From the ashes of legendary Australian punk mainstay The Drones has risen the mighty Tropical Fuck Storm! On their follow up to 2018’s A Laughing Death In Meatspace, Gareth Liddiard and crew are tearing at the walls of sonic reality yet again, this time as they stare straight-faced into the coming apocalypse. Special guest PJ Sykes joins us to dissect one of the most raucous, and maybe most essential, releases of 2019. You’re probably not ready for Braindrops, but that’s OK…we’re here to help.

After several years working behind the scenes, the legendary Raphael Saadiq returns to the spotlight to deliver his most personal, and compelling album to date. Jerry Lee (named after his brother who was an addict who died of AIDS) takes a profoundly human look at not just the consequences of addiction, but the underlying causes. Oppression comes in many forms in this world, and Saadiq explores that theme with compassion, an understanding of just how deeply all of us are connected, and a belief that it is only love that can save us in the end.

Together, Melissa Wright and Daniel Zezinski are known as Mink's Miracle Medicine, and from their trailer in Harpers Ferry, WVA they're making music that might just heal what ails ya. On their first full-length House of Candles, the duo explores country, folk, and even punk traditions to deliver a stripped down set of poignant (and often hilarious) songs centered around relationships, small-town life, and existing in the modern age. Recently the duo paid a visit to the basement to talk about minimalism, Patsy Cline, the joy of a good riding mower and much, much more.

PLUS! DC synth-pop "revivalists" Loi Loi are dropping a five song EP on Blight Records later this year, but you can check out the first track "1985" right here, and right now!

In 1977 a fussy proto/post punk band from NYC dropped one of the most influential albums in rock n' roll history. Forty years later, we're talking about why this fidgety masterpiece not only influenced and defined a generation of musicians, but why it sounds just as vital and savage as it did way back when.

That's it. That's the pitch.

Are you in, or is you isn't?

In 1971, history was made when brothers Bobby, Dannis, and David Hackney got together to jam, and inadvertently "created" punk music in the process. That history wouldn't be discovered until almost 40 years later, and having their story told in the documentary A Band Called Death in 2013, the group is touring again, making new music, and finding new fans everywhere they turn.

More importantly, their story has now been recognized by the recently opened National Museum of African American History in Washington, DC, where a piece of their legend is now a permanent exhibit in the latest addition to the Smithsonian.

We caught up with the band the weekend of the museum's opening to talk about their history, their legacy, and so much more. 

Franz Nicolay is a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer, true punk philosopher, and now…an author.

The Humorless  Ladies of Border Patrol chronicles Nicolay and his wife Maria’s tour through the underground punk/DIY scene of Russia and the Ukraine and is unlike any travelogue that has come before it. Immersive, poignant, and a treat for the senses , Ladies is the next step in an already vital career for Nicolay that is required reading for fans of music, punk, or just gaining a new perspective on the world we all share.

But enough of us gabbing. How about we let Franz tell you all about it…

In this episode, Kevin sits down with Franz Nicolay, revered multi-instrumentalist / composer / performer who you might know from bands like the World/Inferno Friendship Society, The Hold Steady, Guignol, Anti Social Music and much, much more. Hard at work on his next solo record Nicolay talks a little about the past, a little about life as a solo artist, and even a little about singing like Meatloaf. Tune in to this one kids, because when you’re talking Franz Nicolay, well that’s about as good as it gets!