Electric Coast Corporate Rock Sucks Tour
Plus, the Best Punk Releases Halfway Thru 2022
On Monday I got up, made coffee, went to the gym, and worked at the studio just like a normal Monday. (Okay, going to the gym hasn’t been normal in a while but bear with me.) I didn’t celebrate the Fourth of July holiday. I didn’t want to be anywhere I might encounter crowds of flag-waving goons because 1) flag-waving goons and 2) the risk of a mass shooting. Well, there was a mass shooting on Monday and I fucking hate that I was right, almost as much as I hate what the people who inspire flag-waving goons to be flag-waving goons are doing to this country.
I’m going to keep this edition of Message from the Underworld brief due to the fact that I’m on the road for the Electric Coast Corporate Rock Sucks Tour, which is basically just me driving from San Diego to LA, Oxnard, Morro Bay, Pacific Grove, San Francisco, and who knows where else in an electric vehicle—a Volkswagen ID.4.
Next week I’ll have a complete rundown of the trip—places visited, miles driven, hours charged, etc. In the meantime you can check my Instagram stories where I’ll be posting the majority of the pics and videos I take along the way. Thanks to everyone who responded last week I’ve got several stops lined up. Unfortunately, my one scheduled event was cancelled due to COVID, which means it’s not really a tour but an excuse to see friends.
So if you want a visit from me, my EV, and my box of books it’s not too late. Just drop me a line and I’ll swing by around seven. Cool? Cool.
Last week I popped in to The Book Catapult. Not only had they burned through all the copies I’d autographed during the book launch, but they had more copies for me to sign. In fact Corporate Rocks Sucks made The Book Catapult’s Top 10 bestsellers for the first half of 2022.
In that spirit, I’d like to share with you the official Message from the Underworld Halfway Thru 2022 punk rock playlist.
When it dawned on me that three of my most-played records this years (Turnstile, Amyl & the Sniffers, and Civic) all came out last year, I made an effort to seek out some new music, i.e. posted a shout out on my Twitter account. The artists on this list have either put out a new record or released singles in advance of a new record coming later this year.
Some highlights. Panic Shack from Cardiff:
Scrunchies from Minneapolis:
Warthog from New York:
Bob Vylan from London:
The new single “Una Coraza” by Spain’s Podium isn’t on Spotify yet so here’s a ripping set from earlier this year. Really pissed I missed Podium in San Diego last week.
Finally, another band that isn’t on Spotify, The Monsters from Switzerland. You can click the YouTube link below or watch the freaky video on the Bandcamp page.
Hope you’re having a swell summer. Stay safe, have fun, and whatever you’re listening to, turn it up.