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What’s up Sorry State readers? I hope everyone has had a nice week. It’s been cold and rainy here in Raleigh these last couple days. Winter has definitely arrived. This week I found myself listening to this Cramps 7” I picked up at the store a while ago, especially the B-side. Don’t get me wrong I definitely enjoy listening to Drug Train, but their cover of I Can’t Hardly Stand It on the flip side is really what does it for me. This song has such an infectious guitar riff that always gets stuck in my head after I hear it. Lux’s vocals also just fit right in perfectly as well. The Cramps really do this song justice and I usually listen to it a couple times in a row whenever I play it. I also really enjoy Love Me on the B-side as well. I think it serves as a nice precursor. Honestly, you could play just about any Cramps song around me and I’ll be happy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2k_TGaElmAI

What’s up Sorry State readers, I hope everyone has had a nice week. Last week I wrote about Howlin Wolf and today I’d like to talk about a band that takes heavy influence from him as well as a lot of other blues artists and an assortment of other genres: The Gun Club, specifically their album Miami. This is their first record under Blondie guitarist Chris Stein’s label Animal Records, which was a bit of a full circle moment for front man Jeffrey Lee Pierce, as he used to be president of The U.S. Blondie Fan Club. Debbie Harry also contributed backing vocals to the album under the pseudonym D.H. Laurence Jr. I really love the sound of a steel guitar on the tracks Texas Serenade and Mother of Earth. My favorite song on this album, though, has to be their sick rendition of John Hardy, a traditional folk song first performed all the way back in the 1920s (and still covered today, 100 years later, by artists like Billy Strings). The song is a tale based on the life of a West Virginia railroad worker who killed a man in a drunken dispute one night, went on the run, and was caught and hanged in 1894. Gun Club also throws a verse from another one of my favorite folk songs, Don’t Let Your Deal Go Down, into it and it makes me just love the song even more. It’s so cool to listen to all the different iterations of a song through time and how different artists play it and add different things to it. That’s one of my favorite things about music. The copy of this record I have is a recent pressing, which is actually a double LP that contains all the demos, so that’s pretty interesting to listen to. Anyone reading this has definitely already listened to this album before, but maybe you haven’t in awhile, so if that’s the case, this is your reminder to listen to this amazing album!

What’s up Sorry State readers. I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving last week. I personally am a big fan of the sides when it comes to Thanksgiving, especially some good dressing and mac n cheese. Dessert wise I’m definitely going pecan pie, but most people I know prefer pumpkin. To each their own. Anyways, you’re not here to read about food. Let’s get to the music. This week I’d like to talk about the album that introduced me to the blues, Rockin’ Chair by Howlin’ Wolf. I actually was introduced to the music of Howlin’ Wolf through the Grateful Dead. I loved their versions of Spoonful and The Red Rooster and one day while listening my brother said to me, “man you need to listen to Howlin’ Wolf.” I can’t even lie, I didn’t even realize the songs were covers (written by Willie Dixon but first recorded by Howlin’ Wolf) when I was first listening to them, but when I heard these original versions, I instantly fell in love with them. The gruff and grit in Howlin’ Wolf’s voice is just unmatched by anyone else. It sounds so raw. It makes sense though. He was a mountain of a man, standing tall at 6 foot 3 inches and weighing around 300 pounds. You can really hear the pain and hurt behind his booming voice when he’s singing. When I find myself feeling down, I just throw on some Howlin’ Wolf. There’s something comforting about listening to a guy singing songs written 60+ years ago about the same feelings you’re feeling. It makes you feel less isolated in the way you feel, at least for me. That’s why I love the blues. It makes you feel better about feeling bad. It’s not all sad though. Songs like Wang-Dang-Doodle are just straight up fun to listen to and belt out (and fun to say). I can listen to this man in any mood, happy or sad, and still love it all the same. Howlin’ Wolf is a legend in pretty much every sense of the word, and I’m forever grateful for his contributions to music and the lasting impact he had on it.

