Bad Copy

This year has been… a year. While everyone seemed to have what we could collectively describe as a “shitty year,” everyone has had a very different 2020. This year, we couldn’t all meet up at festivals all over the country or the world. This year we couldn’t high five each other, chug cheap beer, and scream along to songs in a basement (or garage or sticky venue) on a Friday night. All the things that seemingly made us “us” were stripped away, leaving other facets of ourselves that we had long since forgotten or placed on an upper shelf to collect dust for some day when we would have more free time.

I’ve spoken to people who feel like they lost their hold on music and others who clung onto it for dear life like a life preserver. It’s been… a year. And while everyone has bravely faced 2020 with a different arsenal of supplies, this resulted in a variety different outcomes. That’s why, in addition to our contributors’ End of the Year Lists, we at Bad Copy have reached out to a handful of friends involved in music this year and asked them to share their top lists. Music, movies, photos, memories, new hobbies – much like 2020, nothing is off the table when it comes to these lists. Let’s find a little good in the bad, try to laugh at what we can’t control, and pray that we will be able to safely see each other soon. First round is on me. – Kendra Sheetz, Editor

What can I say about 2020 that hasn’t already been vetted out tediously over on your social media feed or that you’ve already looked back upon. It sucked. It’s certainly the most memorable year many of us have experienced where it impacted many of us directly. With COVID, the election, Trump’s daily antics, the BLM protests, many of us losing our jobs or being furloughed, the fear of losing our music industry with no support from the government. It’s been enough to throw all our hands up in the air and say “fuck it”… but we can’t. When I sat down to write all the shitty things this year brought, and the change it’s caused, there’s so many more positive things its brought at least in my life.

Family Time: I know I’m blessed to have a loving wife and two kids that bring me the most joy, and not all people have that support system… so I’m thankful for that. When quarantine started, and many of us non-essential workers began working remotely, many of our kids also began distanced learning. Although it’s been challenging to say the least maneuvering the distanced learning and sharing workspace and wifi bandwidth with the kids, I’ve been able to spend so much more time with them. Prior to the quarantine, I used to commute in LA traffic for almost three hours a day. With no commute, I’ve been able to start to maintain a regular exercise routine, and actually enjoy some breakfast time with my kids. On a normal day before working remotely, I’d be lucky to get 30 min to an hour with them when I arrived home. And hey… I’ve been able to save on gas and mileage… that’s a plus.

Wiretap Records
The most ambitious and busy year for Wiretap to date. Close to 30x releases, combination full-length LPs, EPs singles and that’s not even including charity digital compilations. This year has been a struggle for many of us, but this assortment of bands and releases this year has provided that comfort and drive to keep it all together. The Wiretap Record Club members continue to amaze me on how supportive they have been and allow me to keep funding this label. By the way, sign ups for 2021 Record Club are live now in case anyone wants to sign up! We’re already over two-thirds of the way sold out! I won’t go into detail on each release for 2020. But have a look back at every release we put out in 2020; I’m so proud of you all, gang.

My Grito

Through all of this, my good friend Oscar and I started an imprint label under Wiretap called My Grito. My Grito is an extension of Wiretap and will lean more into supporting and elevating Latinos and people of color in music, art, podcasts, comedy, and more. So much planned for 2021 for My Grito, so please follow on all socials at @mygrito.

Charity Compilations