Vista Blue - "Next Christmas"

I'm a big fan of symmetry, and apparently Vista Blue is as well. In 2024, Vista Blue has done something very cool: release a song on both the first and last day of the year. That's right: Vista Blue will go down in music history for bookending 2024! Has any band ever done this before? The back half of the bookend, "Next Christmas," is not exactly a Christmas release. Then again, it's not exactly not a Christmas release. The A-side is more of a post-Christmas song. There's a funny story behind its creation. Mike's family had watched the "Last Christmas" documentary the other day. Afterwards, they switched to the radio and heard "This Christmas." Mike's kids took this as a sign that he had to write a song about next Christmas, and so here we are! The song is about resolving to do all the things next Christmas that you didn't manage to do this Christmas. I can relate, especially since I've spent the past two-and-a-half weeks fighting an ear infection. I have to admit to feeling inadequate when I watch those Hallmark movies and see how those folks go all-out for Christmas. At least I've been drinking my hot cocoa daily! "Next Christmas" finds Vista Blue at its punkiest —  blazing through this toe-tapping number about holiday regret and ambitious redemption in just a few ticks over a minute. Consider this song a long-term New Year's resolution. You can bet that when I cue up my Christmas 2025 playlist next Thanksgiving night, "Next Christmas" will be one of the first tracks I play. It will be my Christmastime "Eye of the Tiger" — my pump-up music for being super-festive next Christmas! 

But wait! There's more! Since "Next Christmas" is a New Year's Eve release, the B-side is a New Year's song — with a twist! "(It's Not the Year) It's You" is classic VB to the core. Hilariously, it looks at a situation where you might blame all your troubles on a bad year instead of taking personal accountability for all that went wrong. Think of this as a more light-hearted and family friendly version of the Sex Pistols' "Problems." Listening to these lyrics, most of us will think of someone in particular this song applies to! Mike and Mark went down to the wire to get this single released for New Year's Eve, and I really appreciate that. The record books will show that my first and last posts of 2024 were Vista Blue reviews!

-L.R.

https://wearevistablue.bandcamp.com/album/next-christmas
https://open.spotify.com/artist/6wtk5nIPa1lkJ2kksHc1zk
https://www.facebook.com/wearevistablue

Ralphie's Red Ryders - "Black Bart"

America's favorite A Christmas Story themed pop-punk band is back with another digital single worthy of a major award. If you thought Ralphie's Red Ryders might soon run out of song ideas after five singles and a 12-song album, I'm here to assure you that they're just getting started! "Black Bart" is the catchiest and bounciest Christmas pop-punk song you could ever hope to hear. What's the point of owning a Red Ryder Carbine-Action 200-Shot Range Model Air Rifle if you can't pick off creeping marauders with murderous precision? This is a little bit of a different sound for RRR, who have expanded on their usual Vista Blue mimicry with some nods to early Lookout! Records punk (quite a feat for three kids from late '30s Indiana). Flick could have used some of that hot bass when his tongue was stuck to that flagpole! Did Ralphie track those vocals in the front seat of The Old Man's '37 Oldsmobile? This is another super fun release from a super fun band, and Conor's cover art is amazing! Blast this next week when you're pre-gaming for the marathon!

-L.R.

https://ralphiesredryders.bandcamp.com/track/black-bart
https://open.spotify.com/album/7ezWKoizPT00fTlkgGflWa
https://www.facebook.com/ralphiesredryders/

Vista Blue - We Don't Know, Margo

I had to admit that I was starting to get a little worried. We were getting well into December, and there was still no Christmas music from Vista Blue. A Christmas without Christmas music from Vista Blue would not have felt like Christmas. I wondered if Heat Miser was up to something. But all is well in the holiday universe — yesterday Vista Blue gifted the world its tenth annual Christmas release in ten years as a band. I feel honored to have now written about nine of them. 

You might have glanced at the EP title We Don't Know, Margo and asked yourself, "Did Vista Blue actually write a sequel to their beloved seasonal smash hit 'Why Is the Carpet All Wet, Todd?'?" The answer is yes they did! And this is one of those rare sequel songs that's even better than the original. Nowhere will you hear a more perfect 99 seconds of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation–themed pop-punk. Man, this thing is an earworm! The more idiotic this song seems, the greater it becomes. Bookending this gem are an ultra-peppy cover of Connie Francis's 1962 hit "I'm Going To Be Warm This Winter" and the Rusty Spell–penned "When the Christmas Tree is All Aglow." The latter is one of those downer Christmas songs that isn't really a downer because it's so musically alluring. Credit goes to Spell for writing an amazing song and to the band for achieving a tricky blend of upbeat and melancholy. As delighted and amused as I am by "I Don't Know, Margo," I would still say that "When the Christmas Tree is All Aglow" is the real "hit" of the EP. If I didn't know any better, I might have believed this was some forgotten standard from decades ago. "I'm Going To Be Warm This Winter" supports my theory that many of the best Christmas songs are actually winter songs which should not be taken out of anyone's rotation until pitchers and catchers report to spring training. Hats off to the band for realizing that this tune would work brilliantly as a pop-punk song! 

Vista Blue's tenth Christmas release is one of its best yet. Now it feels like Christmas. Bring on the Christmas ale and NFL games on Netflix! 

