15 FROM '15

I wrote more than I expected to this year. Here are 15 of my favorite pieces.

Napalm Death Albums From Worst To Best, Stereogum (big factual error in this one, but I own it in comments)

Yes Albums From Worst To Best, Stereogum

Motörhead Albums From Worst To Best, Stereogum

How Five Finger Death Punch Got Huge By Writing Songs For Soldiers, Stereogum

The Short, Strange Music Career Of Leonard Nimoy, Stereogum

Machine Head Bring A Massive, Anthemic Roar To New York 'Homecoming' Show At Irving Plaza, Village Voice

Jandek Affiliate Heather Leigh Brings Appalachian Soul And Pedal Steel Guitar To Improvised Noise, Noisey

All of the following are from Burning Ambulance:

An interview with the members of the new John Zorn-created organ trio, Simulacrum

A review of two albums of music by composer Anna Thorvaldsdottir

An interview with Jacob Garchik and Oscar Noriega of Banda de los Muertos

An interview with percussionist Andre Martinez about his time playing with Cecil Taylor in the 1980s

A review of the Sonny Rollins Complete Live at the Village Gate 1962 box

A review of Aleksei German's Hard to Be a God, George Miller's Mad Max: Fury Road, and William Friedkin's Sorcerer

An interview with Udo Dirkschneider (U.D.O., ex-Accept)

An interview with Max Cavalera (Soulfly, Cavalera Conspiracy, ex-Sepultura)

THIS WEEK AT BURNING AMBULANCE

No particular theme this week, just five more reviews:

Monday: Motorpsycho, Timothy's Monster
Tuesday: Wadada Leo Smith and Ed Blackwell, The Blue Mountain's Sun Drummer
Wednesday: Voltax, Fugitive State of Mind
Thursday: Cecil Taylor and Tony Oxley, Ailanthus/Altissima (Bilateral Dimensions of 2 Root Songs)
Friday: Jerome Sabbagh/Ben Monder/Daniel Humair, I Will Follow You

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RECIDIVISM

Cosmo Lee at Invisible Oranges is asking his readers which band or bands they've seen the most often. For me, the leaders are Iron Maiden, Einstürzende Neubauten and Cecil Taylor in a three-way tie. I've seen each four times, with my fifth Maiden concert coming up on 7/12.

Right behind them are the groups or artists I've seen three times each: Amon Amarth, Arch Enemy, Borbetomagus, Clutch, Fishbone, the Flying Luttenbachers, High On Fire, Isis, Machine Head, Motörhead, the Rollins Band, Slayer, Slipknot and Social Distortion.

Then there are those I've (only) seen twice: AC/DC, Black Sabbath (once with Ozzy, once with Dio), Butthole Surfers, Ornette Coleman, Dio (as a solo act), Exodus, Ice-T, Jane's Addiction, Judas Priest, Megadeth, Metallica, Nine Inch Nails, Orthrelm, Pantera, Iggy Pop (once solo, once with the Stooges), Radiohead, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Sword, and Rob Zombie.

I'm probably forgetting some, too—bands I saw open for several different headliners, or other unmemorable circumstances. If you're reading this, are you a recidivist? Do you see the same bands over and over? Are you always happy you went?