Its 2023. Our attention spans and news cycles barely make it from lunch to dinner and unfortunately that makes it easy to forget some of the most important moments less than 8 months after they pass. Its the reason why politicians can get away with offering empty thoughts and even emptier prayers knowing full well that within a few hours we will panic about laptops and fraudulent property values.
The shiny atrocities constantly catching our eyes and the rabbit holes we dive headlong into to escape this absurdist reality serve no purpose beyond keeping us too dizzy to focus on any single issue. Instead of progress, we got the assholes with casseroles known as Moms for Liberty, Florida governors banning drag queens while marching around in go-go boots with 4 inch lifts, 19 rounds of voting for a Speaker of the House, 2 Speakers of the House and 0 legislation passed by the GOP controlled house, and the continued ignorant arrogance from morons that can't tell the difference between their and there but somehow became overnight experts on relationships in the Middle East and gender identity. 2023 was 52 mostly wretched weeks. There was loss, there was stress, more loss, fear, disappointment and various examples of self-fulfilling catastrophes associated with my personal level of pessimism. Holy fuck, what a letdown this year turned out to be.
On the other hand, watching our daughters find activities and social circles they loved and thrived in was an amazing experience for our family to share. Our youngest earned the starting catcher position on her softball team and attended her first concert (and fell asleep for the last 3 of Taylor's eras). Our oldest found her circle in an after-school activity that has brought her from her shell and made her comfortable performing with and in front of others, and my partner showed off her amazing character facing loss with grace and strength. But enough of this not-so-positive background noise, let's jump into the lists and super subjective awards you didn't know you wanted, and now that you have them you probably want them less. Please remember that when my head is kept spinning by the constant shelling of a vicious cycle of “look over here,” “now look here” and so on and so forth, it wasn't easy to focus on all the great music or all the great moments but I feel confident that this list holds true to what won me over these last 12 months.
Performances of year
10. Fat Heaven (Camp Punksylvania; 3 Sept; Circle Drive-In, PA)
The Brooklyn trio proved their strength in a live setting. Their energy on the stage blazed through the crowd, earning themselves a flock of disciples. It was an absolute delight watching the three members of Fat Heaven take the stage and have an absolute blast in the limelight. Perfection.
9. Thursday (War All The Time Anniversary Show; 30 Sept; Starland Ballroom, NJ)
With a crowd full of sweat and solidarity and the existential fulfillment that can only be found in the energy of a live performance, Thursday brought everything around full circle for those of us who have been doing this for the last 25 years. Thursday has always been a beacon for this community, especially in NJ and its a delight to see that hasn't changed in the last few years. If Thursday originally connected with my feeling of being lost in the wake of Columbine, 9/11, fake wars and economic collapse, their shows helped me feel a part of something. On this night though, they reconnected and reignited those feelings; a triumph in spite of the trials and tribulations of the 2020s.
8. Oh, The Humanity! (Camp Punksylvania; 1 Sept; Circle Drive-In, PA)
I came to Oh The Humanity's stage with a big appetite for their melodic hardcore sound, and left more than satisfied. The quintet was fucking magical and destroyed all expectations. The set was a fucking triumphant delight who stole the afternoon at Camp Punksylvania.
7. War On Women (Camp Punksylvania; 3 Sept; Circle Drive-In, PA)
War on Women's performance was unabashed and unafraid, spitting venom that would make the sphincter spasm in any incel unfortunate enough to overhear their homily. War on Women, and frontperson Shawna Potter in particular, tore the fucking roof off the Circle Drive-In. This was a performance that reignited a smoldering flame deep in my gut and reminded me of the power and unity of a middle finger flying high.
6. The Interrupters (Co-headlining Tour with Frank Turner; 12 May, Rooftop at Pier 17, NYC)
This isn't a band that's just thrilled to be on stage or to have people singing along; this is a band that loves to be together on that stage with the crowd and each other. It shows in every aspect of their performance. Start to finish, the band brought it with everything they had and were unrelenting in their intention to win the entire crowd over (it worked). It was a performance brimming with joy and fun and mutual appreciation between the band and their fans.
5. Suicide Machines (Camp Punksylvania; 2 Sept; Circle Drive-In, PA)
Well let me tell you this, The Suicide Machines have certainly gotten older but I only know this because I know the time has passed. The band itself is no different than when I caught them on the Battle Hymns, Self-Titled and Steal This Record tours . Jay Navarro is still a firecracker exploding and blooming all over the stage and into the audience. As a bubble machine in the crowd gave way to sun showers, the Detroit phenomen powered their way through an hour-long set in 40 minutes. A set that featured guest vocals from Folly‘s Jon Tumillo, who joined the band on stage for “DDT”, while members of Stop The Presses, Working Class Stiffs and The What Nows?! were all part of the gang vocals organically rising from the chorus of a crowd singing along as Navarro reached over the barricade. This is why, this is how The Suicide Machines have become one of everyone's favorite live bands. They just fucking get us, because at the end of it all, they are just one of us.