-L.R.

https://wearevistablue.bandcamp.com/album/we-dont-know-margo
https://open.spotify.com/album/4hjVU3mf0UZvzgccZ8iXS9
https://www.facebook.com/wearevistablue/

Vista Blue - "There's a New 2nd Grade Album Coming Out Tomorrow"

Vista Blue, in addition to making wonderful music, is now in the business of issuing public service announcements! "There's a New 2nd Grade Album Coming Out Tomorrow" is not just the name of their new single — it's also a significant fact that you may not have been aware of. There is indeed a new album from 2nd Grade releasing tomorrow. This has to be the first time in music history that a band has released a song about another band's new album on the eve of its release. What Vista Blue has given us here is a love letter to 2nd Grade and also a celebration of the love of music. I think all of us have memories of being a kid and rushing to the record store to buy the new album from a favorite band on the day it came out. "There's a New 2nd Grade Album Coming Out Tomorrow" taps into the joy of that experience and is also kind of a love song. If you've ever wondered why I'm such a huge fan of Vista Blue, well it's not just that the band's pop-punk-leaning towards power pop style is my cup of tea (or rather my pint of beer). It's also that this band makes music that is fundamentally joyful and is so frequently trying new things simply because they're fun. I'm always going to be championing bands that want to put more joy and fun into the universe. On the virtual B-side, "Can't Have Us Without U" is a song Mike co-wrote with Rusty Spell. Mike has literally been trying to write this song for 20 years. Now that, my friends, is persistence! This is a reminder that writing songs is way harder than most people realize. Thankfully, Mike never gave up on completing this song, which combines two of my favorite things: romance and language arts. If you've been yearning for a sweet love song that's also a lesson on spelling rules, today is your day! This is like Sesame Street meets the Mr. T. Experience, and I am here for it!  

There's something incredibly hilarious about Vista Blue releasing a song today about an album that's coming out tomorrow. Today is literally the only day in history in which "There's a New 2nd Grade Album Coming Out Tomorrow" will be a factually accurate statement. I suppose that's why I'm writing a review of it at 5:30 in the morning. Sadly, there's no song on the new 2nd Grade album called "Vista Blue Released a New Single Yesterday," but I do highly recommend fresh hits like "Triple Bypass in B-Flat" and "I Wanna Be on Your Mind." If you're thinking this is the time of year when Vista Blue should be releasing holiday songs, I can guarantee that Mike does consider tomorrow a holiday. The more you know! 

-L.R.

https://wearevistablue.bandcamp.com/album/theres-a-new-2nd-grade-album-coming-out-tomorrow
https://2ndgrade.bandcamp.com/album/scheduled-explosions
https://www.facebook.com/wearevistablue/

Vista Blue - They Came Back

It's somewhat odd that while I'm generally not much of a horror fan, every year I really look forward to Vista Blue's annual horror-themed EP. It's never fully the fall in my world until Vista Blue releases more songs about horror flicks and scary stuff. And if it's not fully fall, I can't start drinking my Christmas ales. They Came Back is this year's VB fall seasonal, and it does not disappoint. On this EP, the band gives us songs about a haunted house, a haunted graveyard, and the 1971 movie Let's Scare Jessica to Death (which actually sounds like a scary movie I might enjoy). All of this leads up to the highlight of the EP — a freaking amazing cover of Ministry's "Every Day Is Halloween." Never in a million years could I have imagined this song arranged in Vista Blue's signature style and actually working. But holy cow, Mike and Mark totally pulled it off! If Old Style Dry is ever rebooted, Vista Blue has to do the commercial. Recently I joked about Mike earning his goth card, and now he has gone and stamped the thing! He'll be wearing capes by the year's end! As always, the songs are so tuneful and well-crafted that they could really be about anything. But I must admit that "Haunted House on My Street" makes me laugh out loud. It truly is the most wonderful time of the year.

-L.R.

https://wearevistablue.bandcamp.com/album/they-came-back
https://www.facebook.com/wearevistablue/

Vista Blue - Vista Blue Are the Pop Punk Preservation Society

"Dr. Frank said it, and it's our manifesto: 'The Ramones are gods; we're the only ones who know.'"

It has been a minute since I last reviewed Vista Blue. And I mean literally a minute. Of course Vista Blue Are the Pop Punk Preservation Society gets the award for the cleverest title for a single in 2024. As a huge Kinks fan and a huge pop-punk fan, I was bound to give this record a big thumbs-up before I even heard it. As you would expect, this single finds VB leaning into the punkier side of its sound. And while there's an obvious sense of humor to "The Pop Punk Preservation Society," the song is anything but snarky. It's essentially a tribute to all the bands and individuals who've kept pop-punk alive and going strong for decades out of sheer love for the music — in spite of all the criticism and negativity and self-righteous dismissiveness that often gets heaped upon this genre. I love how this song allows Mike to poke a little fun at himself and other songwriters in this community but to do so in a way that ultimately celebrates this style of music that so many of us love without irony. Fittingly, this a ten out of ten pop-punk tune that any Ramonescore executive would gladly download to their personal listening device. On the virtual B-side, "Nobody Told Me It Was Bandcamp Friday" is a sequel to VB's 2023 smash "Bandcamp Friday Is Here." Like any good sequel, it introduces an unforeseen and somewhat dramatic plot complication. Perhaps you yourself lived this very nightmare last week. Wouldn't it be hilarious if the band someday pressed "Bandcamp Friday Is Here," "Bandcamp Friday the 13th," and "Nobody Told Me It Was Bandcamp Friday" onto a 7-inch record that was not available digitally? Somebody make that happen! 

