This time, I made sure I squared away some decent $$ to really do Bandcamp Friday well. While Bandcamp Friday is amazing, I also feel that we (blanket statement here) focus so much on the buzz of Bandcamp Friday that it has become the same hype as RSD - that to me is not a good sign, but I will leave my thoughts on that for another write-up piece.

Typically, when I purchase on Bandcamp, I go into my mailbox and check out the Indie labels and Bandcamp music fans’ purchases to see what:

- I want to buy

- What to wishlist

- What is not for me but maybe for my listeners/followers

(Yes, I do have a bookmark folder with bands I am not too keen on, but I know it might be in the musical wheelhouse of my audience on social media.)

I bought from 24 artists on Friday. Some were singles, some were EPs, and only a small number were albums.

(An aside to the artists in the UK, I want you to know that the price conversion makes it really difficult, as 10 GBP is 18 CDN for me.)

I realized most of my purchases came from indie labels promoting a band’s release. When I asked, “Why indie bands don’t reach out to indie labels, as I am more inclined to buy an album from an indie label I have purchased from before.” - The dudes came for me hard. They were so knee-jerked by my post that some scolded me for not buying from the artist in the first place and for buying from an indie record label.

Someone said I was missing out by not buying from indie labels. One account even called me a capitalist. (Imagine me a capitalist!) For simply asking why indie bands don’t reach out to indie labels, because I know I get a ton of email blasts from indie labels.

There were a couple of level-headed men who engaged with me and were willing to have conversations. Many stated they had reached out and that, more often than not, indie record labels never responded to their emails, and sharing their experience with predatory record labels.

I discussed with unsigned indie bands Elephant and Stars, as well as Fragile Creatures, via threads; their thoughts and personal experiences of support from indie record labels or people who own indie labels.

(Could this have been a podcast episode? maybe, but we all know that I struggle to juggle a full-time job with a chronic illness and putting out a simple music podcast lol)

The Coles Notes version of the thread’s discussion is that many believe it is up to the record label to develop the artist, book the shows, and hustle so the artist can be the artist, but many labels are not willing to do this. As well, other accounts mentioned the upfront cost of signing with an indie record label was just as much as putting out the content themselves.

As I mentioned to Fragile Creatures, bands putting the expectations of what major labels can (or did do) vs what indie labels can do because of the amount of money they have are very different scenarios. I know that many of the indie record labels I follow do not promote the shows of the bands on their label. I mean, for example, Record Kicks is an indie label based in Milan, Italy, but I buy artists based in Canada and the US from them.

Make it, make sense!

I also pondered with another non-follower who chimed in on my post about the approach a band takes when reaching out to an indie label, and whether they check if that indie record label matches their genre. I explained that years ago, when I accepted band submissions, many of the bands never bothered to listen to one of my shows or check out my website when submitting. There were a few bands I would end up playing on my show because, I liked their songs; when I tagged them on Twitter, they would retweet, but rarely did bands ever support what I did for the indie scene. The sense of mutual support in being indie wasn’t there, and I realized it was best not to take submissions from bands anymore.

I don’t even tag bands anymore (haven’t for years) when I put them on my show. My show isn’t about gaining bands; it’s about sharing music with my listeners. Real music lovers, in bands or not, get what I do.

For the indie artist who chooses to be unsigned, no one can understand your plight more than a woman who had to endure bigoted, racist, and misogynistic men in the indie radio stations and websites to simply exist in their spaces and I do this as a hobby!

Every time I left a station, broke a tie with a large website, and lost access to a wider audience, it devastated me, but after a few years of self-loathing and self-reflection, it humbled me to know I could walk away from it -when many women couldn’t, can’t, because it’s their livelihood. For me, it’s just a hobby.

So I would like indie artists to reflect on some of the following:

Please note that if you are offended by my reflection questions, they were for my own reflection process for continuing to do what I do.

• Did you choose the pursuit of art for commerce or to make art to share with others, and its a hey, if you can cover some of the expenses, great situation.

• Are you willing to build communities/show support on some level on your platforms to lift others?

• Are you mindful of your intentions?

• Are your intentions more about you and your success, or are you just doing it because everyone needs some time in the spotlight, and you know you can help?

I have seen some very angry bros on social media getting mad about Bandcamp platform and not having sold an album… Bandcamp is a digital record store. They are not your A&R or PR. Do they have podcasts and people who write for them? Yes they do, but in Bandcamp, you are an unsigned artist in a very big ocean of unsigned artists.

Perhaps unsigned bands don’t know how it works when you click on the link from an indie label on Bandcamp to purchase a record. The link takes you directly to the artist, and once you make the purchase, you are immediately following that artist’s page. Is it a record label setting or a Bandcamp setting? Regardless, buying from an indie label on Bandcamp sends you directly to the artist’s page, and you can choose to follow that artist or not.

It is a VERY difficult path to make money without someone (an indie label) setting expectations for you and not giving you everything you want. I get it. But to say it is better to support the indie artist vs the indie record labels … There is no competition. it’s choices you make.