What’s up Sorry State readers? I hope everyone has had a nice week. It’s been in the 70s and 80s here in Raleigh this past week, so it’s felt more like spring than fall. This week me and Dominic were going through one of the boxes from Miss Veola’s collection and found two copies of Herbie Hancock’s Sunlight, a regular copy and a promo copy. I was reminded of how much I enjoy this album and we gave it a listen in the store. This past summer I was lucky enough to see Herbie Hancock perform live at the North Carolina Museum of Art in their outdoor amphitheater, and it was a really great show. During the show, he played a song that I really liked, but I had no idea what it was. Fast forward a couple weeks and I picked up a random copy of this album and gave it a listen. I quickly realized that the second track on the album, Come Running to Me, was the song I had heard at the concert that I couldn’t figure out what it was. It sounded just as good as when I heard it live, and I was so happy to finally know what it was. I also was familiar with the first song on the album, I thought It Was You, but I knew the version by Kimiko Kasai, so I was happy to discover the original version of the song. I really love the use of the vocoder on this record too. I’ve always just thought it sounds so cool. Sometimes you really enjoy a song or album because they remind you of a certain time or place. This album reminds me of my trip over to Madrid this past summer. Every morning I would take a walk on my own and walk around the city and listen to music, and I was listening to this album a lot at the time. Now when I hear this album, it makes me feel like I’m walking around in the Spanish sun, eating tapas and drinking aperol spritzes till I can’t anymore. It’s nice to have music that can instantly transport you to a different place or state of mind, especially during these cold fall and winter months when it gets dark at 5PM.

Give one of your favorite summertime records a listen next time this cold weather has got you feeling blue.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4mx3KZ5zhI

What’s up Sorry State readers, I hope everyone had a fun Halloween weekend. Today I was gonna switch it up and write about how I spent my weekend over in Asheville for the annual Billy Strings Halloween shows. I went with one of my good buddies and we took his van, which was a lot more spacious than I expected. We were able to raise the top and fold out another upper sleeping area and set up a table and chairs, so we were pretty comfortable rolling around in our little mobile home for the weekend and parking in various parking lots to sleep. We arrived late Friday night and the first of three shows was Saturday night, so we just chilled that night and woke up and got some breakfast and went on a nice hike in the morning. I love being up in the mountains this time of year and seeing all the Fall colors. It never gets old. The theme for the shows was Lord of the Rings, so each night musically played out the plot of each movie, starting with The Fellowship of The Ring. The sight of Billy Strings walking out on stage as Frodo and the band dressed as the rest of the fellowship (Gandalf on upright bass, Legolas on Fiddle, Sam on mandolin, Aragorn on banjo) is a sight I don’t think I’ll soon forget. Lots of other people joined them on stage throughout the shows, including a flute player, another fiddle player, and even Gollum ripping metal cello solos. They played an array of music set to the plot of the movies which included songs from the movies like Bilbo’s birthday song, original Billy songs, and covers of songs by artists like Doc Watson, Johnny Cash, Leadbelly, Black Sabbath, and a bunch more. I have too many favorite moments from throughout these shows but if I had to pick a few, it would be Gandalf singing Ring of Fire, Gollum’s fucked up cello solo when he first showed up, and the nine-piece band Freeborn Man encore at the end of the second show. Not to mention the insane almost 20 minute Meet Me at the Creek, which had the sweetest sounding flute solo I’ve ever heard. The attention to detail was great, like Gandalf emerging from smoke on stage the second night in an all white robe and a chrome bass representing his return as Gandalf the White. These shows were so much fun. There are not too many other ways I’d wanna spend my Halloween weekend than in the Blue Ridge Mountains dressed like a Hobbit and living out of a van with one of my best friends while watching one of our favorite bands play. Go see Billy live. You won’t regret it!

https://youtu.be/ls18VzQDK-M

What’s up Sorry State readers, I hope everyone has been feeling a lil spooky this week in preparation for Halloween. We’re in the full swing of things over here at Sorry State and feeling the spirit of All Hallows’ Eve. Today I’d like to talk about an album that embraces the horror aesthetic, Mystic Stylez by Memphis’ own Three 6 Mafia. The group has long been known for their love of the occult and all things evil, but I feel like it’s on full display on their 1995 debut album. There’s some real gnarly shit on here and you can just feel the hate pouring out all throughout this project. When Bone Thugs-N-Harmony called Memphis a “bunk ass town” on one of their songs, Three 6 did not take it lightly and responded with the fourth track on this album, Live by Yo Rep, a diss track where the group takes turns detailing the gruesome ways they’re going to torture and kill the opposing group, like slowly peeling off all their skin and pouring boiling hot degreaser and acid on them and their dead friends. Another track on the album, “Now I’m Hi Pt. 3,” has such a haunting beat that it sounds like it could’ve been lifted right out of a horror movie. Everyone has great verses on this album, but I love just about every single one of Gangsta Boo’s, the devil’s daughter herself. I really love her voice and flow. It’s just so amazing and she really takes every track she’s on to another level. This album just feels so sinister, Halloween is the perfect time to throw this classic on. Modern rap owes so much to this incredible group, as their influence is very apparent in a lot of popular artists today. If you wanna listen to an hour of devil worship and all around evil shit, give this bad boy a listen.

