Best of 2011 by Josh Bayer

The books and albums in the top position would be Fred Blassie's 2004 biography favorite album would be Thalia Zedeck's 2008 album Liars and Prayers. I don't feel like this is totally a failure on my part to be current. It takes time to properly embrace immensely great stuff sometimes.

The absolute best thing that happened this year was discovering a new level of inclusion in the alt-comics community. So many people I respect were bending over backward to open up their hands in friendship and equality towards me. Raymond Pettibon, Brian Ralph, James Kochalka, these people are high up in the stratosphere and they were all supporting me in ways that I never would have imagined when I was hanging around parking lots in Columbus Ohio drinking Slurpees, listening to Hard Volume on a walkman, watching everyone I wanted to be friends with cross the street to get away from me.

13.Thalia Zedeck's Liars and Prayers
How did it take me 4 years to understand how great this record is?

12. Getting hired at Brooklyn's Third Ward.
I cry whenever I get a new job. I'm the luckiest person on Earth to do this for a living.

11. To Be The Man-Ric Flair

10. Listen Up you Pencil Necked Geeks-Fred Blassie

9. Steven Bissette's Teen Angels and New Mutants

8. Grant Morrison's Supergods

7. The Weird World Of Blowfly, the Movie
My (late) friend Jeremy used to put songs from"Blowfly's Zodiac" on mix tapes for me. I thought they sucked but Blowfly's longevity has worked its charm on me. As Blowfly has gotten older his voice sounds like John Brannon's, both an indestructible object and an irresistible force. When someone does art that is so fucked, for a few minutes, it absorbs all of your attention, and maybe some of your disgust and anger and you can almost forget how fucked and disgusting the world is outside.

6. OFF! First Four Ep's

5. Seeing Joan Jett and The Black Hearts for Free in Coney Island.
This was rad as all-get-out, one of the 15 best rock shows I've ever seen. I have listened to Joan Jett over and over and over. Sad that I'll never get to see her do some of my personal favorite songs (will she ever do racks from Pure and Simple?), but still, I could not have been happier with this show. She put a lot of passion into some of her more obscure songs, and delivered all the hits that you know she's way tired of playing with a respectable professionalism. Nothing will ever stop her.

4. Seeing Black Rainbow and The Home wreckers at ABCnORIO with Joaquin. and seeing X at Irving Plaza with Gabrielle Shelton. My two oldest friends on earth.


3. Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Festival

2. Being invited to be a part of Box Brown's Retrofit Comics imprint.

1. Suspect Device the Comic
This year I discovered that If I ask fifty or sixty artists, all of whom I have intense admiration for, to contribute new comics for no money, almost all of them will do it, and that most of them thank me for the opportunity. Its really really insane.

Best of 2011 by Chain and the Gang

CHAIN & THE GANG'S 2011 FAVORITES:

SHOW - RAINCOATS / GRASSWIDOW / FELT LETTERS SHOW @ COMET PING-PONG

COMICS BLOG - HOW TO SURVIVE THE APOCALYPSE AND OTHER THINGS

12" THAT GOT MAILED TO US - CRAZY BAND - FUCK YOU LP (TEENAGE TEARDROPS)

7" THAT GOT MAILED TO US - JONATHAN HALPER'S SOUNDTRACK TO PUCE MOMENT (TANIWHA'S & PUCK PRODUCTIONS)

BEST DRESSED - HEAVY BREATHING

MOST HIGHLY ANTICIPATED ZINE ANTHOLOGY - SHOTGUN SEAMSTRESS (BY OSA ATOE, COMPILED BY M'LADY'S)

PUBLIC GATHERING - DIY SHOWS @ OCCUPY DC

PERFORMANCE - TANDOORI KNIGHTS @ BLACK CAT BACKSTAGE

BOARD GAME - BLOKUS

BOOK - IMPERIAL CRUISE BY JAMES BRADLEY

Best of 2011 by Marissa Magic

25 things that interest me in 2011 in no particular order:

occupy/decolonize movement
The shutting down of various things and taking back of space is both
exciting and inspiring. I feel like it's already changed the world to
some tiny degree and I hope it continues to push that

hysterics
This band wows me every time I come across them whether it's in
recorded or live form. And their lyrics are even better. (blistering
lady hardcore)

stillsuit
I consider this to be my band of challenges. Playing guitar, singing
pretty but keeping it entirely abrasive. One of those bands that grew
out of and into the best of friendships. (fucked guitars punishing
drums and fake harmonies)

knife in the eye
This is another challenge band, playing music with people I admire and
one of the more straightforward projects I have ever touched. (freaked
out straight ahead punk rock)

sewn leather
An anomaly of a person, electronic kind of dance music chock full of
references I actually understand (FLIPPER+THROBBING GRISTLE)

sissy spacek
a name I heard so many times but finally this year witnessed the
wonder. (powerviolence noise)

chicago
A town I have loved forever and I finally got a grand tour/hangout
from a native. If I ever found myself wanting to move somewhere new
this would be it.

