For his latest single, Jon Spencer teams with Kendall Wind and Spider Bowman of The Bobby Lees and roots music legend Deke Dickerson for "Come On!" The song is described as a "Super-groovy garage-soul-punk protest song," although it's pretty sad that asking people to live their lives without hate is considered political in 2025. This song is pure vintage Spencer, and it's being attacked with an energy and vitality that we haven't seen from the former Blues Explosion frontman in years. This is the kind of protest song that dominated the 60's, but through a garage-soul-punk filter. "Come On!" is a great song that name checks legends such as Mavis Staples, Chuck D, Wayne Kramer, Kathleen Hanna, and more.
You can watch the video for "Come On!" below. The single is out now via Shove Records. For more on Jon Spencer, check out the artist on Instagram and Facebook. Upcoming tour dates are below the video and include a July 14 date at The Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton, MA.
May 21 - Cleveland OH - Beachland Tavern
May 22 - Kalamazoo MI - Bell's Eccentric Café -
May 23 - Chicago IL - Fitzgerald’s
May 24 - Ferndale MI - The Magic Bag
May 25 - Rochester NY - Skylark Lounge
May 31 - Bourges (FR) - Cosmic Trip Festival
June 1 - Reims (FR)- Cartonnerie Club
June 2 - Lille (FR) - L’Aeronef
June 3 - Liege (FR) - Reflektor
June 4 - Paris (FR) - La Maroquinerie
June 5 - Annecy (FR) - Le Brise Glace
June 6 - Lourmarin (FR) - Yeah! Festival
June 7 - Savona (IT) - Rain Dogs
June 8 - Reggio Emilia (IT) - Handmade Festival
June 10 - Schorndorf (DE) - Manufaktar
June 11 - Mainz (DE) – Schon Schon (Auch 13)
June 12 – Koln (DE) - Koln - Bumann & Sohn
June 13 - Munster (DE) - Gleis 22
June 14 - Dresden (DE) - Beatpol
June 15 - Berlin (DE) - Lido
June 17 - Copenhagen (DK) - Hotel Cecil
June 18 - Hamburg (DE) - Molotow
June 19 - Hanover (DE) - Café Glocksee
June 20 - Antwerp (BE) - Djingel Djangel
June 21 - Nijmegen (NL) - Kids N Billies
July 11 - Lancaster, PA - Tellus 360
July 12 - Staten Island, NY - Maker Park Festival
July 13 - New Haven, CT - Cafe Nine
July 14 - Northampton, MA - Iron Horse Music Hall
July 15 - Portland, ME - Oxbow Blending & Bottling
Somehow Peter Prescott of Mission of Burma and Volcano Suns has another band that I never knew about. Minibeast already released an album that I completely missed back in 2012, and they are currently at work on the follow up, Free Will. Based on a track from the upcoming album, "High Sea," Minibeast shares some common sonic ground with Mission of Burma, but with an added emphasis on the groovy side of things. It's basically the noise and dissonance of Burma but heard through a 60s surf groove, as if Frankie and Annette were punks. You can listen to "High Sea" below. Minibeast currently have a Kickstarter to help fund the final production of Free Will. You can get more information on that here . It should be out sometime in June.
Photo by Annabel Kean For their latest single, New Zealand's The Beths have released "Mother, Pray for Me." This is a heartbreaking ballad consisting of Elizabeth Stokes' vocals and guitar with just the slightest hint of organ. It's a deeply personal song for Stokes, made obvious with how intimately the song comes across. It truly feels almost confessional, and it's quite simply beautiful. The Beths are most known for huge little indie rock gems perfect for bopping along to, but "Mother, Pray for Me" is quite the opposite. Stokes' vocals and lyrics are right up front on this one, and I can't imagine it any other way. Elizabeth Stokes says of her latest single: “I cried the whole time writing it. It's not really about my mother, it's about me — what I hope our relationship is, what I think it is, what it maybe actually is, and what I can or can't expect out of it. “My mother is a first gen Indonesian immigrant, and very Catholic....
Photo by Cecil Sykes Midnight Peg are an Edmonton, AB based band that are referred to as "madhouse punk." Their latest single, "Thirstland," is a just barely under control two minute burst of punk. You have guitar riffs that will make you think of At the Drive In, and somewhat spoken and yelled vocals which create a feeling of chaos throughout. This is a loud and angry track that is completely in your face. But, unlike most tracks this loud and punk based, "Thirstland" still keeps a sense of art in their music. Midnight Peg feel like a higher class of loud, angry punk rock. This one is great, with just enough of an emo undercurrent to make the song kind of melodic and almost palatable to a mainstream audience. You can listen to "Thirstland" below. Skinning is due out in October on Thousand Island Records. For more on Midnight Peg, check out the artist's website .
