John Brandow & April SollB (Black Dots)
What are your top five albums that were released in 2022? (In order 1-5)
- Time Shares
- Plosivs
- Big Nothing
- All Away Lou
- Superchunk
What band did you discover in 2022 (can be a brand new band or an older band) that had an impact on your life? How so?
Menzingers was a band I somehow missed for years. Not sure why this was the year that I decided to spend time with all of their stuff. They have become a family favorite with sing-alongs happening with both my wife and kids while cooking dinner. Great songs and lyrics.
How will you remember 2022? (In terms of music)
There was a ton of great new stuff this year and an awesome year transitioning from 10% capacity theatre shows to awesome group sing-alongs by the end of the year.
What can we look forward to from you in 2023?
Side B will be our EP2 release from 2021 which was digital only.
What records are you looking forward to most in 2023?
No idea who's releasing what but crossing my fingers for a new Stiff Little Fingers/Fugazi split. Is that too much to ask?
Live shows are still a mixed bag as we adapt to social gatherings in a COVID world. What is something positive you see about touring right now? Anything you’d like to see change?
There is a renewed sense of appreciation for live music which is great. Even on the local level folks have re-engaged with the bands. We are not a "pile in the van" band anymore but still fly out for weekends etc and we are looking forward to seeing so many great folks around the country again. It seems as though folks have also found a deeper connection to the meaning of punk rock and are more apt to speak up about what it means to be a responsible showgoer. Not just on the health and safety side of things but in general awareness. Without sounding like an old fart it's giving me some old-time show-going feels. Something I felt was disappearing leading up to the pandemic.