-L.R.

https://wearevistablue.bandcamp.com/album/vista-blue-are-the-pop-punk-preservation-society

https://www.facebook.com/wearevistablue/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/6wtk5nIPa1lkJ2kksHc1zk

Vista Blue - Be Good

One thing I've found that I really enjoy in music lately is when bands I like do covers records. Now I wouldn't necessarily want to hear a band I've never heard before doing a covers record. But if I like a band and am deeply familiar with its catalog, I think it's kind of neat to sometimes hear it recording other bands' material. It gives me insight into influences I might never have suspected. If I like a songwriter, my inquiring mind wants to know what songwriters that songwriter likes. I always enjoy hearing a favorite band putting its signature on songs I'm familiar with, and sometimes these covers introduce me to songs I wasn't familiar with. I've listened to The Speedways' Borrowed and Blue, MOM's Pulls a Fast One, and Vista Blue's Runaway countless times and love those titles as much as those bands' original music. While I eagerly wait for sequels from The Speedways and MOM, I am thrilled by the arrival of another covers EP from Vista Blue. 

As was the case with Runaway, Be Good does not go the obvious route in its track selection. As a big fan of what you might call "1980s British classic alternative rock for kids who wore black," I was excited to hear Vista Blue tackle The Cure's "In Between Days" (one of the greatest pop songs ever written) and the Lightning Seeds' "Pure." The latter retains the spirit of the original but adds some of the band's special sauce. The former gets fully transformed into a punky pop song that you could perhaps mistake for a VB original if you've been living in a cave for 40 years. If you're even going to attempt a song as untouchable as "In Between Days," you've got to make it your own. Mission accomplished, and now Mike has earned his goth card. Speaking of untouchable, Waxahatchee's "Be Good" is one of the greatest songs of this millennium, and VB wisely adapts it to its own style rather than trying to top it. If you've ever thought that "Be Good" would work really well as a pop-punk song, you will be pleased to hear what Vista Blue has done with it. I must confess knowing nothing about the band Lemon Demon*, but "As Your Father I Expressly Forbid It" made me laugh out loud more than a couple times. This is another delightful release from Vista Blue and a reminder that great bands aren't great bands just because of the songwriting. Singing, musicianship, production, and arrangement matter too, and no Vista Blue fan will be disappointed by Be Good.

*It turns out Lemon Demon is Mike's daughter's favorite band, and he recorded the song as a surprise for her. Ladies and gentlemen, meet the coolest dad in America! 

-L.R.

https://wearevistablue.bandcamp.com/album/be-good
https://www.facebook.com/wearevistablue/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/6wtk5nIPa1lkJ2kksHc1zk

Vista Blue - "No Baseball at the Summer Olympics"

I enjoy Vista Blue songs about baseball, and I enjoy Vista Blue songs about the Olympics. So of course a Vista Blue song about the 2024 Summer Olympics not including baseball is going to be totally up my alley. The band's new singe is called "No Baseball at the Summer Olympics," and the title pretty much says it all. Just in case you were not aware of this fact, Vista Blue is here to deliver the devastating news. The good news is that baseball will be back in the 2028 Summer Olympics, and the chances of Vista Blue releasing a triumphant sequel to this song in four years are very, very high. I also appreciate that "No Baseball at the Summer Olympics" is essentially a love song. Mike's lyrics are Gold Medal caliber, and he and Mark have turned out another punky pop earworm. Breaking even gets a shout-out! I can't think of another band that more consistently adds more fun to my life. "No Baseball at the Summer Olympics" is another smash from the VB hit factory. Enjoy the summer games, my friends! 

-L.R.  

https://wearevistablue.bandcamp.com/track/no-baseball-at-the-summer-olympics
https://www.facebook.com/wearevistablue/

Vista Blue - Help Me, Ron

When it comes to maintaining that Vista Blue is not a baseball-themed band, I will gladly die on that hill. Don't the numbers show that Vista Blue has significantly more holiday-themed releases than baseball-themed releases? Aren't three-quarters of the band's releases completely devoid of baseball songs? I would prefer to call Vista Blue a band that enjoys themes of all sorts — baseball being one of their favorites. With the release today of Help Me, Ron, the band has extended its streak of consecutive years putting out songs about baseball to ten. That's an impressive feat, and perhaps I'm doing a terrible job of proving that Vista Blue is not a baseball band. But as far as baseball-themed pop-punk releases go, Help Me, Ron is about as good as it gets. It takes a back-to-basics musical approach which really suits this particular release. Fans have been clamoring for Vista Blue baseball tracks since Opening Day. Now we finally get them for All Star Week, and they come with a sense of urgency. The title track, which features backing vocals from the great Perry Leenhouts, is a lovely reminder of the opportunities for redemption that the great game of baseball affords. A fielder is the bane of a pitcher's existence — until he's not! "Travinski's Got a Pencil Bat" is an ode to the (fingers crossed!) soon-to-be-drafted LSU star Hayden Travinski. And yes, he really has a bat that looks like a pencil. "Our Catcher's Back" gives me the feels as I count the days until J.T. Realmuto returns to the field. "Put the Tarp On" is about as timeless as a baseball song can be. "Faster and Louder" is the theme song I never asked for but got anyway — a tune about power pitchers coming out of the bullpen and thrilling crowds with their eye-popping velocity. The song also references pitching phenom Paul Skenes, who's set to start one of the most highly anticipated MLB All-Star Games of recent memory. The Phillies just lost by 15 runs to a team whose ownership ought to be relegated to AAA. But hey: I got a new theme song! Let's cheer for another decade of Vista Blue songs about baseball (and many, many other topics)!

-L.R.

https://wearevistablue.bandcamp.com/album/help-me-ron
https://open.spotify.com/album/4A7gfvNnRfRfcY8zlwCK2s
https://www.facebook.com/wearevistablue/

Tambourine Girlfriend - Tambourine Girlfriend's Easter Parade

Wait! Has Tambourine Girlfriend gone and covered all of Irving Berlin's songs from the classic musical film Easter Parade? Not quite. Instead they've taken all the song titles and turned them into original songs — in essence creating an Easter-themed indie pop album. Is this one of the most ridiculous concepts for an album I've ever come across? No doubt. But do I totally love it? Abso-freaking-lutely! Tambourine Girlfriend are Mike and Rusty from the wonderful holiday podcast Snow in Southtown. Tambourine Girlfriend's Easter Parade was conceived as a joke on the show, and then it became a real thing. It was originally created as bonus content for the show's short-lived Patreon. Now the album is available for the listening enjoyment of the whole wide world. 

I've been known to review Christmas, Halloween, and even Thanksgiving-themed releases before, but this is certainly my first time writing about an Easter album. If you can get past the absurdity of the concept, you will discover in Tambourine Girlfriend's Easter Parade a delightful and legit-good pop record. The album may have started out as a goof, but Mike and Rusty put tremendous love and care into these songs. As they do on the air, Mike and Rusty complement each other really well. Rusty's whimsical, endearingly geeky indie rock numbers alternate with Mike's melody-driven pop earworms, creating a flow that's enjoyable to the ears. In some of these cases, the songs turn out even better than their Easter Parade counterparts (I'm not above a little blasphemy during Holy Week). Of course I've reviewed Mike's band Vista Blue three or four times, and a few of these tracks could pass for Vista Blue songs. "I Want To Get Back To Michigan" is like a bonus Vista Blue single, and "The Girl on the Magazine Cover" actually appears on an official VB release. But Mike breaks from the pop-punk style on a lot of his contributions to this album — showing sides of himself we don't often hear on Vista Blue releases. He channels Oasis on "We're a Couple of Swells," one of the best tunes he's ever written. "It Only Happens When I Dance With You" is a dandy little baroque/indie pop gem. "Better Luck Next Time" makes it clear that a Mike Patton acoustic album would be a must-buy. Rusty's songs are equally good. "Happy Easter" immediately rises to the level of a holiday standard. "Beautiful Faces Need Beautiful Clothes" sounds like the best song Bobby Wratten never wrote. "Drum Crazy" is truly beautiful and sure to touch the heart of any music lover. 

As a writer, I find the whole premise of taking existing song titles and turning them into new songs an utterly fascinating exercise. Sometimes a funny idea can open the door to true inspiration. Don't let these jokers fool you: they are way more talented than they'd ever let on. Even if you have little interest in baskets of chocolate, giant bunnies, or the salvation of humanity, Tambourine Girlfriend's Easter Parade has plenty to offer you. And if you're a fan of holidays, pop culture, and holiday pop culture, I highly recommend adding Snow In Southtown to your podcast rotation. Happy Easter!

-L.R.

https://tambourinegirlfriend.bandcamp.com/album/tambourine-girlfriends-easter-parade
https://www.facebook.com/snowinsouthtown/
https://snowinsouthtown.wordpress.com/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/5oyXtio6NEO3fPrtGrv7eX

Vista Blue - Somebody's Favorite Band

Let's launch this blog's 14th year and Vista Blue's tenth year with one efficient post! Vista Blue is back with a brand-new single, and it's essentially a love letter to the underground music scene. I can't think of a more perfect way to kick off 2024. Vista Blue sometimes leans more pop-punk and other times leans more power pop, but the band finds the perfect blend of both styles on new single "Somebody's Favorite Band." 

The concept behind "Somebody's Favorite Band" is simple: every band out there has to be at least one person's favorite band. There are hundreds of thousands of bands out there pouring their hearts and souls into what they do. 99.9% of them will never get rich or famous doing it. Yet they persist because they love it, and at least someone out there derives joy from their music. "Somebody's Favorite Band" tells the story of one imaginary band that never quite "made it" but surely brought happiness to at least one person. A reliable source tells me that the part about the forgotten bass drum is a true story! The virtual B-side here is "Make a Record" — which pokes fun at an online "critic" who likes to post negative reviews of indie bands. While the song isn't about a real person, I think we all know people like this fictional music reviewer. The idea of the song is that instead of passing judgment on other people's creations, this dude ought to start his own band and contribute something to the music scene he purports to care so deeply about. The payoff is that the people in the bands he rags on would most likely be super supportive if he released his own music. Now that's community! I must admit that the lines "You're like the Kerouac of critics/You're the Twain of telling us what's so rad" made me think of myself when I was young and pompous. This song does an excellent job of explaining why I quit being a "critic" a long time ago! Although I will say that the world was better off with me never having made a record. 

Exclusive to the Bandcamp version of this release is a perfect bridge between "Somebody's Favorite Band" and "Make a Record" — a cover of The Queers' "Debra Jean" (which the band recorded for Little Lost Girl Media's upcoming Debra Jean compilation). Now Vista Blue is sometimes known for doing pop-punk versions of non pop-punk songs. But here they go the opposite direction and create an arrangement of a pop-punk classic that sounds nothing like pop-punk. I think this rendition of "Debra Jean" will surprise people in an entirely pleasant way. Vista Blue didn't just cover this song — they transformed it! 

