It’s time for my annual review of my favorite albums of the previous year. Who made the top 25 (or 40+) albums I reviewed? Read on!
#25: GoGo Penguin – Necessary Fictions
This is a solid jazz / prog album full of great beats and slick piano work. It was a pleasant surprise to discover it and this band last year.
#24: Beta Voids – Scrape It Off EP
This is a wonderfully nuts punk EP with songs about women kicking ass, people named Alan, and how much toxic masculinity sucks. A full LP from Beta Voids is in the works, so watch out before they run you over and laugh on the way out of town.
#23: Ric Wilson – America Runs on Disco EP
Speaking of good EPs that came out last year, here’s another. Ric Wilson is still somehow a secret force despite being a top-notch producer, songwriter, rapper, and cheerleader for the overly maligned city Chicago (Don’t believe what you hear. Go spend a couple days there, especially in the summer.). This EP is funky and joyful, which was exactly what we needed when it was released and still need right now.
#22: Bonnie Trash – Mourning You
On the opposite side of the spectrum, here’s an album about grief that’s one of the heaviest records of the year. The lyrics cut deep if you’ve lost a loved one, or even witnessed someone’s grief from afar.
#21: Dusty Rose Gang – A-One from Day One
Just when you thought rock might be taking a vacation for a little while, along comes this quartet to deliver one of the best straight-up rock records of 2025.
Congratulations. You just found one of your new favorite punk bands.
Hailing from Astoria, Oregon, Beta Voids have unleashed (a far better description than “released”) their debut EP, Scrape It Off, and given us a much-needed adrenaline shot and kick in the ass.
The first thing you notice about them on the opening track, “Nothing to Me,” is the great interplay between the two lead vocalists – Carrie Beveridge and Mandy Grant. They sing / yell / chant about stuff that you can care about, but they really don’t give a damn. Next you notice Alpha Rasmussen‘s wild, frenetic saxophone running around the studio and your speakers.
On “Meat Head Look” (a song, I think, about guys trying and failing to impress women), you notice Mike Vasquez‘s thudding bass that somehow is able to lock in all this chaos happening across the whole EP and give it free reign at the same time. “Palpitations” roars like Bleach-era Nirvana (thanks much to Dan McClure‘s buzzsaw guitar) if Nirvana dove further down the post-punk rabbit hole instead of the metal one in their early days.
“Alan” is a twenty-three-second tribute to famous people with that name. That’s it. That’s all you need to know, really. “Brain Malfunction” is as bonkers as its title. “Baby’s in Detox” is even crazier and seems to be about being sad about being sober.
The closer, “M-O-T-H-E-R,” is a solid rock track, reminding me of The Stooges and grounded by Seth Howard‘s straight-up garage rock beats. Ms. Beveridge and Ms. Grant either pay tribute to or complain about their moms. I’m not sure. It works either way.
The whole thing works. Beta Voids are here to stomp down doors and on faces. Get in the pit or get out of the way.
mclusky return to north america in spring 2026, bringing their explosive live performances to venues across the continent, with the dates marking the band’s first outings on u.s./canadian soil since the release of their enchanting new album, the world is still here and so are we.
tickets are on-sale this friday at 10 a.m. local time via ipecac.com/tours.
falco (andrew falkous) shares of the impending visit:
“nostalgia – which is a powerful drug, it turns out – brought us back to your shores just a couple of years ago. some people got to remember what they were like when they were twenty – their hopes, their dreams, their fully operational knee joints. also, there were attendees who weren’t there the first time out – i know, cos i can count. it was very lovely. the band – well, i, certainly – nostalgia’d all over the place too – it was difficult not to. it was fun (this is an understatement).
well, now we all get a chance to break free from nostalgia, to prove to ourselves that we’re more than the cast of cocoon sporting telecasters. we (the band) get to play the old songs – the ‘hits’ as a much loved grandparent might have it – and the new ones too (well, probably five or six of them over the course of a set, that’s the magic number for ‘new’). you, hopefully, come along and watch, listen and interact as per the social contract of such events. what do you say? the support bands – which we can’t tell you about yet – are great too. i promise to respond to heckles in a british accent which makes anything i say 23 percent funnier (i’ve checked this with nate silver). damien will dance and flex and repeat ad infinitum. jack will be the butt of all jokes (on stage, though not in private).
hope to see you there, unless you’ve got something better on – but i honestly can’t imagine what that could be.”
