SXSW 2020 Playlist

The first band I saw at SXSW 2019 was Black Midi

Missing Austin

So, I had a reservation to leave from Newark for Austin at 12:25pm today for South By Southwest. On March 6th, the city of Austin declared a local disaster and effectively canceled the festival. A little while later, I canceled my reservation.

It was the right call, clearly, to cancel the festival. There just would have been too many people, from too many different places to which they'd all eventually return, converging on the city. In light of yesterday's CDC recommendation to limit gatherings to fewer than 50 people, the decision appears even more prudent.

All of that said, I'll miss SXSW Music this year. For someone like me, the opportunity to walk from my hotel to hundreds of performances over the course of the week is like heaven. There's a large and overbearing corporate presence throughout South By Southwest; but, despite my usual aversion to such things, that doesn't in any way take away from my ability to enjoy the sight of a band or solo performer laying it all on the line for an audience.

None of that is too big of a problem for me. The cancellation of SXSW saved me a bunch of money in airfare and hotel fees. For a large chunk of the Austin economy, though, this has been a disaster. The Austin Community Foundation has set up the Stand with Austin Fund "to receive charitable donations to support nonprofits assisting individuals and small businesses most negatively impacted by the cancellation of SXSW and least able to recover on their own."

Additionally, you can help out artists and provide yourself with some entertainment while social distancing at home by purchasing some of your favorite bands' music from their labels, their websites, or their Bandcamp pages.

Finally, and more generally, you can check out some of the organizations listed at Charity Navigator if you'd like to help with relief efforts.

Ok ok ok, now to the point.

Here's a playlist that I made very quickly by going through the list of official showcasing artists at SXSW 2020. There's probably a very slim chance that I would have gotten to experience all of these bands, and there were also tons of unofficial shows or new bands on official bills that I would have discovered during the week that, obviously, don't appear here. Check this out as you work from home or whatever and, maybe, buy some of the music you enjoy.

Stay well. Wash your hands.

Email Playlist, Volume 11

Drinking Boys and Girls Choir from Daegu, South Korea

Summer 2019

OKOKOK! I know it's been a while.

I kinda let the inbox get away from me this time, but I have done the digging. Here are some of the most interesting things I came across from about June until now. There's the polarizing new stuff from Sleater-Kinney. Lots of music from artists I saw at Merge 30. New stuff from friends in Lowlight, Grasser (Biff!), where is my spaceship, Sammy Kay, Sean Kiely, Trying, The Anderson Council. Very cool discoveries from H. Kink, Drinking Boys & Girls Choir, and GRLwood.

I went a little crazy, and this one is over 4 hours long. You can take it with you to the beach or let it soundtrack your next barbecue. Enjoy!

And, now that I'm almost at INBOX ZERO, maybe I can start doing some real posts again.

Moon Playlist

Laura Stevenson, probably singing "Telluride," at the Lanes back in 2013.

Tranquility

Here's a playlist to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the very first human steps on the moon. My dad used to tell me about how he was out walking the dog on July 20th, 1969, looking up at the moon and thinking how amazing it was that there were people up there.

I tried to include some of the most obvious ones, some less obvious ones, and some less obvious renditions of the obvious ones. Mostly, though, this was just an excuse for me to include Laura Stevenson's "Telluride," a song about how clearly fake the moon landing was.

Anyway...

Enjoy. Stay cool.

Not The Smiths Playlist

Johnny Marr at The Stone Pony in 2014

While We Process Things

Morrissey's always been kind of a professional troll. Moz has a right to his beliefs, and he's got a right to support whatever far-right parties in the UK align most closely with his personal beliefs. For many fans, though, recent statements like "Everyone ultimately prefers their own race" have made it difficult to reconcile their love of The Smiths with Morrissey's current ickiness.

With that in mind, I've created this "Not The Smiths" playlist to hold us all over while we process things. It contains songs that sound like The Smiths, that give off an overall Smiths vibe, or just feature Johnny Marr. It was fun compiling this as the activity had me looking back over the blog for albums and songs that I enjoyed over the years and kind of forgot about. I've made it collaborative, so feel free to add to it.

