TOP 10 LISTS FOR THE YEAR!

So here we are, at the end of another year, and another round of lists from those close to the Hex inner circle (that being me). It's not a very large group of folks that I asked, but it's small because they are important. That's right. Like V.I.P. important ya know? Everyone else... peons. That's why you're reading this and taking notes.
Just kidding.
Enjoy the entertainment value within and feel free to post your own lists as comments!
Oh, and two other quick things:
First, if you order anything... and I mean ANYTHING from the store between now and January 1st you get a free 7" of my choosing (it's gonna be either the Hex 7" comp., the Inkling "Bad Apple Theory/My Advice" 7", the No Idols 7" (on Grave Mistake Records), or the National Acrobat "It's Nothing Personal" 7"). So do it.
Secondly, at the end of this week I'm making an official announcement about a couple records I'm releasing in the Summer. Most regular readers will already know what it is, but I may as well make it 'official', ya know?
OK, here's the lists, and funny pictures to go with:

RORY VAN GROL- Soul Control/ Achilles/ holding down Providence, RI

- Central America Tour - I never thought that I would ever do something like this and my mind was blown. So amazing.
- “Toll The Hounds”, by Steven Erickson
- Young Widows, “Old Wounds”
- My iMac
- Ian Mackaye Question and Answer.
- Helms Alee , “Night Terror”
- The Mountain Goats, “Heretic Pride/ The Black Pear” split
- The Mountain Goats Live
- “The Diving Bell” and “The Butterfly”, by Jean-Dominique Bauby
- “The Road”, by Cormac McCarthy

TONY TORNABENE- Night Owls/ welder/ full-time Dad

Top 10 most amazing things about parenthood:
10. Sleep. Yeah right, whats that?
9. Hey dad when I'm done eating I'm just gonna throw the rest of this shit on the floor.
8. Keeping your shirt clean for, oh, maybe 5 minutes.
7. Boogers.
6. Your house looking like Beirut by 5pm.
5. Jesus fuckin christ what is that smell? Oh thats the cheese cubes that have been under the couch for 2 weeks.
4. I'm gonna push my brother off the couch now. Ok daddy?
3. Screaming so high pitched that the dog wants to start wooping some 2 year old ass.
2. Taking a nice long wizz on the dining room floor.
and the #1 most amazing thing about parenthood....drum roll....
“Hey Tony can you come here, Aidan just took a huge steaming shit in the bath tub.”

JONAH LIVINGSTON- Ramming Speed/ Backstabbers Inc./ Teenage Disco Bloodbath Records/ thrash-a-hol Thundercat

Not really in any order:
1. Disfear, “Live the Storm”
2. Playing MLB The Show '06 in 2008
3. Burrito metal (Baroness, Torche, et al)
4. Battlemaster dudes (for keeping true metal alive & nerdy)
5. Crucial Babes (this isn't a band or anything, just like.. you know.. the genre of babe)
6. “We Are The Road Crew”, by Motorhead (for being truer then ever)
7. American fests that don't suck (Dude Fest, The Fest, This Is For You Fest)
8. Soul Control and Die Young playing in my home/practice space/office
9. Beer
10. Twin Donuts, Allston MA (and the 4 am breakfast sandwich crue)
11. You, for being a sweet heart

RYAN HEX- supreme overlord/executive offices/inventor of pre-music/ Mistletoe

Top stuff of ‘08 (in no order)
1.) Saw, and interviewed, Devo... (finally) over the summer. Waited a good 20 years for that one
2.) The Fest in Gainesville... what a rad weekend!
3.) Helms Alee, “Night Terror” (Hydrahead)
4.) Young Widows, “Old Wounds” (Temporary Residence)
5.) Suicide Note, “Empty Rooms” (Hawthorne Street)
6.) Lemuria, “Get Better” (Asian Man)
7.) Playing Enemy, “My Life As the Villain” (Hex)
8.) Rocket From the Crypt, “R.I.P.” (Vagrant)... greatest rock n’ roll band ever
9.) Night Owls, demo
10.) West Coast trip with my lady in March/April

WESTON CZERKIES- Oak and Bone/lower-level resident/ “Wesley”

TOP 10
1. MARATHON (the ancient PC game, not the band or race. no disrespect.)
2. Coffee
3. Cult Ritual - all 3 EPs
4. O&B finally recording
5. Not working
6. “Miller's Crossing”
7. KITTENS
8. China Road's vegetarian beef w/ scallions
9. YYYs, “Is Is” EP
10. No Connection, “Second To None” 7" (that's right, I went there. so what?)

BEN VERELLEN- Helms Alee/ maker of amps/ a gentle bear with a mighty roar

1. The Brave Patrons and Supporters of Verellen Amplifiers
2. Maxwell's Equations
3. John Spalding (RIP)
4. Dungen
5. Bruno Fuzz Wau Wau
6. Torche, “Meanderthal”
7. 'Club Wago' for hanging on to life
8. Victoria Clipper
9. Earth, “The Bees Made Honey in the Lion's Skull”
10. Jimi Hendrix, “Axis Bold As Love”

BOB SWIFT- The Helm/ track coach extrodinaire/ pizza wolf

1. Ingraham Rams Cross Country 2008
2. The Helm US Tour 2008/Writing the new album
3. John 25 moving to Seattle. More rad folks should try it.
4. Giant (or whatever their new name is). Awesome dudes.
5. Hex Records, and that despicable bastard who runs it.
6. Finally seeing The Breeders live
7. Cursed, “III: Architects of Troubled Sleep”
8. Portishead, “Third”
9. “The Dark Knight”
10. Earth, “The Bees Made Honey in the Lion's Skull”
10. One Day as a Lion, s/t