November 19, 2025 – Legendary rock drummer Josh Freese will release his new album, Just A Minute, Vol. 2, on November 28, 2025, via Pearl Jam co-founder Stone Gossard’s Loosegroove Records. The wildly inventive follow-up to his first installment, released in 2021, once again crams 25 songs into 25 minutes, with every track landing precisely at the one-minute mark. Chaotic, often hilarious, and undeniably hook-heavy, tracks like “God Gave Rock N’ Roll To You, Satan Wants It Back,” “I Didn’t Know I Recorded With Avril,” and “Wasted With The Ween” showcase Freese’s punk rock roots, sharp wit, and musical versatility. The album’s first single and video, “Cybertruck LOL,” is out now (listen/share here).
“This is the Kill Bill 2 of rock records. The sequel is as good, if not better, than the first one,” says Freese. “I’m proud of it and think I finally got all the 60-second songs out of my system.”
Recently profiled in The New York Times, Freese is among the most revered drummers in modern rock music today, keeping time for some of the biggest and most influential rock bands in history, including Guns N’ Roses, Weezer, Foo Fighters, A Perfect Circle, and Nine Inch Nails. He has helped breathe new energy into legendary acts like Devo and The Replacements and has played on hundreds of studio recordings spanning artists as stylistically wide-ranging as Bruce Springsteen, Katy Perry, the Dwarves, and Lana Del Rey.
The Long Beach, CA-based drummer brings that same versatility to Just A Minute, Vol. 2 as he zips between blistering punk, quirky pop, groove-driven rock, and even delicate piano instrumentals, while exploring themes ranging from his own personal reflections to absurdist humor to biting social commentary. Indeed, the collection plays like a rapid-fire rollercoaster of genre-bending micro-anthems. True to the axiom that less is more, Freese proves you can say a lot in just sixty seconds.
Thirty years ago, Stomp Records kicked off in Montreal with a simple mission: to give Canada’s independent punk and ska bands a home, a voice, and a way to reach beyond their own city limits. It was an ambitious idea for a couple of musicians with no business plan and even less money, a plan that should’ve crashed harder than a tour van on bald tires in a prairie blizzard. Instead, it helped ignite a national movement and built one of Canada’s longest-running and most influential independent labels. From day one, Stomp Records wasn’t just releasing records, it was building culture. In the pre-internet era, Canadian punk and ska scenes were thriving in isolation, each city a bubble. Stomp burst those bubbles, uniting bands from coast to coast, creating touring circuits, and turning hometown heroes into cross-country road warriors. “This label is built on community, creativity, and helping each other get our shot,” says Stomp co-founder Matt Collyer. “We’re still here because the fans show up, the bands work their asses off, and we love every minute of doing this.”
Throughout the late 90s and early 2000s, Stomp helped define the next wave of Canadian punk and ska, not by chasing trends but by championing artists with grit, conviction, and personality. They supported small scenes through compilation series (The All-Skanadian Club) and got in the van with bands — literally and figuratively — helping develop careers from the bar circuit to international festival stages. As trends shifted and the music industry free-fell into the Napster era, most indie labels folded. Stomp didn’t. They embraced digital early, built a full-service ecosystem of booking, management, and publicity, and widened their sonic scope to reflect the beautifully messy realities of underground music. Punk, ska, rockabilly, hardcore, folk-punk, skate-punk, bagpipes, brass, blood, sweat. if it had guts and a pulse of rebellion, Stomp gave it a home.
