With ‘Gimme 5!’ we take a peek into the collections of artists we admire. The premise is simple: artists WE like share five records THEY love.
We’re not keeping score, but of all the nice people we’ve met since we started this website – and there are a lot-, C.C. Voltage may be one of the nicest. It’s truly admirable for someone managing such a busy schedule to stay this kind. In the past year or so, alongside his day job, he launched his own PR agency (No Rules PR) and released a killer single. Yet, there is more.
First of all, his band Autogramm has a new record coming out Nov. 17 on Stomp Records (North America) and Beluga (Europe) – pre-order here. The video for the first single WannaBe already has garnered close to 90k views, so the band may very well be rock stars by year-end. But seriously though, I’ve had a sneak peek and Music That Humans Can Play sounds amazing and absolutely briming with powerpop and new wave magic. I’m talking ’80s chart-topper material.
But that’s not all. Recently, C.C. embarked on a podcast venture with his buddy Joseph Martin. The direction of the podcast (The Eradicators) is delightfully broad. A short explanation would be that the duo talk about life with old buddies from the road. But based on the first episode I believe it may actually be about aging gracefully, about staying forever curious (for the best travel spots, the best places to eat, the best music etc.), and about finding a healthy alternative to burning up or fading away. Episode one is with Justin Maurer (Clorox Girls, Suspect Parts, Jenny) and I liked that one a lot. Check it out wherever you listen to podcasts.
Sufficient reason to touch base with C.C. and ask him about some music recommendations for our infrequent Gimme 5 feature. Somehow, he found the time to get back to us despite his busy schedule and being down with the flu. Like I said, one of the nicest people in the industry! [continue reading below]
C.C. Voltage: “Boy, picking 5 albums that I think other people should have in their collection is really hard! This is a much different list than what I’d choose as MY favorite records in MY collection. I don’t think people would want those albums in their collection. Unless they like classic Canadian rock music for some reason, haha! But here’s what I’d recommend for other people to check out!”
1. The Professionals || I Didn’t See It Coming
“This one was a hard album to find back in the day, before the internet and cheap international travel. I was probably only 14 when I heard about The Professionals. I had been introduced to the Sex Pistols probably a year or two before. I think it was after paying attention to the songs where Steve Jones was singing, and maybe a friend bringing home The Great Rock ‘n’ Roll Swindle on VHS from the UK (which we had to hunt down a VHS transfer place to get it to play on North American machines), that I realized the Paul/Steve tunes were my favorite songs. I knew they had started something else after leaving the band, but I didn’t know what it was called. It wasn’t easy to get that information back then, especially in a small town in Canada with only one real punker. Anyway, many years later (1999?), I tracked an album down in Stockholm. We were visiting our pals the Hellacopters. Playing mini golf, drinking and having a good old time. Somehow I stumbled on a copy and took it home with me. Nowadays it probably isn’t that hard to find. And they’ve reunited with Tom Spencer singing, who I used to play with in The Loyalties in London. Talk about full circle. I like the new stuff with Tom singing of course, and now I can get stuff autographed by Paul, or have him berate me in an email, haha! Worthy of everyone’s collection in my estimation.”
2. Stiv Bators || Disconnected
“Although I like The Dead Boys, I’m just totally sick of them. I do love Stiv’s voice, but I don’t like Lords of the New Church. So this is my happy place in the middle. I love how quirky it is, and how “LA” it sounds. Very different from his other stuff. It’s got that twang that makes it almost a gothy surf album. But not. It’s a weird little gem I have on Bomp Records and I love it. Throw it into your collection.”
3. The Saints || I’m Stranded
“It’s true now and it was true then, Aussies just know how to make the best rock. This punk classic is maybe not one I put on all the time, but I think it’s one you should have in your collection. It’s perfect pop, rock and punk all at the same time. Kind of a weird masterpiece. Doing this made me put it on again, it made me yip and dance, so yes, it should definitely be in everyone’s collection!”
4. Jordan Jones || Jordan Jones
“I’ve kind of gone old school with all of these albums, probably because I did most of my record shopping when I was young. And no one wanted them so they were cheap, so that’s why I have so many. That and growing up close to Bellingham, where they had really great music stores and live music in the 80’s/90’s. Jordan Jones is a newcomer in terms of this list. His self-titled LP on Beluga Records is one I just can’t stop listening to. It’s absolutely perfect power pop. And I mean that in the truest sense. The guy writes songs, and lyrics, and really composes and plays everything. It’s genuinely top notch music, and the guy should probably be crazy famous. Maybe he is, I don’t actually know!”
5. Van Halen || Fair Warning
“OK, I had to chuck this one in. I’ve been careful to think of other people and what they might like. This one is all for me though. Van Halen doesn’t seem to be having the staying power that a lot of the 80’s monsters of rock had for some reason. Everyone knows Def Leppard, Mötley Crüe, or Motörhead. I mean, Billie Eilish didn’t even know who they were! But I’d stack this album up against any of the heavy and cool stuff from back then, and I’d say it’s one of the greatest albums of the era. I got into these guys because of my cousin Bart who introduced them to me when I was only 5. They remained my favorite band until I heard punk rock in the 8th grade. Give it a try, Van Halen ain’t so bad!”