Twenty Top 5s with Luke Spicknall

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.

recording artists when you were in high school

1. Modest Mouse
2. Devendra Banhart
3. Donovan
4. Built to Spill
5. Misfits


Instrument influences

1. J Mascis - Dinosaur Jr
2. Agustin Barrios
3. Leo Brouwer
4. Damon Tutunjian - Swirlies
5. Ash Bowie - Polvo


Songwriting influences 

1. Jason Molina - Songs:Ohia, Magnolia Electric Company
2. J Mascis - Dinosaur Jr
3. Superchunk
4. Further
5. The Ropers


Karaoke songs

1. Justin Beiber - Sorry
2. Katy Perry - Birthday
3. Bruce Springsteen - Darkness on the Edge of Town
4. CCR - Have You Ever Seen The Rain
5. CCR - Midnight Special


Junk foods

1. Reeses Peanut Butter Eggs
2. Cadbury Creme Eggs
3. Caramello
4. Old Fashioned Donuts
5. Cookie


Places to eat in Baltimore

1. Alma Cocina Latina
2. Blacksauce Kitchen
3. Larder
4. Cocina Luchadoras
5. Clavel


Movies

1. Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
2. Drag Me To Hell
3. Mandy
4. The Favourite
5. Apollo 11 (Documentary 2019)


Role models

1. My Big Sister, Erin
2. Glynn Washington (Snap Judgement Podcast)
3. Connor Murray
4. Ibram X. Kendi
5. Alec Macgillis (Reporter for ProPublica)


Spooled Up songs

1. Holding Space
2. Half Past Nice (yet to be released)
3. Blessin (yet to be released)
4. Bunna
5. No No How (yet to be released)


bands in Baltimore 

1. Baklavaa
2. D.Y.Y.O.
3. Pearl
4. Josh Stokes
5. Smoke Bellow


Productive ways to pass time during corona

1. I've been re-learning how to read music and play my classical guitar and it's been so rewarding! :) (see Agustin Barrios and Leo Brouwer in my instrument influences)
2. As much nature as possible
3. Weed
4. Talking on the phone to my big sister
5. Birding


Unproductive ways to pass time during corona

1. Instagram (unless for info spreading and activism)
2. Facebook (unless for info spreading or activism)
3. Candy
4. Pizza Flavor Blasted Goldfish
5. 90 Day Fiance


Songs right now 

1. 31 Seasons In The Minor Leagues - Jason Molina (live at Chapelle)
2. Nashville Moon - Jason Molina (live at Chapelle)
3. Phoebe Bridgers - Garden Song (sooo good :) :) )
4. John Prine - I Remember Everything
5. Julia Florida - Agustin Barrios


80s pop jams

(Not well versed in 80's pop, but here goes!)
1. Just Like Heaven - The Cure
2. Kiss - Prince
3. Age of Consent - New Order
4.  Faith - George Michael


Books

1. Underworld - Don DeLillo
2. World's End - T.C. Boyle
3. How to be an Antiracist - Ibram X Kendi
4. Child of God - Cormac McCarthy
5. The Existential Pleasures of Engineering - Samuel C. Florman


Albums that changed your life 

1. Magnolia Electric Co. - Songs: Ohia
2. Super Griptape L.P. - further
3. You're Living all Over Me - Dinosaur Jr
4. Blonder Tongue Audio Baton - Swirlies
5. Pyramid Electric Co. - Jason Molina


Pizza toppings

1. Pineapple
2. Peppers
3. Extra Sauce :)
4. Mushrooms
5. Broccoli


Cities you’ve visited 

1. Santa Fe, New Mexico
2. Tucson, Arizona
3. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
4. Great Cacapon, West Virginia
5. Abiquiu, New Mexico


Condiments

1. Pepper Sauce from Clavel
2. Sriracha
3. Green Chile Sauce
4. Spicy Brown Mustard
5. Popeye's BBq sauce


Fictional characters 

1. Fry from Futurama
2. Zaphod Beeblebrox form Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
3. Gil from the Simpsons
4. The Disembodied Head of Richard Nixon from Futurama
5. Michonne from The Walking Dead

Written by Tyler Gallagher (@TylerGallagher8)

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Ron Mist - "Cycling"

I was recently informed that PGH music legend/DJ/all around good person Dylly K now has a solo project by the name of Ron Mist. Given that they have provided the electronic accompaniment to the band String Machine for years, and they have been hosting virtual dance parties over the course of the pandemic, I was not all that surprised to hear that they had been working towards their own record Dancing Is A Celebration of Being Alive (Power Nap Records). 

Ron's single "Cycling" brings you in with this ominous vocal/breathing (?) sample and what sounds like a bike clicking as its wheels glide over smooth pavement. (It honestly took me some time to make that connection with the track title, but I guess it is better late than never.) Then you are dropped into some euphoric soundscape that leads you to the meat and potatoes of the track... but not first without being told "Dancing is a physical form of expression." Sick.

This is where the music video comes into play. The dance montage of Kimie Parker shot and edited by David McCandless is amazing. Surgeon general also recommends that you watch until the end to see an epic Ron Mist jump kick.