That fearless curation brought countless Canadian subcultural staples into the world: The Real McKenzies, Wine Lips, The Dreadnoughts, The Flatliners, The Creepshow, The Anti-Queens, Brutal Youth, Belvedere, Bedouin Soundclash, Raygun Cowboys, PKEW PKEW PKEW, The Sainte-Catherines, Down By Law, Snuff… and many more who continue to fill rooms and make noise worldwide. It has never been a smooth ride. Along the way there have been industry collapses, floods, robberies, broken bones, car jackings, even literal Nazi attacks. Somehow, through all of that, a few Juno nominations, a win, and accidental gold and platinum plaques still ended up on their walls.“The odds were stacked against us from day one,” says long-time Stomp partner Mike Magee. “Luckily Stomp Records didn’t, and still doesn’t, give one single flying f*ck about the odds.”
Three decades in, the mission hasn’t changed: artists first, community always, and a stubborn refusal to water anything down. And the stats speak for themselves: nearly 300 releases with distribution in over 190 countries, artists who’ve earned Juno recognition, and alumni who have gone on to perform in Simple Plan, Walk Off The Earth, Kings of Leon, The Stills, Patrick Watson and Broken Social Scene among a long list of others.
To celebrate surviving 30 wild years, and because they love any excuse for a loud night out, they’re celebrating with a nationwide run of absolute blowout shows. A toast to every late-night drive, every curb-side gear load, every sweaty pit, and every fan who ever found belonging in the chaos.
For interview opportunities with Stomp founders and artists, please reach out. -Chad
30TH ANNIVERSARY SHOWS
Nov 21 – Vancouver – The Rickshaw Theatre
The Real McKenzies, The Planet Smashers, Raygun Cowboys
I hadn’t been to Indianapolis’ Old National Centre since it was called the Murat Temple Theatre…and that was sometime in the 1990s. Entry was quick, and the woman checking IDs and handing out “21+” wristbands told us, “Straight ahead and down the stairs.” I figured Osees were playing in the large performance space in the building. I figured wrong. They were playing two floors below street level in a room the size of an average wedding reception hall.
Stone pillars on the mosh pit’s four corners.
Low ceilings, no windows, two entrances / exits, and a lot of people. My first thought was, “It’s going to be loud as hell in here.” I also saw many people who weren’t well dressed for an Osees show, possibly because they’d never seen them live before now. There were women in high heels, men in hooded sweatshirts and stocking caps, and a majority of the crowd without earplugs.
My prediction about the volume immediately was proven correct when, all the way from Japan, DMBQ took the stage to open the show and unloaded a crazy set of noise / kraut / punk / acid jazz / chaos. Lead guitarist and singer (and journalist) Shinji Masuko) was a wild man, drooling, slapping and punching himself, kicking the air, and creating a collapsing wall of sound while drummer Shinji Wada played stuff that would make many prog-rock drummers jealous and bassist Maki was a cool anchor the entire time. Again, you could tell that most of the crowd had no idea how to react to so much sound in such a small space. They had a lot of new fans by the end of their set.
Dynamite Masters Blues Quartet
Osees came out almost immediately after DMBQ finished crushing us, set up their gear, and started their wild, sweaty set at 9:01pm. Any place is a good place to see Osees, but a small space like the one we were in is perfect. The band and their fierce, energy is right there and it almost overpowers you.
A rare calm moment.
They tore through favorites like “Carrion Crawler,” “The Dream” (during which I started the crowd surfing, you’re welcome Indianapolis), and a fun, somehow even more raucous version of “Contraption” (with bassist Tim Hellman being an absolute beast with his groove).
It was a set of many classic cuts from them, with noting newer than material released in 2018 (“C” from Smote Reverser, which closed the show). This might have been because they hadn’t played an Indianapolis show in a long time. Lead singer / guitarist John Dwyer apologized at the start for them not playing there in many years: “Hey, Indianapolis. I’m sorry we never come here but (drummer) Dan (Rincon) hates it…No, I’m only kidding. He hates that fucking joke.”
A much louder moment.
