Favorite thing in 2008:
One of my favorite things that happened in 2008 was the reunion of the mighty Hot Water Music. In comparison to previous reunions I’ve recently seen (i.e. Texas is the Reason, A Tribe Called Quest), it wasn’t just a one-off performance locally. The first reunion show I caught was at Starland Ballroom in NJ – the trip down was a memorable experience in and of itself – playing DJ with my iPod on a party bus filled with SYN staffers and other NYC music industry folk. The second show, probably my favorite of the three, was with The Gaslight Anthem (my favorite record of the year) and Paint It Black during South by Southwest in Austin, TX. Watching the guy hanging off the rafters was insane! The third show I was able to see was their co-headlining gig with Thursday at Terminal 5 in NYC… two of my favorite bands on one bill. So amazing. My only regret about the reunion? Not catching them in Chicago, IL, as they performed with Lucero. Other Things I Liked: Entourage, Facebook / Twitter, Fringe, Guitar Hero: World Tour, Heroes, Lego Indiana Jones, Markiokart Wii, Obama’s Election!!! , Star Wars: The Clone Wars TV Series, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, and True Blood.

What did you wish you did more of in 2008: Get more sleep. I don’t think I can get enough sleep.

What are you looking forward to in 2009? Now that I think of it, several things:

(1) The release of Thursday’s Common Existence on Epitaph Records. I’ve been listening to this record non-stop… and let me tell you, it’s definitely their best work yet. Can’t wait to start hearing other fans’ reactions to the record!
(2) Jimmy Eat World’s Clarity x 10 tour. Clarity is easily one of my favorite records of all time… and it’s been so long since I’ve heard them perform some of those songs that I’m probably going to lose my mind at the show at Terminal 5.
(3) More reunion tours! With Far playing shows in the UK and on the West Coast, I assume they will be making their way over to the East Coast. Not familiar with Far? Start with Water and Solutions. You’ll thank me for it later. Another tour? The Get Up Kids’ Something to Write Home About 10th anniversary tour. Another favorite all-time record…and if the energy is half as high as their farewell tour, it’s sure to be amazing.

…wow, after re-reading some of the stuff above…I’m so eeeeeem!”

The Gaslight Anthem rocked 2008 because:
The ’59 Sound possesses not only truth, but also supreme beauty – a beauty cold and austere, like that of sculpture.

Favorite thing in 2008: The Great Depression II

What you wish you did more of in 2008: I wish I had read more in 2008. Second place: “learned more about Uruguay”, but I read a book about that over the weekend.

What are you looking forward to in 2009? Red Collar LP in 2009.

Frank Turner rocked 2008 because:
It’s not often that I find a new record that I listen to non-stop every day, research online, sign up for their email list, order their whole discography online, tell all my friends about and check their MySpace page daily for updates. (The Gaslight Anthem, Lucero and Memorial are on that level, but not many other bands.) Not only was I introduced to Frank Turner at the best show of the year, but he writes lyrics that might as well been pulled from my brain. Previous to my new found love of alt-country, the only bands that were able to do that were small straight-edge hardcore bands, and it’s nice to know that Frank Turner is furthering this trend of relatable artists.

Favorite thing of the year: Un-turkey club sandwiches at the General Store and Urban Rustic and React Records for giving me a bunch of new awesome bands to listen to! STAY POSITIVE!

What did you wish you did more of in 2008? Get outdoors more. I did hang out in a cabin in the Poconos, and go hiking a bit, but I want to something on a grander scale, like hike the Appalachian Trail (if I ever have that much free time!) I did read a lot of books about it though, like Into the Wild, The Last American Man, and Deep Survival which is a good starting point!

What are you looking forward to in 2009? All the good stuff Women in Music has coming up!

The Bronx rocked 2008 because:
The Bronx rocked soooo hard in 2008. After leaving a major label, the band went through a bit of a lineup change and focused their efforts in to a sharp audio bitch-slap. From the album’s opener “Knifeman” containing one of the best opening verses of the of the year, hitting many topics of 2008 on the head, “I wanna be original, I wanna be surrounded by art! / But everything is digital, the formulas are falling apart!/ They riot in the streets because there’s not enough money to share / Is the burden of fame just a universal cross we can bare?” as we get a huge, heavy-as-fuck riff dropped on our asses not heard since the band’s debut LP. The Bronx are a stellar band, and with their third LP they managed to remind us just how bombastic they can be while simultaneously leveling the current lineup of neon-wannabe “punk” rockers.

Favorite thing of 2008: It probably sounds cliched at this point but the presidential race of 2008 has to be one of the highs of the year. Beyond political beliefs, it was the first time the young generation collectively figured out that if they got out and flexed their influence they could determine the outcome of any election. Also as someone who’s online constantly, witnessing political candidates fully embrace the power of the internet was pretty amazing.