What’s up Sorry State readers, I hope you all have had a nice week. If you happen to be in Raleigh this weekend, don’t miss out on the killer show at Slims on Saturday night: Woodstock 99 joined by Raleigh’s very own Scarecrow and Meat House. It’s gonna be a doozy! This week I’d like to talk about a tape that came out last year but was just recently released for the first time on vinyl, Ambush by Personal Damage. This is the second release from the LA based band and it doesn’t disappoint. Me and Dominic gave this a listen at the store and both immediately became big fans of it and snagged a copy each. Like the record itself, my review for this is gonna be short and sweet. Clocking in at just under eight minutes, this puppy packs a mean punch, and it’s all gas no brakes from start to finish. It’s got a rough, yet clean sound to it and I like how clearly the vocals come through and how catchy it is. I really like the opening title track as it starts the record off with a bang, but what really hooked me was the sick cover of Peter Tosh’s Stepping Razor that closes out the record. I didn’t even know that song could sound like this. I’m looking forward to what Personal Damage releases in the future. If you like punk at ripping speeds that’ll get stuck in your head, this one’s for you. Snag a copy while you can and don’t miss out!

What’s up Sorry State readers, I hope wherever you’re reading this, the fall weather has come around like it has here in Raleigh. With it being October and Halloween approaching, I wanted to switch things up and write about a movie this week for my staff pick. When it comes to horror, I like the older, campy stuff like the Evil Dead series or psychological thrillers like The Shining. The movie I’d like to talk about today is a bit of both, the 2018 psychedelic action-horror film, Mandy, directed by Panos Cosmatos and starring Nicolas Cage and Andrea Riseborough. I love when movies are completely out of left field and this movie is exactly that. It’s hard to describe why I like this movie so much, but I can start with the fact that it’s different from any other movie I’ve seen before. Nicolas Cage is fully unleashed in this one in the best way possible, and when his performance is on point, he’s one of my favorite actors. I don’t want to spoil too much of the movie here, but I want to talk about at least the first part of it, so if you want to go into this movie completely blind, stop reading here.

The film takes place in 1983 near the Shadow Mountains of the Mojave Desert in California. The main character, Red (Nicolas Cage), works as a logger and shares a (really cool) cabin in the middle of the woods with his girlfriend, Mandy (Andrea Riseborough), who works as a gas station cashier but in her free time is also an artist and author. Between the conversations the two have and Mandy’s writings, you can tell they’re both a little out there and seem to have been through a fair share of shit in their lives. One day when Mandy is out on a walk, a van full of some very strange looking individuals drives by her and she catches the attention of the man sitting in the passenger seat, who happens to be Jeremiah, the leader of the cult these people are a part of. Side note but the cinematography and some of the shots and the effects they use on them are so well done and this scene, paired with the incredible and haunting score, is one of my favorite examples. It really fills you with a sense of dread and anxiety. It later cuts to a scene of Jeremiah telling one of his loyal disciples that he “needs” the girl he saw today on the side of the road. That night, a couple of the members drive out in the van to an empty field and one of them gets out and blows an ancient looking ocarina which fills the air with red smoke and summons the Black Skulls, a demonic biker gang. One of the cult members offers up a human sacrifice and a jar full of highly potent liquid LSD, in exchange for capturing Mandy and bringing her to the leader. A member of the Black Skulls accepts the offer, and the scene is set from there. I’m gonna stop talking about it there and let you watch the movie if you want to find out what happens, but if this sounds like it may be interesting to you and up your alley, I promise you won’t be disappointed. It definitely might not be for everyone, but if you love a weird, original, and creative movie, I highly recommend it.

What’s up Sorry State readers, I hope everyone has had a good week. On Tuesdays when I come into work, I like to flip through the 7” section and see what catches my eye. This week a copy of Vatican Commandos’ Just A Frisbee caught my attention when I noticed on the hype sticker it referred to the band as “Darien, Connecticut hardcore punk legends.” This piqued my interest cause Darien is the town I was born in and where I spent the first couple years of my life, so I decided to check it out. To give a little back history, Vatican Commandos were formed in Darien and were active from ’82-’85 (until a reunion show 25 years later in 2010). Just A Frisbee is the second EP released by the band and even features cover art from a then eighteen-year-old Rob Zombie. I threw it on the record player and was almost immediately hooked. The first song, (We’re) Tipping Cows, is self-explanatory. It’s a song about sneaking up on sleeping cows and tipping them over and it’s fucking awesome. This album features some pretty sweet drums and really catchy basslines and riffs. It’s just a lot of fun to listen to, and knowing it was made by a group of dudes from where I grew up makes it even more enjoyable. Snag a copy of this first reissue of the EP in almost 40 years.

