Shanies: Rookie of the Year

Well it's official. Given that my last post on this blog was my 2015 Album of the year... this little corner of the web is truly relegated to a once-a-year rant. That said, these few beautiful days we get free around the holidays afford me the time to shoot my mouth off on the internet about how much more I know about music that you do.

Let's start with the one that's always a bit awkward, since very few bands are ever born into notoriety within a year. And while these guys got their start in little 'ol Bristol back in 2012, it wouldn't be until 2016 that they'd release their debut full length, Lions. They're 60's fuzz meets modern swagger and the only thing eclipsed by their energy is their epic riffage. This is a "Shane band" through and through and I for one can't wait to see where these guys go with their sophomore effort.

So a rousing round of applause goes to my 2016 Rookie of the Year, Tax the Heat. Check the noise below.


-Ripped apart by playing cards yet smiling all the way.

Backward Sound Forward

I've been tripping on a lot of old tunes these days - stuff that sounds really grimey but lets the absolute soul shine through. Been listening to a lot of old blues recordings, gritty acoustic stuff and early rock and roll.

Today was a day of obsessively listening to The Sonics. One of the original 60s garage rock bands, they blew up out of Washington and arguably laid the groundwork for future generations of grunge rockers. They played a lot of covers and blues/rock standards, however, they played them with such fury and intensity that I don't think anyone would have really called them on it.

As an aside, some of you may recognize the song below from another one of my obsessions, The Black Keys. While the keys did a monster cover of this song in 2003, I prefer the Sonic's version. However, the original song was actually an old R&B number by Richard Berry.

And now you know...


-Go right ahead, deliver me in chains