But yeah... you're brought into this truly zoned-in dance track that continues to pile on intricate layers til the very end. Solid bass rhythm, hi-hats, and then some electronic work that drizzles all over it like chocolate syrup. Truly tasty. I love how the song seems to sonically spiral over itself in the end. A little guitar "kicks" in from afar as well (see video). 

This was a good start from Ron Mist. I am not sure when the full record will drop, but I will be waiting for it. Check out "Cycling" below.

Ron Mist's Bandcamp proceeds will be split 50/50 between The Alignment Chapter (non-profit providing help for single mothers) and to The Mr. Roboto Project.

RIYL: Ratatat, Moss of Aura, Yves Tumor, Four Tet
Hot Take: Add to your running/cycling playlist immediately. Consider hydrating while listening to this track. Also I miss shows. 

Follow Ron Mist

Facebook | Instagram | Bandcamp 

Written by Connor Murray (@craftedsounds)

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Twenty Top 5s with Rui Gabriel

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 Rui Gabriel, bassist and co-lead vocalist of New Orleans band Lawn. Lawn's new record Johnny is being co-released on September 4th by Community Records and Muscle Beach Records. Johnny perfectly captures what Lawn does best: balancing twangy folk-tinged pop with harsh, angular post-punk, frequently in the same song. Rui's driving bass forms a formidable rhythm section with rock-steady drummer Hunter Keene, and Mac Folger's ability to shape shift his guitar playing to whatever the song calls for makes every song surprising. Mac and Rui's distinct voices play off of each other extremely well, with Rui's bellowing, often half-shouted vocals carrying some of the record's heavier songs. You may recognize his voice as the lead vocalist on the Matt Surfin' and Friends track "Get Down" (Matt Seferian of Matt Surfin' and Pope engineered Johnny as well).




Lawn has been one of the hidden gems in a vibrant New Orleans music scene for a while now, and I have a feeling the "hidden" part is going to change when Johnny is released. Not many bands could pull off making a cohesive record that seems equal parts influenced by Parquet Courts and Bob Dylan. Nothing on this album sounds out of place, and Rui seems to be the glue that holds it all together. While you're waiting for Johnny to be released, be sure to check out Lawn's 2018 debut record Blood on the Tracks to get ready for another Community Records banger.

recording artists when you were in high school

1. The Clash
2. Pavement
3. Beck
4. J Dilla
5. Talking Heads


Instrument influences

1. Tina Weymouth
2. Graham Lewis
3. Paul Simonon
4. Steve Hanley
5. Deborah Scroggins


Songwriting influences

1. Stephen Malkmus
2. David Berman
3. Mark E. Smith
4. Elvis Costello
5. Residente


Karaoke songs

1. Bizarre Love Triangle
2. Lust for Life
3. TVC15
4. Burning Down the House
5. Like a Rolling Stone


Junk foods

1. Taco Bell 7 Layer Burrito (hold the cheese and cream)
2. Hardee’s Beyond Thickburger
3. McDonalds’ Fries
4. So Delicious Salted Caramel Cashew Milk Ice Cream
5. Waffle House hash browns


Places to eat in New Orleans

1. Sweet Soul Food
2. Dian Xin
3. Pho Tau Bay
4. Taqueria Guerrero
5. Marjie’s Grill


Movies

1. Dr. Strangelove or: How I learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
2. La Haine
3. Boogie Nights
4. Do the Right Thing
5. Che (parts 1 and 2)


Role models

1. Mi padre
2. Malcom X
3. David Sedaris
4. Pepe Mujica
5. Andy Kaufman


Songs you’ve written

1. Argentina
2. Summertime
3. My Boy
4. Soda
5. Honest to God/Paper


Guilty pleasures

1. Cheese
2. Alternate history YouTube videos
3. Reality TV
4. Raw onions
5. Sitting in the car with the AC blasting while not leaving the parking lot after grocery shopping.


Musical artists in New Orleans

1. The Convenience
2. Sharks Teeth
3. Sexy Dex and the Fresh
4. Video Age
5. Pope


Productive ways to pass time during corona

1. Leisure walks
2. Learning to make cacio e pepe
3. Reading
4. Writing/Recording
5. Attempting to learn another language


Unproductive ways to pass time during corona

1. Smoking
2. Fantasizing about gear I can’t afford
3. Rewatching House M.D
4. Sleeping in
5. Impulse buying gear I can’t afford and then returning it


Songs right now

1. Art Feynman - Taking on Hollywood
2. Arca - KLK
3. Lithics - Hands
4. J Balvin - Rosa
5. NNAMDÏ - Wasted


80s pop jams

1. Talking Heads - Once In a Lifetime
2. Prince - Raspberry Beret
3. The Romantics - What I Like About You
4. Paul McCartney - Coming Up
5. The B-52’s - Girl From Ipema Goes to Greenland


Venues you’ve played

1. The Bootleg Theater
2. One Eyed Jacks
3. Billy’s Ballroom
4. Cheer Up Charlie’s
5. Some abandoned batting cages in Philadelphia (Editor's note: pretty sure this is Everybody Hits?)