I absolutely love The Smiths. A friend said to me yesterday, "The music is still ours;" and -- for the record -- that's where I tend to come down.

Anyway...

Here you go. Happy Friday.

Email Playlist, Volume 10

Titus Andronicus announced the release of An Obelisk with single "(I Blame) Society."

April

I didn't forget. Just been lazy and a little under the weather the last few days. Lots of interesting stuff here from lots of albums that have already come out.

Email Playlist, Volume 9

Thayer Sarrano from Athens, GA released Wings Alleluia in March.

March

Wow. Between travels to North Carolina and Texas, March was a month where I really fell behind. On top of that, I don't think I've been being particularly honest with myself or anyone else about how hard it's been for me to maintain focus the last few months.

Anyway...

After this big inbox purge, I'll do my best to stay on top of things. This month we get a megaton of tracks from Thayer Sarrano, Ibibio Sound Machine, NGHTMRE & A$AP Ferg, Modest Mouse, Middle Kids, The Down & Outs, Trying, Taylor Janzen, Filthy Friends, and lots more.

Email Playlist, Volume 8: SXSW Edition

Rock or Die VI poster by Sarah Ver Hoeve

Austin-Bound

The inbox has just been bursting as the annual South By Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas approaches. I always check the little box that says I'd like to have artists send me their stuff; and, hoo boy, do they ever.

Here's a playlist I put together featuring a bunch of artists heading down to SXSW for the Music Festival portion of the conference from 3/11-3/17. We'll be presenting a showcase of our own in Austin on 3/14 at Hard Luck Lounge along with our buds at Little Dickman Records, and you can check out some of those artists here.

I fly out bright and early tomorrow. Keep your eye on this space for regular content from Rosi and me. Also, follow us on Instagram (@cooldadmusic, @rosi_music79) for updates throughout the day.

In the meantime, enjoy this playlist. You'll recognize some old friends and, hopefully, meet some new favorites. If you'll be down in Austin, stop by Hard Luck Lounge on 3/14; and I'll buy you a Topo Chico.

Email Playlist, Volume 7

January 2019

Here's the most interesting stuff from the inbox for January. We get the returns of The Drums and Mekons, some great discoveries (for me, anyway) from NO WIN, Du Blonde, and get a life. Plus, Beach Slang, PUP, Royal Trux, The Steve Adamyk Band, Masked Intruder, Better Oblivion Community Center, Soccer Mommy, and more.

Enjoy.

@BandOnTheRoad Seeking Submissions

Getting the Word Out

Community is hugely important to independent musicians. Without the muscle of a huge label or distributor behind them, many touring bands rely on connections and word of mouth to gain traction in the wider world. Some good friends of ours have, in their own small way, begun trying to help out with those efforts.

So...

Attention, touring bands! Our friends over at @BandOnTheRoad are here to help you spread the news about upcoming tours and projects. According to the team that run the Instagram account:

Band On The Road is a media company from the perspective of a traveling musician, dedicated to helping hard working independent artists promote their tours and projects. Follow them on Instagram at @bandontheroad. Free submissions for the Band On The Road playlist on Spotify will be open early 2019 via SubmitHub.com. Instagram submissions can be sent to bandontheroad.music@gmail.com.

You can give the Instagram account a follow here:

View this post on Instagram

Heavy pop sludge duo and @nashvillescene’s Best Band of 2018 @sadbaxter heads north. . ... 1/30- #Columbus @dirtydungareeslaundromat 01/31- #JerseyCity @petshopjc 02/01- #Brooklyn @goldsoundsbar 02/02- #Philadelphia @everybody_hits 02/09- #Nashville @spewfest ... #heavy #pop #sludge #grunge #melodic #punk #tour #eastcoast #indie #spewfest #bad #ontheroad #vanlife

A post shared by B.O.T.R - Band On The Road (@bandontheroad) on Jan 26, 2019 at 12:22pm PST

And you can check out the current state of the Band on the Road Playlist on Spotify:



I can vouch for the good intentions of the folks over at @BandOnTheRoad, and I can assure you that all of their efforts come from the heart. So, send them your stuff; give them a follow; share their posts; and help them build up a community of bands helping bands.