4. Frank Turner (Co-Headlining Tour with The Interrupters; 12 May; Rooftop at Pier 17, NYC)
With a setlist tailor-made for each of us, Frank Turner took over a Manhattan rooftop and threw the greatest party of the year to a chorus of the broken and wistful legions that make up his musical family. As Frank said and those of us in the crowd can attest, “we aren't just strangers who came together to listen to loud music.” We were a family of orphans in the care of Frank's House of Improving Refuse.When the set closed out the Rooftop felt to be buckling under the pogoing display of affection, a buffet of community with Frank as the centerpiece.
3. The Sound of Animals Fighting (Apeshit Tour; 21 Jan; Webster Hall, NYC)
Throughout the set there are a total of five vocalists, alternating and pairing to create a seamlessly chaotic set. The rotating cast played off each other perfectly, enthralling the crowd with the eccentricities of Rich Balling and Anthony Green while Keith Goodwin and Matthew Kelly provided a dichotomy in their gentle approach to the microphone. Green was convulsing across the stage, oscillating his signature voice from howls to melodies, swinging a glowing orange light bulb with complete abandon. Balling was dropping to his knees, bowing at the altar of the crowd before picking up a book and reading its pages behind the other musicians. There was glee and chaos, crooning and baying. It was the most heavenly of the circles of hell, just as the gods intended.
2. Origami Angel (supporting Mayday Parade; 1 Dec; Starland Ballroom, NJ)
Origami Angel certainly did not let anyone down and in the spirit of Starland holiday magic, these two dudes let their killer riffs and technically perfect drum skills fill the stage with a fuller sound than any orchestra could hope to. I'm generally not into the idea of a two-piece on stage because it kills the stage presence. How can your band move around when one person is leashed to a drum kit and the only other person on stage is tethered to a mic stand? Well, the thing here is, OA prove none of that shit has to matter if you kick this much ass.
1. Taylor Swift (Eras Tour; 26 May; Metlife Stadium, NJ)
I watched 100 live performances in 2023, but none could really hold a candle to Ms Swift and the Eras Tour stage. Epic isn't a big enough descriptor, magical doesn't convey the feeling of what that stage show pulled off, even for those of us deep into the nosebleeds of Metlife Stadium. The night was going to be special because it was our youngest's first concert, but the nostalgia added to my enjoyment but did not account for it. For 3 hours T.Swizzle owned the stage and the entire tri-state area. With one-night only guests like Jack Antonoff and Ice Spice, this was a night that will never be duplicated.
Compilation of the Year
Jersey Interchange – C1
New Jersey kids will always have a chip on their shoulders. It's inevitable, growing up adjacent to the number 1 (New York) and 4 (Philadelphia) major markets in the country. Forever on the outside looking in, forever being looked down on. This constant sense of inferiority and alienation, along with some super talented men and women created fantastically fertile fields for the pop-punk scene to grow and thrive in the late 90s – early 00s. It was a beautiful fucking time to be alive. Every scene across the country holds a special place in the hearts of those who lived or witnessed it, but none compare to the talent sprouting up at each of the turnpike gates up and down the Garden State from 94-02. Jersey Interchange takes the songs from that era, and breathes fresh life into them. Hearing members of Midtown, Folly, Shades Apart, Skapossitory and comedian Chris Gethard put their own spins on classics from Bigwig, The Ergs!, Weston, Mohawk Barbie and Vision was a delightful pastiche of nostalgia and the reclamation of our youth.
Album of the Year: Honorable Mentions
Top 23 Albums of 2023
23. Faintest Idea – The Road To Sedition
UK punks put ska and street into a blender and crafted one of the most fun records about toppling oligarchies, authority and the pricks in power. This is the sound of a Noam Chomsky and Howard Zinn seminar hosted by Joe Strummer and Terry Hall and if you think you don't need to hear it based on the above sentences, you probably need to hear it the most.
22. Crossed Keys– Believes In You
Looking for an album with a melodic punk base and seasoned with uplifting and positive frosting? You found it in this gem from the Philly not-so-newcomers. Its comfort food for the jaded elder-emos and geriatric millennials looking for something new while yelling at the younger bands to stay off our lawns.
