Best of 2019: Ty's List Of Everything Worth Celebrating • Bad Copy

I’ll try to keep this short, but it is me talking so… yeah right. This year I saw the worst snowstorm of my lifetime all but shut my city down for at least a week. The insurance company cut me off from my life-extending medicine not once but twice and I won it back in a legal dispute not once but twice. I sang on my favorite stage on the planet twice, once with a folk artist and the other with a hardcore band. I started an Alkaline Trio cover band with someone I didn’t know well who quickly turned into someone I can confide in more than most people and we played one sold out show in honor of my best friend’s daughter’s 12th birthday. I got a respiratory infection around Valentine’s Day that could’ve killed me and I just realized how much I downplayed it to everyone until now. I was a guest on four amazing podcasts. I got to make the album art for my cousin’s band, something we’ve been dreaming of making happen since we were kids.

I travelled more than I ever have in a year and did some of it on a whim decided the night before, all in the name of music and friendship. I took big strides in knowing when, who, and how to ask for help thus furthering my independence. I created devices and methods to be even more independent in my day-to-day. I identified my anxieties and began consciously working on them. I spoke about disability and accessibility at BLED Fest in front of 500 people. I spoke about accessibility in the music scene on Fox News. I released my third compilation record. I curated my 3rd Skitchin’ Fest. I helped put together the accessibility mission statement and safer space policy of Audiotree Presents, The DAAC, and Corktown Fest. I released four zines. I tabled at Grand Rapids Zine Fest. I started writing my first book. I watched more movies than I ever have. I read 45 books. I got a Nintendo Switch and back into casual gaming.

I had a big crush that went nowhere. I smoked way too much weed one night, thought my whole existence was fizzling into the universe, and told my mom how that when I seen the ends of it all, it couldn’t fit how much I loved her. My friends asked me to officiate their wedding. I started wearing a dangly earring. But the best part of the whole year was when I became an uncle to the most perfect baby girl. I love her, my mom, my family, my friends, my dog, music, art, food, and a bunch of other things. Life is sweet. Anyway, here are some lists of things that other people did this year that I liked.

Top 5 (non-festival) shows I attended:

Ugly Flannel / The Murderburgers / Get Married / Singing Lungs @ The Workshop in Grand Rapids, MI – March 19th

This house show took place about 26 hours after I had a needle inject medicine into my spinal cord. People crowd surfed, the floor was dangerously sagging, my back was still sore. Maybe I’m an idiot but you can’t question my dedication.

Hi Ho / Bike Tuff / Cheapshow / Sorry Hunny @ 27 House in Wyoming, MI – April 27th

This one says all you need to know about where I’m at. This was less a show and more a moving out party for our friend Sidney that a bunch of friends happened to be at and played acoustic sets in my best friend, Bek’s garage. There were maybe fifteen of us crammed in there, keeping warm by body heat away from the April snow falling outside. We got very drunk on wine spritzers, karaoke’d Shania Twain, and Chris from Bong Mountain helped me pee outside while Gillian from Hi Ho crooned to us. Magic… art even.

PUP / Ratboys / Casper Skulls @ The Crofoot Ballroom in Pontiac, MI – May 3rd

PUP and Ratboys are two of my favorite bands ever and their tour missed my city, but I wasn’t going to miss it. So my friend Darren and I drove out to Pontiac, met up with a whole bunch of Eastside buds, and watched an absolute crusher gig from a balcony spot just above stage left. Traveling to gigs has become more and more doable and I’ll always look back on this one as being a point that I realized the hope in that.

The Menzingers / The Sidekicks / Queen Of Jeans @ The Pyramid Scheme in Grand Rapids, MI – July 31st

This was the 100th show I attended at my favorite venue ever, The Pyramid Scheme. Nicole, the manager and my friend, surprised me with big balloons shaped in the number 100 above the spot I typically hang out during gigs. My favorite band, The Menzingers, shouted me out from on stage. I met Tom May afterwards and gave him a stack of zines I made. Solid dude! Long live The Pyramid Scheme. Here’s to attending 100 more shows there.

The Lippies / Natural Body / Cheap Emotion / Nightline @ Fulton Street Pub in Grand Rapids, MI – October 6th

The Lippies are some of my best and oldest friends. This show was very last minute (I think they booked and announced it a week prior) and was a benefit to fund a local third grade class with school supplies. Very cool, very The Lippies. After their long hiatus, they’ve rightfully been selective in how many shows to play, so despite still seeing them all around every weekend, I’d only seen them play live once in the year since coming back. Getting to see them play on the floor of one of our favorite tiny bars while surrounded by an over-capacity crowd full of friends was the coolest thing ever. Getting a mic shoved in my face to join Tonia in singing their song “302” was enough to yank a few happy tears from my eyes.

Top 10 EPs that connected with me the most:

Corrode – s/t (self-released)
Life Loss – s/t (self-released)
Blind Adam & The Federal League – Mansions On The Boulevard (A-F Records)
Cheapshow – After Everything Is Said And Done (self-released)
Solemn Judgement – Your Move (self-released)
Portrayal Of Guilt – Suffering Is A Gift + split w/ Soft Kill (Closed Casket Activities)
Abner – Me To The Earth//Day Two (self-released)
The Grool Brothers – Imposter (self-released)
Distants – ii (Salinas Records)
Sheena, Anika, and Augusta – Simple Pleasures (Asian Man Records)

Top 20 LPs that connected with me the most:

The Muffs – No Holiday (Omnivore Recordings)
Ramona – Deals, Deals, Deals! (Red Scare Industries)
PUP – Morbid Stuff (Rise Records/Little Dipper)
Big Nothing – Chris (Salinas Records)
The Menzingers – Hello Exile (Epitaph Records)
Cloud Rat – Pollinator + Do Not Let Me Off The Cliff (Artoffact Records)
Pancho Villa’s Skull – Gentefication (Put Out Your Own Records)
Potty Mouth – SNAFU (Get Better Records)
Frail Body – A Brief Memorium (Deathwish Inc.)
State Faults – Clairvoyant (No Sleep Records)
Slingshot Dakota – Heavy Banding (Community Records)
Danny Brown – uknowhatimsayin? (Warp Records)
Ugly Flannel – The Schiller In You (self-released)
Foxgrave – Dichotomy (Smog Moon Recordings)
78 Revolutions Per Minute – Intellectuals And Other Traitors (Put Out Your Own Records)
Moss Jaw – Embody (Already Dead Tapes)
Apes Of The State – Pipe Dream (self-released)
Mikey Erg – Waxbuilt Castles (Don Giovanni Records)
Grumpster – Underwhelmed (Asian Man Records)
Greet Death – New Hell (Deathwish Inc.)