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What’s up Sorry State readers? It’s been quite some time since the last staff pick! I hope everyone had a nice end to their 2025 and has been enjoying the new year. The demo cassette from local rippers Plastique Pigs came out and, as expected, it’s killer. Definitely snag one of these bad boys if you haven’t already. RSD Black Friday also came and went, which brought some cool new releases. Per usual, I picked up a couple of the live releases cause there are always some cool ones in the mix. The one I wanted to highlight today is Bill Evans’ Portraits At The Penthouse, a live recording from 1966 featuring Eddie Gomez on bass and Joe Hunt on drums. I wasn’t really planning on picking this one up, but at the end of the day, there was still a copy or two left, so I decided to grab it, and I’m glad I did. An excellent release with lots of love put into it. It has a nice gatefold jacket with a cool photo on the inside, the track listing and other info, and a really nice booklet that has a ton of awesome photos, posters and interviews. I’ve had some pretty lackluster, barebones new releases lately, so this was very much appreciated. The music speaks for itself: an incredible-sounding recording that makes it sound like you’ve been transported back in time and are sitting right there at the Penthouse in Seattle. It’s hard to highlight a specific track on here cause I kinda just like to take it in as the entire show but I love any version of Nardis and I also really enjoy Detour Ahead on the B side. The perfect soundtrack to a chilly winter evening. All around, a great release. If you’re a Bill Evans fan, this one is worth adding to your collection. That’s all for this week. I have some other records I’ve picked up over the last two months that I’m sure you’ll see me writing about here. Thanks for reading everyone. It feels good to be back!