Friend of the blog—and former JMB interviewee—Fat Tony lost everything this week in the Los Angeles wildfires. Here is a link to a Gofundme created to help the good man get back on his feet. Everything past his financial goal will be donated to the Pasadena Humane Society.
The full-on juking “Move” by Mello Buckzz was one of the best rap tunes of 2024, so it’s good to hear another Chicago artist picking up on that energy and kicking off an already bleak year with something joyous. It’s pure Power 92 bait, music to blast out of a transistor at the red hots spot. How many times have I mentioned Chicago-style hot dogs on the blog?
Hattiesburg, Mississippi scene report: Here is an update from Earth Girl Tapes, a label run by a member of the inimitable snack punk band Judy And The Jerks. Cucuy is from Chicago, though, and plays a slashing, charming kind of hardcore American music, picking up the ball from Boon, Watt, and Hurley—from TisaKorean’s favorite band—and running it into the end zone at Soldier Field.
January seems like the time when rappers dump new music videos for old songs onto YouTube. The clip for “Feel Like Uzi” exists in an undefined zone between Myspace and Tumblr. It’s a flattening of digital aesthetics, as performed by a generation blind to the nuances of mid-school internet culture. Good tune.
A John’s Music Blog favorite is back and running hot with a pounding nugget of mindfucker distorto acid. The sheer audacity of some of those kick drums! For New Yorkers in the market for a heads-down gabber techno experience, I recommend her Hammerhead parties. The next one is next Friday.
Cuddle up with this bit of GBV cosplay from yet another Chicago artist—the hat trick is complete. About the video: When you have a haircut and sweater combination that looks like that, and you pair it with lo-fi stop motion animation that looks like that… You might just be entering quirkcore territory. Judging from the Marlon DuBios set I caught on Tuesday, which featured animal masks and accordions, and the ukulele video TikTok recently served me, quirkcore is set for a serious run in ‘25. (I’ve wasted my life.)
LIVE PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK: Ryan Trecartin, Lizzie Fitch, Michael Beharie, Ashland Mines, Aaron David Ross Audience Plant at the Aspen Art Museum
Ryan Trecartin’s music is an underrated element of his practice. Staged the previous August in Aspen, the collaborative Audience Plant was performed on top of a mountain with a live ensemble and a full, towering set, taking the soundtracks he makes for his videos into the physical realm. In the process of translation, his music somehow got weirder—less tethered to any concrete referents, pulling back and forward and sideways. Last year, I went to Trecartin and Fitch’s unreal compound in Ohio to report for T: The New York Times Style Magazine. They are heavyweights and some younger heads might not be up them, so the article might be worth a read.
Ryan Trecartin, Lizzie Fitch & Fat Tony in one post? Hammer, don't hurt 'em.
crazy that "Move" dropped way back in 2023. love this new M.U.