2007 Year End Survey | Casey Rae-Hunter

It's been a busy 2007 for Casey Rae-Hunter. He started the year as the music editor for Seven Days before deciding to move to DC with his wife. That led to a long but fruitful job search. He's now the Communications Director for The Future of Music Coalition where he's fighting for issues that will lead to the development of a musicians' middle-class. Excellent cause.

Another change for Casey has been the move from blogging on solidstate to his new blog The Contrarian which is a wonderful mix of attitude, music, provocative issues and graffiti.

The one thing that hasn't changed is that Casey is still creating music under the moniker The Contrarian. His 2006 atmospheric post-folk EP Soft Rock is available via Icebox Records and some new tunes are up on his Myspace site.

Also, knowing he's a man of a million opinions, let's getting rolling with his survey.

1) What was your favorite song of 2007?

Like Tanner from Highgate, I'm not much of a "song" guy — I rarely even look at titles, preferring instead to let a collection of tunes impact me as a whole. But this year, one song in particular really stuck out, probably because it's so ridiculously over-the-top. I'm talking about "Woman and Man" from Ween's new album, La Cucharacha. I know a lot of people think Ween are just a "joke" band, but on certain tunes, such as this one, they transcend mortal humor. "Woman and Man" is an Age of Aquarius-style guitar/bongo rave-up that begins in the Garden of Eden and rockets to a climax of cosmic proportions. Silly indeed, but a jam worthy of the West Coast psych scene of yore.

2) What was your favorite album of 2007?

Nadja — "Corrasion." Not even sure if it's out yet, but I have it, so there! That band released a lot of powerful music in '07. I also recommend their previous disc, "Radiance of Shadows," for your experimental/drone-metal needs.

3) What was your favorite concert of 2007?

I don't really go to shows anymore. I saw Spoon by accident, and they were a lot better live than their recordings, which often strike me as clinical. I'm somewhat bummed that I missed Enslaved here in DC.

4) What was your favorite thing about 2007?

Getting married to the bestest woman alive! Running around Capitol Hill, attending hearings and briefings on issues that affect musicians. Learning about the tricky issues at the intersection of music, law, technology and policy.

5) What are your best wishes for 2008?

Liberation for all sentient beings. A decent component-based home theater system. An end to the HD DVD/Blu-Ray format war. A return to work for the Writers Guild of America. A reasonable solution to get US troops out of Iraq without further compromising our global standing. To lose the weight I've gained in the last 12 months. A real honeymoon with my wife.

Ween | Woman and Man | Buy

The Contrarian | Soft Rock Three | Buy