- What a fucking year. Every year around this time, I find myself saying, “How is next year going to top this year?” 2019 proved to be an epic year of some amazing shows, really fun interviews for my podcast, and a huge accomplishment that I have been waiting to share for a while.
2019 saw me finishing my first book titled South of Heaven: A Metalhead’s Journey Over 30 Years in the Making.” The book is a collection of essays about my life long journey as a metalhead from the early ‘80s to the present day. I’m so glad I did this as it was a great stroll down memory lane full of laughs, tears, and eye-rolling moments. It’s better that I did it now as these stories are just going to get foggier the older I get. The book will be released in March 2020, so stay tuned for that one.
2019 was also the year that I found my footing with my podcast, Talkin’ the Talk. I had some amazing guests this year which covered a broad spectrum of my musical loves. Legendary Hanoi Rocks frontman Michael Monroe, Styx vocalist keyboardist Lawrence Gowan, former Jellyfish keyboardist/guitarist/vocalist Roger Manning, and Crash Test Dummies vocalist Ellen Reid. How is that for diversity? The podcast has been a shit ton of fun and has allowed me to learn a whole other spectrum of communicating with musicians I admire.
The concerts in 2019 were absolutely off the charts. German psych rockers Kadavar and Swedish rock gods Graveyard both returned to North American with a vengeance putting on the best shows I have seen them put on to date. The Rocklanta Festival here in Atlanta had me seeing three of my favorite bands (Lillian Axe, Tora Tora, and Dangerous Toys) on the same bill, which was one of the biggest highlights of the year for me.
I finally had the chance to see the legendary former Deep Purple bassist/vocalist Glenn Hughes which made me feel like I could die a happy man. I managed to get in an outstanding Brave show in DC which exceeded anything I’ve ever seen them do and I even joined Saigon Kick guitarist/songwriter Jason Bieler on stage for an acoustic performance of “My Life.”
2019 was also a year of some great new bands that blew my mind. There is nothing more exciting for me than to hear new music that sweeps me right off the fucking ground. Ruby the Hatchet’s cosmic space rock blew me away when I saw them supporting Kadavar and sent me running hope to buy their discography from Bandcamp. The Satanic Doo-Wop sound of Twin Temple was a very welcomed breath of fresh air to break up the monotony of all the heavy bands.
Without a doubt, my favorite discovery of 2019 was the Swedish psych-rock cult, Children of the Sun. Looking like a beautiful cult of young people that came straight out of 1967, Children of the Sun brought yet another welcomed change of pace with songs that sounded more like they could have been soundtracks for Jesus Christ Superstar and Hair. Children of the Sun embodies everything I love about music. They have melody, an amazing rhythm section, great guitar work, catchy songs, and vocals full of passion and soul. Children of the Sun’s debut full-length album Flowers is a must-have and they are a band that I will be keeping a keen eye on for many years to come.
Last but not least, thank you, yeah, YOU, for your continued support of The Great Southern Brainfart. Ten years strong and showing no signs of stopping, I look forward to bringing you all more snarkiness, more great bands that you’ve never heard of, and more of, well, everything. Thank you all for being awesome. I hope you all have a great and safe holiday season and Happy Fucking New Year to you all. See y’all in 2020. <mic drop>
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