THE NEW YEAR STARTS HERE:

...with THE BEAT FARMERS!  Making a tradition of this more sober than usual, professionally-shot, early BF gig recorded at Universal Studios, including "There She Goes Again" (VU); "Road to Ruin," "Bigger Fool," "Reason to Believe" (Springsteen), "Powderfinger" (N. Young), "Happy Boy," "Big Ugly Wheels," "Bigger Stones," "Gun Sale at the Church," "Dallas Blues," "I Wanna Be Free," "Lakeside Trailer Park," "Death Train," and "Seven Year Itch."  If you're new to the band, my picks would be "Bigger Stones," "Happy Boy" and the cover of your choice.  BONUS:  Now how much would you pay?  But wait... there's more!  If you really want to see someone put the "bar" in "bar band," watch these NSFW clips from Houston, TX of the late Country Dick Montana leading the band through "Lucille" (K. Rogers) -- complete with his favorite beer bottle stunts -- followed by "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Wino," "Are You Drinkin' With Me, Jesus?" and "Mondo."  SUPER-SPECIAL BONUS: Country Dick rolls out "California Kid" and "Anarchy in the UK" (Language warning).

WFUV'S HOLIDAY CHEER includes mini-sets from Lo Moon, Jeff Tweedy, Randy Newman, and Aimee Mann.

JD McPHERSON stops by WFUV's Studio A.

FRIGHTENED RABBIT shares "No Real Life."

JAMES BLAKE covers Don McLean's "Vincent."

U2: Crushingly obvious, I know. 

NICK CAVE & SHANE MacGOWAN: "What a Wonderful World."

ABBA wishes you a "Happy New Year,"  but it doesn't sound anywhere as celebratory as "Take A Chance On Me." 

THE MOUNTAIN GOATS perform "This Year" at the M-Shop in Ames, IA.

OTIS & CARLA have a "New Year's Resolution."

JOE JACKSON: Pate frequently attempted "One More Time" to often hilarious effect, so today I stick with Joe's early material, including "Sunday Papers" live on the OGWT, "Kinda Kute" on the Kenny Everett Video Show, and a Beat Crazy-era run of "On Your Radio."  The Rock Goes To College show provides live takes on "It's Different For Girls,"  "I'm The Man," and this pulsing version of his signature "Is She Really Going Out With Him?"  BONUS: The appropos finale, "Got The Time?

FLUXBLOG's 2017 Survey Mix.

PASTE's best albums and songs of 2017.

SPIN's best albums and overlooked albums of 2017.

MOJO's Top 50 Albums of 2017. 

NOISEY's best albums and songs of 2017. And their overlooked LPs.

THE AVALANCHE OF ROCK 'N' ROLL DEATH: Want to feel old? Everyone — well, every man — died.

THE ZOMBIES: "This Will Be Our Year."

ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD is this weekend's wide release, currently scoring 80 percent on the ol' Tomatometer.  Molly's Game hits 271 screens, scoring 79 percent.

THE LAST JEDI: A guide to the creatures and how they were made.

HOLLYWOOD is banking on big franchises (again) in 2018.

THE BEST MOVIES of 2017, according to the New York Times' critics.

THE BEST MOVIES of 2017, according to Uproxx's critics.

THE 10 (OR SO) BEST FILMS of 2017, according to Sonny Bunch.

ROBIN WRIGHT is spending the holidays skiing with a handsome new beau, Clement Giraudet.

MILEY CYRUS & LIAM HEMSWORTH "consider themselves married" and have no plans for an actual ceremony.

A LARGE MYSTERY FISH caught on camera in the Chicago River. I presume it has three eyes.

MISSING FOR 10 YEARS, a cat finds his way back to his family after the California wildfires.

AND THERE WAS LOBSTER all over the highway.

A HOUSE with a giant shark in the roof is set to be made a national treasure (by the same council that wanted it demolished).