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Hello Sorry Staters! The weather outside is warming up and I can finally work in my garden planting some vegetables for the summer. There is something calming about just planting flowers and vegetables while it starts to get warm outside. It’s definitely good for my metal health. It’s also hockey playoff season and the Carolina Hurricanes are walking all over the New Jersey Devils. Let’s hope it’s the Hurricanes year this year! So happy playoff hockey time for all of those that celebrate!
For my pick this week, I decided to chat about a band that always makes it in my rotation at least once every few weeks. This record clocks in under 30 minutes, but to me it’s some of the best garage punk ever recorded. It’s catchy and lyrically it just does not give a fuck. Jay Reatard’s Blood Visions is an onslaught of snotty garage punk that is catchy, fun and just overall a front-to-back non-stop listen.
The one and only time I saw Jay Reatard live was when he was touring on the Blood Visions album in 2007. It was at Kings in downtown Raleigh with Heads on Sticks and Double Negative opening. (Also my first time seeing Double Negative, one of the greatest local Raleigh, NC bands) I remember hearing a lot of crazy things about how Jay acted on stage and would just get pissed off and try to fight people in the crowd. None of this happened that I can remember, but it was one of the wildest, most fun shows I have ever been to. I would probably put it as my second best show I’ve ever seen, next to seeing Dillinger Four at the Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro, NC.
After this show, I followed Jay’s releases and other projects until his passing in 2010. A lot of bands tried to copy what the Reatards had and tried to capture Jay’s energy, but I just have not found a band as special to me as Jay Reatard and more specifically the Blood Visions record. I was lucky enough to grab a copy of the RSD reissue that was released in 2016 with a 7” of demo tracks for the album.
Be nice to yourself and others! Go outside and plant some veggies! Take your dog/cat for a walk!