Category: lists

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the chickfactor best of 2025 lists: round five

Photo Credits: AGSFB by Tammi Bailey, Riley & Kim and Mario & Kim by Riley Riley, Rocketship by Playland Studio

Kim Baxter – All Girl Summer Fun Band + Rocketship
Favorite Music Experiences of 2025

I was super lucky and grateful to be included in some amazing music projects & shows in 2025, including:

All Girl Summer Fun Band opening for Bratmobile at Revolution Hall in Portland!

Super fun (and hot) summer backyard show with AGSFB, The Mistons and The “No” 3.

Goofing off, playing music, and writing and recording a song with Riley (Artsick) in her home studio in Seaside, CA.

Getting invited to record vocal harmonies on the new Artsick record and hanging out with Riley and Mario in Mario’s awesome studio in Oakland. I can’t wait for everyone to hear their new album, it’s so great!

Being asked by Dusty to play keyboards and sing in Rocketship. We’ve been practicing all year getting ready to tour in 2026 to celebrate the 30 year anniversary and reissue of A Certain Smile, A Certain Sadness. The songs are so much fun to play and I love playing with Dusty, Nancy & Andy!

Rocketship playing 3 songs for an episode of Playland Studio’s The Big Box Set (playlandstudio.com).

Tracy Wilson

Tracy Wilson – Outer World / Courtesy Desk
In no particular order, here are things in 2025 that brought me great joy:

*Richmond’s Petit Four’s jambon + beurre baguette/my first beef on weck (I also really love visiting Buffalo)

*Kenny’s martini at home/ the fig old fashioned in Memphis at Bar Limina between Gonerfest sets

*Rostov’s Seville orange coffee on the stove after a cold dog walk – we keep it on low heat all December so our house smells incredible all holiday season

*Our rescue dog finally feeling safe enough to sleep soundly in our laps

*A newly renovated/redecorated bedroom and bathroom that feels peaceful yet invigorating.

*Self editing: letting go of things in my my life that no longer served a positive purpose, from bad habits like creating endless to-do lists, to doubles in our record collection, to energy vampire people

*Splurging on getting Veselka delivered to our home for a group of friends on Valentine’s Day and reading love poems out loud between courses.

*Ocean Vuong’s book The Emperor of Gladness that I would suggest to anyone who loves Harold & Maude

*Replacing the gardens around our home with native plants thanks to Ricky at Craft Natives

*Neighborhood friendships with the most incredibly kind, thoughtful, and strong women spanning the ages of 30 something to 70 something.

Tracy’s faves
Dawn Sutter Madell (right) from Agoraphone Music Direction / longtime CF contributor and her plus one, who happens to play in Girl Scout Handbook

Dawn Sutter Madell Top Live shows 2025

Matmos Yoko Ono tribute at The Armory

Fanny tribute featuring Gossip and ESG at Lincoln center

Cindy Lee at Paramount 

Cameron Winter at Carnegie Hall

Pulp at Forest Hills

The Tubs/Wedding Present at Music Hall of Williamsburg

Courtney Barnett at Lucinda’s

Devo at Paramount 

Frankie Cosmos at Union Pool

Chicago Underground Duo at Public Records

Team Dresch at Elsewhere 

Big Thief (ft Laraaji, Hannah Cohen, June McDoom & Alena Spanger) at Forest Hills

Patti Smith at The Met (Philly)

Robyn Hitchcock/Sharp Pins at Bowery Ballroom

Girl Scout Handbook/Off Pink Young Ethel’s 

Here’s a photo of the crow on the Kyoto Imperial Palace grounds before it dive-bombed my head; it felt like I got hit by a basketball. (Photo: Evelyn Hurley)

Evelyn Hurley – Cotton Candy Favorite moments of 2025

2025 was a busy year, but I had some really lovely moments, here are a few of my favorites:

Riding the mail boat along the coast of Portland, Maine. I was visiting Portland, Maine, in January and had an afternoon free. My friend told me that the mail carrying boats make trips every day to all the little islands outside of Portland and you can pay for a boat ride and see all of the charming and isolated islands. So, I took this ride on a chilly winter day, and the water was so shimmery and bright, it was an invigorating, beautiful boat ride, and an exhilarating way to begin the year.

Visiting our son in Taiwan and visiting Japan. We spent two weeks in Asia visiting our son at school in Taiwan, and it was so exciting to be in a culture that I’ve never been in before and experience the sights and sounds of Taiwan. It was especially thrilling to have our son navigate us through the different subways, pathways, night markets, and museums. Our trip to Japan was incredible: visiting record stores in Tokyo, riding the bullet train, getting dive-bombed by a crow at the Kyoto Imperial Palace, seeing an immersive exhibit of Ryuichi Sakamoto, were highlights of an really wonderful trip.

Eating sushi in a Japanese train station. I know it might sound weird to us Americans considering the state of some of our train stations, but my neighbor told me before I went on this trip that eating sushi in the Tokyo train station was something we had to do! So on our last day we ate the most delicious sushi (while standing up,) and I think about this delectable and time conscious lunch experience quite often.

Riding my ebike to and from work. This might be a strange favorite moment(s), but after riding the Boston T for 25 years, dealing with delays and crowds, etc…, and riding a regular 7 speed for the past 15 years and dealing with the wind and heat, I bought an Ebike this past spring. I was not prepared for the convenience and ease of zipping to and from work along the beautiful North End waterfront bike trail, and looking at the Bunker Hill Monument throughout the year was a thrilling (almost daily) event for me. Highly recommend.

Here’s my Ebike, my favorite 2025 purchase (Photo: Evelyn Hurley)

Stewart Anderson – Boyracer Ten heavy rotations from 2025

WET LEG moisturizer (Domino)

PUPPET WIPES live inside (Siltbreeze)

HELENE BARBIER panorama (Bonsound)

ESSENDON AIRPORT mor (Chapter Music)

BUNNY AND THE LAKERS numbers (Zaius Tapes)

SPARKS mad (Transgressive)

THE MOTORCYCLE BOY peel session (Precious)

LEBANON HANOVER asylum lullabies (Fabrika)

TONY MOLINA on this day (Slumberland)

JESUS AND MARY CHAIN psychocandy 4 X LP reissue (Third Man)

Kristin Thomson – Tsunami  Best live moments in 2025

I’m not sure how many bands I saw in 2025. More than 70 for sure. Here’s what I enjoyed the most:

  • MJ Lenderman, Franklin Music Hall, Philadelphia.
    Saw MJ just as he stepped up to the 2000+ size venues. So languid, so compelling. Excellent players in his band.
  • Wednesday, Union Transfer, Philadelphia.
    Speaking of MJ, Wednesday’s show supporting their album Bleeds spanned lots of their recorded output. Ferocious guitar sounds.
  • TAKAAT, Jerry’s on Front, Philadelphia
    Stuffed into the very tiny Jerry’s for the trancelike guitars and drums from the Mdou Moctar crew.
  • Pinback and Hammered Hulls, Underground Arts, Philadelphia.
    Two nights! I missed seeing Pinback in the early 2000s so I was captivated by their intricate songs and great vocals.
  • Team Dresch, First Unitarian Church, Philadelphia.
    So delighted to see these queercore icons out playing shows again! Like many on this list, they were in fine form.
  • Gang of Four, Turner Hall, Milwaukee.
    A band I never thought I’d get to see, to the point I flew to Milwaukee so I could catch this final tour. Ted Leo and Gail Greenwood were the PERFECT musicians to join original members. Taut, political, perfectly executed.
  • Chimers, Union Transfer, Philadelphia.
    The Saints and Pissed Jeans were great, but I really loved Australia’s two-piece Chimers. Driving guitar and drums.
  • The Lemon Twigs, Ottobar, Baltimore.
    I love them so much. I saw them in Tokyo in January, but this road trip to Baltimore was much more fun. They finished the set with a note-perfect cover of “Good Vibrations” in tribute to the recently-departed Brian Wilson.
  • Lifeguard, Warehouse on Watts, Philadelphia.
    Only a few days after the release of their album Ripped and Torn (my fave album of 2025). Another band that has tapped into the best of British post-punk and Mission of Burma.
  • Lambrini Girls, Underground Arts, Philadelphia.
    I’d seen enough online footage to know what to expect, but they were amazing. Unapologetically political. Crowdsurfing out to hold onto ceiling pipes, building a human pyramid in the pit, ripping through their songs. A+++
  • Wand, Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia.
    Lots of jam band fans seem to show up at these Wand shows. Huge range, and always so compelling.
  • Holy Rollers, St Stephens Church, Washington, DC
    The Positive Force 40th anniversary show was their first show in over 35 years and they were *incredible*. 90’s Dischord political band that is so urgent, so necessary.
  • Ink and Dagger, First Unitarian Church, Philadelphia
    The basement had been transformed into a creepy dungeon with spray painted bedsheets on the walls and ceiling. Lights off, except for chaotic strobes and flashes, the band, covered in ghoul paint, absolutely ripped.
  • Unwound, First Unitarian Church, Philadelphia.
    Playing their 1995 album The Future of What (and nothing else), Unwound was tight, disciplined and unforgiving in its ferociousness.
  • Mekons, Magic Bag, Ferndale, MI.
    I was going to miss the Mekons show in Philly, so Jenny Toomey and I journeyed to Detroit to see them supporting their new album, Horror!  I mean, it’s the full Mekons!!