But for the unsigned artist, who chooses a harder path, are you connecting in authentic ways to build an audience/following?

Remember, as Joe Strummer said...”Without people, you’re nothing.”

I diligently posted a song every day on both Threads AND Bluesky, which is a big deal as this is one of the longest music post series I have posted on Social Media.

And yes, I am posting this before the end of the month, so I don’t overwhelm my subscribers with too many articles in a week. (Next week, a new episode of EatKS will be available)

I tried to keep the music posts as Bandcamp links so you could listen to the full song and purchase the track if you love it. I know that so many of my listeners and social media followers prefer Spotify, and I totally get that for exploring music, but I am talking about purchasing music.

You can absolutely purchase physical copies of many artists’ music, but I love buying digital copies because I can add them to iTunes and listen on my computer or phone. If you are new to the whole concept of Bandcamp, I have written a few times (a lot) about how it works for music fans here on Substack.

Here are my music picks for the rest of March.

Remember to support the artists, the cheerleaders of music and other projects by resharing, restacking, reposting.

It costs $0 to repost, resharing, restack but the sharing is how content breaks through the algorithms.

Day 16:Crash - Leathers

You “Goth was great in the 80’s. Me - You got stuck in an era not a genre.

Day 17:Get Down Moses - The Interrupters

When a woman covers Joe Strummer I mean that says something.

Day 18: Boys Wanna Be Her - Peaches

Bikini Kill is always a power house for me for many reasons but so is Peaches.

Day 19: FACTS - Amyl and The Sniffers

The in your face powerful punk with rock guitar solo in this track - chef kiss.

Day 20: Deny It - Naked Aggression

You probably thought Naked Aggression one of the best Anchor Punk bands stopped making music after the 90’s — you would be wrong.

Day 21:I’m Not Where You Are - Marika Hackman

Electronica alternative vibes with Marika’s voice is sooo good.

Day 22: No Joy - The Beths

New Zealand’s finest guitar pop/punk band with catchy hooks.

Day 23 :Burning Out - Jacqueline Tucci

Jacqueline Tucci from Toronto, Canada is so underrated. Its jangle power alternative rock fusion at its finest,

Day 24:Your God (God’s Dick) -Laura Jane Grace

With the current shifts in removal of LGBQT+ rights in the USA and around the world I felt that I needed a track from Laura and this was the perfect song, imo.

Day 25:Pro Choice - Radium Grrrls

Radium Grrrls define themselves as a hardcore punk band but I would say that they are hardcore/metal/thrash.

Day 26: Enemies and Allies - Vicious Irene

Another Swedish band because they know how to do heavy shit.

Day 27:Don’t You Dare - Boyhood

Caylie Runciman (Boyhood) from Ontario, Canada this is a haunting experimental 60’s pop vibe and the lyrics too.

Day 28:You Want It Real - LIÈ

Dark post punk vibes from Vancouver, Canada.

Day 29: Don’t Light My Fire - Otoboke Beaver

The amount of hardcoreness that this band from Japan gives is next level. If you don’t have any Otoboke Beaver in your music collection.

Day 30: Stupid Boys - Bleached

Sometimes songs about stupid boys don’t have to have an angry hardcore punk rock punch. “Stupid boys with broken hearts, love to watch you fall apart” is a FOREVER vibe.

Day 31:Come Back Strong - Samad

When I lived in Qatar, it took me a couple of years, but I did find the music scene there. And yes, I found some metal, thrash and hardcore punk bands. Even women fronted bands.

If you missed Part 1 of International Women’s Month, I have linked it for you, right here 👇

Here’s how to listen to the show

Track list with hyperlinks

Gotye - What Do You Want

The Skints - Up Against The Wall

Tyrone Davis - Can I Change My Mind

Amy Whinehouse - Me & Mr. Jones

Jeff Buckley - Lost Highway

Cinerama - Airborne

The Editors - Two Hearted Spider

The Thermals - When I Was Afraid

Ko and The Knockouts - Go Getter

Orville Peck - Winds of Change

Dum Dum Girls - Lord Knows

NØ MAN- Cut Out

Kae Tempest - More Pressure (feat Kevin Abstract)

The Jam - News of the World

The Pogues with Joe Strummer - Rain Street

Roots Train - Junior Murivin

A Frightening Place For Normal People - TENEMENT

The Hundred In The Hands - Pale Moon Out

That’s right, this month wasn’t just about women artists, but a way for you, the music fan, to explore their music via Bandcamp, and who knows, if you love it enough, you can even purchase it too!

Here is the list of women artists from day 1 to day 15 of my music focus on social media.

Day 1: NØ MAN - Cut Out

Hardcore punk from Washington DC.

Day 2 : Speak To Me - Michelle David and The True Tones

Some serious Northern Soul vibes.

Day 3 :So Fucked - Pussy Gillette

Garage/Punk with killer bass lines. I love this band a lot. I think I own almost everything they have put out.

