🎸 From Merch Table Hero to Rock Nerd Revelations
If you’ve ever left a concert feeling like a proud parent, you’re not alone. Mark kicks off this week’s Songs That Don’t Suck with a full-blown love letter to The Bites after catching them live—for the third time in under a year—at Packard Music Hall in Warren, Ohio. 😎
“They’ve brought fun back to rock and roll—and I want nothing more than to lose my access to this band.”
From signing body parts to outdrawing the headliner at the merch table, The Bites are blowing up—and Mark’s got front-row receipts.
🎁 Bonus track from the night? Jordy recommends Classless Act’s cover of Britney Spears’ “Toxic.” It’s a glam-rock reboot with a killer vocal. 🤘
🧠 Deep Thoughts & Musical Firsts
Mark also ponders a great question:
“If you could hear one song again for the first time, what would it be?”
For him, it’s Dream Theater’s “Pull Me Under”—a memory etched in time.
And if you want to live vicariously through someone discovering music anew, check out 🎤 The Charismatic Voice on YouTube. Opera singer Elizabeth Zharoff reacts to metal like it’s a fine wine—and she knows her vocal science. 🧬🎶
🔥 5 New Songs That Don’t Suck
1. “Lay Me Down” – The Rooks
🎶 Debut single with British indie rock DNA
- Reminiscent of early Travis
- Smooth vocals, hooky chorus, classic bridge → solo format
- A clean, textbook rock song—and that’s a good thing
🎧 A band to watch. If this is their first shot, they’ve got ammo.
2. “Chameleon” – High Fade
🎸 Funk-rock fire from a ridiculously talented trio
- Instrumental jam with James Brown-style call-outs
- Tight stop-start grooves, layered riffs
- Yes, it’s a three-piece—believe it
If Vulfpeck and Red Hot Chili Peppers had a Scottish cousin, this is it.
3. “When We Were Stars” – Guster
🌞 Your next summer anthem
- Laid-back production + poolside vibes
- Lush build-up with a clean hook
- First album in 5 years → worth the wait
🪩 Add it to your “float in the pool with a drink” playlist.
4. “Schadenfreude” – Attendant
🎢 Grunge punk waltz meets chaotic rock calliope
- Yes, it’s as wild as it sounds
- Circus rock energy meets post-punk sneer
- Think: rollercoaster at a punk rock carnival
Mark says: “Imagine rock-and-roll horses in a tornado at an amusement park. This is the soundtrack.” 🎠🌪️
5. “More” – Lily
🎛️ Alt-rock that shapeshifts between soul and industrial
- Bassline = pure Soul Coughing
- Chorus = Nine Inch Nails-level intensity
- Mark’s words: “I really need to see these guys live.”
This band was on episode one of the podcast. Their evolution? 🔥
🧨 Bonus Track: Classless Act – “Toxic” (Britney Spears Cover)
🕶️ Glam, power vocals, and hard rock swagger.
🎤 Approved by Jordy from The Bites
📅 Rock Podcast Nerd Alert
🗓️ MAY 21 — National Rock and Roll Podcast Day
Support the indie voices behind your favorite rock pods. Here are a few to check out:
- 🎙️ Rock and Roll Autopsy – Mark’s personal favorite
- 📚 Rock Talk Studio – Great for music docs & books
- 👻 Rock and Roll Nightmares
- 🛌 Rock and Roll Bedtime Stories
- 💿 Album Nerds
- 🔁 All Day Vinyl
Search #NationalRockNRollPodcastDay and support your fellow audio obsessives.
💬 …and I quote…
“I want nothing more than to lose my access to this band.”
— Mark Bradbourne on The Bites
🎸 Help the show grow—tell a friend.
📲 Follow @SongsThatDontSuck across all socials.
💡 Check songsthatdontsuck.net for transcripts, playlists, and full show notes.
Until next week… keep searching for and listening to songs that don’t suck. 🎵