These hold a special place in my rock and roll heart:

  • Pile, Underground Arts, Philadelphia.
    Why was this the first time I’d seen this band?? Boston’s Pile hints at all the bands I love in the Unwound/Hot Snakes/Jehu lexicon. Blistering, political, unpredictable.

  • Eno on Four Screens, Athens, NY.
    Each viewing of the Eno documentary is different. I mean that. It’s sequencing the clips in real time as you watch it. Now, imagine seeing it playing on four drive-in movie screens at once, each of them playing a different version of the movie. This was amazing on so many levels.
     
  • Rocket From the Crypt and Superchunk, House of Blues, San Diego.
    What’s more fun than RFTC and Superchunk? Together? How about seeing them on Halloween!

  • Peter Schickele Memorial Concert, New York, NY.
    Curated by his daughter Karla (Ida, Beekeeper) and populated with an incredible range of musicians, this loving look at Schickele’s body of work included everything from clever jingles for the classical radio station, to pieces written for 10 bassoons, to a giant singalong at the end.

  • Every show that Tsunami played with Ida on the Coin Toss tour. I think the show at Polaris Hall in Portland was the most special.

  • Scrawl, Deep Cuts, Medford, MA.
    I love Scrawl so much!! This was the first of three shows with Tsunami drummer Luther Gray on the tubs and they were having such a good time. MORE SCRAWL IN 2026 PLEASE.

Stefan Zachrisson As Chickfactor’s Stockholm correspondent I give you my top 10 Swedish music of 2o25. Click on the links, listen to the music, and support the musicians and labels:

Art Longo – Echowah Island (LP, Cracki)

Sternpost – My Silent Dream (song from forthcoming LP unworld.afterpop on Concrentric Circles)

Waterbaby – Beck n Call (single, Sub Pop)

Länge Leve – Jazz på lesbiska (EP, PACAYA) 

Andreas Tilliander & Goran Kajfes – In Cmin (LP, Kontra-Musik)

Civilistjävel! & Mayssa Jallad – Marjaa: the Battle of the Hotels (Versions) (LP, Six Of Swords/Ruptured)

Mythologen – Eurovision (LP, YEAR0001)

World Of Dog – Chihuahua Sunrise (single, Excellent Spaces)

Various artists – Solidaritet med Gazas barn (a digital mixtape with songs from Jens Lekman, Sternpost, Sarto et al, Zeon Light)

Blessings 2 Go – This Stance (single, Correspondence)

Min skugga – Min skugga (LP, Kopotikop)

JJULIUS –  VOL. 3 (LP, Mammas Mysteriska Jukebox/DFA)

Follow Facit, the weekly Substack newsletter from me and my friends, for further musical advice.

Head to our link here to read all five rounds of lists + two extras from Rob Pursey (Heavenly, Skep Wax, etc.) and photographer Theresa Kereakes

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the chickfactor best of 2025 lists: round four

Jed and Alicia at CF30, Union Pool, Oct. 2022 (Photo: Gail O)

Jed Smith – Jeanines

Cindy Lee’s “Diamond Jubilee”. It didn’t come out in 2025 but I don’t think I heard it until earlier this year. It’s a fantastically inspiring piece of work that has lit a renewed creative fire under me.

“I Saw the TV Glow” Again, it came out in 2024 but I don’t think I got to it until this last spring. It has become one of my favorite films of the past 20 years at least. Wears its influences tastefully while still being utterly unique in tone and tenor.

Tony Molina “On This Day” We had a wonderful tour with Tony and Lightheaded this fall, and the new album is absolutely gorgeous. Tony is a masterful songwriter and guitarist.

Lightheaded “Thinking, Dreaming, Scheming” Good pals of ours who just happen to make some of the best guitar pop on the planet. Cynthia’s songwriting reminds me of Linton’s in a lot of ways, with these beautiful, sometimes baroque arrangements and harmonic structures, and Stephen’s lyrics are really evocative and often really moving.

Cassie Ramone “Sweetheart” Cassie G’s new album is absolutely stunning. She’s a real one.

Massage “Coaster” Another wonderful slice of dreamy guitar pop mastery. Great folks, great band.

Time Thief “Time Thief” Our Providence pals put out this terrific and way too short album this year. RIYL Weirdo pop.

James by Percival Everett   Could have been a high-concept slog in lesser hands. I mean, much…. lesser hands. Everett is one of the greatest living writers.

Tsunami / Photo: Janice Headley

Janice Headley (CF, KEXP, team YLT, etc.) 

https://www.brooklynvegan.com/yo-la-tengo-had-scrawl-ana-gasteyer-joe-mcginty-gary-gulman-for-hanukkah-night-3-pics-setlist/

• first and foremost, our beautiful cats who brighten every minute of every day: ribbon, marlys, and maybonne

• the ida / tsunami coin toss tour, which brought me to tears of joy and then fits of laughter (usually at dan’s endearing stage banter)

• tortoise playing with the chicago philharmonic, and the way their collaboration transformed songs i’ve known and loved for decades (sending wishes into the universe for a live album release in 2026?)

• ‘we’ll prescribe you another cat’ by syou ishida

• the lonely island & seth meyers podcast

• the nooworks gentilhomme collection, which reminds me of curtains i had in my childhood bedroom

• cherished time with the mazzucco/watling family in san diego back in the spring

• the ruth asawa retrospective at SF moma

• seeing scrawl for the first time ever, not once but TWICE this year — after being a fan for 30 years

  • finally, our wonderful friends — thank you thank you thank you

Rebecca Odes

Things I liked this year 

stuff I listened to:

Pacific Theme, Mdou Moctar + Michael Colton

Animaru, Mei Semones

Phonetics On and On, Horsegirl

You, Eliza Noxon

It’s a Beautiful Place, Water From Your Eyes

stuff I read :

Banal Nightmare, Halle Butler

On the Calculation of Volume, Solvej Balle

I Feel Famous, Angela Jaeger

Rejection, Tony Tulathimutte

My First Book, Honor Levy

stuff I watched:

Mastermind, Kelly Reichardt

John Proctor is the Villain

Adolescence

Dying for Sex

Such Brave Girls

South Park?

other stuff:

The Pathfinder hemp spirit

D.S. & Durga I Don’t Know What leave-in conditioner (RIP)

Le Bon Shoppe pants

Fruit Riot!

Nancy lounging in an extremely comfortable Eero Aarnio Ball Chain in the amazing Oodi Central Library in Helsinki.

Nancy Novotny – DJ Gilliflower

Exhibition: Ithell Colquhoun at Tate St. Ives, Cornwall, UK

Exhibition: Ruth Asawa at SFMOMA, San Francisco, CA

Concert: Lau Nau at Kirpilä Art Collection, Helsinki, Finland

Concert: Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek at Tractor Tavern, Seattle, WA

Film: Agnès Varda Forever Festival at Clinton Street Theater, Portland, OR

Film: Gut Instinct (directed by my friend, Doug Dillaman) at Clinton Street Theater, Portland, OR

Comedy: Bruce McCulloch’s Tales of Bravery & Stupidity, Aladdin Theatre, Portland, OR

Food: Shizen (Vegan Sushi) on my birthday, San Francisco, CA

Miscellaneous: Thrift Shopping in Finland (my happy place)

Miscellaneous: Singing with Portland Sacred Harp at the grand opening of the new wing of Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR

Miscellaneous: Seeing the current live lineup of Rocketship come together and being part of it (on bass)!

Sukhdev Sandhu: What I listened to in 2025

Mostly Roberto De Simone, Quant’e Bello Lu Murire Acciso (RCA)

But also –

Lauten der Seele, Unterhaltungen mit Larven und Überresten (World of Echo)

Saint Etienne, International (Heavenly)

Teppana Jänis & Arja Kastinen, Teppana Jänis (Death Is Not The End)

Bill Wells Presents: Maher Shalal Hash Baz, Tenniscoats, KAMA AINA and Kazumi Nikaido Live in Scotland (Bison)

Pablo Mirón, Tom Val – So Far From Dreams (No label)

The Humble Bee, Morning Music (Dauw)

Brannten Schnüre, Landschaft Aus Tränen (Quirlschlängle)

Avril A, Housewife Superstar (Memory Dance)

Essendon Airport, MOR (Chapter Music)

Rachel Blumberg – Field Drums / Arch Cape

Music Moments  That Moved My Heart/Inspired Me in 2025 that I can remember RIGHT NOW….

Learned….
School of Song Brian Eno songwriting class

Played….
Arch Cape Show opening for Matmos at Holocene

Field Drums show with Franklin Bruno and friends and Big Top at My Vinyl Underground.

Tami Hart and Kaia at Turn Turn Turn

Michael Hurley Memorial at Cherry sprout park with a bevy of Portland artists including Toody Cole (Dead Moon) and us Croakers

Laurelthirst – Jan 24, 2025- possibly the last time I ever played with Michael Hurley before he left this realm for the cosmic one.

Califone- Baby’s All Right- NYCOld Unconscious- Laverne’s- PDX

Went To…
Claire Rousay show at Holocene

Marisa Anderson and Brìghde Chaimbeul show at Holocene

Tsunami/Ida/TJO/Retsin at Polaris Hall

Family Reunion 2025 – all of it.

One more not music related …
Hiking around Lake Superior, Grand Marais, Minnesota.

And likely so many more I can’t remember right now.

