The Panic Manual

Song of the Day: Ken Pomeroy – Flannel Cowboy

Posted on

18 Nov 2025

Paul

Oklahoma singer-songwriter Ken Pomeroy released her second album Cruel Joke back in May of this year and more recently made her acting debut with a role in Sterlin Harjo’s latest show, The Lowdown. The pair’s collaboration continues with Pomeroy’s latest video, a live recording of the Cruel Joke track “Flannel Cowboy” directed by Harjo. Check it out.

Cruel Joke is out now via Rounder Records.

Album Review: Yoo II avec Nolan Potter (2025, Mothland)

Posted on

17 Nov 2025

Paul

Photo Credit: Rose Cormier

Yoo Doo Right and Population II are two of the best, most consistently watchable live bands I’ve discovered over the past few years. Both are incredible live acts who just happen to be from Montreal and, what’s more, they also happen to be affilliated with the same record label/management – Mothland. And now, in a move that brings to mind an old peanut butter cup slogan (“Two great tastes that taste great together“), these two titans of psych rock have joined forces for an album alongside Austin musician Nolan Potter for the aptly named Yoo II avec Nolan Potter.

Spanning five tracks of sprawling, epic psych rock that takes influence from krautrock, free jazz, and noise, the cleverly-named Yoo II put on an impressive display for their debut collaborative album, recorded while they were all in Austin during SXSW 2025. Opening track “Cavalier (We’re Going Down)” locks into a groove and never lets up over the course of its nearly 12 minute run time while the more compact “Golfe du Mexique” takes things in a mellower, flute-heavy direction.

Centrepiece track “Ralliement” starts out as a bit of a slow burn before morphing into something a tad noisier midway through, while “La Perla” shifts things into slightly funkier territory. Finally, “Z. (The Alley Watcher)” closes things out with some nice exploratory vibes. If you’re a fan of any of the three acts involved or just a fan of trippy jams in general, Yoo II avec Nolan Potter is definitely well worth your time.

Song of the Day: Bill Callahan – The Man I’m Supposed To Be

Posted on

16 Nov 2025

Paul

“The Man I’m Supposed To Be” is the latest single from Bill Callahan, taken off his upcoming eighth studio album, My Days of 58, out February 27th, 2026 via Drag City. Check it out.

Concert Review: Die Spitz, November 14, Horseshoe Tavern

Posted on

15 Nov 2025

Paul

I’ve been following Austin’s Die Spitz for a while now, with the Texas quartet first catching my attention via word of mouth during SXSW 2023. Of course, as fate would have it, I didn’t catch any of the shows they played at SouthBy that week, though I have seen them four times since, most recently at The Garrison where they played their first Toronto headlining gig back in June, just about three months before the release of their debut full-length, Something to Consume (out now via Third Man Records). Die Spitz always put on a fun, high energy performance and Friday night’s show at the Horseshoe was no exception.

Starting things off strong, the band opened up their set with “I hate when GIRLS die” and kept the bangers coming from there, with “American Porn,” “Punishers” and “Pop Punk Anthem (Sorry for the Delay)” standing out as just a few of the highlights. Another memorable moment came following “Voir Dire” when vocalist/guitarist Ellie Livingston noted that she wrote that song following a period when she was feeling down about her ability to make any change in the world. But then she came to the realization that at each show they play, she’s reaching a few hundred people every night, and having such a platform where she’s able to say things like “Free Palestine” and “Fuck ICE” definitely counts as having some kind of impact. It was a nice moment that served as a good reminder of music’s community-building potential.

With Something to Consume, Die Spitz seem primed to take things to the next level. With major festivals like Bonnaroo and ACL already under their belts and appearances at Coachella, a handful of big European metal fests, and a gig opening for Foo Fighters on the horizon, things are looking bright for Die Spitz. I look forward to seeing what’s next.

Concert Review: The Saints ’73-’78, November 13, Phoenix Concert Theatre

Posted on

14 Nov 2025

Paul

The Saints ’73-’78 is the latest iteration of classic Aussie punk band The Saints, featuring original members Ed Kuepper and Ivor Hay making their return to the fold following vocalist Chris Bailey’s death in 2022. They’re joined this time around by ringers Mark Arm (Mudhoney), Mick Harvey (Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds) and Peter Oxley (The Sunnyboys) to play songs off The Saints’ first three albums and are currently on a tour of North America. Oh, and did I mention that they also have a killer 3-piece horn section? Well, they do. And they sound great.

Speaking of sounding great, Mark Arm made for a solid stand-in for the late Chris Bailey, putting his own spin on the material and bringing a taste of Mudhoney to the proceedings. Based on some interviews I’ve read, it sounds like Arm is a longtime Saints fan who’s clearly lived with these records for a long time, so taking on the role of frontman comes quite naturally. For their part, the rest of the band sounded fantastic too, with some of my favourite moments coming when Arm, Harvey and Oxley all harmonized together on a few songs.

Keeping the stage banter to a minimum, the band ran through a set of classics like “The Chameleon,” “No Time” and “I’m Stranded” with a certain ferocity. Not too much ferocity though – they’re all getting up there in age, so not a lot of jumping around or thrashing about the stage. Still, it was an impressive set that reminded us what was so great about The Saints the first time around. They may be getting older, but The Saints ’73-’78 still delivered a straight-up shot of rock and roll with their bracing garage-punk sound.

Song of the Day: Lime Garden – Maybe Not Tonight

Posted on

12 Nov 2025

Paul

“Maybe Not Tonight” is the latest single from UK indie rockers Lime Garden and their first new music since their debut album, One More Thing, came out in February of 2024. Check it out.