Ghost Funk Orchestra - “Walk Like a Motherfucker” - 2019, GFO first started as a one man recording project, but now is a 10-piece live band. Seth Applebaum is the founder and works incredibly well with funk and funk adjacent genres, mixing in soul, rock, and Latin beats. Basically experimental funk.

The Cramps - “Goo Goo Muck” - 1981, The Cramps, and this song in particular, have had a renaissance because of the Netflix show, “Wednesday.” The Cramps are one of the craziest things to come out of the 1970s and 1980s New York CBGB scene. The founders are Erick Purkhiser (stage name Lux Interior) and Kristy Wallace (stage name Poison Ivy Rorschach), and they were joined by noise guitarist Greg Beckerleg (stage name Bryan Gregory), and eventually Nick Stephanoff (stage name Nick Knox) on drums. There were personnel changes (mainly guitar and drums) along the way due to drug abuse and rumors of Satanism (claimed to be untrue). Their sound is absolutely unique - like rockabilly and Halloween, mixed with 50s style, and magic. Gothabilly?

Siouxsie and the Banshees - “Spellbound” - 1981, Led by vocalist, Susan Janet Ballion (stage name Siouxsie Sioux), Siouxsie and the Banshees went through multiple lineup changes and sound morphs. SatB was born out of the London punk scene, specifically out of the Bromley Contingent, which was a group of massive Sex Pistols fans. In fact, the original drummer of the band was none other than Sid Vicious, who left Siouxsie to join the Sex Pistols on bass. They are one of the longest running acts to come out of the London Punk scene, and one of the most influencial.

Warren Zevon - “Werewolves of London” - 1978, Warren is a Rock n Roll legend. His entire life reads like one of his own songs. Son of a Russian professional gambler father, and a devout Mormon mother, he grew up in Fresno, California, and was almost immediately surrounded by musical greats. As a young teen, he was mentored by Robert Craft, and Igor Stravinsky. At 16, he quit school, and drove from Fresno to New York with the intent of becoming a pop star. He struggled in New York, and moved back across the country to Los Angeles, barely able to support himself for years, though he wrote two songs for The Turtles in this time. He then joined the Everly Brothers as their touring pianist, until their split in 1973. He then moved to Spain for a year, playing in a small tavern and writing songs. He moved back to Los Angeles, where he was room mates with Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham, and became good friends with Jackson Browne, who got him his first record deal and produced his first album (the album featured both Nicks and Buckingham, Bonnie Raitt, and several members of the Eagles). Linda Ronstadt would cover a few songs off of this album later. This song was off of his second album, also produced by Jackson Browne, and was his first real hit that put him on the map. After a stint or two in rehab for alcohol addiction, and another record, his third, Zevon was dropped from his label. For his next record, before their success even started, he enlisted the other 3 members of REM besides Michael Stipe, and recorded his next record, which also featured Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and George Clinton. For his fourth record, he tried to create a concept album that featured Jerry Garcia and David Gilmour, but it flopped, and he was dropped by his label again. He started again with a new label in 1991 and recorded three albums, but none received much acclaim. At this point, David Letterman, a massive fan, started having him on his show, and when his band leader, Paul Shaffer was unable to be on the broadcast, Letterman would have Warren fill in. This ended up getting him yet another record deal where he worked with Letterman and Hunter S Thompson. In 2002, he was diagnosed with an inoperable lung cancer, and began his final album, featuring Jackson Browne, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Dwight Yoakum, Ry Cooder, and Don Henley. He lived long enough for the record to release, but died five months after its release in 2003. The album won two posthumous Grammy Awards, for Best Contemporary Folk Album and Best Rock Duo Performance (with Bruce Springsteen). What a life.

The Ghastly Ones - “Surfin Spooks” - 1998, Ghastly Ones were a surf garage rock band started by two Special FX makeup/movie monster makers. They gathered influence from late night monster movies, Halloween records, sixties surf rock, and hot rods. They gained the attention of Rob Zombie in 1998 which this song hails from.

Donovan - “Season of the Witch” - 1966, Donovan is one of the most influential songwriters of the 60s and maybe ever. He is credited with kicking off the psychedelic scene with his 1966 album, “Sunshine Superman,” and influenced the Beatles to go full experimental for their album “Sgt Pepper.” He grew up in Hatfield, Scotland, and when Bob Dylan toured the UK for the first time, British papers tried to create a rivalry between the two. I’m pretty sure they were both too stoned to take the bait.

Louis Armstrong, Gordon Jenkins & His Orchestra - “Spooks” - 1959, Louis Armstrong was a trumpet player and the first jazz player to be recognized as a solo artist instead of being in a group. He was born in New Orleans in 1901, and was playing coronet in music groups as early as 11 years old. He won multiple Grammy awards throughout his career, and posthumously received the Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award. His career spanned from 1914 to 1971 when he passed. He is easily one of the most if not THE most influential jazz artist ever to live.

