I know we’ve only just passed the halfway mark in 2026, but here are a few of my favorite records released so far this year. I will be curious to see if and how these show up on my year-end list.

• bitknot by feeble little horse
• URGH by Mandy, Indiana
• A Short History of Decay by Nothing
• Cost of Living Adjustment by Cola
• Singin’ to an Empty Chair by Ratboys
• EXPO by Ulrika Spacek
• A Wave That Will Never Break by WU LYF
• PANCHO EP by Pancho
• Unexpected Violence by School Fair

What’s on your mid-year list?

We all know Spotify and other big tech music streaming services are evil. They take advantage of artists, their algorithmic business models are designed to flatten the cultural bell curve, and they directly support ICE. I quit using Spotify ages ago, but since that decision I’ve struggled to find a cloud-based streaming platform that was ethical to artists, aligned with my personal political worldview, and accessible to me everywhere and on all my devices.

My first move after Spotify was to switch to Apple’s iTunes Match, not to be confused with Apple Music (which has a similar business model ickiness to Spotify). Rather, iTunes Match sync’d my locally-stored music collection with Apple’s cloud servers, making my purchased music collection accessible on all my Apple devices. This worked well for me for several years. I was able to purchase digital music directly from artists or via ethical outlets like Bandcamp, import the files into my music library on my laptop, and poof – the music would be available on my phone.

Somewhere along the line though, iTunes Match broke. I think it coincided with the release of iOS 26. After that update new additions to my collection would not sync to my phone. I was heartbroken.

My next step was to sync my collection to my phone via a hardwire, like a Neanderthal. This was inconvenient but manageable, and I found the offline availability of the collection to be wonderful. My collection is large, however, and I needed to curate what I was syncing to my phone due to storage capacity. I needed to find a better way to have access to all my music.

Enter Navidrome. I never read blog post comments, but a note from Thomas Brand on Manton’s post about Spotify burnout was enough to peak my interest. Navidrome is a free, open source personal streaming service. After a few minutes reading the docs, I decided to give it a go.

The first thing I needed was a place to host the Navidrome instance. I chose PikaPods because they have an out-of-the-box managed integration with Navidrome and the hosting cost estimate for a collection like mine was ~ $3.00 per month. The price is right!

Creating pod and installing the Navidrome app took me about 10 minutes. I uploaded a Nirvana’s In Utero as a test to see how it all worked. Listening in the browser on my laptop, it sounded great. Could Navidrome become my radio-friendly unit shifter?

But what about listening on my phone? Navidrome doesn’t have a native iOS app, but there are several options that support streaming from Navidrome. After playing around with a few, I settled on Amperfy which is open source, feature-rich and seems to have the most elegant UI of the mobile apps I tried. Yep, works as advertised. Francis Farmer did indeed get her revenge on Seattle via Amperfy’s CarPlay integration as I drove to pick up my kid last evening.

With a quick, multi-device test complete. I bit the bullet and transferred my entire collection via SFTP. It took most of the night, but I am now live with a cross-platform, multi-device, ethical streaming workflow that I think will serve me well into the future. I’m excited to have access to my entire collection on all my devices again.

What a year it’s been for music! There have been so many awesome records released this year and it’s been extremely difficult narrowing this list down to my ten favorites. So hard, in fact, I’ve included five honorable mentions at the end. Please take no pretense or judgement in these choices, they are simply the albums released this calendar year that I connected with most. Without further ado and in no particular order, here are my favorite records of 2025.

Sunshine and Balance Beams by Pile

I know these are in no particular order, but this record may be favorite of the year. It’s definitely my most played record. The songwriting on this one is just impeccable. Pile brings an intensity and sharp edge to their performance, but the melodies and lyrics are just as solid as the musicality. They’ve been around for a long time, but this record was my gateway into their back catalog, which is also very good.

Glory by Perfume Genius

Glory is what happens when amazing musicianship meets smart & evocative songwriting meets unique production. Seriously, listen to this one with headphones. Not airbuds, but really good headphones. You will hear layers upon layers of dynamics that seem to surround in 360º. And the voice. It’s a thing of majesty.

Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party by Hayley Williams

I never got into Paramore. I think I just missed them when they were doing their thing back in the day. Williams was the frontwoman for that band, but I can’t really hear much Paramore influence in these songs. And these songs are fire. Eighteen of them and not one is a dud. My favorite track is True Believer. If you haven’t seen her performance of this song on Jimmy Fallon, check it out.

The Future is Here and Everything Needs to Be Destroyed by The Armed

This record is shot out of a cannon. One hundred miles an hour from start to finish. The Armed doesn’t have much in common with bands like Refused or At the Drive-In, but the first time I heard this record I had the same feeling I had when I heard The Shape of Punk to Come or In Casino Out back in the day. It feels like they’re earnestly pushing forward with something important and new with these songs.

Highwalllow & Supermoon Songs by Saintseneca

Have you ever had that weird feeling after you spin a new record for the first time and it feels like it’s one that’s been in your collection forever? Not it a trite or unoriginal way, but like when your nose catches a scent of something memorable from your past and transports you back there instantly, subconsciously. That’s what Highwalllow & Supermoon Songs feels like to me. It’s folky and yodely, but in a head-noddin’ way. Really beautiful mandolin & guitar melody lines layer themselves under shaky & pained vocals. There are some seriously great songs on this record.

Essex Honey by Blood Orange

I drove to the beach last September. It was a spur of the moment add-on to a work trip that had me in New Jersey anyway. The excursion to the shore was an occasion to meet up with some good friends from high school, who were all remarkably in town from disparate areas of the country for disparate reasons. The hang was spontaneous and real. There was 30 years of history among us. There were intoxicants. There was a seafood boil. There were memories. We shared laughs and tears. As the sunset brilliantly over the bay, someone put on this record and I lost my shit. It was the perfect vibe for that moment. Mellow, relaxed, orchestral. Deeply layered. Intense. Familiar but fresh. A fantastic record to enjoy with the ones you love.

SAYA by Saya Gray

There’s something about Saya Gray’s voice that I connect with. It has a unique texture. It’s rhythmic in a cool way. The songs on SAYA bring together acoustic artistry and digital production that create a sound that pulls you in and keeps you in from top to bottom. The melodies are wandering, from joyful to solemn, and they take you on a journey to someplace different from where you started listening.

Something to Consume by Die Spitz

It’s the year of our lord 2025, but the 90s are alive and well. The songs on this record from Die Spitz sound like they could have been performed on the stage at one of the early Lollapallooza tours. Simply put, these women shred and this record is one of my favorites released this year.

LOTTO by They Are Gutting a Body of Water

I don’t know much about They Are Gutting a Body of Water and I can’t remember how I heard about this record, but I love it. It’s so different. Some songs are noisy and experimental, some songs have hints of pop laced throughout. I hear something different each time I listen, and to me that’s the sign of a great record.

45 Pounds by YHWH Nailgun

This record is insane. I’ll admit, after Justin recommended it and I first listened, I wasn’t totally into it. But after a few more listens I was fully on board the YHWH Nailgun train. I’ve never heard anything like this before. Complex time signatures, guitar synth, roto toms and some of the most guttural/spastic vocals make for a truly unique sound.

Honorable Mention:

• 8 Tips for Full Catastrophe Living by Asher White
• Patience, Moonbeam by Great Grandpa
• Never Enough by Turnstile
• Evil, Baby, Evil by Evil Adeline
• Father Figure by Jon Bellion

A friend reached out the other day asking if a self-released EP my band put out back in the day was streaming anywhere online. It was not, so I uploaded it as a playlist to YouTube.

Released in late 1999, line (pause) line was the first and only recording we put out into the world. We toured a bit supporting it opening for bands like Midtown, The Juliana Theory, Further Seems Forever and the like, and I have some amazing memories from this period of my life.

I haven’t listened to it in ages, and thought I’d cringe a bit upon hearing it, but I’m cringing less than expected. It actually brought a smile to my face and unlocked those memories once again.

Let me know if you want the mp3 files and I can email them to you.

As a pre-teen in the early ’90s, few things lit me up like the newly emergent Seattle grunge scene. I had been playing guitar for several years by then and most of those early years were spent idolizing hair metal shredders and learning Guns N’ Roses solos note for note. But then at some point in 1991 I heard the four-chord intro to Smells Like Teen Spirit and my life changed.