You know, I don't know if I actually have just one favorite band. It's probably more like four or five co-favorites. But Vista Blue is on that shortlist, and more than a few others would have them on theirs as well. Cheers to a decade of Vista Blue! Geaux Tigers!

-L.R.

https://wearevistablue.bandcamp.com/album/somebodys-favorite-band

https://www.facebook.com/wearevistablue/

Ralphie's Red Ryders - "I Didn't Say Fudge"

 

Ralphie's Red Ryders, America's favorite A Christmas Story themed pop-punk band, is back with a brand-new single! And on this release, Ralphie, Flick, and Schwartz pay homage to one of A Christmas Story's most iconic scenes. The song is called "I Didn't Say Fudge," so you know exactly which scene I'm talking about. It's quite surprising that RRR had already released 14 songs but had not yet waxed poetic on Ralphie's uttering of the queen mother curse word. I was excited to hear how this song would turn out, and all I can say is that these guys nailed it. It's pure buzzing energy with a chorus worthy of a major award. Even Miss Shields would grade this as A+ pop-punk. On the virtual B-side, "Notafinga" pays tribute to the greatest furnace fighter of them all: Old Man Paker. The song is 65 seconds of genius fake cursing. You'd swear you're hearing the Old Man himself, although he does sound suspiciously like Reese from Vista Blue. Having been schooled by my own father in the fine art of profanity, I've always had a soft spot for the furnace scene. You have to love the way these two songs connect to one another. Ralphie's Red Ryders only release music once a year, but they always make it worth the wait! 

-L.R.

https://ralphiesredryders.bandcamp.com/album/i-didnt-say-fudge
https://open.spotify.com/album/2SpcgPQKLmhfiLRMunZkZD
https://www.facebook.com/ralphiesredryders/

Vista Blue - Christmas Every Day

Every year I wrestle with the question of how soon is too soon to alienate my handful of readers with reviews of Christmas music. November 21st does seem a little early to commence F & L's Christmas season, but I couldn't resist acknowledging the special occasion of Vista Blue's double Christmas release. For the first and perhaps only time, Vista Blue and its alter egos Ralphie's Red Ryders have simultaneously released music today. If they can go to the trouble of releasing two EPs at once, surely I can go to the trouble of posting two reviews at once. It's remarkable that Vista Blue can manage to be so incredibly prolific yet still delight me with every single release. Clearly these guys are due for a misfire just based on the pure math of it all, but somehow they keep beating the odds. Their 2023 holiday release Christmas Every Day is a must-hear for all who love pop-punk, Christmas, or both. Leading off is "It's Christmas Time" — perhaps the most traditional Christmas song Vista Blue has ever done. It's everything a Christmas song ought to be: instantly memorable, cheerful, and full of lyrics about people coming together to celebrate the season. If you think that's sappy, well that's the whole point! Had it not been for the references to Rodney Bingenheimer and Christmas ales, I might have mistaken this song for an old standard that the band rearranged. "What Are You Gonna Get?" is a sweet song about getting good presents ("You deserve something great, like 10s and 20s and real estate"). I'm surmising the title track was inspired by the William Dean Howells story, and it's absolute gem of a song. "The Rain Washed the Snow Away" is exactly what the title suggests — adding an amusing and realistic twist to the "songs about snow" Christmas trope. 

Christmas Every Day is not just the best Vista Blue Christmas release yet. It's one of the band's best releases, period. These guys put a lot of love into this EP, and it shows. You might ask yourself, "How can Vista Blue possibly get any better?" Well, Vista Blue is always better when Richard Bates is featured on lead guitar. And he absolutely kills it on this EP. I know some of you aren't ready for Christmas music two days before Thanksgiving (or ever!). But if Christmas tunes are your thing, Christmas Every Day is not to be missed.

-L.R.

https://wearevistablue.bandcamp.com/album/christmas-every-day
https://open.spotify.com/album/5nQnt1LkZtqwMNtV51CknP
https://www.facebook.com/wearevistablue/

Mike and Pat - "That Zombie Stole My Girl!"

Out today just in time for Halloween is the exciting debut single from the eagerly anticipated super(natural) duo Mike and Pat! Mike and Pat is not a popular fruit candy. Nor is it a comedy team from the '50s or a pair of rival cheesesteak moguls. Rather it's a joint venture between Mike from Vista Blue and Pat from The Putz. That sounds like a dream tandem on paper, but I've been cautious about seeming dream tandems ever since Joel Embiid & James Harden floundered in consecutive post-seasons and Yuengling Hershey's Chocolate Porter came out tasting like watered-down Yoo-hoo. Yet apparently the third time is the charm as members of perhaps my favorite two pop-punk bands have come together to knock their debut release out of the park. "That Zombie Stole My Girl!" is a splendid shot of monstrous pop-punk goodness that tells the story promised in the title (wonderfully depicted in Johnny Badgrammer's cover art). Horror and heartbreak in the same song? What fun! I couldn't have imagined this single getting even better on the B-side, but somehow it does! "I Like 'Em Tall, Green, and Rotting" tells the same story as the A-side but from the point of view of the girl. And hearing her tell the story, you just can't blame her for falling for that zombie. Far from just another gimmicky horror-punk act, Mike and Pat are here to teach us valuable life lessons. One person's heartbreak is sometimes another person's magical romance. And if a zombie can find love, certainly that means there's hope for everyone. All in all, this is an A+ pop-punk tune and an A+ horror tune, and you can hear the distinctive presence of both Mike and Pat coming through in a major way. Man, those harmonies are to die for. Bonus points for the Oxford comma! Have a happy Halloween, and be sure to make Mike and Pat part of your festivities!

