being out and about in 2005 I've seen a lot of good shit,

the best show I've seen this year, hands down, was seeing Mick Flowerfrom vibracathedral lift the room night after night on the no way out-sunburned/ magikmarkers/ mick flower tour - first show in austinafter a 2 day nightmare drive, atlanta at the house party, knoxville,charlottesville made me cry, and bard college was what i might compareto hendrix lighting the guitar on fire if I was there, why isn't thisguy hunted down by record companies and on the cover of all thesemagazines?

Matt Valentine and Erika Elder at the Wilder Cats Benefit, a.k.a.'Ron-Aid', january '05 and in Brattleboro Common Ground June '05,they've met the alien / sasquatch diplomat-dealer up there in theVermont woods and are softening the blow for us when they finallyarrive and take it all over. also Joshua's set from this show wasamazing

Major Stars upstairs from their record store at Charlie's in HarvardSquare on a cold winter night. No idea they had a new line up andthey smoked my head with headbanger power and foxy sex on a Mondaynight, giving comets a run for their money, their new 7" is the besttwo sides I've heard since the suntanama 7".

Warmer Milks on the Six Organs Tour, laying down 5 aces in Lexington,KY with the full band, these guys are the missing link and the bandthat will take the prize.

Mountians of Moss, Knoxville, TN, Six Organs Tour, they said this guynever plays outside of town, but he should because he's sorely needed,laid down the most beautiful set of acoustic music / songs/ film I'veseen ever. Turned my girl-frown upside-down.

The Believers, turning into a sex machine at flywheel, and pa'slounge, sex & drugs, sex & drugs, dead or alive, don't fear thereaper.

Jessica Rylan, Can't, so good. seen three shows all awesome. she evensang me a song into my ear as a 'set'

Jack Rose at Spaceland, arthurfest and then with Pelt- boston innovember, he's the uplifter.

Rick Bishop at Twisted Village in Boston, perfection.

fourtet at the museum of fine arts boston, people came looking for thehits or some shit to dance to but kieran cleared the room with apunishing set of supernova black hole...best 'noise' show all year

Keiji Haino, a week ago solo in NYC, power electronics for the'tweeds' to quote keith connelly, vocal insanity, true rock star.

Sonic Youth at Arthurfest, I was in between the stage and the mosh pitfence right up front, so good, so loud.

Pearls & Brass in North Adams, finally, the straight up rock powertrio. serious drum face. didn't know anything at all about these guysexcept that elisa saw them one time in chicago and she said they wereawesome, and they are...

hush arbors...six organs tour... my man Keith can sing and play andwrite some damn good songs and stay up all night with the fiend.

Comets on Fire at Arthurfest, time machine set in the daylight. fletchon drums. super hot set for the big stage which they wear very well.also here in boston at t.t.s this june, first time in a while I'veseen a mosh pit in boston, stage on fire!

Magik Markers, I could write a fuckin bob dylan book on these guys asa qualified expert, I've been at about 40 shows by them this year andnight after night have had my bell rung by the beauty hammer that ispete, elisa, and leah. They bring the pain, and ask the big questionsand I am a better person for knowing them, the magik markers havechanged my life in many ways and I will be very excited to see whatthe future brings their way, standout shows include the January 05Boston show where for the first time in my very bar experienced life Iwas afraid for an all out, out of control, barroom brawl, they broughtout all my thug danger instincts like looking at angles on how to besttake down the biggest dudes in the room to stall for time while theygot their gear out and i had a bottle tucked up my sleeve ready tocrack it over someones head if things got thicker than they alreadywere, cleveland, chicago, missoula, montana - pure sex danger thenpete took the mic and flipped the room over on my hanging tongue, June05 in brattleboro with Robin Sweetapple on guitar, house party inarcata an orange tongue ride to body heat- the new breakdance move,oakland spaz, sf, LA legs at the echo, the smell (I got to playdrums), then the duo shows - pete and elisa- dark power, readings fromthe book of light, austin, charlottesville, baltimore, north adamsthen the 3 piece Halloween show, the most psychadelic show I've everbeen to. Night after night I'd be watching them and glancing at mybrothers who would look back and throw up their hands in despairedamazement or nod and look me with glazed high eyes like they justdrank elf blood for the first time and they were "In".

Six Organs all year, first in jaunary, San Fran, where i saw thefirst show with him standing menacing the crowd then in Boston /Providence, with corsano on drums, the Arthurfest show was likewatching history in the making, and then the fall tour with husharbors with me and hush as the band. As a true 6 Organs fan, I wasthrilled and honored to join the band and pay tribute to the school ofthe flower by playing drums and drinking with whiskey dracula 18 daysin a row.

the best thing all year though is seeing the genesis of the Drifter.look the fuck out in 2006, which leads me to this:I played a load ofshows this year and my personal favorites were,sunburned: knoxville,regina greene's house on a monday night, tonic- april, canada in june,all of it, markers tour / columbus, chicago, missoula, portland,oakland, san fran, atlanta, philly, drifter as lazarus, bard college,Boston with Dinosaur Jr. six organs: zeitgiest- boston, nyc,mercurylounge,flywheel, mt. pleasant, south carolina, charlottesville, VA,boston - p.a.s and finally the first show I played this year in sanfran with Ethan Miller & the Howlin' Rain after recording the recordwas awesome and kicked off a great year.