Wishing you all peace, happiness, and health

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the chickfactor best of 2025 lists: round three

Stephin Merritt – The Magnetic Fields
Movies: 

Art Spiegelman: Disaster Is My Muse 

Echo Valley 

Homemade Gatorade 

It Was Just an Accident 

The Last Republican 

Peaches Goes Bananas 

Pee-Wee As Himself 

Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass 

Secret Mall Apartment 

This Unremarkable Life 

Riley Riley (Artsick) favs of 2025:

Misc:

Joshua Tree National Park with my family

Shooting with my Hasselblad again

Recording with Mario

Kim Baxter harmonies

Cuddles with my dogs

Music:

Tony Molina (On This Day)

Galore (Dirt)

The Cords

The Telephone Numbers (Scarecrow II)

Books:

Teenage Daydream by Debsey Wykes

You & Me Against The World: 2 Women, 5 Bands, 80’s

Edinburgh by Saskia Holling

Podcasts:

MENOPUNKS Podcast by Alicia J. Rose

Good Luck With That: A Podcast About Skateboarding by Ashley Rehfed, Alex White and Nora

Vasconcellos

Good Hang by Amy Poehler

Handsome Podcast with Tig Notaro, Fortune Feimster and Mae Martin

Snacks:

Rebel Cheese vegan brie

Bubbies Kosher Dill Pickles

The Paella Mario made at his backyard party

Live shows:

Just A Summer Fling: Remedy & Wren, The Kitchenettes, Ryli

Chappel Roan in LA

Video:

Rocketship live on The Big Box Set

I Love LA on HBO max

Stephen Stec – Lightheaded 

Tour Moments

  1. Having Rob and Amelia from Heavenly drive the band around England, showing monolithic stones and yo-yo tricks to Adam, Cynthia, Madison, and I for a week straight.
  2. My one afternoon with Mt Misery in Glasgow made my whole year worth it.
  3. Late night hangs with Kenji and Adam at Kenjis flat will hopefully replay on my deathbed, I will never forget falling asleep on Kenjis couch to some of the best music I had never heard.
  4. The incredible hospitality of Emanuel, Jeremie, and Hadrien in Paris, and walking out to open our show to a completely packed and sold out Supersonic.
  5. Rachel Love giving me a Dolly Mixture cd in Brighton made me cry almost immediately upon delivery lol

Releases

Aside from all the excellent slumberland releases, like the ones from our tourmates Jeanines and Tony Molina, I listened to the new records by these bands a lot (in alphabetical order!)

Alley Girl

Betty Brite

Jobber

Paper Jam

Playland

Sharp Pins

Winter

WPTR

Cynthia Rittenbach – Lightheaded

Chess

Paris

Chess in Paris

The gym

Touring

Alan Turring

Autocamper and Betty Brite

Tape machine getting fixed

Mei Semones (via Bandcamp)

Gail O – chickfactor editor in chief
Nina Nastasia at Show Bar
Stuart Murdoch book event and solo set at Polaris Hall
Michael Hurley Memorial at Cherry Sprout
Gina Birch at Mississippi Studios 

Saint Etienne – International
Sharp Pins – Balloon Balloon Balloon
Brian Bilston and the Catenary Wires – Sounds Made by Humans
Jeanines – How Long Can It Last
Edith Frost – In Space
Destroyer – Dan’s Boogie
Mei Semones – Animaru
Horsegirl – Phonetics On and On
Edwyn Collins – Nation Shall Speak Unto Nation
Marissa Nadler – New Radiations
Robert Forster – Strawberries
Telephone Numbers – Scarecrow II
Dean Wareham – That’s the Price of Loving Me
William Tyler – Time Indefinite
The Real Tuesday Weld – Crow at Christmas
Flinch. – Misery Olympian
The Clientele – Violet Hour on vinyl
Salem 66 – Salt
glo-worm – glimmer on vinyl
The Motorcycle Boy Peel Session
Railcard – Railcard EP
John Roseboro
Shouting Out Loud: Lives of the Raincoats (Audrey Golden)
Teenage Daydream: We Are the Girls Who Play in a Band (Debsey Wykes)
Futsal
Soccer City USA
USWNT
The American people saying HELL NO to this shit
Portland, Oregon – deserves the Nobel Peace Prize
A tough year even beyond the kakistocracy shitshow. I hated missing Sarah Cronin’s wake, YLT Hanukkah, Dromfest/Salem 66 songs, and a few other things, but it is what it is.
RIP, Sarah and Shay 

Franklin Bruno
It’s been decades since I listed, much less ranked, my top records of the year; I discover or rediscover so much older music through reissues or just crate-digging that I’ve stopped distinguishing past and present as a listener. But I can tell you about 24+ excellent shows I saw in 2025: two per month, roughly one rock/pop/“indie” and one jazz/improv/experimental, plus a few outliers. (NYC unless noted.)

Eljin Marbles, The Pick-Ups, Girls on Grass; Sanger Hall, 1/18

Susan Alcorn; Zürcher Gallery, 1/21

The Love Hangover (about 15 artists doing 2-song sets); Berlin Under A, 2/15

Lesley Mok/Lester Saint Louis/Craig Taborn: Bar Bayeux, 2/26

Angela Niescier/Tomeka Reid/Savanna Harris: Jazz Gallery, 3/12

Sloppy Heads; Main Drag Music, 3/14

Nels Cline Consentrik Quartet; Le Poisson Rouge, 4/14

Ida, private show, Laurel Canyon (CA); 4/27

Pomona College Balinese Gamelan; Bridges Hall of Music (Claremont, CA), 5/5

Robyn Hitchcock, Emma Swift, Philosophical Research Society (L.A.); 5/14

Sam Newsome/Anthony Coleman/Brandon Lopez/Nick Neuberg; Bar Bayeux, 6/18

Bug Club, Omni; Bowery Ballroom, 6/26

Mekons, Johnny Dowd; Bowery Ballroom and White Eagle Hall, 7/17-18

Matt Mitchell, trio w/ Kim Cass/Ches Smith, and solo; The Stone, 7/16 and 19

[Wild Card: “Weird Al” Yankovik/Puddles Pity Party; Madison Square Garden 7/12]

Tie: Open Hand, Landowner, Editrix; Union Pool 8/9 and Sable, Room de Dark, Sotto Voce; Bar Freda, 8/22

Gabrielle Stravelli Trio; Mezzrow, 8/12

[Wild Card: Lucinda Williams, Wilco, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson; Jones Beach, 8/1]

Haircut 100, Chao; Sony Hall, 9/24 

Cecile McLorin Salvant w/ NY Philharmonic; Lincoln Center, 9/25

Stereolab, Dorothea Paas; Brooklyn Steel 10/2

Sullivan Fornter/David Virelles/Kris Davis; Jazz Gallery, 10/4

[4-way tie]

Anthony Braxton, Composition No. 101 and Syntactical Ghost Trance Music, Roulette; 11/5

[Ahmed], Billy Steigers; Cafe OTO (London), 11/12

Ed Kuepper & Jim White, Mick Harvey; TV Eye 11/17

Tiers de Familia, The Scene Is Now, Deerfrance; Francis Kite Social Club, 11/22

Jonathan Paik/Shogo Yamagishi/Max Nguyen; Close Up, 12/14

Stephen Prina, For The People (of New York), and w/ David Grubbs; MoMa, 12/4 and 12/13

I can’t really list shows I played myself, but I have to put in a word for the absurdly talented people I made music with in 2025: my bandmates in The Human Hearts (Bob Bannister, Pete Galub, Matt Houser); Tsunami, our touring partners Ida, and onstage guests including Richard Baluyut, Clint Conley, Kate Pierson, Sally Timms, and Bob Weston; Laura Cantrell and the States of Country band (Jeremy Chatsky, Kenny Kosek, Mark Spencer); Beth Kaplan (of Salem 66) and Chris Brokaw. Career — no, lifetime — highlight: sitting in with Scrawl (Union Pool, 9/1) to play keyboards on Magazine’s “Song From Under the Floorboards” with Scrawl (Union Pool, 9/1). 

Read round one
Read round two
Read Theresa Kereakes’ list
Read Rob Pursey’s list of his top tees

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the chickfactor best of 2025 lists: round two

Bridget St. John playing at chickfactor’s Mon Gala Papillons at London’s Bush Hall, 2004. Photo: Gail O’Hara

Bridget St. John: many things I adore 2025

• my three cats – ever loving ever grateful

• the 30+ sparrows who gather beneath my window every morning for black sunflower seeds – ever thankful

• recording and then performing with Wilie Aron, Emily Wittbrodt & David Nagler at The Bitter End

• the FolkEast Festival – such a generous vibe…meeting Sandy Denny’s daughter, Georgia…playing with Jon Wilks… hanging with Diana Matheou… and in the company of my daughter and niece

• attending a Brooklyn Cyclones baseball game

• playing The Chapel, SF, and McCabes, Santa Monica, during the April tour with Evie Sands and her stellar band

Jim + cat

Jim Ruiz

The 7 foster kittens and their mother who tore up both our house, and our hearts, last summer. 

Bunty – mother (née Lee Wiley)

Louis Armstrong (pictured)

Frank Sinatra

Gladys (née Blossom Dearie)

Chet Baker

Billie Holiday

Hoagy Carmichael

Bing Crosby

John Jervis – WIAIWYA

Sarah Cronin – Sarah’s death cast a large shadow over an already shadowy year, terrible and unfair and a huge loss… I suspect this won’t be the only time she is mentioned in this year’s lists, as is only right and proper.