Those four chords showed me that music was meant to move you. Forget formality. Forget the polish. Those four chords opened up a new world of bands who wrote songs with raw emotion and intensity. One of those bands was Pearl Jam.

The first Pearl Jam song that hooked me was Alive. That intro lick was (and continues to be decades later) so fresh. Shortly after hearing it, I bought the Ten cassette and played it on repeat. It was in the walkman. It was in the deck of my parents’ 1988 Dodge Caravan. I played it in my room over and over and over learning the hard-panned guitar parts played by Mike and Stone. Pearl Jam had become my favorite band.

When the lineup for Lollapalooza ‘92 was announced, with Pearl Jam playing in the 2nd slot between Lush and The Jesus and Mary Chain, I knew I had to find a way to be there when the tour came to nearby Scranton, Pennsylvania. Being only thirteen, getting there would not be easy. I had no friends that could drive and my parents were not keen on the idea of dropping their thirteen year-old son off into a grungy mosh pit.

I’ve written before about how supportive my dad was in my musical endeavors. After weeks of badgering him to go to the show, he relented and agreed to go with me. It wasn’t the coolest thing to go to a rock show with your dad, but nothing would stop me from being there.

Long story short, the concert was located at Montage Mountain Ski Resort in the Pocono Mountains and the parking situation was a nightmare. We couldn’t park near the venue and needed to park several miles from where the concert was taking place. Concert organizers were bussing attendees from remote parking locations up to the base of the mountain where the bands were performing. It took us several hours to get from where we parked to the location.

As we stepped off the yellow school bus at the base of the mountain, I heard in the distance the familiar sound of one of my favorite Pearl Jam songs, Porch. They were already playing. Back in those days there was no setlist.fm so I had no idea how far the band was into their set. Turns out, they were pretty far into it. By the time we got to a vantage point of the band, they were well into Rockin’ in the Free World, which would be their final song. I was bummed to miss most of their set, but to this day I feel extremely fortunate to have caught a glimpse of their brilliance at that stage of their career.

Fast forward 33 years. Between 1992 and 2025, I never had the chance to see Pearl Jam again. I continued to follow and admire the band, but getting to a show just never worked out. That all changed last Sunday night.

Earlier this year when the band announced a pair of Pittsburgh dates, I made it a mission to attend. The tickets were hard to get (thanks Ticketmaster) and a bit pricey, but I would not be denied. I scored two upper level tickets, and Jilly and I circled the date on the calendar.

To say Sunday night’s show was worth the wait is an understatement. It was the final show of their Dark Matter world tour, and the band blew the roof off PPG Paints Arena to a more-than-capacity crowd. The air was electric – a mix of die-hard fans who’d seen them dozens of times and people like me who’d waited decades for this moment. You could feel the anticipation building as the lights dimmed and the crowd roared.

Early set highlights included an urgent & powerful version of Why Go that folded perfectly into Deep, two of my favorite tracks from Ten. Elderly Woman… was amazing as well, especially when Eddie turned over vocal duties to the crowd for the outro. Hearts and thoughts, they fade away. Chills. As expected, Even Flow whipped the crowd into a frenzy for the remainder of the first set, which culminated in a frantic rendition of Rearviewmirror that left the crowd dizzy.

The band left the stage for a few minutes and came back to play a 10-song encore that included unexpected songs like Hunger Strike (dedicated to Chris Cornell) and Crazy Mary, setlist staples like Alive, Lukin and Yellow Ledbetter, and covers of Rockin’ in the Free World and Little Wing, which closed out the night.

Eddie’s voice was so good and the band was super tight, seemingly firing on all cylinders. The energy was electric. It seemed like they were actually having fun. That’s rare to see in a band nearly four decades into their run. Pearl Jam is something truly special.

Reflecting back on this experience, I think it was worth the wait. It’s pretty cool that 33 years after I first saw the last bars of Rockin’ in the Free World at Lollapalooza, I got a chance to see the full version at a distinctly different stage of life. I lost my dad a long time ago, but Little Wing was one of his favorite songs of all time and I can’t help but think the universe was smiling at me at that moment. He would have loved to hear Pearl Jam’s version.

