There's a rule in music...well, there's a rule in my musical world:
If they hang out with Josh and Garth of The Rutabega, they make damn fine music.
This has held true through numerous events and opening acts. Really, the only exception I can think of is myself and, well, I don't make any music at all. The rule certainly applies to what I deem my favorite find of 2016 (I really should come up with a name for this...the Golden Needle Award? The Drop Of The Year? Or maybe I shouldn't).
I'm speaking of Jake Simmons & The Little Ghosts. I caught them while playing with The Rutabega at McCormick's in South Bend and, while the late night show was making me feel a bit old, the music of JS&TLG revived me in a way I haven't felt since I was a punk-ass kid watching Dave Kirchgessner of Mustard Plug hang from that weird bar above the two-inch stage at the original Intersection (cheers if you remember what I'm talking about).
JS&TLG make solid rock music, with high-energy dives into punk rock, blues, and, seemingly, whatever the hell sound they deem appropriate for each song. The bleeding guitars are best played on high volume and, hey, don't be shy about singing along. Jake's lyrics traverse the realms of quirky, angry, and sentimental, never once feeling anything but genuine.
As is often the case for me with my end of year favorites, most, if not all of the JS&TLG music I'm speaking of was released prior to 2016, but , hey, this was the year that I discovered it (you could chalk this up to my being slow and behind, but I prefer to blame it on the massive amount of great music being made today).
I've put together a Jake Simmons mixtape for you to check out some of my favorites. Make no mistake, though, as anything short of picking up the entirety of every release is simply shorting yourself of rock and roll greatness. And why would you do that to yourself? Check out that mix tape over on Spotify:
As for the rest of 2016, well, many claims have been made as to the negative nature of the year thanks to numerous deaths of our heroes, bad news stories, and the embarrassing and horrific election of Trump to the White House, but remember, nothing is all good or bad. Whatever else aside, 2016 certainly was a solid year for good music:
Car Seat Headrest gave us Teens Of Denial, a rock album that finds new depth with each listen.
Amanda Palmer has found a prolific stride thanks to her reliance on Patreon, using the direct support of her fans to give us a constant supply of new and excellent music. It was by fortunate coincidence that AFP's tour had hit my region the weekend after the election (not to mention the death of Leonard Cohen), giving me a place to process my shock, disappointment, and upset. The concert featured an emotional evening of music, with sing-alongs, scream-alongs, stomping, and crying. Amanda brought along guests, inviting Peter Sagal of NPR's Wait Wait Don't Tell Me and the Vice President of Illinois' Planned Parenthood to deliver messages of love and action. Her husband, author Neil Gaiman, was in the room as well. He performed a reading (with Amanda backing him musically) of Leonard Cohen's "Democracy" before spending much of his evening with their son in the back of the room, teaching him to walk a few feet from where I was standing (I put my fanboy away and just watched the moment in awe). Speaking of that reading of "Democracy", you can pick that track up and, in the process, help out PEN America's efforts to defend free speech by going here.
The Avett Brothers gave us their best album in years with True Sadness. I saw them too the weekend after the election, a last minute addition to my concert schedule that was the usual emotion packed evening from TAB, heightened so by current events. With protestors expressing similar feelings just around the corner from the Van Andel Arena, the crowd roared in defiance the line "your life doesn't change by the man that's elected" during "Head Full Of Doubt, Road Full Of Promise".
Swet Shop Boys brought us the Indian/Pakistan/American hip-hop album Cashmere, full of anger and commentary about our culture's treatment of those of Middle Eastern descent (and not to mention all of those sick beats).
If you somehow missed it, Drive-By Truckers certainly broke new ground with American Band, giving us the American rock album we desperately need in our current culture.
And Charles Bradley gave us Changes, reminding us the true meaning of the word "soul" and recording an amazing cover of, oddly, Black Sabbath.
And we can't forget all of the awesome coming from Grand Rapids' The Crane Wives, giving us the epic Foxlore when I was still busy singing along with Coyote Stories and Safe Ship, Harbored. Watch for them in 2017. I expect amazing things.
Justin Wells returned from the ashes of Fifth On The Floor with one of the best American rock albums I heard all year in Dawn in the Distance, about his life as a musician, an outcast, and a father.
PUP gave us The Dream Is Over, a mischievous, loud, and ultimately fun punk rock record worthy of losing one's voice while screaming along and playing far too loud.
So much good music. So whatever the "dumpster fire" view of 2016 you may have, remember unrest and upset makes for some fine music and certainly gives us a soundtrack for fighting the battles ahead. And, oh, do we have battles ahead.
Let's finish 2016 with our heads high and our hands ready for the battles of 2017. Until then, here's to life.
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