Poker Face – Columbo meets the Littlest Hobo starring a live action version of the girl from Brave, and who could ask for anything more. It’s great!

Italian exploitation soundtracks- Still banging on about these, especially those that live in the creepy house between disco and krautrock, with Edda Dell’Orso preempting Liz Fraser in the flat upstairs – there’s a massive (it’s about 8 hours at the moment) playlist here for anyone interested (sorry for big green music machine link)

New music from old bands – Pulp! Stereolab! Allo Darlin! All still wonderful and so much easier than hunting down new bands that sound a bit like them… and new Heavenly next year too!

True Grit Texture Supply – essential and ubiquitous brushes, tools and effects for your graphics package – have spent a LOT of fun hours playing in that sandpit this year

Plumbers- this year I found a good, reliable, affordable plumber and heating engineer- cannot be overstated.

Sade – I love Sade.

Biscuits – yes, biscuits – they are brilliant, especially the cheap own brand ones – what are your favourites? Drop a couple of packs into your basket next time you go for a big shop, and treat yourself when you get home – you deserve it (unless you are a fascist, a billionaire, or a POS PUSA – then you don’t)

Mike Slumberland: Here’s my top ten listens of 2025

Dead Famous People – Wild Young Ways (Tiny Global Productions)

Galore – Dirt (Speakeasy Studios)

Makaya McCraven – Off The Record (International Anthem)

Mitch Murder X Pizza Hotline – Anti Gravity Tournament (WRWTFWW)

Natural Information Society – Perseverance Flow (Eremite)

Paper Jam – This And That (self-released)

Saint Etienne – International (Heavenly)

Sault – 10 (Forever Living Originals)

Satoshi Tomiie & Tuccillo – Delta Dubs (20:20 Vision)

Viola Klein – New Chapter (Meakusma)

Brian Nelson (Black Tambourine, Velocity Girl) 

Graphic Novels, Comics, & Books of 2025 (with no particular order or emphasis)

Gilmore Tamny (Weather Weapon, The Mystery, The Yips) 
These are things that interested and engaged me this year, which I’d recommendo. Some of them came out in 2025, some of them I just discovered this year. No particular order.

TV

  • Who Hired the Hitman
  • The Lowdown
  • Hacks
  • The Diplomat
  • Unknown Number: The High School Catfish
  • Heated Rivalry
  • An Update on Our Family
  • Pokerface
  • Mo
  • The Task
  • The Righteous Gemstones
  • Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke
  • The Pitt

MOVIES/SPECIALS

  • The Perfect Neighbor
  • Deaf President Now!
  • Taurasi
  • Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery
  • Fairyland
  • The Wedding Banquet
  • Come See Me in the Good Light
  • The Baltimorons
  • PostMortem, Sarah Silverman
  • Why Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Halftime Show Is America, Josh Johnson
  • Happy Gilmore II
  • Sorry Baby
  • The Secret Agent

MUSIC/LIVE PERFORMANCE
oof I need to listen to more music, BUT songs I found and liked very much this year and a few live shows:

  • Manchild, Sabrina Carpenter
  • Hold On, Ngozi Family
  • Denial is a River, Doechii
  • Chappell Roan generally
  • Scrawl
  • Ben Hersey, Non-Event show
  • Major Stars release show for More Colors of Sound
  • Ravon Chacon performance, ICA

SOCIALS

TIKTOK

·      abbey.joselyn

·      doggystylinguk

·      kobimcnutt

·      nicoleolived

·      noodyxbums

·      ship_spotting_

·      journeyofjackson

·      yoleendadong

·      dpeezy2099

·      oceanscary4K

·      notoriouscree

INSTA

  • koreydior_
  • olya_with_squirrel
  • african_brutalism

PATREON

  • Christine Mcconells
  • The Cottage Fairy

YOUTUBIO

  • Broadway Barbara
  • That Practical Mom
  • Red Squirrel Studios (for cat enrichment–top notch)

BOOKS (all audiobooks FWIW)

  • The Unfinished Harauld Hughes, Richard Ayoade
  • Spent a Comic Novel, Alison Bechdel
  • The Dead of Winter: Beware the Krampus and Other Wicked Christmas Creatures, Sarah Clegg
  • Birnam Wood, A Novel, Eleanor Catton
  • History Lessons, Zoe B. Wallbrook
  • We Solve Murders, Richard Osman
  • Heartwood, Amity Gage
  • Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man), Jesse Q. Sutanto
  • Generation Darkness, Elizabeth Hand
  • King of Ashes, S.A. Cosby
  • Margo’s Got Money Troubles, Rufi Thorpe
  • Sociopath, Patric Gagne
  • Rental House, Weike Wang
  • Havoc, Christpoher Bollen
  • Creation Lake, Rachel Kushner
  • Perfume and Pain, Anna Dorn
  • Glory Daze, Danielle Arceneaux

PODCAST

  • The Rest is Entertainment (I listened to nearly every single episode)
  • The White Pube
  • Crissle’s Couch
  • The Art Angle
  • Waldy and Bendy
  • Grits and Eggs Podcast (have not kept up but love what I heard)
  • Darknet Diary (selective listening but some NUTS stories)
  • Wisecrack
  • Scamanda
  • The Read
  • I need to listen to AudioFlux
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the chickfactor best of 2025 lists: round one

Ed Mazzucco & Laura Mazzucco (Shelflife Records, Tears Run Rings, Autocollants)
Our new kittens Diego & Mo (pictured above)
The Autocollants Reunion
Japan vacation
Highspire “Crushed”
The Cords
Quickly Quickly “I Heard That Noise”
Stereolab “Instant Holograms On Metal Film”
The Blue Herons “Demon Slayer” single
Vinyl Williams “Portasymphony”
Teenage Daydream book

The Umbrellas are proud to present our top 5 most played songs of tour. Various songs we’ve either heard at gas stations or just can’t seem to get out of our heads. Ever wonder what we are listening to driving up to the gig? It’s likely one of these here tunes.

1) J^ke – “this is what falling in love feels like” (2021)

2) Leikeli47 – “Girl Blunt” (2018)

3) Rascal Flatts – “Life is a Highway” (2006) , but we should mention Tom Cochrane’s original holds a place in our hearts

4) Rich Gang – “Lifestyle” ft. Young Thug, Rich Homie Quan (2014)

5) Chris Lane – “I Don’t Know About You” (2018)

Alicia Hyman (Jeanines)

The new Tony Molina record (On This Day) and touring with Tony Molina and Lightheaded

The Cassie Ramone record from 2024 (Sweetheart)

Biscuit and Heidi (my cats!)

Road tripping with Rob and Amelia (Jeanines/Lightheaded UK tour this past summer)

The End of Romance – Lily Meyer (Feb 2026)

Constantly – GG (graphic novel)

Frannie Choi poetry

My friends Zoë and James and their band Time Thief

Kendall Jane Meade – Photo: Jimmy Pham

Kendall Jane Meade

Best Movie: Train Dreams

Best Live Shows: Hannah Cohen, Oracle Sisters, The Ladybug Transistor, Mekons, Peter, Bjorn & John

Best Tour Memory: Visiting the Frank Lloyd Wright museum and Historic District in Chicago

Best Book: Nice Girls Don’t Win by Parvati Shallow

Best Doc: It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley

Best Reason To Release An Album: I made my album SPACE to process complicated feelings around my divorce, but the best part of the process was that it led me back to growing and nurturing my musical community (not to mention my chops).

Best Songs Of The Year: “Long After Midnight” by Flock of Dimes, “Elderberry Wine” by Wednesday, “My Full Name” by Madison Cunningham and every single song on West End Girl by Lily Allen.

Glenn Donaldson (Reds, Pinks and Purples) 

Music continues to be the only thing worth your time…some 2025 gems:

Vulture Feather – It will be like now

Maxine Funke – Timeless Town

Necks – Disquiet

Husker Du – 1985: The Miracle Year

Swiz – Complete Discography

Dania – Listless

Obscuress – Maltha

Christina Carter – Like a Bayou to its Gulf

Drunk Elk – Clear Skies in Effect

Matthew Smith Group – S/t

Caroline – 2

Scrabbled – Plough through the Rust

Lois Maffeo

January – Alan Sparhawk dancing and spinning around at the end of his show in Seattle. Physical release to begin 2025!

February – Listening to List of Demands LP by Damon Locks

March – Singing Strumpet with The Linda Lindas in Seattle.

April – Yo Yo A Go Go panel discussion at Evergreen. Recognition of some hard work that was disguised as magic-making.

May – Listening to the DJ Game radio show on KVMRx.org. DJ brothers Thom and Greg Moore astonish one another with wild hits.

June – Whales came to the Olympia end of the Salish Sea!

July – 25th anniversary of The Transfused – a panel discussion at the library on the queer rock opera conceived and produced in Olympia in 2000. Hear the prophecies of the anti-trans, oligarchical 2020s? I do!

August – Making a real time birthday playlist for a special person. Just call out the songs and hit play!

September – Watching Kicking Giant start their set at Northern Sky Festival by summoning a thunder storm!

October – Portland Frog! (And listening to When Boys Cry by Selector Dub Narcotic.)

November – ASMR Dumpling Making Theater in Tacoma by artist Yixuan Pan

December – Mark Robinson’s astonishing setlist. Hydroplane!

Mark Robinson solo show set list (from Portland). Photo: Adam Possehl

Calvin Johnson (K)

Katie Alice Greer “Talk to Leslie”

Hifi Sean “Waiting for the Sun” (Plastique Recordings) 12″

Ghost Bitch Bruise Tattoo

MC Yellah & Deb Master Gaudencia (Hakuna Kulala) LP

Alga Alga CS

DJ Holographic House in the Dark (Through the Veil) LP

Fostex Nest Accidental Music: Live At Le Voyeur (Little Giant Recording Co.) CS

Heavenly “Portland Town” / “Someone Who Cares” (Skep Wax) 7″ 45rpm

Katy Pinke Strange Behavior (Glamour Gowns Records) LP

Nick & the Nod The Lackey Circle (Chicken Shack Records) LP

Damon Locks List of Demands (International Anthem Recording Co.) LP

Little Angry & the Sweets Screamin’ Inside Your Heart!!! (Antiquated Future) LP

Uncomfortable Police Hazmat Kat (Teen Beat Records) 7″ EP

Briana Marela My Inner Rest (AKP Recordings) CS

Wild Billy Childish & the Chatham Singers “Step Out (Alt)” / “Upside Mine” (Spinout Nuggets) 7″ 45rpm

Daniel Handler (aka Lemony Snicket) 

Some favorite books

Margaret Ross, Saturday (the song cave)

Alex Dimitrov, Ecstasy (penguin)

Keiler Roberts, Preparing to Bite (drawn and quarterly)

Alice Chadwick, Dark Like Under (biblioasis)

Ella Frears, Good Lord (rough trade)

Richard Siken – I Do Know Some Things (copper canyon)

Terry Banks  (Dot Dash)

Shows:

Bad Moves – final show, Black Cat, July 26, 2025

Tony Molina — Comet, October 16, 2025

Trupa Trupa – Quarry House, February 27, 2025

Burn Kit – Ottobar, April 16, 2025

Books:

David Hajdu, Positively 4th Street

John Clellon Holmes, Go

Peter Carroll, Odyssey of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade: Americans in the Spanish Civil War

Records:

Various Artists, Why Don’t You Smile Now: Lou Reed at Pickwick Records 1964-65

Sharp Pins, Radio DDR

The Pale Fountains, Complete Virgin Years

Kevin Alvir – MOST ADORED of 2025:

– Zohran Mamdani

– Sharp Pins – “Balloon Balloon Balloon” & “Radio DDR”

– Tony Molina – “On This Day”

– Horsegirl – “Phonetics On & On”

– Golden Apples “Shooting Star”

– Good Flying Birds – “Talulah’s Tape”

– Idle Ray – “Even in the Spring”

– Pee-Wee As Himself (documentary)

– Adventure Time: Fionna & Cake (mind bending young adult animation)

– the Simpsons (revisiting. haven’t watched since the 90s.)

– Superman (movie) (we need hope, yeah?)

Read 2025 list: Rob Pursey on his favorite T-shirts
Read 2025 list: Theresa Kereakes on things she adored this year

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chickfactor 2025 lists: all the things photographer theresa kereakes adored in 2025

Paul McCartney Photographs 1963-64, Eyes of the Storm – a beautifully curated and deftly installed exhibit with about 250 photographs by Sir Beatle.  The exhibit is as much about photography as it is about a young man making documentary souvenirs of a trip to America where he coincidentally is the center of attention.  Even if one wasn’t a Beatles fan, this is worth seeing.  There’s also a book of these photos, entitled Eyes of the Storm as well, which was published in 2023, and one I bought at that time.  It was a delight to see the photos enlarged, sometimes to the size of an entire wall!  A large part of why I enjoyed this so much is that the photos are from 1963 and 1964… the cars, the clothes, the buildings – all with such individuality and character.

Here are 10 records from 2025 that I listened to A LOT and enjoyed for various reasons.  Heavy on the “friends” aspect as it is mostly people I know or have worked with, and artists I have loved my entire life, so their records are like old friends.

  • Life Death and Dennis Hopper – The Waterboys
  • The Melancholy Season – Benmont Tench
  • Horror – Mekons
  • Dear Life – David Gray
  • Horsegirl – Phonetics On and On
  • Neil Young – Oceanside Countryside
  • Patterson Hood – Exploding Trees and Airplane Screams
  • Jason Isbell – Foxes in the Snow
  • Taj Mahal and Keb Mo’ – Room on the Porch
  • Margo Price – Hard Headed Woman

Here’s some writing that I read and enjoyed

  • 33 1/3 John Cale Paris 1919 – Mark Doyle
  • Heartbreaker – Mike Campbell with Ari Surdoval
  • Girl to Country, a Memoir – Amy Rigby
  • We Never Took a Bad Picture – Ashley Roth
  • Separation of Church and Hate – John Fugelsang
  • Newsletter – www.radio-nowhere.com/ – Caryn Rose
Joan Jett & Billy Idol are introduced by Pleasant Gehman on his first visit to Los Angeles in May 1978, promoting Generation X and their recent signing to Chrysalis. Joan was already a punk rock icon as a member of the Runaways. Idol is talking to Pleasant as Joan looks on. Photograph: Theresa Kereakes

Best things of the Year were: 

seeing Amy Rigby in a dive bar in the afternoon, playing acoustic and reading from her book.  It was like a high school reunion, and her first book was about her journey from her PA home to NYC, and this one is about her journey from NYC to Nashville, where I live, and where I saw her perform.  It is a delight to see a woman of my own generation (she and I are a year apart, age-wise) still doing it DIY and making a real good go at it – AND marrying her punk rock dreamboat to boot.

seeing Billy Idol and Joan Jett on tour together.  They have been pals since my punk rock best friend and I introduced them in 1978 and them touring together is the Best Thing of the Year because I feel like my misspent youth has made a material impact on the world.  Billy did all sorts of promo celebrating the wild party we threw for them!  He is still in good voice.  Joan Jett is still a badass, and I enjoyed her ranting from the stage about how we have a hateful White House.  When she sings “Everyday People,” I know she means it.  She too is in good voice.

getting a last minute invite to see Booker T. Jones play in a church converted into a performance space.  Another old familiar fave but, as he said, he’s 81 years old.  He’s got a lot of stories.  He played “Green Onions” about the 4th song in.  He didn’t jerk us around.  He delivered in church, playing organ, piano, AND guitar and singing.

And that’s all I can remember without looking things up, so it’s the memorable best of my year!

Read our interview with Theresa Kereakes and her interview with Melanie Nissen for chickfactor. 

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chickfactor 2025 lists: rob pursey (skep wax, heavenly, etc.) on his top ten t-shirts

The Linda Lindas sporting T-shirts from Heavenly

Rob Pursey (Heavenly, Swansea Sound, the Catenary Wires, Skep Wax Records) on his favorite band T-shirts of 2025

Band T-shirts are pretty much the only clothes I buy these days, apart from when essential items completely wear out and have to be replaced.  There are many advantages to buying band T-shirts, and here are some of them: 

-you can usually get them at gigs, which means you don’t ever have to visit clothes shops.  

– the bands benefit, as the sale of one T shirt is worth about 6 billion streams of their songs on S p o t I f y. (By the same token, T shirt sales don’t help finance AI-based warfare.) 

–  socially, you might be at an advantage wearing a band T shirt, because other people who like the same band might talk to you. Actually, they probably won’t talk to you, because that would be awkward. But some kind of unspoken solidarity might hover in the air.  

For me, the main advantage is that I do really love these shirts. Each one has memories embedded in its fabric. They are like diary entries, reminding you of something you don’t want to forget.

So here are my favourite band t-shirts of 2025. Most of them were acquired over the last twelve months but there are a few older specimens in there too.  

HARD SKIN.  I bought this at the Hard Skin Ladies Night a couple of weeks ago, where a dozen punk-adjacent women joined London’s finest Oi band on stage for a thrilling and raucous hour.  Sean, the lead singer, had taken refuge at the merch stall at the end of the gig and sold me the shirt before being dragged back to the stage for a stupendous encore of ‘If The Kids Are United’.

THE MAGNETIC FIELDS.  This might be my oldest band T shirt.  I bought it when ‘69 Love Songs’ first came out, and I wore it again this year when Stephin and his group came back to London and played the songs from the album all over again. I’ve worn the shirt on my many occasions in between these two significant dates, and I have to give credit to the band for making such a durable garment.  The only negative thing about this shirt is that it’s an ‘L’.  The modern 69 Love Songs shirt that I bought more recently is an ‘XL’.  The old shirt reminds me that I should have eaten less over the last 25 years.

TULLYCRAFT.  I got this shirt when Heavenly and Swansea Sound played with Tullycraft in their hometown of Seattle.  They hadn’t played for ages: I guess we infected them with the idea that there is no reason not to resurrect your old band, even if it seems a little undignified.  And of course, they were brilliant.  And they were dignified.  Their songs are timeless, and so is this T shirt.

HOMESPUN FESTIVAL.  I was given this shirt by Bob (Swansea Sound), who had helped organise this DIY festival in Rochester, Kent back in 2016.  The shirt is actually about ten years old.  Bob had stowed the merch away somewhere and only recently re-discovered it in a box in his attic and let me have a couple of the shirts.  The Catenary Wires had played the festival, along with bands like The Claim, Pete Astor and Bob himself.  Back then, me and Amelia shared a stage with loads of people who we didn’t really know at the time, but who would later turn out to be very good friends.   That’s quite a nice story for a T shirt to tell.

