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?
2024 was huge for Winona Fighter! The band’s fantastic songwriting and epic live sets, specifically a crusher at Riot Fest, have earned the attention of Rise Records, who signed the band earlier this year and released multiple singles and videos ahead of the Valentine’s Day release of My Apologies To The Chef. After becoming one of our favorite new acts, The band has shared their 2024 favorites with That’s Good Enough For Me. So here it is, Winona Fighter’s list of their favorite films, albums, live performances… and shoes.
DAN FUSON (guitarist):
Best movie: Challengers (acting, directing, score, script were all spectacular and caught me off guard. Trent and Atticus for best score at the Oscars or I riot.)
Best album: TIE – Songs of A Lost World by The Cure and Notes from a Quiet Life by Washed Out (two of my favorite groups putting out rock solid albums like they haven’t missed a beat. The Cure record in particular is such a statement – Robert Smith and the boys sound as fresh and as inspired as ever.)
Best comic book: Ultimate Spider-Man – (Johnathan Hickman is writing the best Spider-Man comic book in the last 10 years and the world is taking notice. Thank fucking christ we’ve got a good Spidey book again.) (Buy Here)
COCO KINNON:
Best Movie: Longlegs was my favorite movie released this year! Although I wasn’t immediately spooked in the theater, this film sat with me for a long time. Very unsettling but damn was it done really well.
Best Album: I Got Heaven – Mannequin Pussy – this was such a highly anticipated record for me! I have been a fan of this band for a while and was NOT disappointed by this most recent release.
Favorite Live Performance (personal): Although RIOT FEST ‘24 rivals most shows we played this year, I have to say playing Shaky Knees took the cake. We got to share that day with our loved ones and our agent (our day one champion). It was extremely emotional and a huge “wow, this is actually working” moment.
Favorite Live Performance (as an audience member): Fall Out Boy at Riot Fest ‘24. They went through each record in chronological order and it just kept getting better and better and better. Knowing we had played that same stage just a few hours prior really pulled it all together.
AUSTIN LUTHER:
Best Movie: Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. I watched it on a long flight and was pleasantly surprised how much I liked it!
Best Album: TANGK – Idles. Chloe and I were blasting this recording pretty heavily when we were finishing up writing our upcoming LP. Definitely referenced it a good bit. Such a huge record.
Best Running Shoe: Asics Tri Noosa 16 – I love running and have done a few marathons so I’m always happy to find running sneakers I thoroughly enjoy. These ones are so light and help make my runs a breeze. (Buy Here)
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/
