01. Bob Mould - Silverage
02. Rabbits - Rites Bites
03. Kowloon Walled City - Container Ships
04. Future of the Left - The Plot Against Common Sense
05. Absolute Monarchs - 1
06. TacocaT - Take Me to Your Dealer
07. Murmurs - Fly With Unkindness
08. Metz - S/T
09. Firewater - Get Off the Cross (re-issue)
10. Unsane - Wreck
SHOWS:
I missed some good ones, I know. Didn't see nearly as many shows this year as usual. Because of that I only did a top 9. I did see more than that, but thought since I started thinking of shows I played at it was time to stop, so I only added the one, because it was epicage, and it was a cover band...
01. Akimbo "Last Show Ever" Comet Tavern
It is a weird thing to see a band start in a genre that is somewhat irrelevant at the time, grow to dominate it as it grows around them, and then be overtaken by the success of the genre itself. Akimbo never lost a step, up to the very last moment they were a band. On the last night at the Comet, if you were lucky enough to have gotten in before the place sold out at 9:30, you got to see Jon, Nat and Aaron play some 15 songs, then add original guitarist Jared Burke Eglington (Bitches Crystal, Patrol, Spirit of Radio) to play another 15. Three power failures, silly string, great times...I hate to say this is the last time I will see this band, but if it is, let that be an example to everyone on how to do it right.
02. Bob Mould - Copper Blue + Silverage Showbox
What can be said here? I can count on one hand the number of times you leave a show saying "wow, they should have played more new material". They did play all of Copper Blue, they did play a bunch of Hüsher Dü (although I personally would have chosen a few different ones), and they did only play 3 tracks off the new "Silverage" in the 2 hours he played. As you see it was my album of the year, I wish he would have played a couple more of those, however it was just really nice seeing one of the best performers in music with an electric guitar and a band he likes playing with. Simply amazing.
03. Glenn or Glenda (Funhouse Last Night on Earth) - FunhouseI've seen Glenn or Glenda probably 14 of the 20 shows they ever played. I always said, if you were going to see a Misfits cover band, go see this one. This year was a little different as it marked the end of Glenn or Glenda's 10 year run, and the end of the Funhouse in it's current location. A location I have been playing shows at since 1990 when it was Tex's Tavern. I am dating myself a bit, but as one of the only people that was an employee of the Funhouse from start to finish, I will miss this place. But it was nice sending it off in style, and with a few hundred great friends. Thanks for the memories, all the great shows, and good times.
04. Future of the Left - Backspace PDX (also Neumos Seattle)
One of the best bands out there period. Came through for the first time in 3 years, new bass player and added a guitarist. Even playing with Andrew Jackson Jihad couldn't ruin these shows. Even the notoriously terrible sound at Neumos couldn't ruin the Seattle leg. Even the pouring rain and generally miserable weather and Sunday/Monday night couldn't ruin these shows. All of the previously stated things, only served to lower it a few spaces on the list.
05. Helm's Alee, Black Elk, Nether Regions, Princess - Funhouse (and the Branx in PDX w/ Nether Regions, Rabbits, Wizard Riffle)
06. The Ruby Doe, Black Elk, Akimbo, Dog Shredder - Comet (and Dante's in PDX w/ Norska, White Oragne and Dog Shredder)
I can't add anything to this, these lineups speak for themselves.
06. Vaselines, TacocaT, Unatural Helpers - Bumbershoot Hate Bumbershoot, but worked it again, and this the only good stuff I saw. Vaselines are still well worth all the bs of being at Bumbershoot.
07. Hot Snakes - Roseland Theatre Portalnd (also Neumos a few months earlier)
Roseland was a great place to see Hot Snakes during MFNW. After Red Fang opened, half the crowd left and missed the Snakes play a full set with original drummer Jason Kourkounis and another full set with Mario Rubalcaba. In addition the band didn't disappoint with few Drive Like Jehu tracks, and a Big Boys cover!
08. WTF Fest! John Sinclaird, (w/ Dave Archer, Mothers' Anger, Shane and Amy Bugby)
The man, the legend played the Comet. And no body showed up at all. Maybe people didn't know the guy behind the MC5, maybe they were just stupid because no one in his band work at Neumos or the Cha-Cha. Nevertheless, if you were one the 20 or so people that were there, you know this was a very special event indeed. I can also tell you, that inside the Comet that day, I saw Dave Archer use a million watt Tesla Coil to paint glass publically for the last time. A technique he used to create the backgrounds of several of your favorite tv shows and movies. Snooze you loose...
09. Angry Snowmans (w/ Phantom Tank, Coverage, Act of Sabotage) - Comet Tavern Angry Snowmans are one of the only reasons I find the Christmas season tolerable. They give the Weird Al treatment to early punk songs, to turn them into X-Mas songs. Their lyrics are brilliant. Their yearly migration South from the North Pole didn't disappoint. This show was crazy, check out Rod Moody's review of Phantom Tank:
Good Coverage show last nite at the Comet, but we were kinda upstaged by the band that followed us. Let's see...one guy comes out in foil diaper, another has fishnet tights w/nothing underneath, singer is smoking a cig onstage, guitarist throws two mic stands into the crowd, smashes a pint glass against the wall showering crowd below w/broken glass, bouncer tries to tell the guy that it was uncool & he responds by kicking several beers off the table at him (some of which hit me), then one of 'em goes into both bathrooms, brings out the trash cans and empties the contents on stage and in crowd. Just another night at the Comet Tavern...
Android Hero are currently writing new material for thee long overdue follow-up to their debut "Broken Hearted Love Songs For Sensitive Tough Guys" which was released in 2009 and followed by a self-released 5 song CDEP in 2012.
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