olympia
I spent more time here this year than I have in the last five. It has
turned into a town of acquaintances where I exist as a bizarre myth,
where people know of my past hijinks and have kept track of me via my
writing but have had minimal real interaction with me. It was real
excellent to hang out with Tobi and make some new friends. For the
first time in a long time I miss it for what it is now rather than
what it was when I lived there.

the church
My new home. Filled to the brim with forever weirdos. Again I find
myself in a semi-public living space (which I prefer) and the constant
go ahead if not encouragement to make the entire place into a series
of art installations is inspiring

diet cokeheads
how did I not know about this? I read an interview that they were on
indefinite hiatus due to different members moving to different places.
I hope they play a reunion show in my living room. (FLIPPER with delay
rather than distortion)

oakland
This is the year I realized that San Francisco was no longer the
social culture I longed for so I moved the fuck on and dove straight
into a bizarre fantasy that is now my reality.

new years
I had this moment where I tried to go to a party in Oakland and felt a
meltdown coming on so I jetted and went to a party in a squat in San
Francisco. It was a magical night.

rind
When Lee moved here I got an e-mail from my friend Danimal telling me
what a wonderful person she is, he is right. Here performances as RIND
are chilling and her record is haunting. An amazing artist and I feel
honored to even be slightly associated with her. (dark bleeps and slow
vocals)

vanessa
maybe this is awkward? Vanessa is my best friend. She is an amazing
guitar player(one of my favorites), excellent screamer and a rad
drummer. She makes creepy drawings and wreaths of hair. She is one of
those people who consistently challenges how I see the world. On her
birthday she took me to creative growth which is the art studio for
adults with disabilities that she volunteers at and it was one of the
most intense and emotional moments of my life

the end of self hatred
too reveling? I kind of don't hate myself anymore. I almost don't know
how to handle it.

MRR column
apparently my writing garners a spot for reporting to the world my
thoughts on things on a monthly basis. Does this make me influential?

meals
she also goes by Amelia. This is another person in my life that
consistently challenges how I see the world. She is an amazing front
person and a mind blowing artist.

magicmeals
the above mentioned and I have this forever project together that has
morphed from a dance thing to a band to performance art to video
making to visual bullshit. A two person art collective. Some of the
rawest and most vulnerable things in my life are presented to the
public via this.

livid
an amazing and inspiring band. Aggressively queer, positive in a
non-hippie sense, rejoicing in the outsider, talk sing vocals provided
by the above mentioned meals. (bags meets val-speak)

displeasure
I hope this doesn't bum anyone in this band out because I really think
they are amazing, but with this combo of people in it I managed to
convince myself it would be a pretty straightforward punk band of the
ilk that I'm not way into. Half way through their first song I was
literally jumping up and down and squealing. This band is
aaaaaamazing. They just put out a demo that has garnered some heavy
rotation from yours truly. (too melodic to be hardcore, not melodic
enough to really be considered melodic)

all-american road trip with family to national parks
nature is FUCKING CRAZY.

midnight magic snax
did I even spell that right? This is a weirdo video project/occasional
DJ duo that I do with my dear and longtime friend jerrylee. Currently
we are at the editing point of a video whose main focus is a "puppet
urinal" staged during folsom street fair.

dadfag
their new record is really fucking good (no wave tinged sonic youth)

nuts! release party/nuts! in general
this was one of the best shows I attended this year, Ben Trogdon must
be a fucking magician or some shit. All day punk show in the middle of
downtown olympia during artswalk in a burnt out building with no roof?
done. Seriously, what the fuck? Beyond that, nuts! is one of the best
zines I've read possibly ever in my entire fucking life. Ben is an
amazing interviewer and it's in general such a mish mash from weirdo
art to food reviews to essays to whatever.

Polly Darton
I thought Maryjane was pretty fascinating in the first place and then
Tobi sent me a link of a performance she did and I really hope she
comes here sometime.

Best of 2011 by Dave Harvey

Recording the Family Stoned
Having seen them play a couple sonically confusing shows, I was surprised when they came in and promptly put down 6 or 7 completely cohesive punk-hippy jams with a dialed-in sound that translated naturally to tape. Caroline's melodic rock'n'roll vocals were the cherry on top. Check out the self-released cassette - I'd tell you the name of it, but they haven't even gotten a copy to me yet, but it's the 2nd tape.

Dead Head recording and live
I've dug them all along, but they've gotten more focused with every show, and came over and made a great stripped down sludgy hard rock recording that shows off their musical interaction much better than the first recording - plus wind chimes on this one. Dead Head II is the self-released cassette I'm speaking of.

Hysterics live and recording
Hysterics always kill it, even in the daylight or if there's only 8 people present - and that's saying something. Adriana is like the Keith Richards of hardcore - I get the sense that everyone else in the band is following her, when most bands follow the drummer. She's a riffin' machine. It was a treat hanging out with them for a couple days recording their 7" that, after many inexplicable delays, finally came out on M'lady's records a few weeks ago.