21. Leanna Firestone – Public Displays of Affection
Firestone is a singer-songwriter with a soft and sultry saunter. The EP is full of indie-pop songs of love gone wrong and adulting gone worse. Simple and relatable… and did I mention clever as hell? Few lyrics capture the angst of youth as succinctly and with the self awareness of Leanna Firestone.
20. Dollyrots – Night Owls
Night Owls is the music equivalent of a razorblade in your halloween candy. Its sweet and poppy sugary fun that bites back. As an album, this may be the pair's best.
19. Melonball – Breathe
German skate-punk brimming with harmonies and high-energy that won me over within a single verse. For fans of Tilt, CF98 and FOD (and brilliant covers of The Outfield), Melonball is everything fun rolled into explosive melodies. Melonball have perfected the sound that Warped Tour was intended to be built upon.
18. American Television – Scars
I'm a sucker for political punk and smooth techniques and there is no shortage of either on this complete bop. In the face of late-stage capitalism and the downfall of democracy, American Television provides the Bic for our molotovs.
17. Tooth Lures A Fang – Fake Control
I think the easy word to use to describe this record is “FUN”… but fun is really an absolute understatement… I just can't think of a stronger word for the merry-making upon which this four-piece is putting to wax. Fake Control is the after-hours soundtrack to a suburban summer evening, the kind of music you groove to when you don't know where your life is headed but the future simply doesn't matter. The melodies and harmonies are calm and beautiful enough to keep the neighbors from calling the cops but powerful enough to keep the energy high.
16. Can't Swim – Thanks But No Thanks
An excellent record from the future of face of alt-punk. At once, gritty, melancholic and hopeful, this record exudes optimism and realism.
15. Fake Names – Expendables
Socially conscious post/pop tracks from a veritable Mt Rushmore of the punk scene. Somehow better than the sum of its roster's parts, redefining the post-hardcore genre with pop sensibilities.
14. Cinema Stare – The Things I Don't Need
This pop-punk masterpiece came out of nowhere and immediately became part of the conversation for best album this year. Its relatable, its high energy and an all-around peach of a record. If you never fell in love with the early 00's North-east pop-punk sound, you might not enjoy this fantastic update to it… and I'm really sorry that someone hurt you like that.
13. Codefendants – This Is Crime Wave
With the help of Ceschi Ramos and Sam King, this is the best music Fat Mike has been a part of in 15 years. Politically driven, head-bobbin anthems that spit in the face of everything the news wants us to see. If you are one of those dickholes that don't believe punk, hip-hop or music in general should be political; skip the record and walk in front of a fucking bus. According to Spotify, my top 2 most listened to songs came from this record (“Disaster Scenes” and “Brutiful”). That wasn't an accident, that shit slaps.
12. Bridge The Gap – Secret Kombinations
Absolutely brilliant skate punk with loads NUFAN feels, I fucking love this record. Melodic-punk perfection start to finish.I just told you I thought the record was perfect. You want this, I want this, the skate-punk world needs this. When I say its perfect start to finish, I don't mean try 1 or 2 tracks. Listen to the whole, adrenaline-inducing album…then replay it. Nothing will ever fill the Tony Sly void, but this comes closer than anything else has in the last 10 years.
11. Origami Angel – The Brightest Days
Ok… so the band refers to this as a mixtape instead of an album, so maybe it doesn't belong on my best albums of 2023 list…. Then again its my best albums of 2023 list and if I say this mixtape is one of the best albums then I'm including it. The collection of songs, whatever you want to call it, is a poppy,summery joy to behold. There's so much to enjoy on this rapturous little compilation of tracks, from synths to riffs, and I simply love singing along to every little bar.
10. Latewaves – Latewaves
Latewaves slap their anxiety across the face, saying “fuck you” and “it gets better” without seeming contradictive or pandering. The entire album is fraught with lyrics that I would've connected as I struggled to find my identity as young teen, as I faced off with my own self-doubt as a first-time parent in my 20's or even now as I begin to face the onset of a midlife crisis, and Latewaves would make all of these insecurities easier to coexist with had I known this record at any of those times.
9. Koyo – Would You Miss It?
A throwback to the early 00's LIHC sound and style, the record is better than impressive. Koyo serves as a stark reminder of the days when we'd drive out to the Downtown in Farmingdale, the days when Long Island Hardcore was leaving venues like Ground Zero and taking over the bigger venues across the country, the days Koyo is about to bring back thanks to their tremendous chops and dedication to a great time.
