LISTS Archives - Rock Oracle

September 4, 2025 Matt Perkins

Muddy Roots takes All Kinds

If you’ve never heard of it, Muddy Roots takes place every year at the June Bug Ranch north of Cookeville. I’ll be the first to say that I wasn’t sure what to expect from a punk festival in somewhat rural Tennessee but it’s a safe, fun place where feral kids roam free, Nazis aren’t welcome, and people genuinely look out for each other. Sure they have used Narcan out there and people break bones, but I’ve seen over a hundred people throw cash into a PBR twelve pack box to help someone out. We pick up our people who have fallen in the circle pit of life.

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August 5, 2025 Larry Fulford

The Weakerthans: Left & Leaving, 25th Anniversary

If you’ve never heard of The Weakerthans, don’t worry, neither have most people I’ve met for the past twenty-five years. I only found out about them when a buddy of mine loaned me their debut CD, Fallow (1997), probably in early 2000, telling me I could keep it if I liked it, that he wasn’t that into it.

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July 22, 2025 Jason Shrum

Top 10 Ozzy Moments

Today we mourn the loss of a metal giant and the man known as the Prince of Darkness to his fans. Ozzy Osbourne will be remembered eternally… that I have no doubt about. Ozzy was one of the greatest frontmen of all-time and he gave us some of the grandest bangers in Rock and Roll history. He was also well known for his crazy antics both on and off the stage. Ozzy has passed over on this, July 22nd 2025 and his legend is etched in the annuals of music history. His family has graced us with this note:

“It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning,” the statement read. “He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time.”

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February 20, 2025 Jason Shrum

Kurt’s Kuotes

A lot of people loved Kurt Cobain. I loved him. However, it wasn’t the love he needed or necessarily wanted. Fame comes at a price and for Kurt, that payment was his life. The media liked to say that he was my generations John Lennon, but john got to be forty years old. What would we have learned from Kurt and his music had he lived to be middle age, rather than taken from the light at age 27. Some say he was just another member of that dumb club. The “27 Club” which lifted the red velvet rope for Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Amy Winehouse, Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix and more.

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January 3, 2025 Jason Shrum

What to Expect When Expecting New Music

Well, 2024 has come and gone and we saw some amazing music come out of the last 365 days. Now it is on to 2025 and whole new list of tasty tunes is being splattered before our ears. Last year we saw a huge wave of new and established artists releasing a mass of incredible tracks. Will this year be able to hold up to the onslaught of fantastic art we were given in the previous time slot? I am compiling a list of albums that will hit wax, streaming services and the airwaves this next year. This will be an ongoing process- full of constant edits and adds and updates. Here is what I have gathered so far about what to expect when expecting new music in 2025.

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December 16, 2024 Jason Shrum

Top 5 Records of the Year

Another year has passed, and we were once again treated to so many great new albums. I just hope that 2025 presents us with as much music enrichment as these last 365 days. I am attempting to list my Top 5 records of 2024 and in doing so I have scratched out so many, then rewritten some of those deleted mentions and then re-rewritten the entire list multiple times. Each time that I have done so I have compiled an original listing once again

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September 10, 2024 Jason Shrum

Let Them In!

There are so many other great bands that haven’t made the cut either. Groups like The Guess Who, DEVO, Smashing Pumpkins, Pixies, Soundgarden and on and on. I surmise that the walls are only so big and that this “committee” can only select few, but my rebuttal is C’MON MAN!