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 Brooklyn-based musician Davey Jones. He is the man behind Lost Boy ?, a garage-y punk project whose albums often feature Davey on every instrument and vocals. Lost Boy ?'s music is characterized by gigantic hooks and fuzzed-out guitar with Davey using his signature first-person lyrics to explore various characters by walking in their shoes. Davey is prolific. He's released three EPs and two singles this year alone, including "FEEL LIKE SHIT (All of the Time)" in which he embodies COVID-19 itself. The video is, of course, produced by Davey, as he is both a talented artist and animator.
Davey has had a tremendous influence on me since the first time I saw him perform. He and Luke Chiaruttini (of Bueno) performed an absolutely brilliant "karaoke set" in which they alternated performing their songs with nothing but the instrumental track blaring in the background. There were probably less than ten people in that basement, but Davey and Luke performed as if it was a packed stadium show. I've seen Lost Boy ? five or six times since then (usually with a full band), but that one always sticks out. You're lucky to get the chance to rock, so take advantage of the opportunity every chance you get. Davey embodies this attitude better than anyone I know.
recording artists when you were in high school
Modest Mouse
Rage Against the Machine
Beck
Radiohead
Underworld
Instrument influences
Jimi Hendrix (Guitar)
Dave Grohl (Drums)
Paul McCartney (Bass)
Iggy Pop (Vocal)
Kim Deal (Bass)
Songwriting influences
Memoirs
NYC
Personal Shit
Pop Culture
Drugs
Karaoke songs
Right Said Fred - "Im Too Sexy"
Marcy Playground - "Sex & Candy"
Prodigy - "Scratch My Itch Up"
The Cure - "Boys Don't Cry"
REM - "Crush With Eyeliner"
Junk foods
Ice Cream
Ice Cream
Cheese
Beer
Ice Cream
Places to eat in New York
Sunnyside Pizza (Queens)
Yun Nan Flavor Snack (Sunset Park)
Awash (NYC)
Punjabi (NYC)
Jesse's Coffee Shop (Brooklyn)
Movies
Trainspotting
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Kids
Good Time
Hackers
Role models
My Brother
Boatz
Chris Elia
Adam & Nora
Neil Young
Songs you’ve written
Feel Like Shit
Sandman
Dialogue Runner
Never Left You
Chew
New York bands
Sharkmuffin
Dan Francia
Tall Juan
Gustaf
Def Grls
Productive ways to pass time during corona
learn things you always wanted to know or do (on the web or in a book)
meditate
bike
demo
wash your hands
Unproductive ways to pass time during corona
drink
eat
drink
eat
drink
Songs right now
Raekwon - "Knucklheadz"
NIN - "March of the Pigs"
Tricky - "The Only Way
Tim Presley - "I Have to Feed Larry's Hawk"
Quavius - "New Me (Who Is This)"
80s pop jams
Madonna - "Lucky Star"
The Cure - "Close to Me"
Prince - "Raspberry Beret"
Van Halen - "Unchained"
The Stranglers - "Golden Brown"
Books
William Burroughs - "Junky"
Patti Schemel - "Hit So Hard"
Richard Hell - "I Dreamed I Was a Very Clean Tramp"
Brix Smith Start - "The Rise, The Fall and the Rise of.."
Deborah Spunden - "And I Don't Want to Live This Life"
Albums that changed your life
Jimi Hendrix - "Are You Experienced"
REM - "Monster"
Onyx - "Bacdafucup"
Wu Tang - "36 Chambers"
Breeders - "Last Splash"
Pizza toppings
olives
peppers
onions
tomato basil
eggplant
Cities you’ve visited
NYC
London
San Francisco
Miami
New Orleans
Condiments
Duck Sauce
Soy Sauce
Jalapeños
Pickles
Yellowbird Hot Sauces
Fictional characters
Darth Vader
George Costanza
Jackie Brown
Spud
Royal Tenenbaum
Written by Tyler Gallagher (@TylerGallagher8)