Very sun-times to hold off on writing about Adamn Killa till he got arrested for doing arrest me daddy lol chicago.suntimes.com/news/2025/11...

I was notified last week that I am getting laid off from KEXP in December. I don't really want to talk about it. But are you an editor for a reputable music publication with decent pay? Get at me: [email protected]

A beautiful requiem for the miracle that was D'Angelo. The pen, the voice, the face, the talent. The three classics. The genius that he could summon by force of will. The impossibility of categorizing him. The void that his death leaves. By Abe Beame www.passionweiss.com/2025/10/14/d...

When I write or talk about things like soul and the blues, I'm not referencing musical genres, but a spiritual disposition. That said, D'Angelo was on a very short list of the very best soul artists in the history of music.

Happy Indigenous People's Day. Make sure you pay homage to the creator of garage punk. youtu.be/MUBck5KbUvE?...

Years ago, I sort of a name for myself writing incredibly vulnerably. Then I wanted to just be known as a good writer. I almost didn't pull this one out of the archives. open.substack.com/pub/trickbag...

Tony Milek is the frontman of Bermuda Squares, guitarist in Neo Neos, one of the best punk songwriters and screamers in Minneapolis. This is a person who I’m proud to call a friend—who has helped me out in immeasurable ways. He’s going through a medical emergency right now and needs some help.

Now that Musk has called for a Netflix boycott over a trans cartoon character, I'm all in for supporting Netflix at all costs lmao.

My friend accidentally recreated the Double Nickels on the Dime cover while I was driving my El Camino (circa 2018, I think).

Memphis just hits different. I'm having lunch at Hattie B's—essentially fast food for those not familiar—and they're banging a seven-minute Issac Hayes jam.

Tapping in to let you know Gonerfest is still undefeated.

The weird thing about having an Instagram for my newsletter is that I almost got offended that I left myself on "seen."

Early Rapture is the best thing that has ever come out of DFA. By, like, a lot. Don't @ me.

New Mail Bag dropped today! open.substack.com/pub/trickbag...

Really tempted to write a Trick Bag feature titled "The Top 100 James Baldwin Quotes That are Different from the Same Dozen James Baldwin Quotes Always Posted on Instagram."

It's so exhausting to be a Black person in a country that hates Black people. Even if you're "smart," even if you're "talented," even if you're "insightful," you still live in a country that hates you.

I want you to put the word out there that we back up. ("We" as in "real writers.") trickbag.substack.com/p/a-trick-ba...

Trick Bag has an Instagram now. Don't sleep (if you're even still on Instagram). www.instagram.com/trickbag_mag

New Trick Bag logo just dropped. trickbag.substack.com

if you can, i strongly recommend spending some time watching someone you care about do something they love to do

Dash killed this shit. Study up on the rap duo all the real heads already know about. 😉

ICYMI: The 5x (5x, 5x, 5x, 5x!) World Champion Booker T was a big-time reason why I became a wrestling fan. Here's what I learned about being a Black man in America due to watching his talent.

Next out the trick bag is another archived piece: A personal essay disguised as a wrestling essay. trickbag.substack.com/p/from-the-a...

All archival posts will be available to free subscribers—I plan on putting out freebies from my decades(!) of music and culture writing at underdetermined and unpredictable intervals. Paid subscribers ($7.50 a month or $75 a year) will get archived and new shit every week.

Not me getting roasted in the group chat for admitting I liked Phantom Planet's 2004 single "Big Brat" lol

Had so much fun talking to Harley and Kurt from Fugitive Bubble, 2/3 of one of the PNW's best punk bands. Just one of those magic conversations.

Trick Bag, my new weekly newsletter, is live! First out the bag is the full transcript for an interview I did in 2017 with the legend Ishmael Butler! open.substack.com/pub/trickbag...

Trick Bag trickbag.substack.com?r=2xisp&utm_...

Hopping on Bluesky for the first time in months to publicly wonder if, after the Home Run Derby, the wider baseball world now knows what a "big dumper" is.

good detroit punk records is my favorite genre

good morning. at IHTOV, we have part two of an incredible, enlightening conversation between correspondent @owenbrazas.bsky.social and music journalist @douglasmartini.bsky.social. they cover everything from record store clerks to home recording. great read! ihavethatonvinyl.com/conversation...

the great @douglasmartini.bsky.social sat down with one of the most consistent punk bands going, PYREX. a great convo that really opened up their great new album Body. subscribe to see/saw for free weekly punk features in your inbox 🪩

Seattle! Come to the Third Place Books in Ravenna for what I'm sure will be an enlightening conversation (partly) about how weird it is to be an elder millennial!

Made vegetarian gumbo from scratch tonight and it turned out delicious. I just earned a bunch of XP for that shit.

Dating back to 2018, Dusty and I have teamed up on canonical split albums, double albums, and songs by great duos in music. Here is the latest in that unofficial series.

A reminder that @scarleteen.bsky.social is 100% queer and trans run and will ALWAYS be providing educational materials, support, and more to youth seeking sex, relationships, and health education from a source who won't casually erase their existence with their political winds.

Hahaha mans got stunted on by a Honda Fit lmao

Big crowd at the SF Tesla dealership protesting our unelected overlord. A tiny sign hangs from an upstairs window

lol Drake is done. Couldn't have happened to a more emotionally dishonest rapper.

Gonna need white podcasters to get their shit together and start pronouncing Tramell Tillman’s name correctly. Before I ever even heard it said out loud I knew it was truh-MELL and not TRAM-uhl and that’s just basic two Americas, we have to know about you but you don’t have to know about us stuff.

A little (using the word "little" a little generously, since it clocked in at 2500 words) retrospective piece I wrote on the criminally overlooked Seattle rock band the Gits. www.kexp.org/read/2025/1/...

Bringing the ol' newsletter out of moth balls for '25 and beyond. martindouglasmailorder.substack.com/p/mail-order...

Agreed. Big fan of Rat Paws over here.

Local and regional culture journalism is especially important with *gestures wildly* ALL THIS FUCKERY going on. Please consider supporting the Reader!

Had to feed the streets with the best from the punk/garage/indie rock underground. '24 sucked for the most part but was an unbelievable year for the scene and its music. Here are 13 bangers.

In a world where recycled vibes are at an all-time high, we lost a true original who prized challenging his audience rather than placating them. RIP David Lynch.

The Chicago Reader really needs your support. It was my favorite publication growing up. I love their features still. Donation page here donorbox.org/support-the-...

Let me find out SpaceX employees are out here getting Severed. www.nytimes.com/2024/12/24/u...

The most private thing I'm willing to admit on Bluesky is that I make a living as Seattle-based music journalist and I've never seen Singles.

I have been slowly building up to my status as an avowed to-do list maker and 2025 will see me at my final form as such.