Gonerfest Afterparty | Kids Like You & Me (KLYAM)

Artwork by Greg Shirilla. Art direction by Sara Moseley

September 2026:

Dead Moon – Black September 45 (1989)
Descendants – I Don’t Want to Grow Up (1985)
Descendants – Enjoy! (1986)
The Chats – Get This in Ya! EP (2017)
The Chats – High Risk Behavior (2020)
Gossip Collar – Eaten of Worms (2026)
Mount Eerie – A Crow Looked at Me (2017)
V/A – Feel Lucky Punk?!! (1991 compilation, 70s/80s)
Intensive Care Unit – Waste Fraud + Abuse EP (2026)
Joey Ramone – Don’t Worry About Me (2002)
Loose Lips – Love You 45 (2026)
Dicklickers – S/T (2026)
Noah Britton – Love! (2026, recorded 2021-2026)
Frank Sinatra – In the Wee Small Hours (1955)
Leona Anderson – Music to Suffer By (1956)
Drunks With Guns – S/T EP (1985)
D. Sablu – Righteous Light (2026)
The Drags – Dragsploitation… Now! (1994)
The Drags – Stop Rock and Roll (1996)
The Drags – Set Right Fit To Blow Clean Up (1998)
Horsegirl – Phonetics On and On (2025)
The Lotts – Get Obsessed (2026)
Animal Piss, It’s Everywhere – Grace (2024)
Death – … For The Whole World To See (2009, recorded in 70s)
Pissmas Tape (2026)
Slippers – So You Like Slippers? (2024)
Slippers – Slippers 08 (2026)
Wesley & The Boys – Euro Tour Tape 26 (2026)
Drunks With Guns – S/T EP (1993)
The Germs – Cruising Studio Sessions EP (1980)
Dry Socket – The First Five Years (2025, recorded 2020-2025)
Cococoma/Turpentine Brothers – Keep That Volume Down/Never Done Nothing Right 7” (2006)
Turpentine Brothers – Get Your Mind Off Me/Not Your Fashion 7” (2006)
James Arthur/Alicja Trout – Go West Old Bastards/Close Ur Eyres (2012)
James Arthur – MannTT (2009)
Manhunt – Staring At The Sun/Cherry Red 7” (2017)

Another Gonerfest in the books! That makes 10 for me! Had a great time! Saw tons of sick bands, hung out with friends new and old, and ate some delicious BBQ. My favorite was the BBQ spaghetti (on French toast) at The BBQ Shop. Say hi to Eric and Rob! Anyway, this month’s listing was heavily inspired by bands who played Gonerfest.

Starting off with the apropos “Black September” from the legendary Dead Moon. Toody Cole and her band also headlined Gonerfest! It was amazing and she dished out many a Dead Moon classic and more! Our very own Gritty caught up with her briefly at the Holiday Inn breakfast!

Speaking of legends, Gonerfest 23 was filled with them! Goner does a great job of catching the fresh, young cream of the crop, but also incorporate iconic (at least to us weirdos!) Rock and Roll heads. Death – Detroit’s best kept secret; formed in fucking 71! First black Punk band and in general one of the first Punk bands – headlined Gonerfest! Drunks With Guns played a Gonerfest after party at B-Side alongside AAAA The New Memphis Legs (one of my favorites featuring GF head honcho Eric Friedl). I found it funny that when I said this was my Gonerfest after party of choice that night several folks said “That sounds like a show you’d go to.” Don Perry said it best “That’s a man who understands Geriatrics.” I had a blast! But what really stood out to me not just as a revival of an older act, but as a whole – favorite band of Gonerfest and a new a favorite for me was 90s Garage Punks The Drags. Holy shit, this is what I’ve been looking for. Has that great stripped down, simple, scuzzy approach a la Mummies, Oblivians, but totally doing it’s own thing. In addition to the hooks, the subject matter is enticing. Songs about cannibals, explosives, and love! And all at the same time! I had the pleasure of catching them up on the big stage and also at an after party at the best bar in the world, the Lamplighter Lounge (featuring Oakley Munson of Black Lips/Rondelles on drums). I had heard of The Drags before and listened to some of their stuff in the past, but for whatever reason it didn’t stick – what was I smoking? Weed probably. PSA kids, don’t let that shit make you miss out on cool music. I first read about them in a local newspaper/zine Freak Flag (shout out to Cory Bell and Ellie Gill) and I checked them out and I remember digging it, but alas, I fucked up! That’s why I started writing these to document what I’m listening to, so I don’t forget! I probably still will for some, but at least I can reference these just like our show archive. Highly recommend The Drags!

Huge thanks to Total Punk for reissuing The Drags albums! We need more of this! Doing the lord’s work, Rich!

