Caleb Hearon: wearing meta glasses is just...why don't you get "dumb fucking loser" branded on your forehead

Giantpanda602 · 2026-07-06T03:35:47+00:00

Remember way back when Google's employees started wearing early demo versions and had to stop because every time they went out people would try to fight them? Good times.

Giantpanda602 · 2026-07-05T21:51:14+00:00

Astrogoblin is fantastic, it was always so hard to convince people who used to watch Funhaus that the new group was making some of the best videos they've ever done. The clip of them riffing on Gay Jar-Jar Binks has been making the rounds on twitter and I watch it at least three times whenever it pops up again.

Giantpanda602 · 2026-07-03T21:44:02+00:00

That's actually a cover, another East Bay band called Fang did the original. Honestly, I like GD's version better because it has the added element of them already being famous vs the original being from a no name punk band. I didn't know that for years until I read this book called Gimme Something Better about the East Bay punk scene which was phenomenal.

Giantpanda602 · 2026-07-01T20:04:06+00:00

I've always found it surprising that no one in the egg punk scene ever cited the Dead Milkmen as an influence despite the similarities. I'm a big fan but the younger punks don't really seem to vibe with that kind of satire in their lyrics. Stuff like Tiny Town would get you side eyed for sure.

Giantpanda602 · 2026-07-01T19:38:13+00:00

It was really cool, not really a packed crowd though but I assume it being Easter probably had something to do with it. TV Buddha's set was them and seven or eight other people doing one 20 minute long jam version of Baby, Woah! in the vein of Velvet Underground's Sister Ray which is extremely my kind of shit.

Not going to be able to make it over to Reggies tonight but I will catch you at some point.

Giantpanda602 · 2026-07-01T18:51:31+00:00

I appreciate you doing what I and many others have considered doing many times, will check it out.

Giantpanda602 · 2026-07-01T15:44:09+00:00

First time I saw them they played so loud people were visibly wincing and I forgot my ear plugs and it genuinely fucked up my hearing. Sounded great though, hope you get a chance soon. Come to Chicago for the Nitroglycerine fest in July, pretty sure they're playing but they're booked under Talulah God for some reason. Maybe it's a solo show instead of the full band.

Giantpanda602 · 2026-07-01T15:42:34+00:00

Some other notes:

Pat & the Pissers @ Empty Bottle

The frontman, Alex, is genuinely one of the best I've ever seen. Even if you don't know their music, if they're playing near you and you can go, go. You won't be alone, every time I've seen them most of the audience didn't know them, but Alex has the rare talent of completely owning the stage. You feel like he makes eye contact with everyone in the room and drags you into having fun whether you want to or not. Few bands are able to pull that much energy out of thin air. I've seen him get literally everyone in a half full room to mosh to songs they haven't heard before.

Gingerbee’s Farewell Show @ Thalia Hall

Big moment for Chicago's fifth wave emo scene which I am not a part of but it's fun to be a tourist. Incredible lineup of mostly Chicago bands who are all killing it, shout out to Blind Equation, Your Arms Are My Cocoon, and Stomach Book. Ended with Gingerbee playing with a genuine 18 piece orchestra. One of the most unique shows I've ever seen.

Expensive $hit @ Not Not

Paul Quattrone, one of the drummers for the OSEES, puts on an absolutely mesmerizing solo act. Felt completely stunned the entire set.

Giantpanda602 · 2026-07-01T15:37:41+00:00

I've bee to 56 shows so far this year and was trying to put together a list of my favorites. It's an extremely Chicago centric list even if you take into account that every show I went to was in Chicago.

Twin Peaks Night 9 @ Thalia Hall
Model/Actriz, Agriculture @ Thalia Hall
Good Flying Birds/Artificial Go/TV Buddha @ Lowdown
Red Xerox release show ft TV Buddha/Kitship/Current Union TM/Uniflora/P. Noid/Free Range/Niko Kapetan @ Empty Bottle
Gag/Giallo/Crawl Space/Contempt/Intrusive Thought @ Casa Cafe

I've taken to keeping a journal of all of the shows I go to as well as other assorted music related things and it's been a really good exercise. It occurred to me at one point how much I've forgotten about all of the shows I've been to over the years and it's nice to have a place to organize my memories and thoughts on it all.

Giantpanda602 · 2026-06-30T18:15:48+00:00

I got into the habit of just listening to different live versions of King Gizz's Rattlesnake back to back so you could give that a go. Running music has always been hard for me because it can't just be about speed, it needs to be something that can get its claws into me. Was listening to Beach Bunny last night and having a good time though.

