THE REPORT: 5/16/25
JOHN’S CUSTARD AND BURGER BLOG
Quick Note: If you are in Milwaukee, there is a good show tomorrow at Cactus Club. Headlining is NYC meta music lifers Callahan & Witscher. My “new band” Gem Fumigation Spa will be doing a “DJ set” (Willy playing guitar solos over rap music). Apollo Vermouth, Ellee Grim, and 1996 are also on the bill. More info here. OK, back to The Report…
Even though Standing On The Corner blocked me on Twitter many years ago for attempting to ID a sample flip, I’m still a fan. There’s nothing quite like them. “Baby” has a syrupy oldies feel, like a melting Sly Stone, like George Clinton through the Swishahouse filter. It was uploaded in HD @ TunesToTube.com, so you know it’s no joke. Tip!
I enjoyed reading Matt Korvette’s boots-on-the-ground scene report from a recent Philly gig featuring YHWH Nailgun, babybaby_explores, and this legend of the 2010s American underground, Morgan Garrett. “The Mirror” is singular music, actual item freak rock, Appalachian truck stop sludge. Behold the power of the noise basement incubation period.
Liquid Mike are a power pop band that has a lot going for them. They are from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, a unique area of the country that has, in the past, attempted to secede from Michigan and become America’s 51st state. Then there is the fact that the singer—his name is Mike—is also a Postal Service employee. All of that would mean nothing, though, if the band couldn’t deliver. On “Selling Swords,” their signature mall punk Guided by Voices style goes down like a warm pasty on a cold night.
Need more grunge? Let me introduce you to Rocket, a heavy pop band that keeps things drop-tuned and sick. Not unlike Liquid Mike, they don’t skimp on the choruses. In this ‘gazed out musical economy, that’s appreciated. I’m just going to go out and say it: John’s Music Blog supports choruses. I want to hear “One Million” played on an “active rock” radio station in the Midwest.
DJ Drama screaming over basketball highlight horns is never not going to sound good, at least to my aging ears. And Anycia is in fine form here, too. “I put on for my city just like Jesus.” Or is it Jeezy? The minute-long outro had me feeling emotional. Last night, at the world-class Kopp’s, I ate a butter burger and three scoops of custard. It is amazing that I am awake and blogging right now.
MIX OF THE WEEK: Jimmy May 2025 Mix
Back in the salad days of 2010s egg punk, the YouTube account known as “Jimmy” was really “driving the discourse.” For a genre that was mostly anti-social media—very few of the canonical bands had Instagram pages—YouTube played a major role in the dissemination of the music. Jimmy’s May 2025 mix is five hours long. Bask in the real rock and roll majesty!