Henry Lipput -- 2009 / 2019

HENRY'S 2009 PLAYLIST

By Henry Lipput

Last week, CoolDad posted a playlist of music he was listening to in 2009. So I thought it would be fun for me to take a look at what I was listening to and enjoying ten years ago.

I start this playlist with a brief reading from Joe Pernice's soundtrack to his 2009 novel, It Feels So Good When I Stop, that I've sometimes used to begin mix CDs and let listeners know that I may also not always know what I'm talking about but I'm willing to learn. There's also a song from the soundtrack on this playlist. I was surprised to find that a few of the albums I wanted to put on this list aren't on Spotify, especially Robert Forster's The Evangelist, Elvis Perkins's Elvis Perkins In Dreamland, and Music from Prefab Sprout.

Because it's only the beginning of 2019, I've taken the opportunity to include albums that came out in 2008 that I knew that I continued listening to the following year like Nada Surf's Lucky and Electric Arguments by The Fireman (a project of Paul McCartney and producer, Youth).

Two of the biggest musical events for me in 2009 were discovering the debut album from The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart and The Beatles Mono Box. Spotify doesn't have the mono recordings (which I prefer), only the stereo remasters that came out the same year; so I've picked one of those from Revolver. Giles Martin has hinted that the next Beatles remix might very well be Revolver, and that would be awesome.

Email Playlist, Volume 6

New GBV LP is coming next month.

December

Here's the inbox from December. New songs from Guided By Voices, The Specials, and The Faint. An old one from The Spinanes. Sunflower Bean, Lambchop, Vandoliers, Juan Waters, plus lots of other stuff.

You know? No matter how hard I work on emptying that inbox, it just keeps filling up. With SXSW coming up in a couple of months, I'm expecting lots of new stuff to start rolling in.

Henry's 2018 Recap

2018: A Few Of My Favorite Things

By Henry Lipput

When I started to write this 2018 thing, I went through the computer files with my reviews for CoolDad.It was then that I realized that this would be my fifth year-end roundup for Cool Dad. I've been reviewing music here since 2014. I knew it was a while, but it didn't sink in until now. So thanks CoolDad for letting me write about the music I love for this long.

And here's what I've loved in 2018. There are 11 albums, a single, an EP, and a reissue as well as some other releases I also liked and you might want to check out.

I've been very fortunate to get downloads and Soundcloud links to review new releases. This year, when I have really liked an album or single or EP I have bought vinyl and CDs where I had downloads and downloads where I had Soundcloud links.

If you like what I've written about here and listened to the tracks on the included Spotify list, I encourage you to buy some music from these artists. None of these people are superstars (I was going to call this list "A Grammy-Free Zone," but you get the ide.) and don't make much, if any, money from streaming.



ALBUMS

HI LO, Super 8

Super 8, aka Paul Ryan, pulled off a musical hat trick this year by releasing three albums. Any of them (T-T-T-Technicolour Melodies from January, TURN AROUND OR… from June, and HI LO in October) could have topped my list, but I'm choosing HI LO as my favorite. HI LO is a splendid mix of music, moods, and sounds. It also has some of the best lyrics and arrangements (Listen to "Angels & Neil Diamond" and "Drive You Home" for starters) of his three albums. He also wrote and recorded "If Cats Had Hands" (with its wonderful video) and a Christmas song after HI LO was released. As far as I'm concerned Super 8's HI LO is the album of the year. (Futureman Records)

Peaks and Valleys, Chris Richards and the Subtractions

Richards, along with Andy Reed and Keith Klingensmith, make up the power pop trio, The Legal Matters. Richards has been recording with the powerhouse rhythm section of The Subtractions (Todd Holmes on bass and Larry Grodsky on drums and percussion) well before TLM came around. On Peaks And Valleys, Richards brought on Reed for additional guitar and harmonies to create another power pop treasure that includes a brilliant full-band cover of Big Star's "Thirteen." (Futureman Records)