8. Sincere Engineer – Cheap Grills
Great songs with honest, funny, and sarcastic lyrics sung by Deanna Belo. Raised in the Chicago punk scene and full of wit and kerosene, Sincere Engineer channels their angst into delectable little nuggets of pop-punk bliss.
7. Olivia Rodrigo – GUTS
I'd be a liar if I gave my daughters the credit for my falling in love with this record. I could also make excuses to rationalize how much I enjoy by reminding readers that producer Dan Nigro has some serious indie cred based on his time in As Tall As Lions, but once again, there is no honesty to that either. The truth of the matter is, GUTS is a brilliant album, just like 2021's Sour. I don't mean this is a brilliant pop albums, this is an outstanding record regardless of genre. If Sour was the perfect soundtrack to a first heartbreak, on GUTS Rodrigo crafted an even better soundtrack to a first rebound.
6. Hot Mulligan – Why Would I Watch?
HOLY SHIT!! This record is pop-punk perfection. Sarcasm, ego, killer riffs and relatability to the fullest, this is a complete bop, start to finish. Try not to sing and smile along to this little number. Its not possible.
5. The Iron Roses – The Iron Roses
Ummm… who the hell gave these cats the right to make political punk so damn danceable? This absolute blast of ass-shaking fun and positivity is a kick in the dick of your Q-Tang Klan neighbors and a pat on the back for the rest of us who believe in empathy, equality and basic human decency.
4. Dave Hause – Drive It Like It's Stolen
Philly's punk-bred troubadour examines the modern world we're leaving for the future, sobriety and aging without needing to switch his Vans for New Balance. For fans of honest, brave and raw lyricism with nostalgia and folk overlays. These are issues that can easily be harmonized with condescension and melodrama, but Hause, as always, deftly navigates the themes.
3. Scarlet Street – Scarlet Street
This record feels like listening to the first Brand New record but without the enabling whole piece of shit pedophile thing (I hope). Jesus H Christ is this fucking immaculate! Listen to it immediately and tell me it isn't a flipping blast of genius turns of phrase over beautiful orchestration.
2. Calling Hours – Say Less
Everything Popeye Vogelsang touches turns to pure gold and now he brings in the exquisite musicians behind Don't Sleep? Shhhiiiiiit, there was no way this wouldn't make my best of list this year (or any other). Every track resonates, every track slaps and every track will remain in your head for hours and hours.
1. Dad Hats – Spill
This record is pop-punk with a strong backbone and substance, paying tribute to the records that came before it while earnestly improving on all of those tropes of the past. The record tackles the typical coming of age malaise of the genre with a not-at-all typical level of flippancy and humor. Put this record on and try not to relate and try not to sing along to the tunes.
Movie of the year:
Barbie
I know, I know… Foxnews and your halfwit, bigot uncle Larry told you it was feminist propaganda of the new woketopia. He's got a point, it does show men to be dependent on and inferior to women. Can you imagine if Hollywood made films that showed women to be nothing more than one-dimensional, vapid pieces of arm candy? That would be disgusting, unacceptable and 90% of film history. Barbie was smart, it was funny, it was empowering and it was a wonderful opportunity to spend 2 hours with our daughters reminding them that they can be anything while reminding myself that just because someone, even with different genetic makeup succeeds that doesn't mean I'm not Kenough.
Moment of Hope For Our Future:
In April, following a school shooting in Tennessee, 3 local government officials took a stance and stood up for their constituents, even the ones too young to vote. In a not-so-shocking turn of events, their voices were silenced when Justin Pearson and Justin Jones were expelled from their elected-positions for fighting in favor of stronger gun control laws.
I know… “but shitty writer guy, I thought you mentioned hope here.” I did, because these men delivered speeches that should be studied in history classes (if your state is still allowed to learn American history) and in August both men reclaimed their positions when they were re-elected. The lead-up was anything but appetizing, but the ending was just desserts and a signal that maybe, just maybe, there is potential for a positive future despite currently living in the darkest, shittiest timeline. So maybe next year, things will suck slightly less… and wouldn't that be something?
Bad Dad (occasionally called Ed) has been on the periphery of the punk and punk-adjacent scene for over twenty years. While many contributors to this site have musical experience and talent, Ed's musical claim to fame comes from his time in arguably the most punk rock Blockbuster Video district in NJ where he worked alongside members of Blanks 77, Best Hit TV and Brian Fallon. He is more than just an awful father to his 2 daughters, he is also a dreadful husband, a subpar writer, a terrible dresser and has a severe deficiency in all things talent… but hey, at least he's self-aware, amirite?
Check out the pathetic attempts at photography on his insta at https://www.instagram.com/bad_dad_photography/