-L.R.

https://radiantradish.bandcamp.com/album/that-zombie-stole-my-girl
https://open.spotify.com/album/14XYv28ugo75oFZEldGqyG

Vista Blue - Even Dracula Will Be There

 

October can never truly be over until Vista Blue releases its annual Halloween EP. A lot of us were starting to worry that the band was cutting it close this year. I was beginning to imagine some nightmare scenario where I'd have to re-live Penn State losing to Ohio State on an endless loop, and I'd never get to crack open my Christmas beers. But with nine days to spare, Mike and Mark came through in a big way. Even Dracula Will Be There is everything you'd want a Vista Blue Halloween release to be. I always appreciate the band's ability to summarize an entire horror movie in under three minutes. Appearing on this EP are odes to two highly-rated indie horror flicks of very recent vintage: Patrick Rea's They Wait in the Dark and John Isberg's Final Summer. "Final Summer," which has a hook to die for, is the kind of song we hope Vista Blue will never stop writing. "I Gotta Rock" references It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and turns out to be the ultimate Halloween anthem. This was a brilliant idea for a song, and I must say Mike and Rusty totally did it justice. For those of you who have Halloween playlists, "I Gotta Rock" is 100% a mandatory addition.  

It's Halloween weekend, and all is right with the world. You can stream They Wait in the Dark and Final Summer, listen to Vista Blue EPs for hours, and daydream about the candy you are soon to receive. I will pour myself a Christmas ale and contemplate the horror of Craig Kimbrel blowing the Phillies' season.

-L.R.

https://wearevistablue.bandcamp.com/album/even-dracula-will-be-there
https://open.spotify.com/album/2mgC3Csgz2yrmIHbchwYIC
https://www.facebook.com/wearevistablue/

Vista Blue - Runaway

My goodness — how long has it been since I last reviewed Vista Blue? It has been almost 48 hours. What a different world it was just two days ago. I was two days younger, and the Philadelphia Stars still had a winning record. I had never tried the chicken strips from Sheetz. I was so innocent then. But I awoke today with news of another EP from one of my favorite bands! 

I always like it when bands I love release full collections of covers. There's just something neat about songwriters I admire paying homage to the songwriters they admire. It's like a window into the soul of a musician. Mike and Mark from Vista Blue recorded Runaway a few days back. Mike remarks that the songs selected are from bands that have been huge influences on his songwriting for a long time. They have been arranged to sound like they could have been Vista Blue originals, but the larger goal here is to bring attention to the original versions and get people to check out the bands that recorded them. Needless to say, the band didn't go with any obvious choices. As much as I'd like to hear Vista Blue take a stab at, say, "The World Has Turned and Left Me Here," that would not be nearly as educational. The band went pretty deep here, and that's commendable. And with all these songs coming from the general world of indie pop and twee, that gives this EP a poppier feel that really hits a sweet spot for me. The songs covered are Imperial Teen's "Runaway" (from 2012's Feel the Sound), All Girl Summer Fun Band's "Ticking Timebomb" (from 2003's 2), Television Personalities' classic single "14th Floor", and Camera Obscura's "Come Back Margaret" (from 2006's Let's Get Out of This Country). To say that Mike picked great songs to cover would be an understatement. These are amazing songs that the world should know. Of course they've been given the proper Vista Blue treatment to delightful effect. No Vista Blue fan will be disappointed. But the band's real hope is that you'll like these songs so much that you'll want to hear the original versions, explore the full catalogs of the bands that authored them, and eventually "send them love letters." Sounds like a plan to me! Music is a beautiful thing.

-L.R.

https://wearevistablue.bandcamp.com/album/runaway
https://open.spotify.com/artist/6wtk5nIPa1lkJ2kksHc1zk
https://twitter.com/wearevistablue
https://www.facebook.com/wearevistablue/

Vista Blue - "Bandcamp Friday Is Here!"

Yay! Bandcamp Friday is here! You can happily shop Bandcamp today knowing that the bands will receive 93% of your money. Wait a minute: apparently there is no Bandcamp Friday this month — or next month. Who knew that such a sacred holiday could be indiscriminately canceled? This is an outrage! But Vista Blue has got us covered. Leave it to this band to release the first Bandcamp Friday theme song on the eve of this Bandcamp Friday that's not actually a Bandcamp Friday. 

Let's face it: Bandcamp Friday definitely deserved an anthem of its own. Bandcamp is a vital platform to this indie/punk thing of ours. And while Vista Blue's timing of this release may lead to confusion, chaos, and tears across the globe, the beauty of  "Bandcamp Friday Is Here!" is that it will already be on your device when it's time to celebrate the next Bandcamp Friday and all the ones after that. On top of that, the band's choice to release the song last night will surely sit well with all those who maintain that every Friday ought to be Bandcamp Friday. There are no laws against Bandcamp Friday creeping. In typical Vista Blue fashion, "Bandcamp Friday Is Here!" is a pop-punk hit straight from the textbook. It's got an earworm chorus, a melody you can hum all day, and guitar hooks out the wazoo. I won't spoil the lyrics for you, but the second verse made me laugh so hard that I almost spat out my plant-based milk. Backing  "Bandcamp Friday Is Here!" on this virtual 45 is "Bandcamp Friday the 13th," which Mike co-wrote with John Galvin from Kelsey Badgrammer. As the title suggests, this song is about Bandcamp Friday AND Friday the 13th. How can these two things possibly be combined? Listen and find out!