RAMSGATE MUSIC HALL.  My favourite venue in Kent, actually my favourite venue in the whole of the UK, makes a new shirt each year to raise funds.  I can’t remember who designed this one – they have a different guest designer each year.  But I like the idea that by wearing it I am making a tiny contribution to the maintenance of the Music Hall.  Like most independent venues, it’s run on a shoestring and driven by a genuine love of live music.  Without it, people in Kent would be much, much poorer.

WASTED YOUTH.  This is my most fraudulent T shirt.  I loved this band when I was very young.  Their two early singles ‘I’ll Remember You’ and Jealousy’ were two of my favourites.  If you like the Only Ones and are quite interested in Bauhuas but could live without their Gothic affectations, I recommend Wasted Youth.  Anyway, they played this year at The Ramsgate Music Hall.  I couldn’t go, because we were playing a show on the same night.  But kind Al, who did sound at the Music Hall, got the shirt for me.  So yeah, a bit fraudulent, but I do love it. 

TULPA.  We put this band’s debut album out in the Autumn of this year.  Have you heard them?  If not, you should.  How can I describe them?  Imagine if Dinosaur Jr decided to record pop songs with a female lead vocalist…  Something like that.  Anyway, it’s been great to get to know Josie, Dan, Mike and Myles and to hear their wonderful music. The sleeve design and the shirts they made were all pretty marvellous too, and here’s a picture of Amelia wearing her shirt.  Mine is currently in the wash, so I can’t wear it right now.

THE LINDA LINDAS.  We became friends with this band because of T shirts.  When The Linda Lindas first started they asked if they could adapt the Heavenly ‘Attagirl’ design to make shirts that they were printing to raise money for a local charity.  We said yeah sure, not expecting them to become a world-conquering indie rock band.  We’ve now got into a bit of a rhythm with them, where we do occasional T-shirt swaps.  That’s how they came to be wearing Riot Twee shirts, and that’s how I came to have my own Linda Lindas shirt.

THE CORDS.  This wonderful band have made a big impact on us in 2025.  Their debut album, as everyone knows, is a total delight.  The band, along with their Mum and Dad (Lou and Marc) have become close friends after we spent a wonderful week travelling round England with them on their first headline tour south of the border.   Marc gave me this shirt.  Like all The Cords merch, it’s a lovely piece of design, and I am proud to wear it.

SASSYHIYA.  If you have heard the Sassyhiya track ‘Crayon Potato’ you will know that Helen and Kathy, Sassyhiya’s songwriters, are very much in love with their cat, Crayon.  Not content with writing a very good song about him, they also made a T Shirt that celebrates his furry existence.  He is a magnificent beast.  I haven’t encountered him in real life and maybe that’s a good thing: it’s never wise to meet your heroes.  The song and the shirt will have to suffice.  This picture was taken at the Skep Wax Weekender back in July, where me and Helen effected a T shirt swap.  A nice memento of a great weekend.

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chickfactor 2024 lists: Ladybug Transistor Tour Diary

The Ladybug Transistor at Deep Cuts in Medford MA. Photo by Ben Stas.

Top tour experiences with The Ladybug Transistor: December 2024
by Jennifer Baron (The Ladybug Transistor + The Garment District)
Being a total fan girl while touring with the fantastic Lightheaded and Tony Molina band (and having Mark Robinson on the bill in Medford, MA) and sharing the stage with Ladybug members from all iterations of the band each night was absolutely dreamy—every night was a joy, with beautiful venues and fantastic audiences, and I just wish we could have lived it all in slow motion!

Rest area snowball fight in New Hampshire

Here are some of my top highlights from an abbreviated tour diary of sorts:

On the drive from Keene, New Hampshire to Kingston, New York: Visiting the iconic Hogback Mountain Country Store perched atop scenic Route 9 in Marlboro, Vermont, just after a serene December snowfall. A Vermont fixture since 1936, the cozy shop is located at the Hogback Mountain Scenic Overlook at 2,250 feet. The sweeping views span breathtaking Vermont, New Hampshire and Massachusetts, pointing to Mount Holyoke, where I attended college. Perusing the shop and natural history museum, with an incredible section of maple syrup, donuts, libations and apparel—that I could not fit in my suitcase.

Nova Arts Block, Keene, New Hampshire
Scott McCaughey playing with The Ladybug Transistor at Mississippi Studios in PDX

Having the wonderful Scott McCaughey join us for our cover of Gene Clark’s “I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better” at the fantastic Mississippi Studios in Portland, and meeting Scott’s adorable dog Gladys during our sound check. And also seeing you there, Gail, along with dear friends from Pittsburgh and college. A beautiful venue throughout.

Sasha Bell, Scott McCaughey, Jennifer Baron at Mississippi Studios

Two sublime, and related, vegan dinners from venues where we performed:
At The Atrium plant-based restaurant inside Public Records in Brooklyn: Hibachi grilled tamarind Jewel yams with tamarind yogurt, salsa macha, pumpkin seed gremolata, coriander and mint. From Checker Hall inside The Lodge Room in Highland Park, Los Angeles: Sticky sweet potato dish with garlic glaze, aji verde, hazelnut and harissa oil. OMG, take me back.

LBT and Tony Molina band in the Mission District

Reuniting with our dearest friend Alicia Vanden Heuvel for the West Coast tour; revisiting Atlas Cafe in the Mission where we used to love going for breakfast when we toured in California with friends such as The Aislers Set, the Lucksmiths and Of Montreal. This visit was WAY TOO BRIEF. Thank you for everything, Alicia and Tony!

Rickshaw Stop LBT Cocktail

The Ladybug Transistor cocktail made for our show by the Rickshaw Stop in San Francisco and having it be exactly the kind of cocktail I love: tequila, grapefruit, lime, grenadine and soda. Loved having The Telephone Numbers plus DJs Jessica B, Coleminer and Miller Genuine Daft help to make this night so extra special.

Jacki Walburn from Lightheaded playing with The Ladybug Transistor at Public Records in Brooklyn

Having Jacki from Lightheaded “play” an apple (and tambourine) while joining us for “The Swimmer” (see 1:53) at Public Records in Brooklyn, and likewise, finally getting to “play” an apple myself, after all of these years, along with Ladybug percussionist dynamo Eric Farber, who joined is for our show at The Lodge Room in LA.

LBT at The Lodge Room in LA. Photo by Darian Sahanaja

Seeing the one and only, Joe Belock, aka WFMU’s Three Chord Monte, along with the ever-fabulous Jack Silbert, at our show at Public Records in Brooklyn. Thank you Joe, for spinning The Garment District!
Having original Ladybug drummer Ed Powers join us for “Rushes of Pure Spring” at Nova Arts Block in Keene, New Hampshire, where we had a blissful reunion of so many old friends from NYC and New England.

Spending the night at Gaia Hotel in Anderson CA (thank you Scott McCaughey, for the pro tip!) … but too cold for the hot tub!

Åke Strömer at Love of Fuzz in Troy New York

Visiting the terrific Love of Fuzz music store in Troy, New York, thanks to pedal-making, van-driving and merchandise-selling Swede guru, Åke Strömer.

Random and good-natured practical jokes and snowball fights at the many rest stops we frequented along the way.

IYKYK: Enjoying the best-in-the-game, late-night Smiling Pizza and blowing a kiss to my old apartment on 7th Avenue in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

Reunions of all sorts on this tour, including a mini high school reunion and Frock reunion (Sasha from Ladybug, Annie from Spent and me!) in LA. So good for the soul, heart and spirit.

Flowers from Mooncake Flower Farm

Receiving gorgeous local flowers grown by Stephen Hunking (who helped us recreate the original packaging for “The Albemarle Sound” reissue), who runs Mooncake Flower Farm in Camas Washington, which graced our stage, and van, for the West Coast shows. Check out his new band, Dew Claw!

Favorite new sparkly vintage necklace scored at a vintage and antique warehouse in Kalama, Washington.

Staying in the house where we used to live (Marlborough Farms) in Brooklyn, while hunkering down in the basement studio for rehearsals and making frequent trips to the Flatbush Food Co-op. Taking breaks to watch “The Making of Do They Know It’s Christmas?” and have Sasha do tarot readings and cook us amazing dinner!

Griffith Observatory full December Moon. Photo by Sam Blehar
Controlling the dome speed at Griffith Observatory in LA

During a few days off in Los Angeles with my cousin Sam after the tour: Being invited to control the speed of the dome at Griffith Observatory; the best pupusa breakfast ever at the Atwater Village Farmers’ Market with dear friends I first met years ago while living in NYC (thank you, Jeff Feuerzeig, Dean Warheam and Matt Chesse!); finding the Ennis House in Los Feliz; revisiting the Laurel Canyon Country Store …

L-R: My dream supergroup! Matt Chessé, Dean Wareham, Britta Phillips, Jennifer Baron, Darian Sahanaja, Sasha Bell, Domenic Priore, Jeff Feuerzeig and Becky Ebenkamp after our show at The Lodge Room in LA
The Ennis House in Los Feliz in LA

It was deeply meaningful to play our music and be able to exist in a bit of an alternate universe bubble for a few weeks on both coasts during this truly multimodal tour! THANK YOU to my Ladybug bandmates and to every single person who attended these shows, listened with enthusiasm and helped us to sell out of our vinyl and T-shirts. Happy Happy Birthday To Me Records is currently planning a repress of “The Albemarle Sound” reissue and we hope to see you all again soon!

