“𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐚 𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐘𝐨𝐮’𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬” OUT NOW: "i90" live video from Salt Lake City on 10/9/25, @ekkoastral.bsky.social joined by @brosaleigh.bsky.social in an incredibly moving performance. shot + edited by @alecpugliese.bsky.social:

Oh man! I forgot I filmed a calming fireplace episode of Ask Lovecraft. Enjoy youtu.be/UxA-NZ5zKlk?...

Wrote about my favorite hardcore albums of 2025, the year I really fell off from covering hardcore.

Wrestling is riddled with tragedies. But it also has joyous stories, like how a kid from Buffalo put on a mask, befriend two of Japan's biggest in-ring legends, and make a Christmas album overseas.

Friday Dec 12 In Tucson Az , Kid Congo Powers, Chick Cashman and Kai Eric live score Tav Falco's new Film "The Urania Trilogy" at Pidgin Palace Gallery. 9pm. A MUST see! Be there! @tavfalco.bsky.social pidginpalacearts.com/event/the-ur...

Some bald guy interviewed me youtu.be/IztD6nVd4fY?...

Pretty infuriating: King Gizzard quit Spotify over ethical concerns -- and now Spotify is letting AI knockoffs of its music (with all the lyrics copied verbatim) proliferate on its platform futurism.com/future-socie...

NPR Music's list of the 125 Best Songs of 2025 is live! Thank you to all of the @npr.org public radio stations out there who helped curate this cross-genre list of loud and soft songs. There's nothing else out there quite like it. www.npr.org/2025/12/09/n...

some personal news: after 11 years i was laid off from rolling stone! kind of surreal feeling to start over but excited to see what's next 🫶

Whole thread here

Always remember the reason for the season

Funny bit to write a whole intro about less predictable year end lists and then number one is Geese

The great axe of modern journalism has come for me: Today was my last day at Variety. Not my choice at all and I will miss my tremendous colleagues — and friends! — there enormously. Just figuring out my next steps now. My DMs are open for any and all opportunities.

Last week @davidjroth.bsky.social texted from a weekend away in CT that he had just walked by a Rob Zombie painting exhibit. Please go in and write about it I said instantly. Unsurprisingly he nailed it. I'm very excited for you to read it. www.welcometohellworld.com/its-what-mak...

Interviews: Celebrating 30 years of Stomp Records with Matt Collyer and Mike Magee ✏️ @emmoore.bsky.social www.punknews.org/article/8712...

this is going to be the worst world cup ever huh

ICYMI: Our 100 favorite songs of the year www.treblezine.com/the-100-best...

I wrote about a bunch of fantastic records that didn't get much shine, and a few very deserving ones that did, for my best of 2025 list floweragain.substack.com/p/my-favorit...

“The old-school way of doing it was two fund drives a year, a spring and a fall, but in recent years, public radio stations have found that that’s not enough, so you’ll find mini drives and pop-up drives or day here or day there." New from @craigrosen.bsky.social

If Morgan Wallen is on your Best Of 2025 list, I dunno, maybe keep your list to yourself

wrote about the technicolor hip-hop repast that is De La Soul’s Cabin in the Sky for Pitchfork

Invite me to your music industry holiday party this year I don't drink anymore and might even show up in a fit

🚨 EVERYONE PLEASE RESKEET THIS FOR VISIBILITY!!! 🚨 A big coalition of LGBTQ+, abortion access, and human rights groups led by @fightforthefuture.org are organizing a WEEK OF ACTION this week against online ID checks, aka "age verification" laws. Join us: www.fightforthefuture.org/actions/stop...

The debate over which music streaming service is the least evil and supports artists the most is a non-stop discussion now and the answer is “buy music and merch from artists you like and go see them when they play in your town.”

It really isn’t said enough how much these people straight up hate America. People should say this a lot more frequently. They simply don’t like the good parts of modern American life.

body shaming your cat? grow up! get a life!

The 50 best albums of 2025

I've been making year-end albums lists since 1986, because I am a nerd. This marks the 40th such list I've compiled. basementgalaxy.wordpress.com/2025/12/02/t...

she went to state legislators, TPUSA and conservative media outlets within a few hours of getting her grade, if you can’t identify the bad faith that can be seen from space, you need to get your eyes checked

The 100 Best Songs of 2025 from @treblezine.bsky.social ..... I wrote about the New Zealand indie rock band The Beths' "No Joy" and the Chicago-based American post-rock band Tortoise and their song "Oganesson." @thebeths.bsky.social @intlanthem.bsky.social www.treblezine.com/the-100-best...

Anyway, here is one of the best songs of 2025 that won't be on any lists.

The 100 Best Songs of 2025 Here we go.... www.treblezine.com/the-100-best...

GQ pressing its thumb on the scales. The author sincerely enjoys it. The culling of other writers eliminated opposing voices. Or the contrarian nature of P4k has reached its expected conclusion, where it capes for the mainstream. It is the heat death of all music publications.

While no one will ever touch Darlene Love's original, there's a messy charm to the New Bomb Turks' rendition of "Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home").

If you work a studio that’s been nominated for a Game Award this year (or even years’ past), I would love to speak to you about your experience getting tickets! How many did your studio get? How many did you buy? This can be anonymous. DMs are open and email is alyssamerc[at]gmail[dot]com.

Akkuma, a devilish purple bear from outer space who has settled in Hokkaido, rocks out.

Blue Note inspired artwork, indigenous punk rock, Sebadoh's lost/found drone footage, Bad Brains albums ranked and a riot grrrl Blur cover are all in this week’s curated collection of punk rock, alt rock and indie music news and writing. tangleofwires.substack.com/p/weekly-dig... #PunkRock

Bella Floof none too happy abt the 30 degrees and the evil white stuff in the yard. #caturday

RIP Tom Stoppard. Your impact on my life was immeasurable www.patreon.com/posts/25-yea...

stumped this holiday season by what to get your stepdaughter with whom you have a warm-but-not-close relationship? is your fuckup sister getting out of rehab just in time for xmas dinner? have i got the gift idea for you!! bookshop.org/p/books/slop...

My Stranger Things take is that a 50k watt radio station seems pretty big for Hawkins, IN in 1987

If you’d like to support music writing, print media, America (good parts), God (pick yr poison), Geese, the other bands, rock AND roll, and a future where I don’t go back to tending bar or substack, subscribe to CREEM Magazine! Black Friday sale now! www.creem.com

#fbf happy Record Store Day to all those who celebrate

If you somehow don’t own a copy of Beat the Champ / haven’t read my interview of JD from PWI celebrating the album’s 10th anniversary you can kill two birds with one stone/get an autographed mag in the balance: mergerecords.com/product/beat...

A wild @anniezaleski.bsky.social sighting here on Black Friday

This is a mindset that doesn't believe in America and views the country as a feeble nation whose meager riches need to be hoarded by an elite rather than a robust state that inculcates civic participation and obligation. It's the mindset of failsons and con artists and real patriots should reject it

Introduce yourself with five concerts you've seen Man...or Astro-Man? Death (the punk band) Mastodon Madlib Lunachicks