What did you wish you did more of in 2008? Some people would say “haircuts” but those people would be wrong. The correct answer is “bacon”, it’s always “bacon”.

What are you looking forward to in 2009? Someone wasn’t paying attention to the answer of the last question. But if you need an answer, I’d say becoming a member of the “Dirty 30″ and maybe perhaps trying to save myself a few bucks like they say “responsible” people do. Those are the same people that don’t live and die by TiVo HD, but to each their own.

In Flames rocked 2008 because:
I’m not a big metal fan. I grew up on Billy Joel and when I turned from my parents music I fell into the cheesy pop punk & ska world of Blink 182, Less Than Jake, Weston and many others. Working in music has far broadened my ears and I enjoy metal more now than back then. When I first heard In Flames I liked them right off the bat, it was like this is the metal that I like! I thought A Sense of Purpose just emphasized exactly what I wanted to hear from a metal band. I know it got lots of flack from the metal community…but I love just about every song on the record. It’s aggressive, melodic, fun, and of course best when listened to loud.

Favorite thing of 2008: Halloween! Creating the best Jawa costume EVER!

What did you wish you did more of in 2008: Sleep

What are you looking forward to in 2009: Trying to get more sleep

Verse rocked 2008 because:
It is hard to choose but I think if I had to pick one album and explain why it rocked it would be Verse Aggression Whether you are fan of hardcore or not, the lyrics sung on this album a lone stand strong as a piece of art. They capture the time in which we live, tackling issues from poverty, superficiality, corruption in government and war. Sean Murphy screams about universal issues that are articulated in an intelligent, artistic, and mature manner.

Favorite thing of the year? PROLETARIAT line of T-shirts. The Proletariat line of t-shirts is my favorite thing of 2008. The brand is built on its uniqueness, quality, and the message it sends to the consumer. This is a company that is not afraid to push the envelope and will continue to do so. Check them out for a better understanding.

What did you wish you did more of in 2008? I think I did everything I wanted to do. I graduated college, landed a great job and have met a lot of amazing people this year including my new found NYC friends.

What are you looking forward to in 2009? An exciting year and hopefully the change that we have been promised.

Gogol Bordello rocked 2007 because.
This album is way cooler than the Iowa Caucus and, in my opinion, Gogol Bordello is the best live band touring right now. However it took me some time to get into this one and wasn’t until I picked the CD back up in August or September that I really fell in love with it.

Favorite thing of the year: Over Labor Day weekend I nearly cut my thumb off in a bizarre accident involving a pocketknife, a tiny frog, a young French family, a furious redneck and his Hummer and a horse farm. This was definitely not one of favorite things. Wait…I think I misunderstood the question…

What did you wish you did more of in 2007: I wish I could have traveled more in 2007. It’s a pretty typical/boring answer but true nonetheless.

What are you looking forward to in 2008: Getting awesome.

Jose Gonzalez rocked 2007 because:
It seemed I could not escape Jose this year. No matter what I did or where I went, he was there. Even though he’s just a guy with a guitar, he’s captivating to watch live. His music is delicate and solid at the same time. I’m not sure if it’s strumming technique, his punk rock roots, or his willingness to cover electronic bands like The Knife and Massive Attack. It seems there’s not much that Jose Gonzalez can’t do. And there’s even less that he can’t do amazingly.

Favorite thing of the year? The return of relevant and great rock music. I like ridiculous and superficial music as much as the next person, but 2007 restored my faith in artists and their ability to say something meaningful. From a veteran like Bruce Springsteen putting out an amazing album, to Against Me! finally getting heard outside my shouting distance. Even newcomers The Gaslight Anthem came in and blasted people away. 2007 was all about being bands you want to be and not waiting for someone else to do it. While on the topic, those three bands should tour together, great idea if I say so myself.

What did you wish you did more of in 2007? I wish I spent more time reading books that I’ve been meaning to read as well as seeing more movies that I wanted to see. I’ve also yet to end up on a clip show answering questions with the tag “music know-it-all” listed under my name as I discuss the rise and fall of Britney Spears.

What are you looking forward to in 2008? An end to the writer’s strike so my TiVo will no longer hate me. The new Whigs record. As well as new albums from The Gaslight Anthem, Death Cab For Cutie, The Hold Steady, Eagles Of Death Metal, Margot & The Nuclear So & Sos, Nada Surf, What Made Milwaukee Famous, Spiritualized, and Joseph Arthur.

Outside of work I’d like to finish building cd shelves in my house that I’ve threatened to build for the last year and a half. As well as put up trim around my windows, ya know…man shit!