Sincerely, S. Love x, Simon Love

This album is a wonderful pop-fest with a liberal dose of swear words. One of my favorites songs from 2018 is "I Fucking Love You" which begins like a Boo Radleys pop tune from their Wake Up! album, and then slowly morphs into something from Spiritualized. On the flip side of this sentiment is the musical kiss-off and full-throttle rocker that is "Not If I See You First," and the lost love song "Tennis Fan" uses sports analogies to describe a relationship. (Tapete Records)

Kill The Lights, Tony Molina

Kill The Lights has ten songs that all together clock in at a little less than 15 minutes. It's like a meal made up of appetizers, but it's still filling. It may just be my impression that it's a post-breakup album with some glimmers of hope along the way. But it is a guitar-centric album with some very cool riffs that will remind you of The Byrds ("Give He Take You" and "Nothing I Can Say"), Teenage Fanclub ("Jasper's Theme"), and what sounds like a John Lennon song performed by Elliott Smith ("Now That She's Gone"). (Slumberland Records)

Didn't Mean To Care, Susie Blue

The debut album from Northern Irish singer / songwriter, Susie Blue, is a collection of songs that tell the story of her teenage years after coming out. Susie has put together a terrific band of musicians for this album; but, for me, it's really the two, stark, solo acoustic ballads, "Trust Me" and "Till You Started," that really stand out. There's something that Susie does with a lyric that shows her debt to the late, great Dolores O'Riordan and the sound of these songs recalls PJ Harvey's demos.
(Didn't Mean To Care is available as a digital download).

Proto Retro, Dot Dash

Dot Dash is another guitar, bass, and drums trio with a stellar rhythm section comprised in Dot Dash of Hunter Bennett and Danny Ingram. Terry Banks provides lead vocals, terrific lead and rhythm guitars, and also wrote the songs. The album starts with "Unfair Weather," a dig at folks who adopt British lingo ("don't call it a jumper / you know it's a sweater"). It's also a power pop number that rocks as is "Fast Parade." "Gray Blue Green" is another jangle fest, and "Triple Rainbow" is a gorgeous song of love and support. (The Beautiful Music)

Young Scum, Young Scum

Someone I follow on Twitter mentioned this band, and I initially thought they probably were some kind of Sex Pistols wannabes (not that there's anything wrong with that). Instead, Young Scum is a Smiths-loving group from Richmond, Virginia, with jangle to spare. Their lyrics, about hating your job ("Crying At Work") or not knowing what to say to someone you like ("Hard"), are relevant to almost anyone at any age. (Pretty Olivia Records)

Davey Woodward and the Winter Orphans, Davey Woodward and the Winter Orphans

Woodward is a musical mimic who can sing like Lou Reed and Bob Dylan and also write songs that they might have written. His album with the Winter Orphans, a group he put together to record this album in a weekend, has songs that recall VU-era Reed ("Girl In The Hoops") and mid-Sixties Dylan ("Tangerine Dream"). There's also a mashup of the two in "Dylan's Poster" as well as songs in Woodward's own, distinctive voice ("Horrors Cope" and "Trouble In My Times"). (Tapete Records)

Black Box Theory, Gretchen's Wheel

Lindsay Murray is Gretchen's Wheel. On past albums she's brought onboard musicians from The Posies, The Legal Matters, and Nada Surf to help with the recordings. But after her completely solo EP, awry, she felt confident enough to handle everything herself (except for Nick Bertling on drums). Like awry, Black Box Theory uses lower-case letters for song titles which adds to the poetic nature of Murray's lyrics. For example, the melancholy "tourist" could be about the end of a vacation or the end of a relationship or both. (Futureman Records)

LLC, Deal Casino

LLC is Deal Casino's second album in two years. As drummer Chris Donofrio told CoolDad in an interview, the band had stopped "belaboring the pre-recording process," and the result is a fresh and inventive collection of songs. "Color TV" originally showed up as an untitled, acoustic, 4-track demo on the band's Calidus EP from 2017, and it gets a makeover on LLC. The band's adventures in the studio are highlighted by "Chocolate Cake," which ends with an explosion of sound that's somewhere between "Tomorrow Never Knows" and "A Day In The Life." (LLC is available as a digital download).

