2025 was quite a year for me musically. I played nearly 60 shows across the US and Canada, had a great tour down to Florida and back with The Wild Honey Collective, played a very special reunion show under the Upper Peninsula stars with my high school band The Regulars, and played a whole bunch of Hüsker Dü songs with Greg Norton and Jon Snodgrass at BüddiesFEST in Ontario.
On a personal note, I had an amazing trip to Ireland with my wife TrooperGirl22, saw a Beatle in concert, and the Tigers over-achieved
JP & TG22 at the Galway Races (L) and Giant’s Causeway (R)
JP & Mom, Detroit 2015
Life goes on. We still have rock and roll.
TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2025
1) Jason Isbell - Foxes in the Snow - No-brainer number one for me. Southeastern was my top-album (tied with Lydia Loveless) of the previous decade. The four albums he’s released since (not including the Georgia covers album), to my ears have all been an extension of that. All great; fantastic playing and probably the best songwriting around, but very similar. I kept buying them, but checked out around The Nashville Sound when I couldn’t remember which songs were on which album anymore. Then comes Foxes in the Snow. It’s referred to as his “divorce album,” and that’s pretty obvious, but for the first time since 2013 I think Jason’s gone in a different direction. The fact that it’s solely an acoustic and vocal album alone is good enough to set it apart, but the styles, feels, and approaches to the songs are new for him. He’s been arguably the best songwriter out there for a decade or two, that doesn’t change here. But he’s broken the seal on a new direction, and I hope he continues to explore and resists the urge to stay in his comfort zone.
2) Cheap Trick – All Washed Up – I loved 2021’s In Another World, and I wasn’t optimistic that they’d top that. What could they possibly have to offer in three short years that would be worthy of the greatest powerpop band of all time? How about a set of songs that doesn’t sound the least-bit dated? Plenty of fresh ideas, and all while staying true to their sound and legacy. All Washed Up is my favorite Cheap Trick record since 1997’s self-titled album, and at times it reminds of me that – showing their dark side and their penchant for haunting melodies. Echos of “Eight Miles Low” (from that `97 album) and “Heaven Tonight,” possibly their darkest song ever, resonate here. Also present is their Beatles influence, and their continual forays into riff rock. And it’s also good to see some great cover art again (by their Rockford LP cover artist John Johnson). Cheers to Rockford Illinois’ finest for putting out a better album than bands half their age could even dream of.
3) Vicki Peterson and John Cowsill - Living After the Fire – My most-anticipated release of 2025 came on Record Store Day in April from ex-Bangle Vicki and Cowsill husband John doing a collection of John’s brother’s penned songs. I saw V&J a couple times in 2024 and was familiar with most of the material on this record through those shows, but the album is a bit different with the band arrangements and fantastic production. I’m such a Bangles fanboy and Vicki has been a guitar hero of mine since All Over the Place. It’s great to hear her sing again, and her straight-man to John’s goofball persona and their harmonies together work so well. At the top of my wish list is a follow-up with original material and a Michigan tour stop.
4) Ypsitcuky – How the Hell – San Diego via Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti, Michigan transplant Ian Trumbull’s outfit Ypsitucky has released a collection of his best written, best played, and best sounding material yet. And this ain’t just lip-service because we’re pals, it’s that good. Catch up on the details with our recent chat on Pencil Storm here.
5) Juliana Hatfield – Lightning Might Strike – It’s been hard to keep up with Juliana’s output over the last decade +, but’s all been great, between her original material and her 3 cover albums. LMS just came out so it’s still pretty fresh but side 1 is probably my fav thing she’s done since the Olivia Newton-John album. Always great stuff and grateful that she’s still out there doing it.
6) Bob Mould - Here We Go Crazy – Bob has been on a tear since teaming up with Jason Narducy and Jon Wurster in 2012 and the results have been all that fans of his deafening, melodic, guitar-driven punk-pop could ask for. If one had to complain it would be that he’s actually too prolific, if that’s possible. The albums sort of blend together in a sonic fury that makes latching on to them difficult because just as soon as you’re almost there, BAM! Here’s the next record! HWGC is his latest, it’s great, I hope he doesn’t stop.
7) J. Robbins – Basilisk – Not sure why but I’ve never been able to latch on to Jawbox. Every few years I try again because I know it’s gotta stick one of these days, but it hasn’t happened yet. J and band opened for Bob Mould over the summer and after the Detroit show I picked this up at the merch table because I loved the set and the songs, and the record is a fairly faithful representation. Super solid material, great playing, and the album breathes like you want it to. Not giving up on Jawbox, this just might be my gateway.
8) Bottlecap Mountain - Everest – ATX pals follow up to my fav from them Electric Love Spree (2024). The album just came out in October so I’m still digesting it, but it’s got everything going on that I loved about Spree: Fantastic production, a band that knows exactly what to play and when to play it that’s best for the song, and the fantastic songwriting from Stewart Gersmann, Chris Stangland, and one by new member Doug Pena.