I’m not sure if I’ll get the chance to see Pearl Jam again. To be completely honest, I’m not sure I want to. The experience from Sunday will be a lasting memory and part of me wants to leave it at that – captured and catalogued alongside the 1992 memory for decades to come.

Jake in the Desert reminded me earlier that it was Bandcamp Friday with 100% of company proceeds going to LA fire relief, so I picked up a couple things I’ve been both anticipating and eyeing for a while.

First, I grabbed the new release from FACS, Wish Defense, which dropped today. I absolutely love this vibe and FACS has been in heavy rotation into my earholes for a while now. This new record picks up where they left off and I recommend it if edgy, angular art rock is your thing.

I also picked up this record from Neighbors Burning Neighbors, a politically progressive post-hardcore outfit from Rotterdam, Netherlands. Completely digging the layers, texture and intensity on this one.

Lastly, my boy JV turned me on to Ligatures, an energetic and mathy post-punk outfit featuring x-members of some influential Pittsburgh bands like Crucial Unit and Pressgang. Their latest full-length A23a is very good and brings me my fix of palm mutes and riffage.

All in all, a solid haul.

I really enjoyed reading all the blog questions challenge posts from a few days ago and while I was drafting mine it sparked an idea to kick off a new one. I follow a lot of music blogs and folx on Masto with a music bent, through which I’ve discovered some really great artists. I’ve grown to love this feed of music discovery; it brightens my day!

Shows and concerts are also a big part of my music adventures, so this challenge is to share your most memorable / favorite / epic concert you’ve been to. I’d love to read posts from Jake, Naz, Jason and Brad if they’re so inclined to share.

My Most Memorable Concert

The year was 1998. It was a different time. The internet had arrived, but it was still tangential to life. I was 19 years old and in my first years of undergrad at a rural Pennsylvania university. Back then, music was also a big part of my life and I was deep into the underground post-hardcore scene.

I was in a band at the time, and my friends were all in bands. We played anywhere that could hold a few dozen people and had electricity. One particular night in October, my friends in The Juliana Theory were playing a show opening for headliners Knapsack. There was also a band in between called At the Drive-In. I wasn’t familiar with At the Drive-In, but I was very into Knapsack’s Day Three of My New Life and I was always down to support friends, so I made a plan to check out the show.

The show was taking place at The Armburst Schoolhouse, a venue I had never been to and actually had never heard about before seeing it on the show flyer. Google Maps wasn’t a thing back then, so I MapQuested it on my school-issued desktop computer and printed out the directions. It looked to be in the middle of nowhere. Carless, I borrowed my buddy Todd’s Blazer and drove about 40 minutes to the destination, which in fact, was in the middle of nowhere.

I rolled up to a nondescript, abandoned one-room schoolhouse. A couple punks were smoking outside and there was a gravel lot with a couple tour vans and maybe a dozen cars. I paid my entry fee at the door (probably $5) and got one step closer to a blown mind.

The Theory’s set was solid, but what I witnessed afterward was like something from another planet. At the Drive-In took the stage (er, classroom?) by storm and blasted the fortunate few in attendance with a level of energy and intensity no one was prepared for. For about 30 minutes they crashed through most of the cuts from their most recent record, In Casino Out. Cedric and Omar were absolutely frantic and on fire, flanked by Jim on the other side as the stable anchor.

As a musician myself early in my journey, this performance solidified for me what live music should be. It should be a release of raw emotion. Movement through pulsing meters. Perfectly imperfect, with no regard for what may come in return.

Anyone who follows this scene knows that the rest is history for At the Drive-In. They went on to release Relationship of Command, tour with Rage Against the Machine, and spawned amazing projects like The Mars Volta and Sparta.

And even thought the internet was in its infancy, some forward-thinking saint was there with a shoulder-mounted camcorder to record the performance with no concept that it would live on in infamy on a thing called YouTube:

I thought 2024 was a fantastic year for recorded music. It seemed like every few weeks another absolute banger was released. As an avid listener, this year also saw my personal transition away from Spotify as a streaming source to a more intentional discovery and direct purchase model that I believe honors artists in a way streaming services don’t (or won’t).