Construction Time & Demolition, Wreckless Eric

This album is a master class on how rock songs should sound. Eric has been around since the mid-Seventies and was part of Stiff Records' Live Stiffs tour. Many of the songs on Construction Time & Demolition are about time as well as places that don't exist anymore. "Gateway To Europe" borrows sounds from The Kinks' Preservation albums, and "The World Revolved Around Me" recalls Big Star's Third. "Wow & Flutter," one of the album's highlights. has crunching guitars, crashing drums, and a Entwistle-like bass. (Southern Domestic Records)

SINGLE

"Nothing In Your Way," The Magic Es

The Magic Es have released five singles since 2017's It Goes On (my favorite album for that year), and three of them came out in 2018. Of those, my favorite is "Nothing In Your Way" which highlights the band's great sense of dynamics. There's also a terrific video you can check out on YouTube.("Nothing In Your Way" is available as a digital download).

EP

Modern Man, Andy Cook

Modern Man is the Minnesota-based Cook's follow-up to 2017's In Space EP. The songs on Modern Man have been influenced by a genre like 60s surf, 80s pop, or contemporary indie rock. "Swirl," is an indie-pop gem with an earwig of a melody. "Red Lights" has more than a little jangle in the mix and some nice synth flourishes. One of my favorites is Places We'll Go," a lovely, countrified acoustic ballad. (Good Eye Records)

REISSUE

Girly Sound to Guyville, Liz Phair

This is the 25th anniversary release of Phair's landmark and still awesome Exile In Guyville. The original album is given a crisp re-mastering and sounds better than ever. But the best thing about this set is the two CDs that collect the three cassettes that Phair recorded and gave to friends in the early Nineties. It's great to hear early versions of songs like "Bomb" that showed up as "Stratford-On-Guy" on Guyville and "Money" which turned into "Shitloads of Money" on her fantastic whitechocolatespaceegg. (Matador Records)

ALSO ENJOYED

I've also enjoyed albums by Lisa Mychols (Sugar) and Paul McCartney (Egypt Station); singles by Fallon Cush ("Dream House"), Stars ("One Day Left"), Callow Youth ("Rough"), and the cover of "You Can Hide Your Love Forever" by The Fortuna POP! All-Stars (which included Simon Love); EPs from The Nature Strip (Past Pacific) and The Hannah Barberas (there were three plus a Christmas release); Altered Sweet, the Futureman Records tribute to Matthew Sweet; and the Captured Tracks 25th anniversary vinyl-only reissue of Martin Newell's still amazing The Greatest Living Englishman produced by Andy Partridge.

2009 Playlist

10 Years On

So, I don't know if you saw this whole incriminating video of Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) shamelessly dancing to "Lisztomania" by French -- and probably communist -- band, Phoenix. The congresswoman was like 20 or something, and she and a bunch of friends participated in this Internet phenomenon of doing the dance scene from The Breakfast Club to the song. And, to think, this woman is now in congress.

Anyway.

It got me thinking about how good Phoenix's 2009 LP, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, is. That got me thinking about 2009 in general. It's been 10 years; and, now, SiriusXMU's Jenny Eliscu officially considers all music from 2009 to be "Old School."

Here is an old school playlist from the dawn of #CHILLWAVE with a few monster pop hits thrown in (except for the ones about the "Concrete jungle where dreams are made of" that are exclusively available on Tidal). I included "1901" from Phoenix because I always liked it just a little better.

Email Playlist, Volume 5

Photo by Alicia J. Rose

...And Inbox Zero

OK. This one is a biggie. The last two-plus months here at CoolDad Music have been intense, stressful, trying, and immeasurably sad. I'm not anywhere close to "right" yet, and I'm not sure when I will be. Staring down the barrel of thousands of unread emails, though, wasn't helping anything. So, today, I buckled down and clicked on every, single one that's come in since September 13th, 2018.

The result of all of that is the 4.25 hour playlist you have before you. All I can say is that there are a shit ton of worthwhile bands in the world who all deserve at least a moment's worth of your listening time. I couldn't pack all of them into this or I'd never get through it.