9) Sloan - Based on the Best Seller – Sloan continues their incredibly consistent run with this album that I cranked a few times when I was on the road this year. As always, the hooks are undeniable, the production is great, and it makes ya feel good. I get lost in their catalog, Double Cross being the one that finally got me, but always happy to crank some Sloan.
10) The Beths - Straight Line Was a Lie – I checked out a bit after their raw and awesome debut EP and follow up Future Me Hates Me, but I like this record more than their last couple. Not that they’ve done anything that wasn’t great, you just sort of come in and out ya know? Anyhow – Elizabeth still has that charming indie vocal delivery and production that sits so well against those upbeat drums and strumming, over-driven guitars.
BÜDDIES
Troy Toma – Musings – Long-time Detroit drummer/all-around-musician and stand-up dude shares a set of sparse, spacey, reverb-drenched Americana songs that hit you in the same spots as The Sadies and The Byrds. Songwriting is economical and arrangements are just enough to get the point across without staying too long at the party. There’s hooks a-plenty in there, but you gotta work for them just hard enough to make this a repeater, which is rare these days. Fantastic record all around, highly recommended.
Needmores - Side X Side – Detroit’s new powerpop kings take off where Popular Creeps stalled and come at ya with a driving, more aggressive rhythm section and songs that are short and to the point. Check out the Pencil Storm review HERE.
The Knockabouts - Spring Harbor – Upper Peninsula of Michigan meets trad-Irish here, with a debut that shows just a small sampling of the talent from that region, with original and trad songs played with a musical proficiency that I can only yearn for. Check out the Pencil Storm review HERE.
The Wild Honey Collective - Solidago EP / Dead Honey Collective - Rose Colored Glasses EP – A pair of releases from Lansing, Michigan’s Wild Honey Collective circle. Tommy McCord leads the charge here, but it’s drummer Joel Kuiper’s “Munising” and Jack Straw’s “Mr. Right” that get me all mushy and sentimental. Get them on the GTG Records Bandcamp today.
Doug McKean and The Stuntmen – Start Now EP – Pencil Storm fav and Cleveland dude introduces us to the fabulous Stuntmen. I’ve seen `em live, so I wasn’t surprised, but holy cow this rocks in the best way possible. Doug’s trademark amazing lyrics are here and his knack for a hook has taken new life. Title track chorus emulates “Somebody Got Murdered” by The Clash (Mr McKean may be a fan) and the other 2 songs aren’t slouches either, just as fun but not as rowdy. The only thing that I hate about this is that it’s just 3 songs. Can’t friggin ‘ wait for the full-length. Get it on Doug’s Bandcamp Here.
Norcos Y Horchata – Precious Little Album – Detroit punk mainstay Amado Guadarrama leads his gang of renegades to new heights on their sophomore effort here. There ain’t many like this around anymore, and even fewer who do it nearly this good. Check out the Pencil Storm Review & 5 questions with Amado HERE.
LEGACY RELEASES & RECORD STORE DAY
As always, I love me some Record Store Day releases and non-RSD legacy releases. For the latter, best you just visit my thoughts about box sets by Springsteen, Hüsker Dü, Drive-By Truckers, and The Replacements. Each set is great, not necessarily A+ all the way through, but worthwhile if you dig those albums’ original releases.
The Record Store Day lists weren’t as awe-inspiring this year as they have been in recent years, but I still managed to drop an abnormally large amount of money on stuff I may or may not have needed in the excitement of it all.
In April we got the Bad Livers’ best album Delusions of Banjer for the first time on vinyl and double live albums from Judas Priest (82) and Dokken (88) in their primes, or close to it. I dunno, as great as Priest was during the Screaming for Vengeance tour, the album falls just a little short to my ear. It sounds like it may have been sourced from video or something. It’s a great show, not terrible by any means, the setlist is amazing, but not likely to surpass Unleashed in the East or even Priest Live! The Dokken record is a little better, though something from the Tooth and Nail tour might have been a little more exciting.
Sitting outside Dearborn Music at 5:30am on Black Friday, 2025, in 22°F temps with our new propane heater. Photo: J. Bowes
Highlights from Black Friday Record Store Day included a double LP of Linda Ronstadt’s early years, which is a well-curated and mastered set of her pre-crooner/mariachi stuff, and my personal fav – Montrose Live 1972 KSAN Radio Session, before they were even a band and had a name. All the greats from that incredible debut record played live. A+!
CONCERTS
I didn’t see many shows this year, mostly because I was on the road so much. Here’s most of them in reverse order.
