Top 10 releases for 2020
Mark Fraser
Wrtiter for Redback Rock and Vynil Records label honcho

Bad Dreems- “Doomsday Ballet”
Snotty, raggedly beautiful, punkesque pop that's as honest as a day's work. One beautiful yellow and black splatter platter of endearing, edgy popnificence. Ten double plus!

Dune Rats - “Hurry up and Wait”
The perfect blend of pop and punk, that’s as catchy as a case of COVID. On permanent rotation.

Space Boozzies- “Living’ Up The he Coast”
Summer...beer gardens…downin’ tinnies on the bonnet of the EH wagon down at South Narra. The perfect beachin’ garage album for summer.

Gold Hearts- “Beach Butts” (single)
The Gold Hearts' sounds are pure 60s wahine surf pop...wahoos and all. Gorgeous.

Lachlan Edwards- “Once More” (EP)
From the very first, this is a total charmer. The title track is an instant creeper... gorgeous sparse guitar...semi-yearning vocals and  cruisy riffs that crawl right on in.

Little Quirks - “Florence’s Town” (single)
Gorgeous vocal harmonies...that folk tinged heart warming popestry...and songwriting skills that are way beyond their years.

Frank Meyer, guitarist and vocalist 
The Streetwalkin’ Cheetahs
James Williamson & The Pink Hearts
Online and TV producer
Stooges archivist
Los Angeles, CA

TOP TEN ALBUMS OF 2020

1. Armored Saint - Punching The Sky 
My favorite metal band of 2020 was my favorite metal band in 1984…the mighty Armored Saint. This is their best in a decade and one of the best of their career. John Bush is the Paul Rodgers of metal, a swaggering bluesy beast over vintage yet modern power metal. I fucking love this band.

2. Kix - Midnight Dynamite Re-Lit 
Producer Beau Hill went back and stripped away all that bad ‘80s reverb and my favorite Kix album it sounds the like AC/DC meets Aerosmith album it always should have. And the demos are way cool, junior!

3. Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters
The piano in the opening song “I Want You To Love Me” literally made me burst into tears when I first heard it. And every time since. Not kidding.

4. The City Kids - Things That Never Were 
Best OC Punk band Leeds ever produced! These guys got a Social Distortion by way of Backyard Babies vibe that just won’t quit.

CARRIE PHILLIS
Vocalist, Fangin' Felines
Wollongong, Australia 

1) As far as 2020 goes, over all it has deepened my sense to an even greater degree about what really matters and how we spend our short time on this planet.

2) While I am still grieving the organic aspect of how live shows used to be, the upside is bands came to us via live stream!

3) Reigning Sound- live stream at B Side Memphis, presented by Goner Records. Having Reigning Sound play live in our lounge room one morning while wearing my PJs was a thrill!

4) "Vibrations, Yours & Mine" - Johnny Casino. Wonderful album by a wonderful human.

5) It was inspiring to see Australian venues working creatively to keep live music afloat. As much a struggle as it was/is for venues, musicians, crew to keep afloat…..

6) "My Love for You" - The William Loveday Intention (album.) Will there ever be a day that you’re hung like a thief? Good ol Billy Childish rides again!

7) "Shadow Show" - Silhouettes (album). Girl group trio from Detroit- love their blend of '60s garage psychedelia with their own modern twist.

8) Chimers' debut single "Mono". A Wollongong two-piece - a husband and wife and good mates of mine - released a ripper debut single!

9) Fangin Felines weekend live analogue recording at The Pin Shed with Jez Player. Pinheads was a fun experience.

10) March 2020 with Fangin' Feliners supporting The Schizophonics at Lalalas & Marrickville Bowlo. These will forever be remembered as not only really fun shows (also with Los Tones, Drop Offs & DJ Rusty & Boonge) but our last live shows, pre COVID. Lockdowns occurred the week after.

"I love rocknroll-all the people with nothing to show..."  - Jesus And The Mary Chain

"I ain't lookin' for nothin' in someone else's eyes..." - Bob Dylan

"There's nothing I wanna see, nowhere I wanna go..." - Manic Street Preachers

"Don't take More Than You Need"  - Paul K.

"I raise my glass to the ugly truth that you can't reveal to the ears of youth except to say it isn't worth a dime." - Leonard Cohen

"I don't want to go out, I want to stay in, get things done..." - David Bowie

"We drink the water and it tastes like medicine... wake up, wake up..." - Richard Butler

DRESSED IN YOUR SHINY CLOTHES

Some people believe I'm excluding them from some par-tay, but there really is no par-tay. Sometimes, I wonder if  there was ever a par-tay. Mostly 'been a lot of changing urinal cakes, washing dishes, merchandising endcaps, ruining the knees with constant bending, and always being stressed from the constant threat of Ford truck hick ass ultra-violence. There might have been some nights of frivolous abandon and dressing up and boozy singing, but that was a long time ago .

... ruminations of a horrified social distancer on his evaporating way of life in the shadows of the green death plague.