Speaking of M'lady - best hair salon I've seen this year:
M'lady, M'lord, in Yuma, AZ. Unisex, of course.

Dial M For Murder in dual 35mm projector 3D at the Capitol Theater
Part of the best Oly Film Fest I've seen in years, this was the film I've most wanted to experience for many years now, but I never thought I'd get to actually project it. Co-helming the projectors with Joaquin de la Puente, this was incredibly rewarding both in the completely antiquated but 100% functional technology at work - nothing even remotely digital - and the beautiful result. Oh, and the movie itself is awesome, too!

Long hangs alone in wintery deserts, and driving from Austin to Olympia only hitting one interstate for about 80 miles.

Nuts #8 release party in that burned-out building.
Man, hats off to Troggin'-dog, this was such an incredible concept and I still can't believe he actually pulled it off. I had to work some lame event at the Theater and missed the entire last half and got really pissed especially cuz I was really looking forward to jamming some dive-bomb fuzz-wah guitar with Son Skull and I got there right when they finished and I really really wanted to see them and god only knows when and if they'll next play again.

Speaking of which:
The new Son Skull 12"
After something like a year and half's recording time - I think only Axl Rose takes longer - I had no idea if the recordings would even glue together as one record but they totally did. It almost feels like a concept album - er, EP. Way harsher than their Birth Scene/Rewind 12", but with moments that are far gentler as well - such as Mary conjuring sonorous harmonics from the depths of a crystal bowl and Frida rockin' the windswept brass elephant bell. Again, I don't even know what this is called cuz I don't have a copy yet and so far only glorified test pressings have been available with screen printed covers - official issue coming any day now.

Totally low budget "professional" wrestling in a church basement in Montreal with all the wrestlers screaming in French. Marvelous Jeff! Sexy Leon Savors!

Aki Kaurismaki's new film Le Havre
Any time this Finnish dude has a new movie it's cause for celebration. A carful of us went up to Seattle last week to catch it and it didn't let down in the slightest. Kaursimaki's usual low-key storytelling takes a political bent, but in the most humanistic manner possible. I laughed and I cried. And Little Bob rocked it and Jean-Pierre Léaud - the kid from The 400 Blows - creeped it up as the small-minded snitch. Coming to the Capitol Theater the week of January 27th. I can't recommend it enough.

All in one day: hanging out with Wayne Kramer and getting rocked so hard by The Stooges with James Williamson on guitar that parts of my body are still sore a month later and dancing onstage during Shake Appeal and seeing Iggy's cock 4 feet in front of my face.

There's kinda nothing more to say after that.

Best of 2011 by Stephie

two things i'm not gonna forget from 2011:

1. nuts! #8 party
-as a teenager i would read book after book about the punk scenes of the 70s and 80s and it didn't take long to come to terms with the devastating idea that i would never experience an underground music made by members of my own generation that would move me at least as profoundly as our predecessors' music had. how very wrong i was...after freaking out over some of the best bands in the world (all of whom were from olympia), with a couple hundred friends and strangers in the pouring rain, i left feeling like i'd just been baptized or something...by the time sonskull played, it was dark, and the crowd was a mass of steaming bodies, losing our shit in this gutted warehouse. i remember milk music's two-song set really got to me. i'd seen almost all these bands before, but never in one place, and it was a magical combination of elements. someday rolling stone or an equally irrelevant publication will try to reflect on this period in music history and they will most likely completely overlook this biggest, best and most sacred secret. realest of the real. thank you ben trogdon.

2. outlook at aggression fest (eagle's hall basement, olympia)
-"aggression fest" was an all-day showcase of hardcore bands from around the northwest. i thought some of the show was a basketball-shorts-wearing snoozefest but it was for a great cause (proceeds went to G.I. coffeehouse COFFEE STRONG, owned by antiwar vets at fort lewis, to provide soldiers with information about their rights and resources) and it did have its highlights: Seattle band GRIMACE, for example, who channels bands like NEGATIVE APPROACH but with a kind of freshness, fury and authenticity that can't be faked. my band hysterics also played and had a great time, but what really made this show best-of-2011 material was the performance given by olympia hardcore band OUTLOOK. smart and sincere personal-is-political lyrics with scathing and relentless delivery, brain-rippingly tight riffs and crazy extraterrestrial-grade changes that move at such a breakneck pace, it doesn't give you a second to contemplate what the fuck it is they just did. in 2008, seeing the way adriana fronted this group was what inspired me to scrape up the guts to attempt the same thing the following year, and every outlook show thereafter has been equally inspiring...as soon as they hit the first chord at this show and the floor opened up, i flipped my wig and ended up sore for like four days. what a great group!

other stuff:
crude thought (!!!), dancing onstage with the sonics (not to mention james maeda with his mom and dad) at the capitol theater in the first moments of 2011, getting intercepted by jewish family i didn't even know i had at the opening of kitzel's deli (true story), the KISS cover band (five words: aaron larsen as gene simmons), going on the first hysterics tour, the new john maus LP, the broken water 12", brilliant colors/la la vasquez at grandma's house, and occupy wall street.