“I Come from the Mountain” (again, with a killer bass line from Hellman), “Tidal Wave,” and “Ticklish Warrior” were big hits with the crowd, and I was happy to hear old cuts like “I Was Denied” (from 2010’s Warm Slime, the first Osees record I bought) and “Meat Step Lively” (from 2009’s Help).
The pit, as you might imagine, was a sweatbox being in such a small space. I had to back out after “Tidal Wave” (almost halfway through the show) to avoid overheating and burning the rest of the few calories I had in me. I slugged down a big cup of tonic water and then spent the rest of the show out of the pit but within view of the stage. I overheard a woman, seeing them for the first time, say, “They’re playing all my favorites.”
Numero Group announces the release of Hüsker Dü’s 1985: The Miracle Year, a live 4 LP box set, out November 7th. Witness the transcendent Minneapolis punk trio tearing into the most incendiary year of its existence, captured live on stage at First Avenue in perhaps the highest fidelity recordings of the band’s lauded SST era. 1985: The Miracle Year includes Beau Sorenson’s restoration of an entire January 30, 1985 set, plus 20 extra live tracks from the year’s touring schedule, and a deluxe booklet detailing twelve months of history-making Hüsker Dü. Along with today’s announcement, four songs from the box set are available to stream now. Titled Jan. 30, First Ave Pt. 2, the collection features “The Girl Who Lives On Heaven Hill,” “I Apologize,” “If I Told You” and “Folklore.” What is the sound of a legend being written?
Looking at 1985 through the dynamic lens of independent DIY music, mid-decade, there was a year-long succession of leaps by Hüsker Dü, each building on the powerful and undeniable sprint from the scrappy punk institution SST to the artistic empathy of Warner Bros. As observers began to catch on, testimonials came from many quarters, including the New York Times, which recognized the band as “the best to have emerged from the hardcore scene.” Consistent with such praise, Hüsker Dü revealed a heightened creative pace rarely, if ever, seen in any musical era. Before or since. After blowing the doors off the burgeoning alt-rock movement with Zen Arcadethe previous July, the band dropped New Day Rising just six months later on January 14, 1985, and then never stopped chasing the Hidden Beach sunrise that adorned that album’s cover.
On January 30, 1985, Minneapolis reached -11° at show time, marking 19 points of mercilessly dropped mercury from the day’s 8° apex. The 1500 attendees inside First Avenue, however, wouldn’t be needing so much as a T-shirt, let alone the nearest fiberfill parka: from the first blinding moments of “New Day Rising,” it was clear that Bob Mould, Grant Hart, and Greg Nortonhad arrived intent on setting every molecule in the room alight. Their setlist displayed a night-long cascade of fireballs chosen from Everything Falls Apart, Metal Circus, Zen Arcade, and New Day Rising, and five new songs that would reappear later on Flip Your Wig. They also made several nods to the band’s rock forbears, with a ballistic take on The Byrds’ “Eight Miles High,” a turbulent spin on The Beatles’ “Helter Skelter” featuring Soul Asylum’s Dave Pirner, a pop-punk remake of “Ticket To Ride, ” and closing with their signature cover of Sonny Curtis’s Mary Tyler Moore theme “Love Is All Around.”
Considering the late-January 2011 house fire that consumed a precious portion of the Hüsker Dü archive, it has to be reckoned as a kind of subordinate miracle that the 1985 First Avenue tapes survived at all. They deliver peak Dü at full gallop through already beloved material, still years shy of fully cementing their status as a blueprint for the alternative rock skyscraper to come. This box set celebrates these tapes, strikingly perhaps the highest fidelity Hüsker Dü recordings ever produced during the band’s lauded SST years. “When I think of that time,” Greg comments, “it was three guys doing what they loved, having fun, and basically showing other people that you can be true to yourself, true to your music, and not have to bow down to fashion or expectations to make something really great.”