1. Lookin’ 20p In the 10p Mix
SLEAFORD MODS ARE COMING in 2020!!!!!
Please, I don’t want to argue with you.
All disparaging feedback please send to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

2. New Rock Syndicate
Masami Kawaguchi from Tokyo graced us with his stunning soul again this year. Please refer to everything Penny Ikinger said in her Top 10. This gentleman is the most startling, perfect and inspiring guitarist I have ever seen and a true darling of a human being. Eternally grateful to have met him. Look at anything he has done, please. You’re welcome.

3. The Kids Are Alright
You know when you’re 32 and you think rocknroll has probably hit its comfortable slippers and pipe phase, and will be unlikely to return to what you’ve felt it to be in your life. Then you get to 39 etc. and realise ashamedly that you were very wrong. About most things, pretty much everything - it is an experience that spans generations, and is one of the many joys of ageing.

So many “young people” (definition pending, vomit pooling in throat) made music that blew my tiny mind out of my ears this year. Please pay attention to a band called Cable Ties, and one called Stiff Richards. Important, incendiary, vital, nasty, gorgeous, respectful, clumsy, intricate, hot, cold and wild. You may select which adjective attaches to which band yourself - like a choose your own adventure! God, this one has been bloody ridiculous, I’m sorry and you’re welcome.

_{Backstage at the Festival of Sue with (from left) BILLY POMMER JR, CLYDE BRAMLEY and ROB YOUNGER. EMMY ETIE photo.}

GIGS

GUADALUPE PLATA (Donostia, Basque Country)
GUADALUPE PLATA are an innovative 3 piece comprising (1) vocals and guitar (2) washtub bass/guitar and (3) drums. The play an eclectic and exotic mix of rock, blues, jazz and rockabilly. I saw them perform live after my solo show in Donostia, Basque Country this year. Pedro’s guitar playing reminded me of my own, at times, demented approach to guitar playing.

KELLEY STOLZ, (Bottom of the Hill, San Francisco).
KELLEY STOLZ is a singer, songwriter, musician from the USA. His music has been compared to that of BRIAN WILSON, VELVET UNDERGROUND, NICK DRAKE and LEONARD COHEN. He played an awesome show with SARAH BETHE NELSON as support. Kelley is an all- rounder – a singer, musician and song writer. The real deal.

“A FESTIVAL OF SUE: THE JDS ARE ON YOU” (The Factory Theatre, Marrickville, Sydney)
Friends of SUE TELFER banded together to pay tribute to this much-loved Sydney lady with proceeds going to Support Act. A line-up that included myself (with special guest BILLY POMMER JNR on drums), X, the NEW CHRISTS, THE JOHNNYS, KIM SALMON, THE CRUEL SEA (instrumental), FRONT END LOADER, THE MIS-MADE, THE HOLY SOUL, & THE ON AND ONS. Having BILLY POMMER JNR on drums certainly gave me a run for my money. Highlights for me included the NEW CHRISTS, THE CRUEL SEA, THE JOHNNYS and X. Unfortunately, I did not get to see all the acts. Too busy chatting with my friends. It was such a great turn out from Sydney folks! After my trip into the city, seeing so many old buildings torn down (which caused me a lot of distress), it was great to see that Sydney folks still have a heart – a very big heart!

_{Dave Saul photo.} 

Rock n Roll CPR v Nostalgia Neuralgia
TheDean’s 2019 - 10 things you should know

1) D is for Dickhead
Hey you! Yeah you sitting on your lounge watching TV. You sitting on your lounge, watching people sitting on their lounge, watching TV. If you’re a fan of that show no worries. I can live with that but if I have to listen to you talk to your mate Thommo about it the next day, way too loudly on the phone in a crowded carriage and your follow up sentence is “all music these days is shit” and that there hasn’t been a decent Aussie Rock Band since the Screaming Jets, you my friend; are a Dickhead.

2) A is for Australian
Dirty, Fast & Built to last. The Australian Kingswood Factory album Bloodshot and Shakin’. Get on it. Buy Australian & buy it now! Cow Punk, Punk-a-billy, punk, punk rock, rock punk or just plain old dirty rock n roll? Not sure how to pigeon hole these guys but I do know they are pretty much everything I ever liked in a band back in the day. If you don’t check ‘em out next chance you get, that’s just plain Unaustralian.

2019 was first year for a while that I wasn’t doing a radio show and being in Canberra for work, I felt I was little bit out of the loop. Nonetheless, it was another memorable rock ‘n’ roll year and here’s my top10 in no particular order.

Kim Volkman and the Whiskey Priests at Marrickville Bowlo in Sydney
This took me back to when I first started seeing bands in Melbourne in the mid ’70s. It was no-nonsense loud rock. Two really good guitarists on top of a solid rhythm section. I loved how the band occupied half the stage and hardly broke formation through the gig. The record’s pretty good, too.

Sue Telfer Tribute in Sydney
It was really sad to lose Sue. She was seriously special and it was great to see so many people come out and so many good bands turn it on. All the bands I saw were great with X as a four piece the standout. I reckon it was the best gig I’ve seen Steve Lucas do.