2020 Holiday Gift Guide

Jason Tate Nov 30, 2020

For the past few years, I’ve put together a little gift guide in December full of things that I think make great gifts and are a lot of fun to give or receive for the holidays. Everything on the list is something I’ve used and enjoyed and recommend. I have recommendations posts for software, headphones, and miscellaneous stuff around the house, so the things on this list will be more focused on stuff not included in those posts and geared toward things I’ve come across in the past year or so and think would make good gifts.

I used my Amazon affiliate link when the product showed up there, which gives our website a slight percentage back if you make a purchase and therefore helps fund our continued existence.

If you’d like to get me a gift, becoming a supporting member or gifting another user a supporting membership for a year would mean the world to me. And, if you’re looking for something in just about any price range with a Chorus.fm or AbsolutePunk.net logo on it, check our merch shop.

Jason Tate Nov 27, 2020

Happy day after Thanksgiving. This week’s post-food-indulgence has thoughts on the upcoming strange holiday season, thoughts on the new celebrity and TikTok culture that I know absolutely nothing about because I’m old, and some thoughts on music and entertainment I enjoyed this week. The holiday movie watching has begun. You’ve been warned. As always, there’s also a playlist of ten songs I loved this week, and this week’s supporter Q&A post can be found here.

If you’d like this newsletter delivered to your inbox each week (it’s free and available to everyone), you can sign up here.

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Liner Notes (November 20th, 2020)

Jason Tate Nov 20, 2020

I hope everyone had a good week this week. We’re back with another newsletter looking at music and entertainment I enjoyed this week. There’s also a playlist of ten songs I enjoyed, and this week’s supporter Q&A post can be found here.

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Interview: Ryan Locke of Seaway

Adam Grundy Nov 18, 2020

This past week, I was able to chat with Ryan Locke (lead vocalist) of Seaway to discuss everything that went into writing and recording their fantastic fourth album, Big Vibe. Ryan describes the band’s live performances, the artistic comparisons others have made to the sound the band went for on the new record, as well as their core influences.

Jason Tate Nov 13, 2020

This week’s newsletter has early thoughts on the new Less Than Jake album, high praise for The Queen’s Gambit, and other reflections on music and entertainment I enjoyed this week. There’s also a playlist of ten songs I loved, and this week’s supporter Q&A post can be found here.

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Who Will Meet Me At The Gates – “Wet Cement” (Song Premiere)

Adam Grundy Nov 13, 2020

Today I’m pleased to premiere the brand new single from Who Will Meet Me At The Gates, called “Wet Cement.” Who Will Meet Me at the Gates is the latest installment in the ever-expanding universe of The Inevitables. Initially conceived as a soundtrack album and comic book, The Inevitables is evolving into a multilayered, multimedia project that extends into toys, art, and branded collectibles. On October 16th, the first single “Good Grief” dropped from a new five-song acoustic EP, featuring a veritable punk rock supergroup featuring members of Pears, Less Than Jake, The Jeff Rosenstock Band, Big D and the Kids Table, and Westbound Train.

As with the rest of the Inevitables project, the group was not satisfied stopping with music. For the graphic side of the concept, they brought in Portland-based artist Tomo77 to lend a visual experience to the songs. The result is a 6-print series reflecting the impact of the pandemic amid a tumultuous and changing social and racial landscape. Rendered in isolation, Tomo77’s images explore themes of racism, police brutality and a society in the throes of political chaos and disease, entwined with symbolism reminiscent of the middle ages. The art will be made available in a limited run of numbered and embossed prints.

If you like what you hear, you can stream the album here.

Jason Tate Nov 6, 2020

This week’s newsletter is brought to you by coffee, coffee, more coffee, and the letter B. I share my first thoughts on the new EP from The Dangerous Summer, some thoughts on entertainment consumed last weekend, and a few thoughts on the election. There’s also a playlist of ten songs I enjoyed last week, and this week’s supporter Q&A post can be found here.