1985: The Miracle Year Tracklist: Minnesota Miracle SIDE A 1. New Day Rising 2. It’s Not Funny Anymore 3. Everything Falls Apart 4. The Girl Who Lives On Heaven Hill 5. I Apologize 6. If I Told You 7. Folklore
SIDE B 1. Every Everything 2. Makes No Sense At All 3. Terms Of Psychic Warfare 4. Powerline 5. Books About UFOs 6. Broken Home, Broken Heart 7. Diane
SIDE C 1. Hate Paper Doll 2. Green Eyes 3. Divide And Conquer 4. Pink Turns To Blue 5. Eight Miles High
SIDE D 1. Out On A Limb 2. Helter Skelter 3. Ticket To Ride 4. Love Is All Around
More Miracles SIDE E 1. Don’t Want To Know If You’re Lonely 2. I Don’t Know For Sure 3. Hardly Getting Over It 4. Sorry Somehow 5. Eiffel Tower High
SIDE F 1. What’s Going On 2. Private Plane 3. Celebrated Summer 4. All Work And No Play
SIDE G 1. Keep Hanging On 2. Find Me 3. Flexible Flyer 4. Sunshine Superman 5. In A Free Land 6. Somewhere
SIDE H 1. Flip Your Wig 2. Never Talking To You Again 3. Chartered Trips 4. The Wit And The Wisdom 5. Misty Modern Days
Those were the first words I heard about Day Two of 2025’s Levitation Austin musical festival as I walked toward the entrance of the Palmer Event Center. Some guy said this to his pal as they steeled themselves for the day to come. The guy was right, as the bright sun was brutal at times — especially at the outdoor stage.
I started indoors, both to avoid the peak sun and to see Hooveriii put on a solid set of psych-rock that bordered on grunge rock a couple times (which was fine by me).
Hooveriii (pronounced “Hoover Three”, not “hoovery.”)
Many of us ventured out into the sun to see Dutch disco funkers Yīn-Yīn play for the first time anywhere in the United States. They had the afternoon crowd jumping and were having a great time despite not being used to such heat.
Yīn-Yīn getting their sweaty groove on, and on all of us.
I had time for a chicken shawarma wrap (possibly the best food bargain at the festival) and some ice cream before heading back to the outdoor stage to see Model / Actriz put on a blistering set of queercore post-punk with lead singer Cole Haden prowling through the crowd while his bandmates played tight, snappy beats and riffs. Guitarist Jack Wetmore knows not only how to play, but the right moments not to play — a skill overlooked by many.
Model / Actriz bringing more heat than the afternoon sun.
I took some more time to hydrate and get a full meal (It’s a marathon, not a sprint.) before heading back indoors to join the large crowd for The Brian Jonestown Massacre, who played to a happy crowd — many of whom (at least around me) hadn’t seen them before now. It was a good set, with only minor issue when, believe it or not, Anton Newcombe decided his microphone had too much reverb.
Too much reverb? Never!
The Raveonettes were a welcome return to Levitation. I hadn’t seen them since 2013 when Levitation was still the Austin Psych Fest (which has returned in its own form). They still sound great and played classics and newer stuff.
Let’s rave on!
The biggest show of the night, and for the entire festival for me, belonged to TV on the Radio. I wasn’t sure I’d ever get to see them, so their appearance at Levitation made the decision to fly here a no-brainer. They slayed it and had everyone jumping and moving. Their energy was infectious and immediate, and a great way to close the night.
Well worth the wait.
TVOTR didn’t close my night, however. I was so wired after their set that I walked over a mile to Elysium to see Past Self and Urban Heat. I knew we were in for a treat when Past Self’s bassist started the show by playing his guitar with a bow. What followed was a mix of desert rock (They’re from Las Vegas, Nevada.), New Romanticism, and dark wave.
Past Self. Are they ghosts, musicians, past incarnations of you?
Urban Heat are local heroes who play aggressive shoegaze mixed with post-punk anger. It’s good stuff, and they seem destined for big things. They reminded me a bit of early TVOTR, which was fitting because I bumped into TVOTR’s guitarist / multi-instrumentalist Jaleel Bunton at their show and got to thank him for the great set.
Urban Heat in the middle of the night.
Up next, psychedelia, indie rock, and a couple sets that might cause you to seek a chiropractor afterwards.
