You like your rock loud and rowdy, right? Then do whatever it takes to get Teddy Boys in your ears immediately. The Cleveland sextet–Jon Chips, Stef Chips, Zach Panek, Jason Rubinski, Matt Pietrick and Rick Pietrick–will quickly make your list of favorite bands. Their sound features some heavy guits, strong vocals and infectious beats. We couldn’t pass up the opportunity to have them put together a playlist for you. Enjoy!
PRESS PLAY: TEDDY BOYS – THE TRACKLIST & WHY THEY PICKED ‘EM:
1.”Wild Life” by Wings
Rick says: “There’s a ton of Wings/McCartney stuff I really like but I chose this song because it reminds me of staying up way too late, drinking beer with my friends and singing along to this record. What I like about McCartney is he isn’t afraid of anything. If he likes it, he does it. Kind of like singing “the animals have the right of way…” In that sense, we’ve tried to hold onto the things we enjoy amongst ourselves while writing songs.”
2.”Everything Hits at Once” by Spoon
Stefanie says: “I first saw the amazing and heartbreaking music video for this song when I was up one night watching 120 minutes. I was completely drawn in and moved by the stark loneliness of the lyric, “I go to sleep alone but think that you’re next to me.” The album, Girls Can Tell, quickly became an obsession of mine, with all of its subdued instrumentation and laid-bare, interesting lyrical content. It’s an album still constantly in rotation for me.”
3.”Judge Not” by Bob Marley & The Wailers
Matt says: “Reggae music touches my soul more than any other style of music, especially Bob and the Wailers. I chose this song because I love what it’s about. Instead of judging someone, try to find the beauty in the person.”
4.”Laid, Paid, and Strange” by Natural Child
Jon says: “These guys are gnarly and they don’t give a shit. It’s great! This one is their description of being a broke dude in a rock band. They aren’t reinventing the wheel or anything here, but their raw energy and authenticity is undeniable.”
5.”It’s Him!” by White Denim
Jason says: “These guys kick ass! This track is from their 3rd and my favorite album D. It was also the first one from the band that I heard so that could be why I am a little biased towards it. Josh has a very interesting drumming style and I have fun trying to replicate it. It can definitely push me out of my comfort zone, which I enjoy. The rest of the guys are extremely talented as well. If you have not listened to these guys yet and you are a fan of rock music, you truly are missing out.”
6.”Elvis’ Flaming Star” by Pond
Zach says: “There’s a lot of the really cool stuff coming out of Australia these past few years. A lot of people know about Tame Impala, but not as many know about artists like King Gizzard and the Wizard Lizard, Courtney Barnett and Pond. This song came out a few months back as the first single off their new album Man It Feels Like Space Again and has pretty much been stuck in my head ever since. I really enjoy the way they mix spacey guitar tones and psychedelic synths with pop melodies to create some catchy goodness here.”
7.”Cactus” by Pixies
Stefanie says: “Every time I hear this song, I literally never want it to end. I want to ride it across the desert into eternity. When playing through the Surfer Rosa album, this song never plays just once – I immediately repeat it 3 more times before moving on. Aesthetically speaking, this song perfectly captures my general taste in music – simple, thrumming and lyrically compelling. It also seems to be mixed at a lower volume than the rest of the album, so I gleefully crank the volume to get the desired effect.”
8.”Gang’s All Here” by Cheeseburger
Matt says: “I picked this song because it’s all about the great times you have with your friends and Joe Bradley is one of the best frontmen ever. CHEESEBURGER!!!”
9.”Hot Smoke and Sassafras” by Bubble Puppy
Jon says: “My dad played this song for me on one of our road trips when I was in high school. As soon as it kicked in with the opening guitar riff, I yelled at him for not showing me it sooner. They were a relatively unknown band, but for anyone that has an appreciation for ’60s guitar rock/psychedelia, this is a must-listen.”
10.”The Lemon Song” by Led Zeppelin
Zach says: “I feel like this is the song that plays when you look up rock & roll in the dictionary. Page’s dirty guitar tone wild leads, Plant’s howling vocals, John Paul Jones pretty much putting on a bass clinic and John Bonham holding it down like only John Bonham can. All of these guys were some of the best and most influential musicians to ever play their respective instruments and this song really showcases all four of them.”
11.”Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt” by The Mars Volta
Jason says: “This is my favorite track on possibly my favorite album of all time: Deloused in the Comatorium. It is truly a journey from beginning to end, with the end being “Take the Veil.” Jon Theodore is insane on this album and specifically this track, when during a breakdown near halfway through the track he goes into one of the craziest beats I have ever heard in my life. There has been many drummers for Volta and every one of them is just absurd. This album, in my opinion, is far superior to all the others they have come out with over the years but nonetheless, they are still one of the best bands of our generation.”
12.”Echoes” by Pink Floyd
Rick says: “This song rules. It’s 20 some minutes long so its a good one to play on the jukebox at a bar. See if the bartender lets you get past the creepy noise part in the middle. If they let it play all the way through, that’s a cool bar.”