Feature / Music / Year End 2020
Pass The Mic: Artists and labels on 2020

Words: Loren • December 13, 2020

Pass The Mic: Artists and labels on 2020
Pass The Mic: Artists and labels on 2020

Attic Salt (Skip Davis)

photo by Caitlin Winterbauer

1. What are your top five albums that were released in 2020? (In order 1-5)

  1. Punisher - Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher
  2. No Dream - Jeff Rosenstock - No Dream
  3. Coriky - S/T
  4. White Denim - World as a Waiting Room
  5. Bottom Bracket - I Don’t Care Enough to Stay

2. What band did you discover in 2020 (can be a brand new band or an older band) that had an impact on your life? What made them significant?

Drug Church. Their music is raw and energetic, helping to fill the void opened up by isolation from your friends. 

Propaghandi. I was aware of this band back in the ‘90s, and a lot of my friends listened to them but they never really caught my ear. For whatever reason, I decided to listen to their back catalogue, post-Today’s Empires, Tomorrow’s Ashes and that shit fucking screams!

3. How will you remember 2020? (In terms of music)

Weirdly. Many artists made albums separated from their usual process and usual personnel. I think in the years to come we will be able to look back on music released during this year and note a significant difference in form. 

4. What can we look forward to from you in 2021?

Unfortunately, we get to look forward to hundreds of small venues that were once staples in their local scenes to be shuttered for good. This is going to put a dent in the amount of available spaces to play, and prohibit smaller bands from the ability to get shows. 

5. What records are you looking forward to most in 2021?

I’m most looking forward to writing and recording a new Attic Salt record. 

6. Trying to put a positive spin on things, what is your favorite development from the global pandemic this year? (Is there a new medium you enjoy, a specific song or collaboration, personal news, etc. that was a bright spot?)

Like hundreds of other bands, we were supposed to play Fest this year. Being that it was scheduled in the fall, it was fairly late in the pandemic that it was canceled. I really appreciate how Tony set up weekly “Fest from Home” events showcasing different artists from the lineup. Also, with the lack of daytime child care options, I had to take some time off to stay home with my kids which is always an adventure. 

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Pass The Mic: Artists and labels on 2020
Pass The Mic: Artists and labels on 2020

Pages in this feature

  1. Opening page
  2. A-F Records / Nightmarathons (Chris Stowe)
  3. Asbestos Worker (Josh Stever)
  4. Attic Salt (Skip Davis)
  5. Black Dots (Wade Henderson - guitar/yelling)
  6. Body Stuff (Curran Reynolds)
  7. Bootblacks (Barrett Hiatt)
  8. Bothers (John Massel)
  9. Broadway Calls (Ty Vaughn - guitar/vocals)
  10. Burnt Tapes (Phil LaTour)
  11. City Of Industry (Ossa Humilata)
  12. Cloud Rat (Rorik Brooks)
  13. Primitive Teeth (Christine)
  14. Days N Daze / Escape from the ZOO / Chad Hates George (Jesse Sendejas)
  15. DC-Jam Records (Darron Hemann)
  16. Deaf Club (Brian Amalfitano)
  17. Dirt Cult Records / Low Culture (Chris Mason)
  18. Divided Heaven (Jeff Berman)
  19. Foxfires (Josh Lyford)
  20. Heart and Lung
  21. Iron Lung Records (Jensen)
  22. Lamniformes
  23. Locrian / The Holy Circle / Axebreaker (Terence Hannum)
  24. MakeWar (Edwin)
  25. Nato Coles and the Blue Diamond Band (Nato Coles)
  26. Neighborhood Brats (George Rager)
  27. Netherlands (Timo Ellis)
  28. Old Ghosts (Derek)
  29. Partial Traces (Brad Lokkesmoe)
  30. Quattracenta (Andrea - drums)
  31. Real Numbers (Eli Hansen)
  32. Red Fiction / Secret Chiefs 3 / Estradasphere (Jason Schimmel)
  33. Red Scare Industries (Tobias Jeg)
  34. Reptoid (Jordan Sobolew)
  35. Salinas Records / Quaker Wedding (Marco Reosti)
  36. Sam Russo
  37. Scuba Cop
  38. Secret Fun Club (Sal Gallegos III)
  39. SpiritWorld (Stu Folsom)
  40. Sutekh Hexen / In Solace Publishing (Kevin Gan Yuen)
  41. The Carvels NYC (Lynne Von Pang)
  42. The Path (Jon Berg)
  43. The Pretty Flowers (Noah Green)
  44. Tibetan Sky Burial
  45. To Live A Lie Records / Tired Of Everything (Will Butler)
  46. Western Addiction (Jason Hall)
  47. Strangelight (Nat Coghlan)

Series: Year End 2020

Our wrap-up of the best music and more for the year we'll all want to otherwise forget, 2020.

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