I guess Monday/Tuesday is when I do this, now. Whee. HEY, IT’S THE CRASH AND RIDE PLAYLIST FOR EPISODE 25!

This week’s guest is Sterling Roig, a dear friend of many, many years, and former drummer for the James Hall Band. I’ve put a couple of songs from them on this week’s list, as well as some songs by former and future guests, and some songs by people I love, whether they’ve been on the show or not! Let’s get into it, shall we?

1. “Illingness” – The James Hall Band: This was the lead-off single for James’ first Geffen album, ‘Pleasure Club.’ Man, the whole world was green, then, and it felt like anything was possible. James and his band were cocked and loaded to be the Next Big Thing, and then their record company fell away from beneath them. This felt like an incredible warning shot across the bow, though, and it’s a great snapshot of what might have been.

2. “Pleasure Club” – The James Hall Band: The first song on the ‘Pleasure Club’ record, this disorienting, manic blast of paranoia and sexual tension was a such a great monkey-wrench-to-the-forehead of an introduction to the band.

3. “Fellowship of Hunted Things” – Lincoln Barr: Y’know, Lincoln was last week’s guest, and he was so honest and pure, I keep coming back to his record ‘Trembling Frames’ in awe. Listen to Episode 24, then come back to this track in particular, and see if it doesn’t just crush you.

4. “A Solitary Slip” – Will Johnson: My friend Will is about to go out on tour and we’re going to try and sit down for a talk either in Atlanta or Asheville. Probably one of the few artists who can say “Jason Isbell wrote a song about me,” so if you’re not familiar, you should dig deep into Will’s work, as well as his work with his former band, Centromatic.

5. “Curse Your Branches” – David Bazan: David Bazan is great, isn’t he? I think you can tell a lot about a person by which Bazan/Pedro record they keep in heavy rotation. I’m sad to inform everyone who cares about me that mine is ‘Curse Your Branches.’ It’s ok, I’m fine.

6. “Real Down Town” – Bill Mallonee: Bill was on Episode 22 and we had a great talk. Bill is basically a perpetual motion machine of songwriting, but most of his work is NOT on Spotify. This is a tune from some years ago, but make sure you make your way over to his bandcamp and then just throw a dart. It’s all so good.

7. “I Have a Prepared Statement” – Whores: Last week I spoke with Christian Lembach from Whores for the show. That interview will be out in about two weeks. Whores is a bracing and astringent noise rock band that flies all over the world spreading sunshine and roses everywhere they go. If they come to your town, don’t miss them.

8. “Foreign Object” – Multicult: I am going to keep forcing you to listen to this song until you realize that Jake Cregger is a genius drummer. What kind of bent mind comes up with a beat like this?

9. “Sycophant” – Powder Room: All of the interstitial music from the show comes from the first Powder Room album, ‘Curtains.’ Powder Room is a tragically underrated band, and I’m not just saying that because I played with them. Gene Woolfolk is a great guitarist, but more importantly, he writes phenomenal hooks. This is from the Powder Room record I played drums.

10. “The Ballad of Bones and Blood” – Mr Lewis and the Funeral 5: I’m hoping to talk to one of the guys in the Funeral 5 for the podcast, soon. I love this band. The Funeral 5 make me feel like I should be leaning on the fender of a taxi outside of a St Louis diner where there’s a guy in a corner booth taking illicit bets on the 1962 World Series. This band is the snub-nosed .38 of rock. A hoodlum’s gun, two-tone oxfords, a girl named Sophie who cracks her gum when she winks at you. The album ‘Before the World Beat You Down’ is one of my favorite movies that only plays in my head.