I’m going to wrap it up here. I could keep yapping, but just listen to at least one of these bands! Like Turpentine Brothers. I found two of their 45s at the pop up Goner Records shop at Gonerfest. Gotta support the hometown homies. I get it, I don’t care for recommendations sometimes. It’s overwhelming. But yeah, a lot of good shit up there and out there. I’m already ready for October. Well, it’s already here, so I guess it doesn’t matter if I’m ready or not! Downing Downeast Cider (get the reflux rolling!) and overdosing on candy and slasher flicks. I’m sure I’ll have some great stuff next month for the 3 people that read this haha.

Oh yeah, we had a retirement party. Yep, we’re done! Not exactly. You cant get rid of us that easy. Just done with booking shows. This blog will still exist. This is evidence of that dummy! Retirement Party was phenomenal. Bands were outstanding. It was a love fest, reunion, and perfect swan song. At least until the Comeback Party! We’ll see… Peep patspolaroidz on Instagram for exquisite photos such as this one of Noah Britton at The Fifth Column.

See you in November! – Chris

Gonerfest is almost here. For the Memphis festival’s international devotees, the calendar year starts (or ends) around the last weekend of September. Four years ago, Chris and I made the wise decision to make a trip to the land of our favorite record label, Goner Records. Since then, it’s been an annual rock ‘n roll pilgrimage. It’s hard to explain this festival to colleagues, friends, and family. Most people think BIG names, multiple stages, camping. In many ways Gonerfest is the opposite. The three night shows (Thursday, Friday, Saturday) take place at the Hi-Tone, which is similar in size to Boston’s Brighton Music Hall. There’s an outdoor show at the Memphis Made Brewery on Friday afternoon and Murphy’s Blowout on Saturday, which has crowds alternating between an outdoor stage and the indoor stage, which packs people into a space about the size of O’Briens Pub. Let us not forget about the after parties, which typically commence around 2:30 or 3 AM. Nothing like cracking open a beer at quarter past four in the morning and seeing New Memphis Legs.

Thursday is the lightest of the three days. As far as the schedule is concerned. It’s the first night. Pick up your Golden Pass at Goner and catch a band (this year, it is Memphis’ own Limes) at the Gazebo as the sun starts to make its descent. Then head over to the Hi-Tone and five bands take the stage. Now, you got to be honest with your self here. Are you jetlagged or tired from a day of travels? Do you want to be the guy nodding off in the front row at 12 AM? We all can’t be Bully Rook here. All I’m saying is if you decide to go hard up and through the Night One afterparty ends at 4 AM, will you be in good condition for Memphis Made at 1:30 PM? It’s a pace race, not a case race.

This year’s line-up is sizzling. Thursday night is a burner with Green/Blue from Minneapolis (featuring Jim Blaha of the veteran Gonerfest band Blind Shake), our pals The Hussy from Madison who will be releasing their fresh new record Looming, synth loving Sweet Knives from Memphis, New Orleans punks Trampoline Team, Simply freaking Saucer (1970s proto-punk icons), and the destructive (let’s wait and see) King Brothers from Japan.

The Memphis Made show is going to be a showcase in the sense that the only band I’ve seen (or heard of) of the bunch is Kool 100s who rocked Murphy’s outside a couple years back. Friday Night is going to be wild – Nots and then Oblivians with Quintron to close things out? Hi-Tone gonna be packed. Grab two or three beers and don’t move for 2 hours. You won’t be able to. The ever influential M.O.T.O who are playing a KLYAM show in November, are on third. It just dawned on me that IT TASTES JUST LIKE A MILKSHAKE by NOBUNNY is a M.O.T.O cover. Damn!

Murphy’s Blowout. Who am I most looking forward to? PRIORS. From Montreal. Just about every year a Gonerfest band rolls through Boston prior to the big event. Touring down to Memphis. Well we just saw PRIORS a couple of nights ago and their energy and performance far surpassed anything I’d seen recently. Really excited.

And then Saturday night at The Hi-Tone. Maybe the best through-and-through single night of Goner in my limited history? I guess we’ll see about that. But Teardrop City, Parsnip, Giorgio Murderer, Hash Redactor, Tommy and the Commies, and The Mummies? I can see why this year’s fest sold out QUICK.

Alrighty, see you soon Memphis.

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AFTERPARTIES @ ~ 3 AM

THURSDAY NIGHT @ BSide Bar – Sick Thoughts, Galice Cooper
FRIDAY NIGHT @ Lamplighter – Golden Pelicans, Pscience, Me & My Knife
SATURDAY NIGHT @ Lamplighter – Optic Sink, Coca Cola Haters, DAG

Kids Like You & Me (KLYAM)

Tag Archives: Gonerfest Afterparty

What I’ve Been Listening To (September 2026)

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Boston based shows/fests – DIY, punk, noise