and released five albums beginning with The Graveyard and the Ballroom (1979). 

Following late 1980s and early 1990s phases with major-label A&M and Rob Gretton's independent Robs Records, ACR were intermittently active. They returned to the studio for the 2008 album Mind Made Up and since then have continued to perform, with their back catalogue recirculated through an arrangement with Mute Records. ACR continued to perform into the 2020s, and during 2017-2019 expanded, reissued, and anthologised their catalogue once more, this time through Mute Records, through whom they continue to release new recordings.

[Spotify] Flight

“The Bird Charmers Destiny”, Be Bop Deluxe

This way: The Bird Charmers Destiny

Here is an LP that I devoured back in the day. Modern Music is the fourth studio album by English rock band Be-Bop Deluxe from 1976. It was produced by band leader Bill Nelson and producer/engineer John Leckie. Be-Bop Deluxe was founded in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, by singer, guitarist and principal songwriter Bill Nelson in 1972. The founding line-up consisted of Nelson, guitarist Ian Parkin, bassist and vocalist Robert Bryan, drummer Nicholas Chatterton-Dew, and keyboardist Richard Brown (who left in December of that year). They started off playing the West Yorkshire pub scene, with one regular venue being the Staging Post in Whinmoor, Leeds. They never played bebop music, but instead came out of the blues-based British rock scene of the late 1960s.

[Spotify] The Bird Charmers Destiny

“Radio Caroline”, Green

This way: Radio Caroline

This band is some kind of perfect. Chicago band from the 80s. The group was started by Jeff Lescher (guitar and vocals), John Diamond (bass and backing vocals), and John Valley (drums). This lineup recorded the 1984 four-song EP The Name of This Group Is Green and the group's 1986 self-titled debut album, which featured 14 songs, including re-recordings of all four songs from the earlier EP.

Green established themselves via live shows around Chicago and undertook several national tours with the assistance of manager Cindy Illig. In 1986, Diamond and Valley elected to leave the band as Lescher announced plans for a national tour. Recruited from local music papers and from among their Chicago fan base were new bassist Ken Kurson (who had his own band, Circles, and later fronted The Lilacs), rhythm guitarist Stuart Shea, and drummer Rich Clifton. Shea departed following a brief U.S. tour, and the remaining three-piece recorded Elaine MacKenzie, including the tracks "Heavy Metal Kids", "She Was My Girl", and "Radio Caroline."

[Spotify] Radio Caroline

“Carcass”, Siouxsie and the Banshees

This way: Carcass

Near perfect LP, The Scream from 1978. Siouxsie and the Banshees were a British rock band, formed in London in 1976 by vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and bass guitarist Steven Severin. They have been widely influential, both over their contemporaries and with later acts. 

Their debut album The Scream was released in 1978 to widespread critical acclaim. Following membership changes, including the addition of guitarist McGeogh and drummer Budgie, they radically changed their musical direction and became one of the most successful alternative pop groups of the 1980s. Their third album Kaleidoscope (1980) peaked at number 5 in the UK Albums Chart. With Juju (1981) which also reached the top 10, they became an influence on the emerging gothic scene. In 1988, the band made a breakthrough in North America with the multifaceted album Peepshow, which received critical praise. With substantial support from alternative rock radio stations, they achieved a mainstream hit in the US in 1991 with the single "Kiss Them for Me".

During their career, Siouxsie and the Banshees released 11 studio albums and 30 singles. The band experienced several line-up changes, with Siouxsie and Severin being the only constant members. They disbanded in 1996, with Siouxsie and Budgie continuing to record music as the Creatures, a second band they had formed in the early 1980s. In 2004, Siouxsie began a solo career.  

[Spotify] Carcass

“It's Going to Happen!”, The Undertones

This way: It's Going to Happen!

"It's Going to Happen!" is a song originally written and recorded by Northern Irish band the Undertones. The song was written in the winter of 1980 and recorded at Wisseloord Studios in the Netherlands in January, 1981. "It's Going to Happen!" was the eighth single released by the band, and the second single released to be co-written by lead guitarist Damian O'Neill and bassist Michael Bradley. 

Unlike any of the previous singles released by the Undertones, the majority of which focused on teenage angst and romance, "It's Going to Happen!" was partly written in reference to the 1981 hunger strikes in Northern Ireland. The single is also notable for its inclusion of brass instruments in the recording.

The song was selected by EMI to be released as a single prior to the Undertones' 3rd LP, Positive Touch, and was subsequently released on 21 April 1981, two weeks before the release of Positive Touch. The single reached number 18 in the UK Singles Chart on 24 May, and would also reach number 10 in the Irish Singles Chart.

[Spotify]  It's Going to Happen!

“Across That Fine Line”, Nation of Language

This way: Across That Fine Line

Nation of Language are an American indie pop band which formed in Brooklyn, New York in 2016. The group consists of Ian Richard Devaney (lead vocals, guitar, synthesizer, percussion), Aidan Noell (synthesizer, backing vocals), and Michael Sue-Poi (bass guitar). Alex MacKay of Cutouts was the touring bassist during the band's 2022 tour.

Devaney and Sue-Poi were both members of the Static Jacks, but the band became inactive after the release of their second album. Devaney was inspired to start a new project after hearing "Electricity" by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark in his father's car, a track he listened to in his childhood. What started out as Devaney "fooling around" on a keyboard later evolved into Nation of Language, with the addition of Devaney's partner Noell and former Static Jacks bandmate Sue-Poi.

[Spotify] Across That Fine Line

[Cool live] Across That Fine Line