I’m going to call the September 25, 2025 Thursday night late shows of Levitation Austin 2025 as “Day Zero” since the official festival doesn’t start until September 26th. “Day -1” would’ve been September 24th when you could’ve seen Mdou Moctar, Beach Fossils, Strange Lot, Water Damage and other good bands.
The main festival has a new home — the Palmer Event Center pretty much in the middle of the city, and only has the “pub crawl” events (shows at various venues downtown) at night. As usual, there’s always at least one good band playing the Thursday night before Levitation to entice you into coming to town early. This year, “Day Zero” had several: Warmduscher and Starjunk 95 among them, and I opted for two other shows out of six you could attend.
I first went to Stubb’s BBQ for what would be the only show I would attend there the whole weekend (which felt odd): Kumo 99, Martin Rev, and Boy Harsher.
Kumo 99 kicking off Levitation with a good start.
I’d only heard one song from Kumo 99 before coming to Austin, so I didn’t know what to expect apart from some electro music. What I got was electro plus synthwave plus Japanese vocal punk rock. I was impressed, and so were a lot of others judging by the size of the line at their merch booth after their set.
Martin Rev will hit you with a key-tar and then put you in the Sharpshooter.
Up next was the legendary Martin Rev — one half of synth / punk pioneers Suicide. He came out in ripped-up leather pants, a sleeveless shirt, and goggles suitable for alpine skiing or for Brett “Hitman” Hart cutting a professional wrestling promo. What followed was a weird, loud no wave noise set that left most of the audience (who didn’t realize who he was) baffled. Rev was hammerfisting his keyboard through most of the set, bludgeoning us with distorted din. He sampled Bon Jovi, ZZ Top, and The Trammps at various points while singing / talking with so much reverb in his microphone that one guy in front of me just yelled, “What are you saying?” during a brief break in the noise. Rev even did a bizarre cover of Sam the Sham & the Pharohs‘ “Wooly Bully” at one point. A woman next to me said, “I hope I can be that cool at (age) seventy-seven. I’m ready for bed by eight and he’s out here doing his thing.” That “thing” being not giving a damn what people think and giving them more of an experience than a performance.
Boy Harsher winning over the crowd at the first note.
The crowd (with a big goth and queer contingent. Hell yeah!) for Boy Harsher was huge by the time they took the stage. They played much the same set as when I saw them at Levitation France months earlier — packing in pulsing synthwave with great electro dance beats. I found out from the woman next to me that they’d played a DJ set from the back of a truck the previous day and had done a record signing at End of an Ear in Austin. That’s way cool.
Johnny Jewel “covering” Chromatics.
Speaking of way cool things, I walked a half-block after Boy Harsher’s set to Elysium where I caught Johnny Jewel‘s great set of his film score and other music – which included a set from Drive, a salute to David Lynch, and even a different version of Chromatics‘ “Lady.” He played various clips from Lynch films, Twin Peaks, giallo films, and other oddities throughout it.
Desire instilling that in all of us.
Up next, and closing out Day Zero, was one of Jewel’s many side projects — Desire. They played a long set of lovely synthwave and electro-dance tracks, mostly about wanting, finding, and / or losing love. The crowd loved them, and the trio work well together. They even played two New Order covers (“Bizarre Love Triangle” and “Blue Monday” – with Jewel on lead vocals for the second) and Taylor Dane‘s “Tell It to My Heart” — which was a natural fit for lead singer Megan Louise.
It was a late night, but worth it. There’s a lot of good synthwave at Levitation this year, and Day One will end with more…but first there will be a lot of metal.
Keep your mind open.
All right, all right! I’ll get on it…And you spelled my name wrong again, David!
Golden Shower of Hits is a vicious, snotty and vibrant collection of tracks that highlight Circle Jerks’ insane punk chops, and their penchant for anti-authorianism, nihilism and a good ol ‘time. They’ve teamed up again with renowned archival label Trust Records for its re-release – marking the first time that its original tapes have been touched in 40 years.
