GWAAAAARRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!

If you’ve never had the chance to see a GWAR show, don’t cheat yourself. They are metal as hell, and they’re renowned for covering their audiences in neon water (originally raw meat until the FDA stepped in and put a stop to it because they hate freedom). Their music is cheesy, their costumes ridiculous, and their back story is straight out of an insanely low budget horror flick filmed on a camera phone. Don’t go for the music or the beer, go for the chance to transport yourself into a world of “ass-kicking poon-fire” & heavy metal aliens hellbent on rocking the citizens of Earth to death. I saw them one time in 2010 and it was one of the most entertaining live performances I’ve ever witnessed…EVER!!! No video is included below, since most all of them are relatively NSFW. You have youtube you can find them ..

Recommended Listening:
“Let Us Slay” by GWAR
album Lust In Space

Sigur Ros doesn’t play music…they play feelings. A band of ordinary guys playing extraordinary music, this band hails from the glacial volcano-ridden Icelandic capital of Reykjavik. This pick, roughly translated to “Haystacks”, is a song of closure and peace. Finishing off the album, Heysatan invites a meditative patience. Its notes are dispersed across seemingly vast amounts of time, to the point where one can almost hear the winds of Iceland in between pauses of this majestic melody. With the lyrics of Jonsi, this masterpiece is a track to be played as the sun goes down following a hot afternoon. It is the soundtrack to your inner peace.

Recommended Listening:
“Heysatan” by Sigur Ros
album Takk

Released just over a month ago, Mikal Cronins latest album, MCII, delivers wholeheartedly with the type of content you loved so much from his debut solo album. Coming out of the Ty Segall Band in the wake of success from Slaughterhouse, Cronin delivers an album that seems very familiar to us all; one that combines the harmonious, surf-rock sensibilities of the Beach Boys with a riffed-out punk hit. Not to worry though fans of Slaughterhouse, Ty Segall shows up twice on this album, even if for only a few solos.

Recommended Listening:
“The Weight” by Mikal Cronin
album MCII

Dio was the god of metal…No question…And although 3 years ago, he passed on into his hard-rock laden netherworld to rule for eternity, he left us with wonderful memories and an everlasting legacy of high-pitched influential albums that could have only been bestowed upon him by the finest of wizards he so often sang about. His dedication to his fans and his popularization of the “devil-horns” gesture rose him above the rest. Today’s pick is a powerful track released on his most popular album, Holy Diver. Dio once stated that the lyrics for Rainbow in the Dark represented his feelings after splitting from the helm of Black Sabbath. It is a powerful song, and Dio takes what sounds like a poppy-80s keyboard synth track to start with and turns it into his mystical tale of magic, demons and lightning. This song bleeds metal…no wait! it hemorrhages metal…NO WAIT!!!…It “Shining Elevators” metal.

Recommended Listening:
“Rainbow In The Dark” by Dio
album Holy Diver

The first piece comes from @jessekiefer who you can follow HERE. He is the driving force behind Tank Monkey and Just For Kicks. Jesse has been Johnny-on-the-spot with collecting all of the #5thPanelGuest artwork and you can find all of the ones made so far by Clicking Here.  His piece is an additional panel referencing the latest strip titled, “Cooking“. His interpretation of the characters are exactly why I love the comic community. It’s a unique feeling when someone interprets your artwork in their own way adding their flavor. The linework is fantastic and the character portrayal is absolutely professional.

The second piece comes from the very skilled @Trinity_Mathews who you can follow HERE. You can find his artwork beautifully displayed oh his DeviantArt Page. His piece is shown below as an additional panel for a recent strip titled, “The Cats Are Evolving“. His use of color is truly masterful and the dialogue is dead on. I would’ve never though in a million years to take a strip in a mystical direction, but Trinity did it effortlessly in just one panel. He truly ran with the #5thpanelguest idea. Keep a look out for his site to be launched in the near future.

Today’s pick is from an experimental duo named Zorch. These guys, slated to put out their first full length in July of this year, have been an interesting hit at the last few SXSW festivals. Running on what seems to be a broken time signature, this song throws their instrumental parts very much like Giraffes? Giraffes!…that is until their cheerfully interrupting vocals step in and totally make the song. Zorch has been a hard band to follow for me these past few years, namely due to having only a split record and a demo to their catalog. When July rolls around expect to see more of these guys.

Side Note: Come see me at HeroesCon this Friday through Saturday (6/7 – 6/9). I’ll be at Booth AA-2006 giving out free minicomics and doing free sketches. Come see the brand new Limited Edition run of the book compiling the first year of Rain Dogs…or pick up a sketch card of your favorite hero. I may also be giving out donuts…I haven’t decided yet…

Recommended Listening:
“We All Die Young” by Zorch
album ZZOORRCCHH

**Can’t find a video of this song, so I included a link to their Bandcamp page HERE **

A plethora of newly emerging bands are finding their grounds in cheeky nostalgia for the fuzzed out sound of the 90s. The Scottish trio, PAWS, is no different. Their catchy guitars and distant vocals are very inviting. Today’s pick features 19 year old singer Alice Costello. Currently rising to stardom in the indie scene as one half of the Big Deal, she adds a nice flavor to this three-piece band. The song definitely gives off a vibe of shyness. It’s like they’re begging to be discovered, but pretending it wouldn’t matter to them either way; almost like a quiet and reserved “cool” expressed by the 90s as a whole. Think of this song as Daria fronting for the Violent Femmes…

Recommended Listening:
“Sore Tummy” by PAWS
album Cokefloat!

The first 5th Panel guest piece comes from the talented @DavidBarrentine who you can follow here. He is the driving force behind Batteries Also Included.This hilarious piece is an insert into one of the early Rain Dogs strips entitled “Bucket List”. Here is a quick link for the lazy http://raindogcomic.com/?webcomic1=bucket-list . Shower him with your praise for the amazing artwork involved. The second piece comes from @ZombieOaks the driving force behind ZombieOaksComic.com. This 5th Panel Guest piece is an add-on to a recent strip titled “Humpty Perks” which you can find here. As you can see Ron has been the victim of a #MustardBomb, one of the trending topics associated with #5thPanelGuest artwork. Contact any of the artists involved to join in on the action.

Splashh is a London-based experimental quartet equipped with fuzzed out vocals and a vaguely familiar sound. Even with this being their first album, (to be released on June 4th), they have already invited comparisons to the Pixies, Smashing Pumpkins and even New Order. Their distorted guitars and twangy bass lines mesh well with the reverbed vocals of Sasha Carlson, especially throughout the extended post-chorus breakdowns of today’s pick. These parts of the song are definitely a favorite part for me. Overall, Splashh reminds me of a talented version of Oasis…Just to clarify, Oasis wasn’t an awful band, they just could have evolved into something greater instead of burning up in the structure fire that is the Gallagher sibling rivalry. Enjoy…

Recommended Listening:
“Vacation” by Splashh
album Comfort