Let’s face it, rock’n’roll is absolutely and completely stupid and ridiculous. That’s why I love it. And the more stupid and ridiculous it is, the more I like it. 

Gimme some lycra clad idiot climbing up a speaker stack screaming about how rock’n’roll they are, or some sweaty Hornbag dancing on a bar carrying on about kebabs and chlymydia (Hi Celia) and I’m in heaven. 

Sure I like serious bands, but jeez they’ve gotta be very very fucken good to cut the mustard..... or the cheese. A good bit of cheese with rock’n’roll is also a very good thing.

I can’t go past a dumb and ridiculous band even if they are a bunch of talentless losers. Just as long as they rock and make me giggle. Bonus points awarded for juvenile toilet humour because that’s the best kind of humour.

I just want to be entertained, and I want to have fun.

CHRIS “KLONDIKE” MASUAK’S TOP SEVERAL FOR 2021

What’s another year without the obligatory screed from Klondike? 

You know that my tongue is firmly in cheek but my heart unashamedly on sleeve when wishing you all as peaceful, calm, and rockin’ a Christmas as is possible to the human mind! 

_{Chris Newwton in The Smart Folk. Corrie Ancone photo .} 

10 great Australian indie singles from 2021 you may not have heard…yet  

By Chris Newton – guitarist/vocalist from The Smart Folk, and The Lost Husky; and bassist from Tigers At The Edge Of Time. 

Like many fellow musos, in 2021 after getting out of the gates early in what proved to be a false start race that lockdown soon put sternly to bed, I fell into the pit of songwriter’s block for six months. 

Thankfully, many bands – several of whom I’m privileged to call friends – didn’t suffer the same fate. 

Here’s just ten independent ‘singles’ that have hit the online shelves this year, that give me (and hopefully you) hope for the musical future. In no particular order… 

1. Shooting up vaccine while saying, “’scuse me while I kiss the sky

2. Wavves – “Hideaway” album. I play it every day for months. Loved ‘em since “King of The Beach”.

3. Private Function - Best rock/punk band in Australia and also the funniest. Their live shows are action from start to finish.

4. Ceremony – There has been an astonishing progression over the last 10 years. Think Husker Dü/Replacements, but they have gotten to this neon, cool place at the moment. Their old shows on YouTube are killer.

5. A kid I made, Spike Vincent, made this beautiful song called “Time Machine”, it’s in skateboarding movies etc. I love it.

6. Watching this year’s Stones tour on YouTube and the Beatles doco (I love both of ‘em.)

7. Started a new label called Rolled in Glitter Records: “You can’t shine a turd but you can roll it in glitter” . I will be raiding my vaults. Vanity label extreme.

8. How my close friends were supportive during virus crazy time.

9. Shane McGowan doco “Fairy Tale in New York”. It gives me rising sad tears every time.

10. Also fuck all you, you rusted on Radio Birdman heads!!!

 1)  Died Pretty- The Factory Theatre - It had been a long wait for the return of Ron Peno and co to the stage. They reminded us how great they are

2)  Rubbernecker- The middle band at Marrickville Bowling Club last Thursday - I’ve always been a fan but they’re improving in leaps and bounds. Catch them soon.

3) Kim Salmon's Haunted Grooves - The Great Club - A great night of story and song.

4) Underground Lovers- Brunswick Ballroom . So lucky to be in Melbourne to catch the matinee gig!

5) Albums - Chimers debut; Reverse Light Years- Even; Deadly Decoupage - Boxing With Ghosts; Strange Flash - Lipstick Killers.

 A 2021 Top Ten of albums and documerntaries from Sim Li, Sydney singer, songwriter and member of Lethal Mercenaries and Phringe Dwellers. 