Reissue Deluxe Version with Mobile
Best pupusa breakfast ever at the Atwater Village Farmers Market in LA
The Ladybug Transistor and Lightheaded in Brooklyn
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chickfactor lists 2024: round four

Birdie

Paul Kelly (Birdie/East Village): Top Ten London Pubs
I should probably keep some of these pubs secret but hopefully most readers are in the US anyway.

The Betsey Trotwood – Farringdon Road, EC1
King Charles 1st – Northdown Street, N1
The Shakespeare – Arlington Way, EC1
The Angel – St Giles High Street, WC2
The Dolphin Tavern – Red Lion Street, WC1
Hemingford Arms – Hemingford Rd, N1
Bradley’s Spanish Bar – Hanway Street, W1
The Lamb – Lamb’s Conduit Street, WC1
The Blue Posts – Berwick Street, Soho
Cittie of Yorke – High Holborn, WC1

Erin Moran (A Girl Called Eddy)
My Top 10 Albums of 2024 (new releases and new to me discoveries)
1. The Lemon Twigs/A Dream is All We Know
2. Laetitia Sadier/Rooting for Love
3. Jerry Merrick/Follow
4. High Llamas/ Hey Panda
5. The Cure/ Songs of a Lost World
6. Blossom Dearie/ Verve-Third Man Special Edition
7. The Pearlfishers/ Making Tapes for Girls
8. Joni Mitchell/ Hejira Demos
9. Walter Wanderley/Kee-Ka-Roo
10 Rod Stewart /Never a Dull Moment

Top 5 Dutch Artworks Visited by Jim and Emily with Belgian Beer Pairings

1. Rembrandt’s The Night Watch – Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Pair with – St Bernardus Christmas Ale. “A strong, dark, quadrupel, It tastes of licorice, apricots and marzipan.”

2. Johannes Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring – Maurits Huis, Den Haag. Pairs well with Chimay Grande Reserve (blue) Trappist Ale. “It exhibits a considerable depth of fruity, peppery character (including hints of plum, raisin and nutmeg).”

3. Frans Hal’s The Regentesses of the Old Men’s Almhouse Haarlem – Frans Hals Museum, Haarlem. Pair with a Cherry Chouffe, “a Belgian Brown Ale – with cherries added. Ruby-tinted, it has a full cherry aroma with notes of strawberry, almond, spices, and port. Round-bodied, soft, and delicate, it has a satisfying finish, with very slight bitterness.”

4. Dom Tower and Church, Utrecht – Paired here with La Trappe Tripel, “a strong coppery-gold Trappist ale with an off-white foamy head and an enticing aroma of fruit, honey and spice. Coriander adds an herbally spicy note to its fruity, well-balanced bittersweet taste.”

5. Rietveld Schroeder Huis, Utrecht – Pairs nicely with St. Bernardus Wit “The Aroma is wheaty, with apple-like tartness; herbal-spicy notes of coriander, white pepper and orange peel are complemented by a light, honey-like sweetness.”

All descriptions taken from the Belgian Style Ales website.

Jessica Pratt / Photo: Renee Parkhurst

Gail O’Hara / chickfactor editor in chief 
Jessica Pratt, Here in the Pitch
The Innocence Mission, Midwinter Swimmers
Yea-Ming and the Rumours, I Can’t Have It All
The Umbrellas, Fairweather Friend
Rachel Love, Lyra
Chime School, The Boy Who Ran the Paisley Hotel
Myriam Gendron, Mayday
Reds Pinks and Purples, Unwishing Well
The Softies, The Bed I Made
La Luz, News of the Universe
Tara Jane O’Neil, Cool Cloud of Okayness
William Tyler, Future Myths
Milton Nascimento + Esperanza Spalding, Milton + esperanza
Tears Run Rings, Everything in the End
The Green Child, Look Familiar
High Llamas, Hey Panda
Pernice Brothers, Who Will You Believe
Kathryn Williams and Withered Hand, Willson Williams
Yasmin Williams, Acadia
Kate Bollinger, Songs from a Thousand Frames of Mind
Magic Fig, S/T
Mt Misery, Love in Mind
Jim White and Marisa Anderson, Swallowtail
Mary Timony, Untame the Tiger
Broadcast, Spell Blanket + Distant Call
Ladybug Transistor, Albemarle Sound
Birdie, Some Dusty (oh hey, yes, I wrote the liner notes!)
Sacred Paws, Another Day
Iraina Mancini, Sugar High (St Etienne Version) I played this endlessly
The Clientele, Trains in the Night + Claire’s Not Real
The Cords, Bo’s New Haircut/Rather Not Stay

+ also too:
– Karaoke parties: highlight was Janice Headley’s version of Cibo Matto’s “Birthday Cake”
– Road trips: Going to Olympia with JJ, Nancy and Yvonne was super-fun (save for the drive home) and we got to see Lois and Heather Dunn play together and Lois even slayed the room as Calvin in “C Is the Heavenly Option” – EPIC!
– Timberline outing with visiting pals
– USWNT winning Olympic Gold: triple espresso FTW!
– Portland Thorns (esp. beating Orlando and witnessing 12 years of #12 Captain Christine Sinclair): Please stop trading away our favorite players and hire more women in the NWSL FFS.
– Portland Timbers (esp. beating the cup winning LA Galaxy): Please get a new owner and GM ASAP.
– West Coast Heavenly Tour; TMF 69LS friend reunions; YLT + Built to Spill; Alvvays and the Beths in the town square. Swansea Sound + meeting Hue

Me and Charles at the studio making the album
I had my head down most of the year making my upcoming album (shameless plug: my first “solo” album, Space, comes out 2.28 on Mother West), but when I wasn’t recording or obsessing over something or other about the record, I was loving experiencing the following things:
SONGS
“Dominoes” by Mary Timony
“A Little Longer” by Johanna Samuels
“Slim Pickings” by Sabrina Carpenter
“Girl, So Confusing” by Charli xcx (feat Lorde)
“Tiny Flame” by The Softies
“Right Back To It” by Waxahatchee feat MJ Lenderman
“Deeper Well” by Kacey Musgraves
FILMS
Flipside by Chris Wilcha
23 Mile by Mitch McCabe
A Complete Unknown by James Mangold
LIVE SHOWS
Magnetic Fields two nights in a row in LA with Gail Chickfactor
Mary Timony at the Lodge Room
Matthew Caws (solo) at a KCSN event at Houdini’s old mansion in LA
Kacey Musgraves in Dallas
Ladybug Transistor at Lodge Room
Mac DeMarco at the Greek with my nephew
Mitski and Sharon Van Etten at the Hollywood Bowl
The Love Hangover at The Bowery Ballroom in NYC
Matthew Edwards at SYZYGY in SF
Joni Mitchell and Friends at the Bowl
Will Sheff at this groovy stoner event at the Philosophical Research Society (and I even got to sing a song with him),
Joan Wasser at the Cha Cha Lounge in LA.
Friends and fam at The Hotel Cafe
OTHER STUFF
Buying my niece her first guitar (she chose a Fender acoustic).

Hosting a residency at Hotel Cafe in October and playing every week was great for me to brush up on my act as a performer. It was also a wonderful way to gather old and new friends. Benjamin Cartel, Nicole Lawrence, Alie Byland, and Eli Wulfmeier opened the shows, and they were excellent.

Making time for long, healthy hikes with friends in and around LA (a bonus of living here).

Feeling very ladylike by joining The Huntington in Pasadena, which hosts the most beautiful art collections and has huge botanical gardens to get lost in. My friends and I took our moms there for high tea, and it was so sweet.

I spent 3 days in Palma de Mallorca for a friend’s big birthday. It was stunning, and I would love to go back. Shout out to all the pastry shops in Palma and the beautiful beaches.
I got to spend time in Detroit with my Dad and play my now annual holiday show at a little dive bar called The Polka Dot.

Wrangling many of my friends to play on my new record in LA, Detroit, and NYC, and wrangling others to make content with me and artwork and all of the things that go into making and promoting an album. Feeling very grateful.

Dickon Edwards

SONGS:
Chappell Roan, ‘Good Luck, Babe!’,
Jessica Pratt, ‘Life Is’
Gigi Perez, ‘The Sailor Song’
Tess Parks, ‘California’s Dreaming’
Pet Shop Boys, ‘Loneliness’
Bruno Mars and Rosé, ‘APT.’
Claire Rousay, ‘Head’
Laurie Anderson, ‘Road to Mandalay’
Emma Anderson, ‘Taste The Air (Julia Holter Mix)’
Charley Stone, ‘Free Food’
Janis, Perez & YANIS, ‘Pharmacoliberation’
Noel, ‘Dancing is Dangerous’
Abstract Crimewave ‘The Longest Night’
Fuse ODG, ‘We Know It’s Christmas’

BOOKS (fiction):
Alan Hollinghurst, Our Evenings
Nat Reeve, Earlyfate
H. Gareth Gavin, Never Was
Khaled Alesmael, Selamlik
Chloe Michelle Howarth, Sunburn
Iain Sinclair, Pariah Genius
Justin Torres, Blackouts
Adam Macqueen Haunted Tales
Henry Van Dyke, Ladies of the Rachmaninoff Eyes (reissue)

BOOKS (non-fiction / memoir)
Katherine Bucknell, Christopher Isherwood Inside Out
Claire Dederer, Monsters
Xiaolu Guo, My Battle of Hastings
Liam Konemann, The Appendix
Salman Rushdie, Knife
Hanif Kureishi, Shattered
Claude Cahun, Cancelled Confessions

BOOKS (poetry):
Peter Scalpello, Limbic
JP Seabright, George Parker, Jaime Lock, Not Your Orlando
Camille Ralphs, After You Were, I Am
Jen Calleja, Goblinhood (poems and essays)

FILMS / TV:
Orlando, My Political Biography
Wilding
Scala!
Poor Things
Past Lives
Feud: Capote Vs the Swans

PLACES:
The Goat Ledge Beach Cafe, St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex
Black Gull Books, St Leonards
Cute (exhibition), Somerset House, London

Oed Ronne (The Ocean Blue)
There were four standout records I heard this year, 3 of which came from people I was hashtag blest to play shows with this year.

