SONG OF THE WEEK: 9-27-2024

SONG:  "Everybody Needs An Enemy"

ARTIST:  500 Miles To Memphis

ALBUM:  "We've Built Up To Nothing"

YEAR:  2010

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Cincinnati, Ohio

YEARS ACTIVE:  2003 - present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

Here's what 500 Miles To Memphis lead singer Ryan Malott had to say about "Everybody Needs An Enemy". "That’s the song on the album, it’s our rock opera,” he says, “that song kind of defines everything that we’ve been through. Drugs and alcohol, being on the road all the time. Just the guilt of being the bad guy. I know I’m a good person but there’s people out there who don’t like me. It’s the transition, the sobering up. You move on, you accept that a lot of people don’t have to like you.”

500 MILES TO MEMPHIS DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

2005 - 500 Miles To Memphis (3rd Silo Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2007 - Sunshine In A Shot Glass (Deep Elm Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2010 - We've Built Up To Nothing (self-released)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2011 - Live At The Historic Southgate House (self-released)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2014 - Stand There And Bleed (self-released)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2018 - Revival (self-released)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2019 - Blessed Be The Damned (Paper + Plastick Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2021 - Hard To Love (Flat Aht Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON 500 MILES TO MEMPHIS:

500 Miles To Memphis is a Cincinnati, Ohio band that formed back in 2003. Their debut full length studio album came out in 2005, called "500 Miles To Memphis". The band followed that up with 2007's "Sunshine In A Shot Glass". 2010 saw the band release "We've Built Up To Nothing" while in 2014, they dropped "Stand There And Bleed". In 2019, 500 Miles To Memphis put out the album that I first found out about the band, that album was "Blessed Be The Damned". Their most recent full length album would be 2021's "Hard To Love". 500 Miles To Memphis is a band that you just can't peg when it comes to a specific genre. They really go all over the place. You hear punk rock, bluegrass, country, rock-a-billy, cow-punk and even some celtic punk in their sound. It makes for a very intriguing listen for sure. While all of those styles aren't anything new, to hear them all come from one band, sometimes song to song, makes this band very interesting. They always keep you on your toes! I found out about these guys a little late. I saw the video for "Hold On Tight" and I instantly knew that I had to check out this band. I'm very glad I did as 500 Miles To Memphis is a super solid band!

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Arliss Nancy

Chuck Ragan

Blacklist Royals

Brendan Kelly

Tumbledown

TEN 500 MILES TO MEMPHIS SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Hold On Tight

2. Bethel, OH

3. Barfly

4. Lead Me On

5. Stereo

6. All My Friends Are Crazy

7. Broken, Busted, Bloody

8. Medication

9. The River

10. Dropout

SONG OF THE WEEK: 9-22-2024

SONG:  "No More"

ARTIST:  Bryan McPherson

ALBUM:  "Live At Club Passim 2004"

YEAR:  2004

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Boston, Massachusetts

YEARS ACTIVE:  early 2000's - present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"No More" was inspired by a friend of Bryan McPherson's. It appears to be about someone who once had it all but has lost everything, or perhaps more like he threw it all away. At one point this man accepted his fate and just wanted to be left alone but by the end of the song, he realizes he doesn't want to die alone. It's a common story unfortunately. Alcoholism leads to homelessness leads to isolation.

BRYAN MCPHERSON DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

2007 - Fourteen Stories (O.F.D. Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2012 - American Boy/American Girl (self-released)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2015 - Wedgewood (self-released)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2019 - Live Like A Motherfucker (self-released)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2019 - King's Corner (self-released)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2020 - Livestream 10/29/2020 (American Boy/American Girl Full Album Performance) (O.F.D. Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2022 - How To Draw Everything (O.F.D. Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2024 - Emigrant And The Winter Of Death (O.F.D. Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON BRYAN MCPHERSON:

Boston's own Bryan McPherson got his start on the music scene sometime in the early 2000's. The proud Dorchester native's first full length album came out in 2007, called "Fourteen Stories". This was followed up by 2012's "American Boy/American Girl". 2015 saw the release of "Wedgewood". In 2019, McPherson released "King's Corner". This was the first time I heard Bryan McPherson and I instantly fell in love with the song "Ghost Of My Hometown". In 2022, he released "How To Draw Everything" and in 2024, he put out his most recent album, "Emigrant And The Winter Of Death", which was inspired by his time spent in Yellowstone. Bryan McPherson is a throwback to the prominent folk singers of the 60's like Bob Dylan. His roots however, are in the Boston punk scene where groups like Dropkick Murphys and The Ducky Boys took him under their wing. Bryan's songs are very personal and intimate and I'm very glad I found out about his music, be it a little late. I'm not so sure if I would have been so appreciative of his music in the early 2000's so maybe it worked out well that I found out about him so late. Thanks to guys like Chuck Ragan and Tim Barry, I really found love for these punk guys that started to play acoustic and i'd put Bryan McPherson right in with those guys who create such great songs. My only beef with him is he moved to L.A. in 2010! Come on man!! What ya leavin' Boston for dude!!

