Red Scare Industries (Tobias Jeg)
1. What are your top five albums that were released in 2020? (In order 1-5)
I think Broadway Calls - Sad In The City was the best punk record of 2020, but we put that out, so I guess that makes us biased. Howzabout 5 cool songs from 2020? Go!
- X - “Delta 88 Nightmare”
- The Lawrence Arms - “Ghostwriter”
- Chubby and the Gang - “Speed Kills”
- AC/DC - “Through The Mists Of Time”
- Worriers - “End of the World”
2. What band did you discover in 2020 (can be a brand new band or an older band) that had an impact on your life? What made them significant?
I was living in the West Indies until Covid got us evacuated, and I have been enjoying all the music of the Caribbean. Check out Patrice Roberts, Kes, Mr. Killa, Farmer Nappy, Nadia Batson, Marzville (the list goes on!) if you wanna hear some new school Soca and Jab Jab music. Beats the shit outta Pitchfork-core.
3. How will you remember 2020? (In terms of music)
We talk a big game about how the internet “democratizes” music, but it’s just the same bullshit monkey business it’s always been. Yes, there are a couple people like LJG and Rosenstock who have managed to game the system, but for the most part it’s fake indie labels pushing this new-jack corporate emo, powered by streaming platforms with a soul-less algorithm. 2020 has been great for this model because people can’t go out and discover a good/special band in person. Instead we rely on clicque-y tastemakers and robot playlists.
“Here, take your medicine.”
4. What can we look forward to from you in 2021?
We haven’t announced any of this shit yet, but who cares?!
Red Scare is doing stuff with Sludgeworth, The Lillingtons, Elway… hopefully The Copyrights? Maybe The Lippies? Definitely a new one from Cleveland’s Heart & Lung! There’s a split 7” with Sundowner and Sincere Engineer I’m not supposed to talk about. Maybe Arms Aloft will thaw out and make our dreams come true? Speaking of Francophiles, we’re gonna do this wacky 7” with a French Oi! band called Fleau. They dress up like Medieval knights and play brutal streetpunk. Probably gonna freak some people out.
Every year I fantasize about putting out a new record (hell, ANYTHING) from Sweden’s Randy, but nothing comes of it. Do they even read this site?!
5. What records are you looking forward to most in 2021?
See above! I mean, what else is there, right? I bet you Jawbreaker puts out a record in 2021. Oh! I know Teenage Bottlerocket is recording, and we like them. I think Glasvegas is doing something new? They're cool.
6. Trying to put a positive spin on things, what is your favorite development from the global pandemic this year? (Is there a new medium you enjoy, a specific song or collaboration, personal news, etc. that was a bright spot?)
Positive spin on the Plague, eh? Well, I suppose a lot of these shitty corporate emo pervs got their tours cancelled, so… that’s probably just me being an asshole, huh? If you’re one of the major conglomerates like Live Nation or AEG, you will make great gains in monopolizing the music biz and running the little guys outta town. So they’re stoked. But there’s more! King Amazon made like a billion dollars per day, so there’s another silver lining for people like that. But the rest of us? Be grateful you didn’t die. If there’s anything positive about enduring the Pandemic it’s that we, as citizens, need to get our shit together and revisit our values. Look at the success they’re having in New Zealand and parts of Europe. It’s all the stuff Chomsky and Bernie have been telling us for years, and maybe people finally start paying attention.