Surfrajettes/Shalom Bethlehem - Small’s – Hamtramck, MI - 12/4/2025
Great surf band from Toronto celebrating 10 years on the road. Opener Shalom blew us away. So great.
Steve Wynn/Television City – Bearded Lamb Brewing – Plymouth, MI - 11/24/2025
Dream Syndicate main man promoting his book with a set that follows along chronologically. I’m late to the Dream Syndicate camp, but glad I finally got there. Local pals Television City opened acoustic as a duo. It was great – super intimate and special, and the first “real” show I’ve ever seen in my own town! (I wasn’t around when Seger and BTO played the Plymouth Civic Center in 1974.)
Paul McCartney - TD Coliseum - Hamilton, Ontario - 11/21/2025
My first and most likely only time seeing a Beatle, near the end of his tour. Paul came out a little stiff and I wondered if the price and travel was worth it, but 3 songs in and he was loose and screaming and kicking all sorts of ass. The setlist was aces, and it was all I’d hoped for and more. So glad we went.
Cheap Trick – Frederik Meijer Garden Amphitheater – Grand Rapids, MI - 8/11/2025
#43 on my quest for 50. They were great, duh. We got “Tonight It’s You” which was a major treat, though honestly, maybe best left off future setlists. These guys remain near the top of my fav bands. Who’s going to Vegas?
Ultrabomb - Small’s – Hamtramck, MI- 8/3/2025
Büddy Greg Norton brought the new lineup of Ultrabomb to Small’s for a Sunday night set. I was jetlagged from Ireland but couldn’t miss it. Better than ever, can’t wait for the new album!
Bob Mould/J. Robbins – El Club – Detroit, MI - 4/27/2025
Another great blitzkrieg set from Bob and his band supporting Here We Go Crazy. Opener J. Robbins (Jawbox) was great, and opened that world to me a bit. I’m always on board for what Bob has to offer. Well, except for that one album that one time. But yeah, love Bob and always excited when he comes around.
MOVIES
I didn’t see many movies in 2025, mostly focused on sports and a couple series (Andor/Disney+, The Revolution/PBS, Landman/Paramount+, and Wednesday/Netflix).
Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair was a pretty easy 4 ½ hours to sit through. It was never my fav Tarantino but always TG22’s, and it’s worked it way up for me by sheer proximity and my lack of ability to deny it’s greatness. Here it is as QT intended: 1 movie, unrated, 70mm, frivolous extra scenes added to make the split films work stand-alone removed, and reorganized with some previously removed content. If you’re not into Kill Bill, it’s not going to change your mind, but if you are, it’s a game-changer.
A Complete Unknown showcased Dylan’s early years, arriving in NYC, befriending Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger, and finding himself in the Greenwich Village folk music scene. I’ve said it before, but it’s baffling to me how Hollywood can make a T-Rex eat an SUV, or spaceship the size of Mars blow up a planet, and they look completely real and believable. But put a wig on a dude and it’s basically Wayne’s World quality production. Somehow that’s all avoided here and ACU doesn’t suffer the same pitfalls as Bohemian Rhapsody or The Dirt. Timothée Chalamet is fantastic and it’s a fun ride. Perfect? No biopic is, but a far more worthwhile effort than most that came before.
Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere was the one I was most excited about. I’m all in on anything Nebraska and that was the total focus here. Jeremy Allen White emulates The Boss as well as any actor has become another real person, down to the mannerisms, singing, and even handwriting.
Detractors say it doesn’t go anywhere, that the story doesn’t make for a great film, focusing on way too narrow a window, but that’s exactly what makes it great. Where The Dirt failed by cramming way too much history into 100 minutes, Deliver Me succeeds by taking that brief period of success and turmoil in Bruce’s life and digging in deep. A career-retrospective movie, or even one covering the first decade, makes for a compelling story, but would have relegated Nebraska to a footnote or a few minutes at best. Here we get to the beef of this pivotal time, and it was awesome. Probably not for everyone, especially if your collection only includes Born to Run and Born in the USA, but the real Bruce fans know about Nebraska, and I can’t imagine they have a huge problem with this.
And yeah, just to wrap it up with a quick trip back to 2019, The Dirt was… ok, but it should have ended at the `83 US Festival which would have accomplished 2 things: allowed film makers to cover Mötley’s early years and struggles in greater detail and more compellingly, and secondly, teed up a sequel, which given the success of the film, would have been an amazing opportunity, in hindsight, anyway.
Pray they don’t make a Replacements movie (rumors come and go) and no Wayne’s World-level wigs in a Ramones biopic please. If film makers continue to treat these rock and roll stories with the same respect they treated DMFN and ACN with, we’ll be ok.
Jeremy Porter lives near Detroit, fronts the rock and roll band Jeremy Porter And The Tucos, and plays acoustic shows all over the place. Follow him and them on Facebook to read his road blog about their adventures on the dive-bar circuit.
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