What’s up Sorry State Readers, I hope everyone has had a nice week. Today I’m gonna be writing about an album Daniel has already written about, which is probably much more in depth than what I’m about to write, but I figured I’d give it a shot since it was just reissued on vinyl for the first time since its original release and I’ve been listening to it on repeat since I got it. The first time I heard The Third World War was a couple months ago. Daniel was showing me something on his computer and he had this album playing. I think the track Tears was playing and I remember thinking, “Man, this is really good,” so I took note of what it was and added it on Apple Music. I honestly only listened to a couple tracks from it during this time and mostly just listened to Tears cause it was so catchy and would get stuck in my head. There isn’t a ton of info about the band online other than what’s posted in their artist bio on Discogs, and Daniel has already covered that and more info about the band if you wanna check that out, so I won’t go into detail about the history of the band here. Anyways, I was stoked last week when copies of this arrived at the store. I had no idea it was getting a reissue. I bought a copy immediately and gave it a spin at work and was honestly blown away by it after listening to the entire album. It had so many different styles and sounds on it, and I loved them all. Songs like Boys have such an infectious sound to them that just gets lodged in your brain and I love the lead singer Tracy Crazy’s raspy shrieks throughout the song. So many of the bass lines and riffs on here just sound so awesome and I just wanna listen to them over and over. I think everyone could find something they like about this album. I played it for a couple different friends and each one had a different favorite song. It’s always such a pleasant surprise to find an album you really enjoy the whole way through and can just sit down and listen to it from start to finish. Some of my favorite tracks on here are Li, Tears, and Boys. Snag a copy of this while you can, as I’m pretty sure this repress was limited to only 500 copies.

I just got back from visiting family in Seattle last week and every time I go out there, I’m reminded of how beautiful Washington is. It has everything to offer from mountains, oceans, forests, lakes, islands, and everything else in between, and I love exploring all the different parts when I’m out there. This visit we traveled around the San Juan islands for a couple days while camping out, but my favorite part of the trip was the last day. We drove east of Seattle for about two hours into some mountains and floated down a river there on tubes and paddleboards. It’s so relaxing to just float down a crystal clear river surrounded by mountains while cracking a few cold ones.

Whenever I’m out in the great Pacific Northwest, I’m always reminded of one thing: Twin Peaks. It’s probably my favorite show of all time and it was actually filmed in a small town, Snoqualmie, about half an hour from Seattle. I figured today would be a good day to write about the nerdiest thing I own, this cassette, “Diane…”: The Twin Peak Tapes of Agent Cooper performed by Kyle MacLachlan. If you haven’t already seen the show, the main character, Special Agent Dale Cooper, carries a tape recorder around with him and leaves messages on it to someone named Diane. This tape is literally just those audio messages playing in sequential order, plus a couple extra parts that aren’t in the show. It’s basically Dale Cooper ASMR. I honestly have probably only played it a handful of times cause I don’t know how often I feel like just sitting around listening to Dale Cooper talk about solving a murder and other random stuff, but when you want to, this tape is the perfect thing. It’s kind of like listening to one of those old radio drama shows they used to air back in the day. It does include the incredible opening theme for the show plus the song that plays in the Red Room, both composed by Angelo Badalamenti, so there is some good music to listen to on there. Anyways, I love Twin Peaks and Dale Cooper is the embodiment of all that is good and right in the world. Listen to this if you need more Twin Peaks content in your life.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBE1-2p-Nkk

What’s up Sorry State readers. Sometimes you just feel like listening to some fast and angry shit. This week I’ve found myself playing my Power Trip - Hornet’s Nest flexi a bunch. Originally released as a single for Adult Swim, the song’s popularity quickly rose and became one of the band’s biggest hits. The flexi for the single was originally sold at shows on their tour with High On Fire in the Fall of 2019, but luckily you can snag a copy pretty easily as they’re still selling remaining copies from the tour. This song rips and has so many sick riffs throughout it. Riley Gale’s vocals also sound awesome here as he’s screaming about not getting squashed like a bug. This song always gets stuck in my head the rest of the day whenever I hear it. Something about it is so catchy. Power Trip really just hits the spot sometimes and this song is no exception.