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

The Ducky Boys

Mark Lind

Joey Briggs

Kevin Seconds

Jason Devore

TEN BRYAN MCPHERSON SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Ghost Of My Hometown

2. Born Again American Blues

3. Where Is Jane

4. Neurontin

5. The Ballad Of Andy Conn

6. Worker's Song

7. Here We Go

8. O.F.D. (Originally From Dorchester)

9. 2 Birds

10. Songs Of Freedom

SONG OF THE WEEK: 9-15-2024

SONG:  "Black Lung"

ARTIST:  The Killigans

ALBUM:  "Dread Naught" EP

YEAR:  2022

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Lincoln, Nebraska

YEARS ACTIVE:  2004 - present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"Black Lung" appears to be a song about having the world by the balls when you're young, but as you get older, things begin to fall apart in your life. The vocalist was in total control as a young man, but now, he can't keep his life together.

THE KILLIGANS DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

2006 - Brown Bottle Hymnal (self-released)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2007 - One Step Ahead Of Hell (self-released)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2008 - Live At The Zoo Bar (self-released)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2010 - Honor (self-released)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2012 - Another Round For The Strong Of Heart (self-released)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2018 - Dance On Your Grave (self-released)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON THE KILLIGANS:

The Killigans are a celtic/folk punk band hailing from Lincoln, Nebraska. The band formed in 2004. Their debut full length album came in 2006 called "Brown Bottle Hymnal". This was followed up by 2007's "One Step Ahead Of Hell". 2010 saw the band release "Honor" and 2012, the band released "Another Round For The Strong Of Heart". The band's most recent full length was "Dance On Your Grave" in 2018 and their most recent release was the stand alone single, "The Rowdy Ones" in 2023. As I said earlier, The Killigans are a celtic punk/folk punk band who also infuse elements of street punk, country and even Eastern European folk in their sound. They are very much a DIY type of band. As far as I know, all of their albums have been self-released by the band and I don't believe any label is associated with them. I know being from Boston, I hold the Dropkick Murphys close to my heart so if you enjoy bands like the Dropkick's, you should definitely take a listen to The Killigans. Very solid band!

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

The Rumjacks

The Real McKenzies

Flatfoot 56

Dropkick Murphys

The Roughneck Riot

TEN THE KILLIGANS SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Burn It Down

2. The Rowdy Ones

3. Lullaby For The Working Man

4. Peducah

5. Ballad For My Old Man

6. Prodigal Son

7. Liquor Store

8. Hit The Deck

9. Empty Streets

10. Whiskey And Gin

SONG OF THE WEEK: 9-8-2024

SONG:  "Serf Rock"

ARTIST:  Russian Girlfriends

ALBUM:  "Russian Girlfriends"

YEAR:  2022

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Albuquerque, New Mexico

YEARS ACTIVE:  2014 - present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"Serf Rock" appears to be a song about  society flailing in disarray and the indifference of previous generations who should have seen it coming.

RUSSIAN GIRLFRIENDS DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

2015 - All Around (Guero Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2019 - In The Parlance Of Our Times (A-F Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2022 - Russian Girlfriends (CD Baby Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON RUSSIAN GIRLFRIENDS:

Russian Girlfriends is  a New Mexico band that got it's start back in 2014. The band's debut full length album dropped in 2015, titled "All Around". The band's sound caught the ears of Anti-Flag who signed the band to their label, A-F Records for the release of their sophomore album, 2019's "In The Parlance Of Our Times". After this release, lead vocalist Adam Hooks would leave the band leaving vocal duties to guitarist Ian Jarrell. Jarrell's first album on vocals would be the 2022 self-titled release, "Russian Girlfriends". Russian Girlfriends' sound is rooted in punk rock and some metal. I loved Adam Hooks' vocals and songwriting on the band's first two albums so that is a tough loss for the band losing him as their vocalist. Ian Jarrell does fill in admirably, but Hooks really made the band stand out. It's amazing these guys have been around for 10 years already! I kinda consider them a new band still! Time flies right? Well, these guys are definitely worth checking out, for sure!

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Deforesters

Burnt Tapes

The Penske File

The Drowns 

A Vulture Wake

TEN RUSSIAN GIRLFRIENDS SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. The Day We Put The Dog Down

2. Serf Rock

3. Pride Parade

4. Bones Of A Saint

5. Angry Bong Rips

6. Terrible Twos

7. Hit The Ceiling

8. How Low Can A Punk Get

9. Antidote

10. Redfield