As is the case with the majority of Vista Blue's releases, "Bandcamp Friday Is Here!" is a free download on Bandcamp. So you can "buy" it guilt-free today knowing that 82% of zero dollars is exactly equal to 93% of zero dollars. As for me, I'm always happy to have any new music from Vista Blue. Should you choose to celebrate this non-sanctioned Bandcamp Friday, may I suggest the purchase of the new Saturday Morning Lineup compilation from Memorable But Not Honorable Records? It's a collection of pop-punk covers of cartoon theme songs. I chose not to formally review it since I'm unfamiliar with most of the cartoons and didn't want to be a poser. But I will say that Vista Blue's rendition of the Heathcliff theme is absolutely amazing (I'll embed it below for your convenience). And the artist lineup features some of my absolute favorites from the pop-punk world (such as Lesser Creatures, The Putz, and Geoff Palmer). Now go out enjoy this non–Bandcamp Friday!

-L.R.

https://wearevistablue.bandcamp.com/album/bandcamp-friday-is-here
https://twitter.com/wearevistablue
https://www.facebook.com/wearevistablue/
https://mbnhrecords.bandcamp.com/album/saturday-morning-lineup

Vista Blue - "Coming Out Swinging"

On its first release of 2023, Vista Blue renews its annual tradition of celebrating the arrival of baseball season. They say everyone's an optimist on opening day, and "Coming Out Swinging" exemplifies that very notion. But there's something more to "Coming Out Swinging" than just the ordinary high hopes of a new season. The team depicted in this song doesn't just believe this will finally be its year — it knows it. It's been through some trying seasons and encountered some bad luck, but now everything is about to change. There's electricity in the air. When you realize your hitting, pitching, and defense are all coming together, you can't wait to get on the field and take on all comers. This song is clearly not about the 2023 Phillies, but it does have me fondly recalling the 2007 Jimmy Rollins–led team that was just one year removed from winning it all. And if you're a Rays fan, you might think the band wrote this song just for you! I love the energy of this song. It's way over on the pop side of the pop-punk spectrum, and the swagger of the lyrics comes off far more joyful than cocky. Featuring a melody you can hum all day and a chorus you won't be able to get out of your head, this is a vintage Vista Blue number in every respect. "Tre' Morgan Hit for the Cycle on Mardi Gras Day" is a factual statement and the virtual B-side to this single. Here the style shifts to lightspeed punk rock. I've decided I should refrain from further comment since I've already jinxed one LSU sports season. 

While any decent fact-checking site can debunk the foul rumor that Vista Blue only writes songs about baseball, I will say that "Coming Out Swinging" is about as perfect of a baseball song as you'll ever hear. It's got a great hook & great lyrics with nary a mention of a "speedball." Any Major League team not playing it in the clubhouse by the Fourth of July deserves to lose. Four months without new music from Vista Blue felt like an eternity, but this new single was worth the wait. Two songs in 134 seconds is a remarkable display of songwriting efficiency. Clearly Mike and Mark are taking this pitch clock thing seriously!

-L.R.

https://wearevistablue.bandcamp.com/album/coming-out-swinging

https://open.spotify.com/album/7nBeRXyx5Br2eflL5ADAya

https://twitter.com/wearevistablue

https://www.facebook.com/wearevistablue/

Vista Blue - We Practiced All Year Long

Writing about Vista Blue's annual Christmas releases has become a favorite tradition of mine. It has reached the point where it wouldn't feel like Christmas season without some new Vista Blue songs in the rotation. For Christmas 2022, the band offers us the three-song EP We Practiced All Year Long (paraphrasing a line from a particularly polarizing Christmas classic). Half the fun in hearing a VB Christmas release is discovering the choices the band made in terms of cover material or subject matter for new songs. It's not like these guys are just recording the typical standards year after year. On that note, We Practiced All Year Long is a most satisfying collection. 

Up first, "Santa, Teach Me To Dance" is a cover of what I consider to be one of the best-ever Christmas songs — a 1962 gem of a release from the otherwise unremarkable girl group Debbie and the Darnels. Vista Blue's arrangement is delightful, taking a doo wop influenced pop-punk approach that is right in the band's wheelhouse. Who doesn't love a keyboard solo? I think a lot of people who don't know the original version will be thankful to Vista Blue for pointing them in the direction of an overlooked classic. Your holiday playlist is not complete without "Santa, Teach Me To Dance"! Track 2, "Kmart Christmas 1979," is literally a cover of a Kmart Christmas commercial from 1979. Obviously, this gives me nostalgic goosebumps since I was a '70s kid (although we were more of a Hills family). But it's also a reminder of a time when advertising was so much simpler. A department store could literally run an entire commercial just listing all the cool products it had available for purchase. I was watching the original commercial and admiring the craftmanship and musical professionalism that went into that jingle. In a strange way, Vista Blue's rendition is quite faithful to the original! Who remembers being able to buy records at Kmart? To finish up, "Why Is The Carpet All Wet, Todd?" is an original track the band recorded for a new compilation of songs about Christmas movies. As the title suggests, it's an homage to the Griswolds' villainous yuppie neighbors in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Suffice it to say, if you've never seen the movie, you won't get the song at all. There's a certain genius in revisiting an iconic line from a film and repeating it over and over. That is the genius of Vista Blue. Every year as I watch Christmas Vacation, I find myself impressed how the Margo and Todd scenes derive such idiotic laughs out of scathing social commentary. And now this song is making me laugh idiotically. Well done, gentlemen. Well done! 

