Curious what notable personalities in the scene think was great this year? So is TGEFM! So we reached out to some of our favorite luminaries ranging from musicians, label personnel, and more for their “Best of 2024” lists. Now, listen: TGEFM is not a taskmistress. Contributors can write these out however they want. So if it doesn’t actually look or read like a list… and sometimes it really is just a list with no other observations! Who cares?
From 1991 to 1998, Cleveland’s Whatever were scene mainstays thanks to releases from Dead Beat and Dr Strange Records. After a far-too long hiatus, the band has returned in 2024 with the Our Decline 7″. The band has shared their 2024 favorites with That’s Good Enough For Me. So here it is, Whatever’s list of their favorite live performances, shows, and rest stops.
Best show in Cleveland:
In February we played with J Robbins (band) while they were out supporting his new album Basilisk (which is outstanding, go buy it). We had done a few shows with Jawbox back in the 90’s, and it gave us the opportunity to reconnect with J and discuss the possibility of doing our new album with him. That conversation materialized into us heading out to Baltimore to record at Magpie Cage with J and the results were excellent. Hopefully next year it’ll end up on a bunch of other people’s best of lists.
Best show out of town:
In April we played a show at Siren Records in McHenry, Illinois. The folks at Siren had heard our demos and were really into them, so they invited us to do an instore show when we were in the area. It was a lot of fun, and Siren is an awesome record shop run by excellent people (shout out to Bill, Jeanie, William, and Cooper). After playing the show, they offered to help us put out a single, and followed up by getting us a spot on T1 fest too. We’re looking forward to making our way back to McHenry next year.
Best show we saw:
On our last trip to Baltimore to finish vocals on the album, we finished the session and then got to head over to the legendary Ottobar to see Scream, The Messthetics with James Brandon Lewis, and The Owners. It was such a perfect end to a productive day. Go see any and all of those bands whenever you have a chance.
Best rest stop on the Ohio Turnpike:
One of the main differences between going on the road in the 90’s versus now is that we all need to stop a bit more frequently to use the restroom. As a result we’ve spent quite a bit of time in service plazas and rest stops. A cashier at the Indian Meadow service plaza in western Ohio asked us if we were in a band. Most people don’t pay attention, so it was nice of her to notice.
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/
