FELONY RECORDS ARTISTS (SIC WAITING) Top 10 of 2015

Being that our label is owned by fans of punk rock and the bands we work with are all lifers like ourselves, we thought we would do our own top 10 albums of 2015 culled from our growing roster of artists.

Next up we asked almost anyone who has ever been in “Sic Waiting”.

SIC WAITING TOP 10 OF 2015

2015 was a strong year for us. We released Derailer, toured the US a couple times, played Fest, Puerto Rico, Mexico, etc. It went by quick. If there’s something I hope we do in 2016, it’s take a second to soak it in a little more often. At the heart, every musician strives for validation, whether they say it or not. You people listening are what keeps this chugging along (pun intended). Thank you guys for being you.

Most people know by now that Sic Waiting is a collective. Many people come together to make this band actually work. From Yotam, (also of Useless ID – new record in 2016 on FAT) and his own strong solo career (check out 2015’s California Sounds),to Dave (Las Vegas superhero, check out War Called Home, Nothing With Numbers and Guity by Association), to Anthony (check out Lowbrow and 2015’s Insert Brain Here for some shredding skate punk), to Blake (check out our butt buddies in DC Fallout), to Mikey (check out Puerto Rico’s own D Cent Jerks for the strongest punk/ska fix you’ll ever need), to Brian (in the best Bad Religion tribute band on the planet, Generator), to Jason (Parade of Horribles is a two piece progressive punk monster) to Andrew (also Anthony’s cohort in Lowbrow), to Jared. It’s a fucked way to operate but every single person plays an irreplaceable role, and without even one of them, the machine tumbles. When we all get together for the common goal that is Sic Waiting, shit just works. So from each one of us, to every other one, thank you guys for being you.

JARED STINSON
SIC WAITING – Vocals, Guitar

John Moreland, High on Tulsa Heat
2015 had so many amazing releases it’s hard to pick out of the crop. But John Moreland holds a torch in my heart. His record prior to this, In the Throes, is a masterpiece and High on Tulsa Heat is the follow up I was afraid wouldn’t come. It’s somber, sincere, and fucking beautiful. I got to see him play a living room in Bakersfield, CA right after our Spring tour this year. I got drunk and asked him to draw a dick on the record of his that I bought. He said he wouldn’t, but I could. So I did.

YOTAM BEN HORIN (also of Useless ID, SPIT, Yotam Ben Horin)
SIC WAITING – Tour Bass

Rob Moir, Adventure Handbook
I was just touring Europe a month ago and the guys I was touring with couldn’t stop talking about how good and awesome Rob is and that we have one show together towards the end of the tour. Of course I had high expectations and then the day came. In soundcheck I realized Rob is something special. Once he hit the stage he had the whole bar shut up and listen by just playing his tunes. (People say I can do that too but I’m saying this from a crowds perspective) When someone is that good live it gives me a little feeling of unease, that’s what Rob did. We became good buddies right away and I highly recommended this album to anyone in to very good story-teller folk punk.

ANTHONY CIANDELLA (also of Lowbrow)
SIC WAITING – Lead Guitars, backups

Almeida, Social Media Circus
This may only be a five song EP, but it’s over 20 minutes of music, which is longer than After the Fall’s new full length (which is also an awesome album), so suck it, I’m choosing an EP as my album of the year. If you like your skatepunk fast, shreddy, heavy, and most importantly well written, then you’ll see why this is my favorite release of the year. These dudes out shred most bands at every instrument, but never sound like they’re trying too hard.

BLAKE KARDASHIAN (also of DC Fallout)
SIC WAITING – Touring Lead Guitars, backups

Carly Rae Jepsen, Emotion
Her album is a great throwback to the 80’s, from the artwork to the instrumentation. It pays homage to pop songs from 30 years ago, yet still sounds modern with amazing production. And of course, the melodies are fantastic.

ANDREW ROTTER (also of Lowbrow)
SIC WAITING – Drums

Ryan Adams, 1989
Ryan Adam’s 1989 is a cover album of Taylor Swift’s 1989, from front to back. It’s chock full of really great melancholy melodies and cool atmospheric layers that change Taylor Swift’s songs into an amazing indie album reminiscent of the original, while being far enough removed that it stands on its own.

JASON YORK (also of Parade of Horribles)
SIC WAITING – Bass

Wild Throne, Harvest of Darkness
The two albums I swarmed over the most this year were Good Riddance’s Peace in Our Time and Purple, just released by Baroness. But a friend tipped me off to Harvest of Darkness by Wild Throne and I went nuts for it.It’s heavy, melodic, theatrical. A metal version of Muse meets the Mars Volta for a Sid and Nancy-esque love feud through your eardrums…yeah that’s it.

DAVE BARTLETT (also of War Called Home, Nothing with Numbers, and Guilty By Association)
SIC WAITING – Tour Drums

Be Like Max, Against All Odds
Solid release from the Las Vegas locals. It’s always fun seeing these guys and skanking around with everyone that sings and dances. These guys are making their rounds and this record is a great reason why. Everyone needs a little more ska in their life, so go get this record!

BRIAN FRANKLIN (also of Generator)
SIC WAITING – Studio Drums

Strung Out, Transmission Alpha Delta
I thought the songs on this album were really well written and really catchy. For me this record has it all, great choruses, riffs and the occasional face-melting solo. The production quality is great as well. It seems like they really took their time on this record.

MIKE MULET (also of D Cent Jerks)
SIC WAITING – Tour Bass

Not On Tour, Bad Habits
My top album of 2015 is Tel Aviv, Israel’s female-fronted punk rock band Not On Tour’s Bad Habits. Not only is it my favorite album of 2015, it’s definitely in my all-time tops. I had the opportunity to co-mix the record (and Yotam actually produced it!) and from the moment I heard the tracking roughs I fell in love. The album is great from start to finish. Great songwriting, melodies, performance and production. It has a unique sound too. The singer’s (Sima’s) voice is amazing and the drumming on the record is solid and dynamic. Most of the songs last about a minute, and none are more than two minutes, yet they all sound complete. I’ll stop now.

JARED STINSON
SIC WAITING – Vocals, Guitar

Honah Lee, 33 on 45
I’ve never met these guys. We were trying to set something up together on the last SW tour but it couldn’t happen. But ever since someone (I think it was punk rock superhero Lauren Mills) connected me to them, I can’t stop listening to this record. It’s perfect, gritty, melodic punk. 2015 will be remembered for a lot of things to me. One of those things is the year I found Honah Lee.