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 2025” 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?
Tobias Jeg’s Best of 2025 reads like a guided tour through the cultural cross-section that fuels Red Scare Industries, equal parts punk shows, books, film, travel and pointed commentary. As a label head deeply embedded in the scene but never confined to it, his picks jump from sweaty club floors to Broadway seats, from underground festivals to failed candidates. The result is a sharp, funny and opinionated snapshot of the things that entertained, inspired and infuriated him most over the past year.
Best of 2025: Tobias Jeg of Red Scare Industries
Best non-Red Scare band I saw at Pouzza: Nobro
Best non-Red Scare band I saw at The Fest: Sweet Gloom
Favorite documentary film: “Folk Tales”
Favorite movie seen so far: Hmmm, “Blue Moon” or “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale”? I love Downton and I don’t care of the whole world knows it!
Best thing I saw on Broadway this year: “Oh, Mary!”
Coolest new city I visited in 2025: Saguenay, Quebec
Worst politician in America: The elusive Jill Stein
Lamest act of any nation state: Israel bombing SIX different nations in 72 hours (September)
Fave book I read in 2025: “North Woods” – Daniel Mason
Best short story I read in 2025: “Mrs. Todd’s Shortcut” – Stephen King
Best sports program that plays punk music: Dan Patrick Show
Best TV show: “English Teacher” (And of course it got canceled…)
Best punk scene drama that is emblematic of the current state of affairs: Bands (rightfully) making a big stink about the guy from Punk in the Park donating $200 to Trump, but same bands also perfectly fine working for Live Nation who donated $100M to Trump.
Best restaurant I dined at: Tatiana
Best street food: Hamdi at 42nd and 8th, NYC
Best bar on Earth: Bateau de Nuit in Quebec City, QC
Coolest new venue I saw a show at: Paddy’s Underground in Tillsonburg, Ontario
Drunkest punk show: (TIE) The Methadones at Cobra Lounge, Bar Dust at O’Brien’s Pub
For records, shirts, and shit: WWW.REDSCARE.NET
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/