2006 Year End Survey | Mike Donofrio

As the bass player for The New Year, Mike Donofrio was the only Vermont musican this year to play both the Touch & Go 25th Anniversary Festival in Chicago and Wall of Sound Festival in Dallas. Plus, the guy hasn't been working since August...by choice. And he welcomed his second daughter into the world in November. Any one of those events would make for a good year. However, all together, it makes for a fantastic year. Hell, it's downright unfair.

To follow up a fine 2006, Donofrio's other band, Saturnine, will be releasing their first new album since 2001 next year (called Rememberance of Things Past). The cool thing is that the album will be available as a free download. Once it's available, we'll be sure to post the link.

On a current link note, in August, Brad from Bradley's Almanac recorded The New Year's show at Middle East. Brad's review of the show and the mp3 files of the performance are available here. My review of the show is here.

Well, between kid duties, Donofrio sent over some survey answers.

1) What was your favorite song of 2006?

Destroyer – 3000 Flowers: This song make me think of rummaging through an old semi-forgotten drawer you and finding all sorts of cool stuff. I love the “Here Come the Warm Jets” riff towards the end.

Gnarls Barkley – Smiley Faces: As great as “Crazy” was overplayed in 2006. Don’t get me wrong, “Crazy” is a great song too.

Neko Case – Hold On Hold On: Edie, our three-year-old daughter, has excellent taste in music, and this was her favorite release of 2006. Beautiful, spacious, and swaggering.

BPB – Cursed Sleep: I was a big Palace fan back in the day, then sort of lost track of Will Oldham’s output. This is probably the best song of his I’ve heard yet. It’s been a perfect soundtrack for walking the dog in the woods this fall.

Bottomless Pit – Dogtag: I am a longtime Silkworm fan. This song fits solidly in their grand tradition.

Reissue: A New Kind of Water – This Heat: I heard this song once, in the van on tour, years ago and was smitten. I scoured the earth trying to find it, and then learned in late 2005 that ReR Music was planning a This Heat box set for 2006. I remain as smitten even after daily listening for months.

2) What was your favorite album of 2006?

Gnarls Barkley – St. Elsewhere

Uzeda – Stella: As individuals and as a band, this group is an inspiration. Their set at the Touch & Go Records 25th was outstanding, and their first release in 8 years improved the overall quality of the year 2006.

Bottomless Pit – 4 song EP (CD-R sold during fall 2006 tour): So great to have more music to listen to from Tim Midgett and Andy Cohen.

Reissue – This Heat box set, especially the Deceit LP.

3) What was your favorite concert of 2006?

Saturday, Sept. 9, 2006: Touch & Go Records 25th Anniversary. The whole day, especially seeing bands who traveled from afar (Uzeda, the Ex) or from the past (Scratch Acid, Big Black, Killdozer).

4) What was your favorite thing about 2006?

Arrival of Lena (11-14-06)

Not working since mid-August, leaving plenty of time to hang out with Edie

Mid-term elections

See item 3 above

5) What are your best wishes for 2007?

On a grand scale: some sense of order/decency/common sense restored to world affairs (I’m not holding my breath).

On a personal but kind of grand scale: health, balance among family, work, and personal pursuits.

On a personal and more modest scale: A few more New Year shows.

Bottomless Pit | Dogtags | Buy
The New Year | Age of Conceit | Buy

Here's the video for The New Year's "Disease":