Albums that changed your life

1. Pavement - Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain
2. The Clash - S/T
3. The Fall - Hex Enduction Hour
4. Silver Jews - American Water
5. Beck - Odelay


Cities you’ve visited

1. New York City, NY
2. Chicago, IL
3. Montreal, QC
4. San Francisco, CA
5. Jackson, MS


Condiments

1. Habanero Yucateco
2. Valentina
3. Zatarain’s Creole Mustard
4. Guasacaca
5. Chimichurri


Fictional characters

1. General Buck Turgidson
2. Bunny Colvin
3. Jennifer Melfi
4. Dale Cooper
5. Quico

Written by Tyler Gallagher (@TylerGallagher8)

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Twenty Top 5s with Hoagie Ensley

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 Chicago-based musician Ryan "Hoagie" Ensley. Hoagie is a veteran of the Chicago DIY scene, though his primary focus is his solo project, Sonny Falls. The first Sonny Falls full-length, Some Kind of Spectre, was released on Sooper Records (run by Nnamdi Ogbonnaya and Sen Morimoto, among others) in 2018. It established Sonny Falls as a tour-de-force of anthemic garage rock, driven by the heartbreakingly personal narratives Hoagie spins in his lyrics. Think Pavement and Bruce Springsteen doing the Dragonball Z fusion dance. The new Sonny Falls record, All That Has Come Apart/Once Did Not Exist, is Hoagie's most ambitious project yet. The album is in the process of being released in three parts through Plastic Miracles, Elise Okusami of Oceanator's new label. The new album features some of the best songs Hoagie has written, and just like Some Kind of Spectre, so much of the album feels like you're present with him.



When Hoagie is not working on his solo music, he stays very busy. He plays in another great Chicago-based band called Old Joy (https://oldjoychicago.bandcamp.com/track/good-morning), records his own podcast called the Hoagie Showgie (available on Spotify and elsewhere), and runs a fundraising project called Bake Bag (@bakebagproject on Instagram) with his partner Emma. His work ethic is second to none, and I can't wait for the rest of the world to hear this new record.

recording artists when you were in high school

1. Bright Eyes
2. Elliott Smith
3. Television
4. Dead Kennedys
5. Billy Joel


Songwriting influences

1. Elliott Smith
2. Dave Berman
3. Bill Callahan
4. Sonic Youth
5. Leonard Cohen


Instrument influences

1. Stephen Malkmus
2. Elliott Smith
3. Lee Ranaldo
4. Tom Verlaine
5. J Mascis


Karaoke songs

1. American Pie by Don McLean
2. Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmmm by Crash Test Dummies
3. Hook by Blues Traveler
4. Dancing in the moonlight by Thin Lizzy
5. The Beautiful People by Marilyn Manson


Junk foods

1. Americone Dream by Ben and Jerry
2. Take 5
3. Double stuffed oreos
4. Reeses
5. Frozen snickers


Places to eat in Chicago

1.Kasias Deli
2. FEED
3. Dantes Pizza
4. Los Pollitos
5. Cafe Jumping Bean


Movies

1.The Fog
2. Reanimator
3. Taxi Driver
4. The Exorcist
5. Dig


Sonny Falls songs

1. All
2. Songs
3. From
4. New
5. Album


Things to cook at home

1. Cheesy Potato Spinach quesadilla
2. Chili
3. breakfast burrito
4.  Rice / Beans with spinach / peppers
5.  Chicken / peppers / onions


Productive ways to pass time during corona

1. Writing songs
2. Recording songs
3. Reading books
4. Meditating
5. Running / biking


Unproductive ways to pass time during corona

1. looking at social media
2. panicking
3. constantly reading the news
4. trying to find something to watch
5. mindlessly pacing the house


Songs right now 

1. Get the old band back together - Christian Lee Hutson
2. Loner - Dehd
3. Velodrome - 2nd Grade
4. Shadow of She was - Cyrus Gengras
5.  Los Angeles - Dougie Pool


80s pop jams

1. Uptown Girl - Billy Joel
2. Hungry Heart - Bruce Springsteen
3. Crimson & Clover - Joan Jett
4. You can call me al - Paul Simon
5. Summer of '69 - Bryan Adams


Venues you’ve played 

1. Empty Bottle
2. Coles
3. Drkmttr
4. Hotel Vegas
5. UFO Factory


Albums that changed your life 

1. I'm Wide Awake It's Morning - Bright Eyes
2. From A Basement on The Hill - Elliott Smith
3. Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain - Pavement
4. The Stranger - Billy Joel
5. Capacity - Big Thief


Pizza toppings

1. Cheese
2. sausage
3. onions
4. peppers
5. garlic


Cities you’ve visited 

1. NYC
2. New Orleans
3. Pittsburgh
4. Austin
5. Nashville


Condiments

1. BBQ
2. bbq
3. bbq
4. bbq
5. mustard


Fictional characters 

1. Harry Potter
2. The Dude
3. Kramer
4. Walter White
5. Freddy Krueger

Written by Tyler Gallagher (@TylerGallagher8)

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Twenty Top 5s with Davey Jones

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)

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