In no particular order, here are the ten records released in 2024 I found to be my favorite:

Dulling the Horns by Wild Pink: I know I just said ’no particular order,’ but this just might be my record of the year. The songs and texture are just so layered. Simply complex, in a way that’s refreshing. The title track showcases this effortless density and is a standout on a stacked collection of songs.

No Arc by Rave Ami: My local selection this year comes from rockers Rave Ami. These guys are tight, fun and bring some unique energy to their live shows and recorded releases. I sorta feel like they’re a bit overshadowed by bigger Pittsburgh-based bands, but for my money this record rips hard.

Evergreen by Soccer Mommy: Sophie Allison describes her music as ‘chill, but kinda sad’ and I think that’s right. I’ve always felt the best songs were the saddest songs. Evergreen definitely brings the emotion, but not is a way that’s trite or placating. I find the songs on this release to be honest, raw and forthright in a way that’s comforting but also challenging.

Lighthouse by Francis of Delirium: A friend sent me this record earlier in the year and it’s been in constant rotation ever since. Lighthouse has a little bit of everything – in a good way. Luxemburg-based Jana Bahrich writes grungy pop songs that you find yourself singing to yourself during those random quiet moments of your day.

All Pleasure by THUS LOVE: No frills, four-on-the-floor rock and roll from Vermont-based THUS LOVE. The thing I love about this record is the swagger the band brings. It starts out of the gate with the opening ripper On the Floor and continues for the duration. I think swagger is a lost art these days and it’s great to see a group that’s out and proud bring it unapologetically and full-on.

Where we’ve been, Where we go from here by Friko: What a freaking epic release from Chicago duo Friko. These songs wander and traverse genres like there are simply no boundaries. Part singer-songwriter, part noise art, part chamber orchestra. On paper, the math doesn’t appear to work, but on tape it’s genius.

Cool World by Chat Pile: This is definitely the heaviest record on my list. Cool World is intense and guttural. The whole thing is raw and throbbing with some killer breakdowns that are sure to open up the circle pit at live shows.

Second Dinner by slimdan: Another one that has been in heavy rotation for most of the year. I am in love with slimdan’s pop-driven songs. They’re smart and catchy, and carry melodies that seem both familiar and fresh at the same time.

for frank forever by piglet: A late addition to the list, I randomly stumbled upon piglet - a solo project from Irish songwriter and producer Charlie Loane – just a few weeks ago. for frank forever carries really interesting production and infections melodies. I’m looking forward to seeing how piglet evolves into the future.

Valentin Prince by Valentin Prince: A fantastic LP from Richmond-based guitarist and songwriter. Sorta jammy and sorta trippy, but the song structure and performance are on point. This is a free digital download on Bandcamp, so don’t sleep on it!

A diverse coalition of artists has united to voice objection to a $621 million copyright infringement lawsuit against the Internet Archive. The lawsuit claims the Archive is violating copyright rules under the “smokescreen” of their Great 78 Project, which aims to digitize vinyl records produced between the late-1800s and the 1950s. A portion of the Great 78 collection includes work from well-known acts like Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley. The plaintiffs and some estates of included artists claim the project is unlawfully reproducing and distributing works under copyright.

The case is being led by music rights holders Universal Music Group and Sony Music, while the objection includes support from artists such as Amanda Palmer, Deerhoof, Real Estate, Ted Leo, Kathleen Hannah and Cloud Nothings. A judgement against the Internet Archive at the scale of $621M could bankrupt the organization.

It’s an ironic gut punch to musicians and audiences alike to see that the Internet Archive could be destroyed in the name of protecting musicians. For decades, the Internet Archive has had the backs of creators of all kinds when no one else was there to protect us, making sure that old recordings, live shows, websites like MTV News, and diverse information and culture from all over the world had a place where they’d never, ever be erased, carving out a haven where all that creativity and storytelling was recognized as a critically valuable contribution to an important historic archive. – Amanda Palmer

The Internet Archive does important work at the intersection of digital culture and public access. The work needs to continue and you can help ensure that it does.