Fans of Vista Blue's Christmas music ought to be reminded that Blue Christmas, a limited edition bootleg CD compilation of some of the band's seasonal favorites, has been placed into circulation by the nefarious but goodhearted Tiranasaurus Recs. A parcel from Albania containing this disc recently arrived in my mailbox, and I was pleased to find that Merkush selected some real winners. I especially enjoyed revisiting the Jingle All the Way themed "Nobody Wants Booster," the Home Alone inspired "I Made My Family Disappear," and the band's version of Paul "Fat Daddy" Johnson's Baltimore Christmas classic "Fat Daddy." None of these songs are new, but it's kind of cool to have them on one disc. Since I'm not in the business of sanctioning criminal activity, I'll just say that if you know what you need to do to acquire a copy of Blue Christmas, it will be well worth your effort. "Nobody Wants Booster" has risen to the level of being one of my favorite Vista Blue songs, period. 

Out of consideration for those of you who don't celebrate Christmas, morally object to jollity, or spend your days tormenting your hapless employee Bob Cratchit, I promise to limit myself to exactly four Christmas related reviews this month. I believe I have chosen wisely in granting We Practiced All Year Long one of those limited slots. And you bargain shoppers will like the price!

-L.R.  

https://wearevistablue.bandcamp.com/album/we-practiced-all-year-long
https://open.spotify.com/album/3mgeuPx6rCZRUpKoaeEV5I
https://www.facebook.com/wearevistablue/
https://www.instagram.com/wearevistablue/

Vista Blue - No Cliques, No Trends

The best thing about doing a fully independent smalltime blog is that I can do whatever I want. I could wake up one day and decide I'm going to do nothing but write essays on Dictators songs for the rest of my life (at least I wouldn't have to change the name of the blog!). I can sneak sports predictions into record reviews (Phillies in seven). I can leave myself notes for my grocery list (Don't forget that six-pack of Abita Office Party!). And if I like a band so much that I want to review it 35 times (and counting!), there's no one above me to tell me I can't. So on that note, I am about to review Vista Blue for the 35th time (not counting my write-ups on Vista Blue rip-offs Ralphie's Red Ryders). 

It seems odd after reviewing 35 Vista Blue releases to say that the latest, No Cliques, No Trends, is definitively the best of all of them. But I can't name a better release from the VB catalog. If you've read this far, you're either a member of the band, a friend of a member of the band, a relative of a member of the band, or a dedicated fan of the band. So I don't really need to explain to you why Vista Blue is awesome. But I will say that No Cliques, No Trends is cool because it combines all the best elements of Vista Blue into a single EP. Is this a pop-punk release or a power pop release? The answer is yes. I love how it embraces both of those styles and ultimately just sounds like Vista Blue. My initial response to this EP after giving it couple of listens was, "Wow, this is really good!" I suppose it's odd to be surprised that you really like a release from a band you've reviewed 38 35 times. But it wasn't really surprise so much as it was tremendous appreciation that a band could be this prolific yet still deliver fantastic songs every single time. And like all Vista Blue releases, this one makes me smile. 

"The Boys Are Still In Town" clocks in under two minutes but still falls as close to power pop as it does to pop-punk. It's an amusing variation on the "Boys are back in town" theme —  the twist being that these boys will never be back in town because they never left in the first place. I can't tell if this song is supposed to be mocking or just merely observational (I'm leaning towards the latter). Either way, it's freaking hilarious and bound to be stuck in your head for days. I have to admit those lines about dudes working where their parents used to work and eating where their parents used to eat hit really close to home! "The Girl on the Magazine Cover" is probably the purest pop song Vista Blue has ever done — yet it's as lean and efficient as any of the band's tunes. On "We Don't Think So," the band fires back at its detractors in a way that's more self-affirming than bitter. There's a good message in there about never allowing anyone to discourage you from doing the things that make you happy. If Vista Blue ever listened to the people who told them to stop wasting their time writing songs about baseball (and horror movies, curling, Christmas, the Olympics, scooters, The Outsiders, Thanksgiving, and muffins), the world would be a little less bright. Is "I Don't Wanna Spend the Summer With You" a classic pop-punk song about summer and girls? Not quite! Elsewhere the band rages against the fake Richard Bates and produces a sequel to "Bryan Funck Ripped Us Off" that's even better than the original! 

Since we're all friends, family, and fans of Vista Blue, I can assume a common appreciation of the band's catalog. No Cliques, No Trends has to rate somewhere near the top of that catalog. It's full of power pop-punk earworms that are fun to listen to and fun to sing along with. Enjoy the real Vista Blue in top form!

-L.R.

https://wearevistablue.bandcamp.com/album/no-cliques-no-trends
https://open.spotify.com/album/1sX7J8jFluAzJuJjiZ6HXc
https://www.facebook.com/wearevistablue/