HEY! Welcome to Twenty Top 5s. I (Tyler) have been sending out questionnaires to some of my favorite musicians and asking for their top 5 in every category. I’ll be publishing them every Thursday for the foreseeable future. Hopefully this lets you get to know some of your favorite musicians a little bit better, and I hope it distracts you in these trying times.
Today's Twenty Top 5s participant is Pierce Jordan, frontman of Philly-based hardcore band Soul Glo. Soul Glo's newest album, THE N**** IN ME IS ME, perfectly encapsulates everything the band is, all in under 20 minutes. The music is chaotic, veering rapidly between straight-forward hardcore, noise-rap, and screamo, often within the same song. At the forefront is always Pierce's signature howl and cutting lyrics about being black in America. Sometimes Pierce's lyrics read as a nuanced dissertation on race relations; sometimes they read like he's shouting in your face. Soul Glo's music is designed to make you uncomfortable, and Pierce's shrieks will do just that.
The first time I saw Soul Glo was at a house show in South Oakland (I believe it was People's Warehouse AKA Cafe Verona), and it was legitimately one of the best live performances I've ever seen. An incredibly tight hardcore band with a seemingly possessed frontman is always a recipe for success, but Soul Glo is unmatched when it comes to lyrical content and experimentation.
recording artists when you were in high school
System of a Down
M83
The Mars Volta
The Number 12 Looks Like You
Between the Buried and Me
Songwriting influences
Stanley Clarke
Prince
Circle Takes The Square
System of a Down
Young Thug
Instrument influences
Stanley Clarke (bass)
Prince (everything)
Mike Kuhn (drums)
Angela Gossow (vocals)
Young Thug (vocals)
Karaoke songs
Throw Some D’s by Rich Boy
Hot Nigga by Bobby Shmurda
Prison Song by System of a Down
Freakum Dress by Beyoncé
What a Fool Believes by The Doobie Brothers
Junk foods
Mozzerella Sticks from the bodega on 20th and Tasker
7/11 Hot Wings aka Tyson’s Anytizers
Ben&Jerry’s Salted Caramel Core pints
Taco Bell’s Quesarito
Weed cereal bars, lately I’ve been fuckin w Honey Bunches of Oats
Places to eat in Philly
Que Chula es Puebla
Han Dynasty
Andy’s Chicken
El Taco
Night Owls and Brandywine Pizza have a fire veggie burger
also honorable mention to the bodega on 7th and Master w the fire $2 fries chicken thigh and drumstick no lo corte
Movies
The Science of Sleep
Hitch
Good Burger
Friday
When Harry Met Sally
Role models
My parents
Soul Glo songs
Mad new shit whose titles I can’t reveal sorry
Philly bands
Ghösh
Loose Nukes
Mother Maryrose
Irreversible Entanglements
HIRS
Productive ways to pass time during corona
Getting money
Writing
Therapy
Reading
Acquiring materials for recording music
Unproductive ways to pass time during corona
Jerkin it
Overeating
Smoking until I can’t walk straight
Getting drunk
Staring at the wall
Songs right now
HD by Based Savage
Blinding Lights Remix ft.Chromatics by the Weeknd
literally every Savage remix I’ve heard including over the beats for Bossy by Kelis and Intl. Players
Anthem by UGK
Element by Pop Smoke
The Contract by Conway the Machine
80s pop jams
uhhhhhh
Venues you’ve played
De Onderboek in Nijmegen, Netherlands
Cousin Danny’s in Philly
Ottobar in Baltimore, MD
Golden Tea House in Philly
Archer Ballroom in Chicago, IL
Albums that changed your life
Stanley Clarke-Self Titled
Circle Takes The Square-As The Roots Undo
System of a Down-Toxicity
Beyoncé-Dangerously In Love
M83-Before The Dawn Heals Us
Pizza toppings
Black Olives
Jalapeños
More cheese than a human should eat
Calamari
Buffalo Chicken
Cities you’ve visited
Montréal
Budapest
Honolulu
Oakland
Nijmegen
Condiments
Hot Sauce
Horseradish
Ranch
Brown Mustard
Honey
Fictional characters
Spongebob
Clarence
Georgia Nicholson
Andy Kaufman
Paris Hilton
Written by Tyler Gallagher (@TylerGallagher8)