Bob Mould, Molly Burch, Superchunk, Sloucher, Spielbergs, Sneaks, Alien Boy, Gandor Chorale, Tank and The Bangas, Girlpool, Matty Carlock, Skating Polly, Weakened Friends, Yowler, and more and more. Occupy yourself with this while I start an album listening marathon in preparation for the end of the year.

Favorite Songs of 2018 Playlist Update

Sweet Spirit put out a couple of new songs recently and reminded me that I haven't updated this in a while.

Keeps Growing

Been real busy and distracted lately, but I've still been listening to music. Here is an update to this year's favorite songs Spotify playlist. Now, maybe, I'll review some of these albums.

We'll see.

North Jersey Indie Rock Festival Happening This Saturday, October 6th, 2018. Here's a Playlist.

Year Three

The North Jersey Indie Rock Festival enters its third year in 2018, and I'm happy to say that CoolDad Music has been there from the beginning. Along with lots of our friends, CoolDad Music is, once again, a sponsor of the festival. The whole thing happens this Saturday, October 6th, at Jersey City's White Eagle Hall.

18 bands, 5 labels, a whole bunch of media sponsors, a new venue -- That all adds up to a pretty damn good day. Here's a quick playlist of the bands that will be playing on Saturday. Come on out and hang with us to get just a taste some of the great things happening in NJ music.

Email Playlist, Volume 4

August

After vacation and a bit of summer laziness, the CoolDad Music inbox was an absolute mess. I spent about 15 straight hours over the last two days getting it all organized and meticulously going through every email back until July 31st. That's resulted in a longer-than-usual monthly email playlist. There is some interesting stuff here.

Songs from Shamir, Baked, Ron Gallo, Erotic Novels, Sunshine & The Rain, Seasaw, Dean Wareham & Cheval Sombre, Jay Som & Justus Proffit, and a whole shit ton of other acts.

I am now at (a bit of an artificial) "inbox zero," and it is the start of a new day. Enjoy this while we see how long that lasts.

Email Playlist, Volume 3

July

It's been another almost-month of emails and news. I spent the last day or so going through all of that to curate another Spotify Email Playlist of some of the stuff that seemed interesting. There are songs here from Pond, Soccer Mommy, Giant Peach, Devon Welsh of Majical Cloudz, Parrot Dream, Waxahatchee, Caleb Brown, The Pull Of Autumn (which features members of Fashion, Throwing Muses, and more), and a whole bunch more.

Not everything that comes through is available on Spotify, though. I did also want to include songs from New Jersey's Dog Date...



And Cincinnati's Vacation...



Enjoy. Hope you're having a good summer.

Email Playlist, Volume 2

June

I'm thinking about, maybe, making this a monthly feature here. It's another trip through the inbox with some interesting stuff from the likes of Eric Bachmann, Free Cake For Every Creature, Lost In Society, Clean Spill, Western Medication, The Rareflowers, and more. This has been a pretty fruitful exercise both times I tried it. I get some damn good stuff over email every, single day.

Just like before, some of these albums / EPs are out already; and some are on the horizon. I'll, personally, look to use this playlist for some much-needed inspiration going forward.

Northside Festival 2018 Playlist

We first met our sisses in Sharkmuffin back at Northside 2014 when I was even worse at photography than I am now.

Back to Brooklyn

It's an annual tradition here at CDMHQ. Northside Festival comes around, and CoolMom -- no matter what company she's working for -- has a business trip that week. That leaves me to juggle dinners, carpools, and trips back and forth to Brooklyn. I usually seem to manage. This year, Rose Lamela will also be covering the fest for us; so we should be able to bring you some interesting stuff.

In advance of Northside Music, which starts on Thursday, June 7th, I've put together a playlist featuring some of this year's showcasing artists. You'll see lots of friends (A Deer A Horse, Sharkmuffin, Looms, Big Bliss), artists on the rise (Snail Mail, Soccer Mommy), and old favorites (Liz Phair, Lou Barlow, Shellshag). I put this together kind of quickly, so it's heavy on artists with whom I'm already very familiar. I hope to make some discoveries as I do every year, though.

Check this out. Let me know about any of your own recommendations. Follow me on instagram at @cooldadmusic and Rosi at @rosi_music79 to see what we get up to this year.