The announcement of Golden Shower of Hits’ deluxe reissue comes just in time – today marks frontman / punk icon Keith Morris’ 70th birthday! Fans will have the chance to celebrate alongside the Circle Jerks with their return to the Hollywood Palladium tomorrow night, Friday, September 19, in Los Angeles. The show promises to be an unforgettable night honoring his legacy and the enduring power of punk. Joining them on this special night are Ceremony, Rocket From the Crypt, and Negative Approach — a lineup as ferocious as the occasion demands. Attending fans will also have access to two special exclusives available only at the Palladium show: A limited-edition 7-inch single of “When the Sh*t Hits the Fan”, (limited to 300 copies) and a limited-edition birthday poster, (500 copies) designed and signed collaboratively by Morris and Shepard Fairey (Obey Giant). Tickets and more info are here.
The audio for Golden Shower of Hit’s deluxe reissue was remastered from the original analog tapes by Pete Lyman at Infrasonic Sound in Nashville and restored and digitized by Dan Johnson at Audio Archiving Services. In addition to the vastly improved sound, this version also features a few different variants and updated artwork which has been given a modern touch by Bryan Ray Turcotte from Kill Your Idols Studio and features unseen photos by legendary photographer Glen E. Friedman.
By 1983, Circle Jerks had already established themselves as one of the most crucial hardcore punk bands– not only in their native Los Angeles, but worldwide. Their seminal debut Group Sex (1980) and the massive follow-up Wild in the Streets(1982) had been unleashed on the public along with extensive touring. The remaining original lineup of Keith Morris (Black Flag, later of OFF!), Greg Hetson (Redd Kross, later of Bad Religion), and Roger Rogerson would soon create another landmark hardcore punk release with their follow up, the masterful Golden Shower of Hits.
Golden Shower of Hits was initially released on July 21,1983 via LAX Records, a label owned by producer Jerry Goldstein best known as manager for Sly Stone and The Plugz, as well as the producer for WAR and The Strangeloves. Clocking in under 28 minutes, the album featured eleven new tracks and the infamous title track, a medley that, like the Paul Revere & the Raiders and Jackie Shannon covers found on the previous LP, completely reinvented the originals into a twisted take on AM radio pop favorites. A pair of tracks, “Coup d’État” and a version of “When the Sh*t Hits the Fan” made their way onto the soundtrack for the midnight movie Repo Man, and is forever cemented into that oddball slab of cinematic genius. “‘Golden Shower of Hits’ was recorded after Lucky Lehrer decided he was going to go to law school, so John Ingram filled in after being recruited by Roger Rogerson,” recalls Morris. “We pretty much recorded live on the sound stage. And the really fun part of that scenario was that our engineer had worked with the Grateful Dead– which at the time was odd.”
Upon release, Golden Shower of Hits became just as its moniker inferred– a modern classic that added to Circle Jerks’ already formidable legacy. And more than 42 years later, that legacy’s already long tail stretches further and wider with the release of this meticulously crafted reissue– cementing the LP’s importance in not only punk history, but the cultural zeitgeist as well. “I’d say that this is a cornerstone in the Circle Jerks discography,” says Morris. “When it comes to our setlist, we’re playing at least seven of these songs live. I think that’s a statement in itself. The title track is probably one of the most ridiculous things that we ever recorded.”
Circle Jerks Live Dates: Oct 02: Portland, OR – Roseland Theater Oct 03: Tacoma, WA – Temple Theatre Oct 05: Bend, OR – Volcanic Theatre Pub Oct 06: Boise, ID – Knitting Factory Oct 08: Salt Lake City, UT – The Depot Oct 10: Grand Junction, CO – Mesa Theater Oct 11: Boulder, CO – Boulder Theatre Oct 13: Kansas City, MO – Madrid Theater Oct 14: Oklahoma City, OK – Tower Theater Oct 15: Little Rock, AR – The Hall Oct 17: Dallas, TX – House of Blues Oct 18: San Antonio, TX – Paper Tiger