Woody and Jeremy - “Hollywood Witches” - 2020, Woody Goss was previously the keyboardist for Vulfpeck (which means he is a monster keyboardist). This song came off of their debut album, which Woody was the composer, and Jeremy Daly was the lyricist.

Nightmares on Wax - “Flip Ya Lid” - 2006, Nightmares on Wax is George Evelyn and has been creating genre bending music including electronica, jazz, hip hop, techno, dub, funk, and soul, for 30 years. This particular song is a dub piece.

Moderator - “My Witch” - 2018, Moderator is a producer from Athens, Greece that has been creating moody downtempo and trip hop tunes since 2012. This album was the #1 selling album on Bandcamp when it was released.

Smashing Pumpkins - “Cherub Rock” - 1993, Back when they emerged on the scene, I had heard some of their first singles through friends, but it wasn’t until I heard this song in particular, at summer camp, from the kid who said he was “Wiccan,” did I really become a fan of the band. Billy Corgan was the son of a jazz guitarist, and it shows in his playing ability. “Cherub Rock” was on the album, Siamese Dream, and was the first single of the album, though it was eclipsed by the next singles, “Today,” and, “Disarm.” The album’s guitar and bass parts were ALL played by Corgan as the band was going through some messy personal issues.

Limnetic Villains - “Neon Laser Milk” - 2021, I came across Limnetic Villains through Twitter (X) and became correspondents with the solo man behind the music, who is a very talented and interesting fellow. When I asked him to give a label to the genre of music he produces, he gave a few names, but the one that I really latched on to and felt like it described his music really well, is techno-punk. This song is dark and dirty, and I can’t help but picture the scene in the movie, “Blade,” at the vampire rave where blood come through the sprinkler system.

Kanye West (feat. Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj, Bon Iver") - “Monster” - 2010, I was not a hip hop fan in general until this album came out. Kanye obviously has his faults and is a polarizing individual, but there is no question that during the late ‘00s and early 2010s he was the best producer of maybe any genre.

Talking Heads - “Psycho Killer” - 1977, I started listening to Talking Heads in late high school when I watched the concert film, “Stop Making Sense,” and since then, they have been one of my favorite bands of all time. They got their start by opening for the Ramones at the iconic CBGB and quickly became one of the most influential post-punk/new wave bands to come out of this scene.

Saxsquatch & Here Come the Mummies - “Somebody’s Watching Me” - 2023, I found Saxsquatch on instagram, and he is exactly what it sounds like - a Sasquatch that plays the saxophone. When I saw there was a collab with Here Come the Mummies, I was pumped. HCTM is a funk band that all dress as mummies for their concerts, making their identities a mystery. The band includes various professional musicians from Nashville, and it is rumored to include a few Grammy award winners. The members are all under contract with various recording labels, and use the mummy wraps to hide their identities to prevent contract disputes. Their live shows are some of the best I’ve ever seen.

Curtis Knight & The Squires (feat. Jimi Hendrix) - “Strange Things” - 2015, I featured Curtis Knight & The Squires back on the August 2023 playlist. This record is one of my favorite finds of 2023. I just love hearing Hendrix playing slightly out of his wheelhouse that everyone knows and loves.

Surf Curse - “Freaks” - 2015, Surf Curse is a duo of dummer/vocalist, Nick Rattigan, and guitarist/vocalist, Jacob Rubeck, originally from Las Vegas, but moved to Reno. They are both in other bands, but have stayed dedicated to this project as well, releasing four albums since 2015.

October Country - “My Girlfriend Is a Witch” - 1968, October Country was a harmony pop band that never really received any recognition outside of Los Angeles where they worked with famed producer Michael Loyd. They released a few singles, including this song, but unfortunately, none ever really caught on.

The Walkmen - “The Witch” - 2012, Led by Hamilton Leithauser (last on the February 2023 playlist), the Walkmen was part of the post-punk/indie rock explosion of the early 2000s. They are definitely one of my favorite bands to come out of that period. Unfortunately the band went on hiatus in 2014, however they reunited for their, “The Revenge Tour,” in May of 2023.

The Zombies - “The Way I feel Inside” - 1965, Rock n Roll hall of Famers, The Zombies, were an English rock band formed in 1961. The band officially broke up at the end of 1967, however recorded a previously unreleased album in 1968, which was released in Japan in 2000 (titled, R.I.P.). In 1969, an agency called Delta Promotions created fake touring versions of the band - 2 of them in fact, one in Texas and one in Michigan - as well as creating fake versions of The Animals and The Archies. The Texas group featured Dusty Hill and Frank Beard, who would later go on to form ZZ Top with Billy Gibbons. This song is one of my favorites by the band. It is an extremely vulnerable piece featuring just vocals and an organ.