Lipstick Killers - "Strange Flash" (compilation album)

Sherry Rich - The Divine Crimson V (album)

"Big Name No Blanket" - Documentary, screened on NITV

"Chuck Berry" - Documentary, screened on NITV

"The Go Go's" - Documentary, screened on ABC TV

Steve Earle - "J.T." (album)

Son Volt - "Electro Melodier" (album)

WWE Legends - Bret "The Hitman" Hart, screened on SBS TV

WWE Legends - Mick Foley, screened on SBS TV

Dark Side of the Ring - Jake "The Snake" Roberts, screened on SBS TV

RIP: Nanci Griffith, Tom T. Hall, Dusty Hill, Hans-Erik Dyvik Husby (aka) Hank Von Helvete, Charlie Watts

Greetings Rockers and Goomers! It’s the end of another weird year. How many is that now?

Here are my Top Ten releases - mostly Australian artists - and venues, in no particular order of preference. Not all were released in 2021 - but close enough. These releases and venues kept me sane in 2021.Merry Xmas and a free and Happy New Year!

My name is Marcus Fraser and I'm the singer in Sydney band STARCRAZY.

In another rollercoaster thunderfuck of a year, these are the tunes that kept me grounded and positive. Some of these artists I'm proud to call my friends and I'm SO stoked on all the amazing music coming out of Australia, Oi Oi Oi!

In no particular order:

1. Molly & The Krells - Silver & Gold
2. Pond - America's Cup
3. Arianne Gozzing - The New Queen
4. Thunder Fox - Not For Sale 
5. Smoke Stack Rhino - Ultraviolet 
6. Alpha Goose - Why Not
7. Amyl and The Sniffers - Guided By Angels 
8. Geese - Low Era
9. Astrodeath - Invasion 
10. Lucid Hoops - Kinder Company 

Jade Felicia photo montage

Top Ten albums from Joey Bedlam, vocalist for Melbourne-based garage band DollSquad.

10. Shutdown 66 – ‘’Come on girl gimme half a chance’’

9. Le Beat Bespoke V9 (compilation by New Untouchables)

8. Rough n Tumble – ‘’Eyes on the Road’’

7. The Smoggers – ‘’Funeral’’

6. The Laissez Fairs – ‘’Curiosity Killed the Cat’’

5. The Seeds – ‘’Butterfly Child’’

4. Calidoscopio – “Get Ready’’

3. The Chevelles – ‘’Steve McQueen (I wish I was)”

2. Sonny Vincent – ‘’Snake Pit Therapy’’

1. Steve Lucas – ‘’Joshua Tree’’ (because it’s a great song about The Joshua Tree and because it’s a Christmas song!!!)

If like me, it was hard for you to get out of the house this year and experience live music, I found myself sitting on the couch watching too much TV… It wasn’t until I put together this list I realised I watch w-a-a-a-a-y too much TV…

Anyway, here’s a list of some of the music and music related documentaries I managed to consume in my COVID-19 lockdown. Let’s hope we can get some more gigs in next year.

To give you all a break I excluded every politics documentary I consumed, and didn’t include any of the hundreds, and possibly thousands, of music technology-related YouTube channels I’ve been glued to. I hope you can find something on this list you haven’t seen before...

The Barman’s Best Albums of 2021, in reverse order of release.

1. Back For More – The On and Ons (Citadel)
Perfect rocking powerpop from Australia’s most consistent exponents of the art. If you haven’t heard them yet, shame. Start here and track backwards.

2. Snake Pit Therapy – Sonny Vincent (Svart)
New York punk’s (almost) last man standing bounces back with his best-sounding and arguable most well-rounded album ever. Sonny has been hidden in plain sight for the many for far too long.

3. You’re Class, I’m Trash – The Monsters (Voodoo Rhythm)
Beat-Man and his buddies have made trash an art form like few others before them. This record should make a junkie of you.

X singer-guitarist and solo artist in his own right, Steve Lucas, has selected 10 X songs that fit with a COVID-19 theme.

1. Where Did I Go Wrong?
2. The Feel.
3. At Home With You
4. Waiting
5. Suck Suck
6. Home Is Where The Floor Is
7. Revolution
8. Police
9. I Don't Wanna Go Out
10. Hate City.

Steve: "Titles and lyrics cover the whole pandemic, to my mind at least. Merry Xmas!"