What song makes you think of your childhood home?

My parents had a small, but quality record collection when I was younger and in that collection was a couple of Heart records. This song sparks so many memories.

What’s your favorite track one on a debut album?

So many options to choose from, so I tried to limit my finalists to albums I listened to, shortly after they were released. So I ended up going with Portishead, partly because I've never written about them before and most importantly it's a great debut album and a great first song. The haunting melodies, the trip hop influences, and Beth Gibbon's voice... wow, just wow.

A Halloween track for y'all...

Ink and Dagger was/is one of those bands that was better live, than recorded. I saw them twice, once at a hardcore festival in Detroit and another someplace in mid New York State opening for Avail. Ithaca maybe? An amazing live band and stage show... complete with vampire makeup, blood, strobe lights, and a coffin.

Their original singer, Sean McCabe, passed away in 2000. He was also the first person I got into an argument with online back in 1994 in the hardcore BBS... so there's that for history.. He was an amazing, charismatic frontman though... RIP.

Ink & Dagger has reunited a few times, most recently this month... Geoff Rickly from Thursday has taken over the vocal duties and does a really good job capturing the essence of McCabe's work.

As far as other band members, most have played in other huge hardcore bands like Lifetime, Guilt, Frail, The Icarus Line, Crud is a Cult, Good Riddance, Kid Dynamite, and even comedian/actor/writer Eric Wareheim of Tim & Eric was in the band.

The track I picked is one of the better recorded tracks that capture their energy well.

What is your favorite song from last year?

My favorite album from 2024 was Liquid Mike's Paul Bunyan's Slingshot... and I found out yesterday they are playing here Monday... so going with a song off that album. Excited!

Describe your favorite summer as a kid using a single song.

Not sure if it qualifies as my favorite, but it's one I have a vivid memory of: summer before freshman year of high school, skating with my friend Chris in the parking lots around our neighborhood, blasting music from my boom box. This band, Living Colour, Guns and Roses, and I'm sure some of his tapes too. Fun as hell and no responsibilities.

What song best matches the energy of today?

I stayed up way too late watching Game 3 of the World Series. I made it to the 12th inning and thankfully (I guess) called it a night... the rest of the game seemed exciting, ending with a dramatic walk off homerun in the bottom of the 18th inning. 6 hours and 39 minutes.... two full games of innings. AND they play again tonight.

So, I'm very tired today... I picked a song from Karate to fit the energy and mood. One of my favorite bands. I did an interview Geoff Farina in college for. my zine... and got to see and record (mini DV video) them in Seattle. I never did anything with that footage... wonder if the tape is still good?

What song best captures your current phase of life?

Lots of uncertainty, for sure. Our oldest is in college. The twins are seniors in high school this year, so we're doing the college hunt thing with them... and then what comes after that? All three will most likely be living on campus somewhere, so what does that mean for me and the Mrs?

I know we'll be fine and adjust... but it's going to be weird. I absolutely wouldn't change a thing about any of it, but having three kids a total of 13 months apart was a LOT. And then it won't be... it will never be nothing, but it will be a lot less. That's gonna take some getting used to.

And add on top of that the chaos and uncertainty of our current political clown show... it's hard to keep it all straight some days.

Your favorite demo or unreleased version of a song.

After the hardcore band Have Heart broke up in 2009, singer Pat Flynn and other members formed a few other bands, including two of my favorites: Free and Fiddlehead.

Fiddlehead has survived until today (and have a put out a couple great full lengths) and Have Heart has reunited a few times for a handful of shows.

Free was short lived, though, and awesome (and closest to sounding like Have Heart... their first demo in 2015 had four tracks, including this song "We Live Free"... if you dig this, check out their EP Ex Tenebris (Listen).

When I was a kid, I'd sit alone, close my eyes and dream of a world Where all walks of life: woman and man, class and creed, any color of skin Loved who they loved as free as they can, embracing their difference hand in fucking hand And told I was the fool, dumb and naive - just another hopeful kid with a stupid fucking dream But the vision stayed, burning in me: the endless struggle to see us F.R.E.E: Free to be Right to choose Equal to me Equal to you...

Your favorite live version of a song.

Love this song. The live version seems so earnest. Hoping I get to see Big Thief someday.

A song from your most listened to artist of the last 20 years.

Conveniently I am 20 years and 1 month into using Last.fm, though there were a bunch of years I didn’t scrobble for whatever reason. 20 years is insane though! 😳

Anyway my most listened to artist in that time is Sharon Van Etten, with Frightened Rabbit second. Wye Oak is third, Fugazi fourth, and surprisingly Every Time I Die fifth.

So for the prompt I will pick one of my favorite SVE songs: “Afraid of Nothing” off her 2014 album, Are We There.