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Liner Notes (October 30th, 2020)

Jason Tate Oct 30, 2020

Usually I end up listening to a lot of Alkaline Trio, AFI, and My Chemical Romance leading up to Halloween. This year I forgot to do any of that and all of a sudden the month’s gone. Weird. Anyway, this week’s newsletter has thoughts on music and entertainment I enjoyed this week, my favorite candy, and a playlist of ten damn good songs. This week’s supporter Q&A post can be found here.

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Apolar. – “Stargazer” (Song Premiere)

Adam Grundy Oct 30, 2020

Today I’m pleased to share the single premiere from the Chicago-based, Rock/Post-metal duo named Apolar. called “Stargazer.” The track comes from their third EP, STS-51-I, that is a concept record based around NASA’s Challenger mission in 1986, where the shuttle exploded on its way into orbit. The song reminds me of bands such as Explosions in the Sky and Align In Time, and makes for a great listening experience. If you enjoy what you hear, you can pre-order the new EP on Bandcamp.

Jason Tate Oct 23, 2020

This week’s newsletter has early thoughts on Bruce Springsteen, Seaway, and various other things I listened to, watched, read, and consumed this week. There’s also a playlist of ten songs I enjoyed, and this week’s supporter Q&A post can be found here.

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Goings – “Trying Dying” (Video Premiere)

Zac Djamoos Oct 22, 2020

Goings have signed to the ever-underappreciated Know Hope Records ahead of the release of their new album, It’s For You. The band’s brand of indie-rock, which mixes the math energy of heavyweights like Dryjacket with the quirky pop of a band like Motion City Soundtrack, is sure to warm up your autumn. We’re excited to premiere the band’s latest single, “Trying Dying,” which is a delightful taste of what to expect from their debut LP.

Jason Tate Oct 16, 2020

The combination of falling temperatures and pumpkin themed desktop wallpaper is really giving me a Fall/Autumn vibe today. I’m sure there will be no ramifications of the past few months just kind of disappearing due to a pandemic and gross mismanagement by the government, right? Anyway, I’m in a weird mood and this week’s newsletter has thoughts on music, entertainment, and other things on my brain this week. There’s also a playlist of ten songs I enjoyed this week, and this week’s supporter Q&A post can be found here.

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The Biggest Memories Are Always Chaos

Jason Tate Oct 14, 2020

First of all, thank you to everyone for the massive feedback from last week’s article about dealing with the collapsing ad market due to the pandemic. All of the kind words made a time of uncertainty a little more bearable, and it was the best week of membership signups we’ve had since the first week I launched the website. Everything is still very much up in the air, but the last week gave me a feeling of comfort I haven’t had in a few months, so thank you for that.

While I was putting together the “Back to” and “My Nostalgia” series, I tried to capture as many of the significant memories as I could about the years and, specifically, the music. However, as I finished, I realized something was missing. While I felt good about documenting the music and what was going on behind the scenes of running the website, I couldn’t pull in as many of the other random anecdotes or bigger things that were happening around the website and our community through those years. Various moments stand out to me, usually related to a dramatic event, that felt almost as memorable as the music itself. This week I’d like to reminisce about five of them. I don’t always remember the specifics of the years and timing, but I’ll try and pull in what I can track down.

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Liner Notes (October 9th, 2020)

Jason Tate Oct 9, 2020

Somehow we’re already in the second week of October.

This week’s newsletter looks at music, entertainment, and other things I found interesting this week. There’s also a playlist of ten songs I enjoyed, and this week’s supporter Q&A post can be found here. I hope everyone has a great weekend.

If you’d like this newsletter delivered to your inbox each week (it’s free and available to everyone), you can sign up here.

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2020 Holiday Gift Guide

Liner Notes (November 27th, 2020)

Liner Notes (November 20th, 2020)

Interview: Ryan Locke of Seaway

Liner Notes (November 13th, 2020)

Who Will Meet Me At The Gates – “Wet Cement” (Song Premiere)

Liner Notes (November 6th, 2020)

Liner Notes (October 30th, 2020)

Apolar. – “Stargazer” (Song Premiere)

Liner Notes (October 23rd, 2020)

Goings – “Trying Dying” (Video Premiere)

Liner Notes (October 16th, 2020)

The Biggest Memories Are Always Chaos

Liner Notes (October 9th, 2020)