Photos of Happy by Oed Ronne
Bart and the Bedazzled – Blue Motel
We got to play a few shows with Bart and his band the Bedazzled this year – all charming, warm, and incredibly talented. Man, Bart has the ability to command the room. Though a few years old, this record was in the background of all year long for me. Absolutely lovely.
Asteroid No.4 – Several Shapes of Solar Flares
We also got to play a few shows with Asteroid No. 4 for a few shows this last year. Always rocking sunglasses and walls of melody and guitars. Amazing band.

Fave track: Rescue

Wayne Faler – Wayne Faler 
Wayne plays guitar in Bart’s band and on this, his debut, he sort of reminds me of Deebank-era Felt and the Go-Betweens. I love the way the 7/4 hook of Millwood St sucks you in. I’m at risk of wearing this album out for reals.

Fave track: Millwood St

The Tyde – Season 5
Thank goodness there was a new Tyde record this year. Kind of stylisitically the same touchstones but also here with a dash of Mike Post and more of a tropical flavor. I love this record.

Fave track: Heal Thyself

Posted on

chickfactor lists 2024: round three

Chime School – courtesy of Chime School

Andy Pastalaniec (Chime School)
We did a bit of touring in 2024! In no particular order here’s some of our favorite food and drinks along the way:

1. Espresso and Patisserie at Le Sullyin Paris, France.
2. Picon Bière – Amer Picon (orange liqueur) mixed with Kronenbourg 1664, at Le Hasard Ludiquein Paris, France.
3. Pie and Mash; Scotch Eggs, from Tebay Farmshop, Tebay, UK.
4. “$2.95 All-Day Breakfast” at Bon’s off Broadway, Vancouver BC.
5. Anything on the menu at Salsa & Beer, Los Angeles.
6. GONZO Ramen, Carlsbad, CA. Seriously the best Ramen any of us have ever had.
7. Curry and Porotta bread from Kerala South Indian Restaurant, Coventry, UK. On the same block as Just Dropped In Records!
8. Cheeseburgers at Hattie’s Hat, Seattle, WA.
9. Buckfast Tonic Wine, Glasgow, UK, for a much needed pre-show “pick me up”!
10. Fresh salads, juices, and packet sandwiches from any and all motorway stops in the UK; they kept us healthy on tour!

Seablite with Laetitia Sadier (photo courtesy of Seablite)

Seablite: Places we’ve never been but want to go:
1. Aoshima, “cat island” – Andy
2. Berlin – Jen
3. Transylvania – Galine
4. Hashima Island, Japan – Lauren
5. The Troll Hole Museum

Dawn and Trixie (Photo courtesy of D&T)

Dawn Sutter Madell (Agoraphone) + Trixie Madell (Girl Scout Handbook) 
Best Shows We Saw Together 2024
PJ Harvey at Terminal 5
Sun Ra Arkestra at Central Park, Sony Hall
Kim Gordon Central Park
Yo La Tengo at Sony Hall
Bikini Kill at Paramount
Adrienne Lenker Music Hall of Williamsburg
Quasi at Bowery Ballroom
Off Pink at a record store
Julien Baker, Torres at Webster Hall
Bratmobile at Warsaw
X, Jon Spencer, Lydia Loveless, Finom at Square Roots Festival, Chicago
Sweeping Promises, Jessica Pratt, Brittany Howard, Grandmaster Flash, De La Soul, Mannequin Pussy, Muna at Pitchfork Chicago
Son Rompe Pera, Fishbone at Prospect Park

Cotton Candy (Photo: Evelyn Hurley)

Evelyn Hurley (Cotton Candy) 

Favorite book: my favorite book this year was published in 1970, it’s “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee”, by Dee Brown. This was my choice for my non-fiction bookclub, so I also forced a few other people to read it. It was so well written, easy to read, interesting, fascinating, enlightening and unbearably tragic. I can’t stop thinking about it, and I wish I’d read it 30 years ago.

Favorite cocktail: the Hugo, which is St. Germain elderflower liqueur, Prosecco, seltzer & mint. Except I put the liquid in a blender and add ice and make a slushy, which is fabulouso, but dangerous, lol

Favorite meal: post graduation dinner at Thompson and Bleeker in Ithaca NY. Amazing pizza, fantastic salads, delicious cold beer, and not insanely expensive!!

Favorite radio shows: I love listening to two radio shows on WMBR.org, “Coffee Time” from 2-4 on Friday, and “Backwoods” from 10-12 on Saturdays. Both remind me that the weekend is coming or is here, so time to chill out!

Favorite movie: “My Old Ass” which was so sweet and lovely, see it if you can!

Favorite songs: “Gild the Lily,” by Billy Strings. It’s a country music song that reminds me of country songs that my mom would listen to on the radio when I was a kid. Plus, it’s about birds singing, which is lovely.
I also love that song “Sexy to Someone” by Clairo; it’s catchy, cute and the keyboards sound so cool.

Mario and Riley – Courtesy of Riley

Riley Riley (Artsick/Boyracer) – Favorites of 2024:
Music in alphabetical order:
Adrianne Lenker “Bright Future”
Beth Gibbons “Lives Outgrown”
Billie Eilish “Hit Me Hard And Soft” The concert was amazing.
Doechii “Alligator Bites Never Heal”
Kim Deal “Nobody Loves You More”
Mo Dotti “Opaque”
Rachel Love “Lyra”
The Softies “The Bed I Made”
WUT “Mingling With The Thorns”

Fav local Seaside/Monterey Bay things:
1. Mando Surf Company is a local surfboard shaper and a friend of mine. Their boards are gorgeous pieces of art, one of which ended up at SFMOMA for their “Get in the Game” exhibit.
2. Pop and Hiss is a new local venue/record shop/bar in Pacific Grove. Super cool spot to check out if in the area.
3. Captain Stoker Coffee is delicious and the best coffee in Monterey IMO

Fav things I did:
1. Oakland Weekender 2024 happened at Thee Stork Club and was amazing… again!
2. Played a PNW mini tour with my favs, All Girl Summer Fun Band and Kids On A Crime Spree. Major bonus: got to see Gail!
3. Played a couple of shows with my besties band, WUT and got to join them for a couple songs live.
4. Danced to an incredible set by Kid Frostbite with friends.
5. The new Boyracer record called “Seaside Riot” came out and I am so proud to be part of it.
6. Drove down to Big Sur with my family, parked on a cliff and saw the Tsuchinshan-ATLAS comet… it was breathtaking and such a memorable moment. It was last visible 80,000 years ago.
7. Read “You Better Be Lightning” by Andrea Gibson
8. Dog cuddles
9. Hiking in Big Sur
10. Got to hangout with Kim Baxter from AGSFB in Monterey… we had the best time getting some food and sitting by the water.
11. Recording new Artsick
12. Mushroom Tea…

Alicia Vanden Heuvel (courtesy of Alicia)

Alicia Vanden Heuvel: Top Ten live shows that I had the pleasure of attending (in no particular order)

  • RYLI at the 4 Star Theater! This is Yea Ming Chen’s new band & I was driven to dance. That woman knows how to write a pop song!
  • Watching Josh Miller play bass in Chime School AND Anna Hillburg Band, both experiences are mind-bending
  • Watching Ladybug Transistor reunion live in LA at the Lodge Room. Trumpets, flutes, & song craft from Sasha, Jennifer, Gary, Julia, and Jeff. What a group!
  • Gerard Love at Glasgoes Pop! What a voice!  (And with the crowd singing along it was like the best party)
  • Heavenly at Glasgoes Pop dancing with Kenji (The Fairways forever) & Ari (Poastal forever)! I nearly died!
  • The Softies, with Anna Hillburg at Bottom of the Hill, because OMG it’s The Softies. Also, bonus, Rose sang a song with Anna & it was epic.
  • Galore! Anywhere they play, every time.  Three part harmonies and killer melodies. I die again.
  • Shannon Shaw at the Fox with my buddies Noelle & The Deserters. Epic venue, epic night.
  • Lightheaded at the Oakland Weekender!! They ripped! I was not expecting the ferocity of pop that came our way, all the way from Jersey, I love them.
  • Jessica Pratt at Bimbos. Her album made my year, and seeing her perform the songs live was otherworldly.
Tears Run Rings – Photo: Janice Headley

Laura Watling (Tears Run Rings) Top 10 Songs of 2024

1. Caribou- Campfire
2. Seefeel- Multifolds
3. Chris Cohen- Night and Day
4. Real Estate- Airdrop
5. Orcas- Riptide
6. Mahogany- A Scaffold
7. Bedroom- Her Ghost
8. Epic45- New Town Faded
9. Dottie- Disappearing
10. Royksopp- Camera Obscura (but actually the whole album, Nebulous Nights)

Read the lists ROUND ONE
Read the lists ROUND TWO 
Read the lists ROUND FOUR