In a world of “you’re only as good as you’re last single”, I still enjoy listening to full albums. I remember growing up and going to Hastings (entertainment super store) to get a new album on the day it came out. I would breathe in that new paper smell while studying the lyrics and liner notes. Side note…is not being able to buy an album with explicit language still a thing for kids today? I remember having to find someone to get me a copy of Blink 182’s “Take Off Your Pants and Jacket” because I wasn’t 17!

Anyways, there have been some GREAT albums this year (Waxahatchee, Adventures, Front Bottoms) …but today I want to look back on 3 albums that shaped my life growing up.

Alkaline Trio – From Here To Infirmary (2001)

Essential Tracks: Mr. Chainsaw, Bloodied Up, Crawl

Favorite Lyric: “Cause if assholes could fly…this place would be busier than O’Hare.” – You’re Dead

Alkaline Trio was my favorite band growing up. Saying I was obsessed with them is probably an understatement. They are in the name of my first email account

“alkalinepunk13”…. I’ve seen them in concert over 10 times…and I’m a lifetime member of their fan club known as “The Blood Pact”. I actually made some really good friends from that fan club!

I don’t think I’ve ever sung along louder at a show than I did to songs off of this album. This album helped me through heartbreak, passing of loved ones, and all those angst filled teenage years.

My brother and I with Matt Skiba (Alkaline Trio) at a Blood Pact M&G in 2005. (Life before smartphone photo quality!)

Sundowner – Four One Five Two (2007)

Essential Tracks: Steal Your Words, Your Self Portrait, Audio Geography.

Favorite Lyric: “I massacred the afternoon to the sound of rain drumming against parked cars.” – Steal Your Words

This album was the soundtrack to a summer in 2007 when I spent a lot of time alone at my parent’s house out on the outskirts of Waxahachie, TX. I was a huge fan of the Lawrence Arms. This was their guitar player, Chris McCaughn’s first album from his acoustic side-project. I’ve always loved his writing and this album painted a picture inside my mind that’s stuck with me over the years. I always hold any kind of punk-acoustic side project to the “Four One Five Two” standard. No one has done it better than McCaughn!

I got 2nd place my senior year in a school film festival for filming a music video for “This War Is Noise”…and I’m still bitter about that! Watch below.

Lemuria – Get Better (2008)

Essential Tracks: Pants, Lipstick, Dog(s)

Favorite Lyric: “My secrets end up on oil canvases in a gallery for everyone to judge.” – Dogs

Lemuria is the band that really broadened my taste in music. I pretty much only listened to punk rock all throughout my teenage years. As those years came to a close…I was in need of something new. Lemuria had a lot of those punk rock elements but their style, lyrics and melodies were unique and refreshing. I can always count on this album to pull me out of a bad mood. Alex Kerns (drummer/vocals) wrote some incredibly poetic lyrics that I found out were influenced by the death of his father. Sheena Ozzella is my favorite singer of all time and is flawless on this record.

Not only are they incredible musicians but they are also some of the nicest human beings. I became friends with them after they started to recognize me at every one of their shows. I’ve seen them live more than any other band.

They even came to my apartment once to be on my podcast…and played my favorite song!