According to TechRadar, vinyl record sales dropped 33.3% between 2023 and 2024. Before I dive into the substance of this, the reporting outlet must have taken a slight liberty with the 33 1/3 percentage drop, right? I mean, what are the odds that the vinyl sales dip would equate precisely to the RPM speed of an LP?

Anyhoo, Carrie Marshall writes:

I love vinyl, and in a world where streaming CEOs have a higher net worth than almost any musician in history, I want to support artists directly by buying their stuff. But like many music fans, I’m buying a lot less now because I simply can’t afford the prices being charged.

I love vinyl, too. And supporting artists directly is important to me; it’s why I migrated away from using streaming services. However it’s very hard for me to justify spending $30 - $50 for a vinyl record, therefore I’ve been buying more digital downloads from Bandcamp lately.

My hope is that all of this is pointing toward a reaction in the vinyl market, after which we might get a settling of the supply and demand forces. I’d love to support more artists through the purchase of physical media, but it will be hard for most people until the prices come down.

Heads up! Tomorrow is Bandcamp Friday, where Bandcamp waives it’s fees and passes those funds on directly to artists and labels. Here are a couple releases that have caught my interest and will probably make their way into my collection tomorrow:

Dulling the Horns by Wild Pink: Just. Wow. The guitar tones on this record are so interesting. Fuzzed-out and warm like a fleece blanket on a winter day. And the songwriting is so good.

H. E. Double Hockey Sticks by The Hell Hole Store: I really like the vibe of these guys, who are based in Philadelphia. Dope rhymes and sick beats. Wit wiz.

Hurricane Relief by Jon Charles Dwyer: This is a benefit release and Dwyer is donating all his proceeds to the Hurricane Helene relief efforts throughout Appalachia. Tomorrow is a good day to maximize your support.

Exhaust by Pyrrhon: These guys are from NYC and they are siiiick. Epic blast beats, tasteful breakdowns and full-on goblin mode vocals.

opaque by Mo Dotti: Dreamy shoegaze from this LA-based outfit. Jangly guitars and thick tones back reverb-soaked vox. Feels like this one would be good late at night with some bourbon.

sentiment by Claire Rousay: This came out earlier this year, but I slept on grabbing it. I guess you could consider this singer-songwriter? The arrangements and production are so interesting though, so I struggle to pigeon-hole it.

As summer winds down, here are a few artists & records that have been in my heavy rotation lately.

• Jesse Welles is like an angry Josiah & the Bonnevilles. His new album Hells Welles is a cathartic teardown of modern society. Think Arlo Guthrie singing about Boeing whistleblowers.
• Second Dinner by slimdan has been in my heavy rotation for a few weeks now. I am simply loving his pop-driven songs. They’re smart and catchy, and carry melodies that seem both familiar and fresh at the same time. My favorite track on the record is Wimbleton White.
• Font is scratching my indie-rock itch these days. Elaborate and angular, the songs on their 2024 release Strange Burden swell with substance. Complex time signatures and counterpoint lines weave throughout. But you can still feel the groove and dance to it.
• If you’re looking for some chill, instrumental tunes to put on while working or relaxing, Glass Beams may be of interest. Hailing from down under, their trance-inducing vibes are feel-good and groovy. You can be productive and bounce your head at the same time.

Some of you may know that I lived a previous life as a songwriter and musician. Almost a decade ago, I gave up the recording and touring life for one that fosters stable relationships and is conducive to raising a family. During the past ten years, I’d pick up a guitar every now & then, or sit down at the keys whenever there was a piano around and play some songs. But that’s about it. And honestly, I didn’t miss it at all. Other things had taken music’s place in my life.

But yesterday I was invited to play some music with A Generous Act, a group of amazing musicians who are writing and recording an album here in Pittsburgh. I threw out a rough idea I had for a song and within an hour it had evolved into a beautiful tune with three-part harmonies and a building, transformational sing-along outro. The tentative title is Sound Came Falling. If it ends up making the record, I’ll be over the moon and will definitely post it here.

It felt really good to create again and I think this experience might be the shot in the arm I need to begin writing again. Thanks, A Generous Act.