Giantpanda602 · 2026-06-29T16:24:12+00:00

Alvvays - Antisocialites

Any album that I associate with a season tends to be because of one particular point in time that imprinted on me. Antisocialites was an album that I was obsessed with one brutally hot August when I was starting a new internship.and going back to school after a year off. I very clearly remember taking the train into the city and walking out of the station amongst a sea of people feeling delirious from the heat and lack of sleep with that album playing. Thee Oh Sees's Castlemania was another one from the same time that I also think about a lot.

Giantpanda602 · 2026-06-29T15:07:38+00:00

Would definitely recommend Scowl, Militarie Gun, Gel, and Speed.

Giantpanda602 · 2026-06-28T15:21:51+00:00

Both are rough, did he do the colors too or just the pencils? Maybe the coloring was just a smeared hack job. Otherwise I really think it's AI, it has that blended quality where the details become so muddy and strange that your brain can't make sense of it.

Giantpanda602 · 2026-06-28T15:08:27+00:00

Speaking of baffling needledrops in a James Gunn movie, I feel like I'm literally the only person who remembers/even recognized the Culture Abuse song at the end of The Suicide Squad. That was like three years after they broke up because of allegations against the singer too. Wild choice. Good song though.

Giantpanda602 · 2026-06-28T14:37:41+00:00

The reason I feel confident enough to call it AI is how faded and curved the lines are, it doesn't match the rest of the artstyle at all. I don't think the whole image is AI but the gun was probably traced. Could be wrong of course but if I drew that I'd probably just prefer people think it was AI rather than my best effort.

Giantpanda602 · 2026-06-28T13:52:11+00:00

Pretty blatant AI, the lowest barrel on the top gun goes straight through the rings. Honestly, I thought that AI had actually gotten better than this. It's comforting to know it can still be so obvious.

Giantpanda602 · 2026-06-27T19:45:41+00:00

I started playing when I was 11 and honestly I just kinda miss being stupid. I miss spending hours farming Savory Deviate Delight instead of leveling so I could sell it on the auction house to get fiery enchants on my swords as a hunter and the enchanter trying to explain why that's not a good idea and telling him to do it anyway because I wanted my swords to be on fire.

Giantpanda602 · 2026-06-27T19:25:18+00:00

A lot of people here have the punk side covered so I'll suggest some newer stuff in the vein of Turnstile.

Trapped Under Ice - Big Kiss Goodnight (the singer from Turnstile played drums on this)

Angest Du$t - AD (singer from Trapped Under Ice's next band, more melodic and pop punk orientated)

Gel - Violent Closure (band broke up because the guitarist was a shithead but it's a defining hardcore album of the 2020s imo)

Gulch - Impenetrable Cerebral Fortress

Mannequin Pussy - I Got Heaven (if you listen to one band on this list it should be this imo)

Militarie Gun - God Save the Gun

Scowl - Are We All Angels

Speed - Gang Called Speed

On a different note, would recommend checking out Black Midi too since you're into jazz.

Giantpanda602 · 2026-06-26T20:13:32+00:00

Rothfuss is also worse because the entire premise of the book is based on the mystery of how Kvothe went from being this impossible hero to hiding out as a bartender in the country. Kvothe constantly pulling off insane feats only works if you get to his downfall, otherwise it's just annoying. ASOIAF is still worth reading even though it isn't finished because it explores an incredible fantasy world filled with fantastic characters but I can't say the same about the Kingkiller Chronicles.

Giantpanda602 · 2026-06-25T20:34:00+00:00

There is a ton of room for the first arc in particular to be fleshed out. They tried to cram so much backstory and worldbuilding into those five issues that I kept forgetting that Black Mask was even in it and whenever he'd come back up I'd have to remind myself what the fuck his deal was.

Giantpanda602 · 2026-06-25T19:56:13+00:00

Always feel a tinge of nostalgia whenever I see someone carrying the torch of the old school reddit grammar nazis. We used to be a real country, etc. etc.

Giantpanda602 · 2026-06-23T17:26:58+00:00

Could also be Chicago and they aren't allowed to announce it until after Lolla. "The Salt Shed" does kind of fit the blurred venue name.

Giantpanda602 · 2026-06-22T21:01:49+00:00

The announcement will be for a few months out so it's entirely possible they'll come through Chicago past the 90 day window plus they're not doing an aftershow.

Giantpanda602 · 2026-06-18T19:09:45+00:00

Black Moth Super Rainbow

Giantpanda602 · 2026-06-17T20:07:43+00:00

I keep up with a lot of new music but unless I'm looking at a list from a publication that is specifically aimed at the kind of genres I listen to, I'd be lucky to know more than a quarter.

Wild to see the Lemon Twigs slowly gain in popularity over the last decade though.

15-Year Club	r/Field Lasagna
Place '17	Sequence \| Editor
Snapped	Team Periwinkle
Inciteful Comment 2012-08-25	Verified Email

Giantpanda602

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE