Year end wrap up Part II

My top five coolest bands discovered this year list continues! I meant to do it all at once, but there was more information than I thought. This should be a quicker section. Good, eh? Who wants to read about my crazy bands on Christmas? Get a life.

So, last time we left off with the Red Elvises and how they got me on a surf rock kick, and how one of those surf rock bands had a psychadelic edge. So that's where we'll pick up.

Dukes of the Stratosphear: After I played the (superior studio version) of this Red Elvis song for a friend, he commented that it reminded him of the Dukes. The who? I asked? The Duke of Earl? Don't ask. The Duke of Earl (or just "the Duke" for short is a running gag in my family). But no, the Dukes of the Stratosphear are basically an alternate name for XTC for them to concentrate on super funky pseudo psychadelia. I'm really not sure precisely what their problem is, but I think they're more fun as the Dukes than as XTC anyway. Coolsville, daddio.

Fifth and finally, because I know you're expecting something I found in some roundabout way from this tenuous connection to the Red Elvises, I present to you a band which has absolutely nothing to do with any of the rest of this which was quite simply placed in front of me by my brother. And that band is

Me First and the Gimme Gimmmes: I'm not really even sure what to say about this band because I don't know them that well. Here's what I know. They have a weird membership of people who come to them from other bands, and lots of...guest band members? The other thing I can say is that they do hard rock and heavy metal covers of folk rock and other random stuff (Somewhere Over the Rainbow? Really?.)My favorite is Blowin' in the Wind, which only takes a minute and a half the way they do it. Now that's talent. But check out that version of who put the bomp in the whatever. 'Cuz that's hardcore.

Well there you have it. The best five bands I first encountered this year. Join me next time as I examine my success with my Rejectionist pre-resolutions and then, if all goes well, on January first we'll dive into my promised editing for readers. I've already been told that "the edits were made of pure awesomeness. They'll help immensely. You should, like get a job in publishing or something."

Awww gee. It wouldn't feel right to get paid to help improve manuscripts. Which I guess if I work in publishing will never be a worry.

(Insert sound of drums rolling here).