I used to make music quite regularly and for a (modest) living. I poured sadness into song, and spilled sweat and sometimes blood on stage for handfuls of people who paid a few bucks and honored us with their attention. We were often paid in booze and low percentages. I spent weeks at a time showerless and in a van, resting my head on a different floor in a different city almost every night. Toward the end we earned the privilege of Best Westerns and familiar faces.

I quit making this type of noise almost a decade ago.

People ask me all the time why I don’t make music anymore and I don’t really have a straight answer for them. I’ve been thinking hard about this lately. It’s bigger than family or responsibility, which both hold water as an argument. It’s bigger than burnout, which certainly played a part. The answer, I’ve come to realize, is happiness.

When I quit sadness, I inevitably quit this type of creativity. Out of the hundreds of songs I’ve written, all were driven by sadness. The best songs, in my book, were the saddest songs. They still are. But recently, an opportunity presented itself to make some music again. And I think I’m going to.

This is a song that came together in a relatively short time. It’s funny how some songs take forever to mature and others just pour out in the matter of an hour or so. This song also marks the first time I’ve used inanimate objects for percussion purposes. I think I’ll definitely be using wine glasses again in the future. Here you go.

I just wanted to thank everyone who came out to the show at Club Cafe last night. I had a lot of fun, although I felt my vocals were a little off due to this dreaded cold I’ve fighting for the last few days. It was really nice to see Jake and Arielle, old neighbors of ours that recently moved across town into swanky new digs.

I’m not sure when the next show will be, as school is really starting to pick up. The research papers, discourse analyses and interpretive theses are coming one after the other with no sign of slowing down. Graduation is on May 7th. I don’t know if I can make it.

If this song sounds familiar, it’s because the demo version was on the “LeapYear EP” that Michael and I put out last year. This version is different in the fact that there is some piano and reed organ. I feel the vocals are stronger as well. Hope you likey!

Now that the semester is over, I’ll have much more time to concentrate on writing and recording new material. Because I haven’t uploaded new music in quite some time, I’ve decided to post a previously unreleased song that I recorded a while ago. It’s a completely different vibe than the new stuff I’m writing, as it is performed by the band I was playing with at the time. I hope you like it.

Credits: Words and Music by Jeffrey D. Inscho Recorded at Mountainside Studio Engineered and Mixed by Rich Ruscigno and Jeffrey

Some of you may have heard by now about the shooting in Columbus, Ohio last night. The shooting, at a Damageplan (x-Pantera) show, left 4 dead and more injured. Among the dead was the influential and highly underrated guitarist, Dimebag Darrell. This is a sad occurrence and my heart goes out to all that were affected by this complete disregard for human life.

Those of you who know me well know that I love metal music, although I’ve evolved into writing and listening to a different genre. Early on in my musical journey I cut my teeth on the likes of Metallica, Megadeath and Pantera. When I was in the seventh grade, my first band ever covered the Pantera song “This Love” off of their 2nd album A Vulgar Display of Power. I remember that song being the highlight of the set at our first show, inciting a degree of moshing only exceeded by Pantera playing the song themselves. I was fortunate to have been able to see Pantera play twice. Each time the energy, emotion and technical skill were outstanding. Their ability to energize an audience goes unmatched.

Dimebag Darrell’s guitar style was aggressive, methodical and unrelenting, teaching me the importance of using intensity as a tool to convey emotion through music. This is a lesson that I’ve always remembered and taken with me into any project I’ve been involved with, regardless of genre. While I’ve been out of the metal loop for quite some time, I feel sad about the events of last night. My only hope is that this incident will not tarnish metal’s image of being a relatively non-violent method of expression. Rest in Peace, Dimebag. We miss you already.

I just received word that I’ll be opening for the amazing Bob Mould. The show is on Tuesday, November 16th at the Rex Theatre on Pittsburgh’s southside. Hope to see alot of you there.

For those of you unfamiliar with Bob’s work, he was a member of two great bands before going solo. Husker Du was, and continues to be, an extremely influential group. They were one of the first to show that you could combine melody with intensity. Sugar, Bob’s band after Husker Du, continued where the Du left off. In my opinion, Sugar’s melodies and subject matter were a little more advanced than that of Husker Du. Two of my all-time favorite songs, “Hoover Dam” and “If I Can’t Change Your Mind”, come from Sugar’s Copper Blue album.