Day 4 :Don’t Like You Anymore - Tanika Charles

Tanika Charles should really be bigger than she is. Soul sounds like these are much loved in many spaces. Toronto (and Canada as a whole) don’t do a great job in supporting artists that are not “trendy” at the moment.

Day 5 : Sand - Brutus

Metal? Metalcore? Alternative? I love Brutus and will happily fight you to agree with me. Nest is an album that is still in my regular listening rotation.

Day 6: Strange Currencies - Louisa Stancioff

This is a haunting REM cover.

Day 7: Joan Smith and The Jane Does - Drown A Goat

Bluesy rock from Ontario, Canada.

Day 8: Simone Denny - Your Love Fades Away

Did you know Simone Denny of Love Inc put out a solo album? The Girl is still singing on house tracks, still touring. My favourite track is Breathe Again, If you are ever struggling and having a hard time, that track will lift your spirits and carry you through it. It did for me.

Day 9 :He Dared Me - Huge Shark

Huge Shark is an artist with a lot of depth and range when it comes to her musical arrangements. Think of 80’s haunting voices and that is this woman.

Day 10: Purple Phase - Arlo Parks

Dreamy soul/indie rock vibes.

Day 11: Spitting Off The Edge Of The World - Yeahs Yeahs Yeahs

Karen O forever killing it!

Day 12: Beware of The Stranger - Lady Blackbird

To truly appreciate this - you need to listen via headphones to appreciate the layers in this.

Day 13: The World Fades Away - Genders

Dreamy shoegaze goth.

Day 14: Bimbo - The Coathangers

I was lucky to see this band live and they were everything. Garage rock/punk with enough sweetness and FU vibes.

Day 15: Destroy Everything You Touch - Ladytron

I mean who doesn’t like a remix of electronic synth pop especially when its Ladytron.

You can always check out my posts daily on Threads or on Bluesky OR just wait another two weeks and the daily posts will be put into one place so that you can access it easily without sifting through all my annoying unrelated posts!

If you are a new subscriber, please check out my older pieces here on substack as I assure you that you will enjoy them. I don’t have a paywall so even free subscribers have access to everything.

This year, for my paid subscribers though, as a thank you I will be creating some nifty EatKS buttons, stickers, and yes even a really cool T-Shirt as my way of thanking you to supporting covering the overhead costs of having a SOCAN licensed podcast that is available everywhere - (except Spotify).

For free subscribers, you can still show support by liking, and restacking or sharing links of the written pieces you feel your peeps need to know exist.

As Joe Strummer said - “without people, you’re nothing.”

I remember back in 2024, there was a lot of outrage because Italian boxer Angela Carini bailed on a match against Imane at the Paris Olympics. Many anti Trans people flocked to social media to spread misinformation about the situation, and continue to spread skewed facts about Imane. Many of the accounts stated that Imane was a Trans woman who was pretending to be a woman to compete in the Olympics.

And their “facts” to back this up were that Imane was disqualified in 2023 by the International Boxing Association due to a gender eligibility test. What people glossed over, and quite intentionally, is that Imane Khelief is from Algeria. Algeria is an Islamic country where homosexuality and transgender identity are illegal. So, if she comes from a country where it is illegal for her to be trans, then why would the Algerian government state that she is female?

It’s also important to note that the IBA and the International Olympic Committee are not connected, and have different standards. But again, chromosome testing because someone looks more feminine or masculine….to exclude them despite them having the body parts that make them cis gender, is mind-boggling. If gender chromosome testing were to show that Imane had an unfair advantage in her strength, then how could it be that Imane was beaten by the Irish boxer Amy Broadhurst in the International Boxing Association. Amy pointed out that Imane was beaten by NINE female boxers prior to 2024.

Now, remember that the criteria for the IBA wasn’t about looking female enough or having female body parts; it was about chromosomes. It’s also important to note that the IBA was no longer recognized by the International Olympic Committee in 2023, as the association did not meet the standards set out in 3.7 of the IOC charter.

Glaad published a very comprehensive piece in August 2024 about Imane Khelief, the IBA, and intersex, and even used bullet points to make it easier to digest all the information. FACT CHECK: Olympic Boxer Imane Khelif, Participation and Eligibility in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, and Beyond

We continue to find ourselves in this discourse of what is acceptable for women or men to look like as a woman or a man based on clothing and appearance. Trans and trans allies should call out the anti Trans people using Imane and her intersex to as a way to cement what being a woman or man is based on appearance. Trans and intersex people have always existed.

I love that Imane continues to persevere despite all the hate. I love that her Algerian family and her country continue to support her and are proud of her.

I hope that the world will stop with its ignorance and fear, as the combination of these elements always leads to hate.

In solidarity with intersex, non-binary and trans people —you exist and have always existed.

If you are a serious music lover and have not created a Bandcamp fan account, I highly recommend you do so. You can follow artists, record labels, and other music fans. When you follow indie record labels, your inbox will get slammed with new releases. It can be overwhelming to follow more than 5 indie record labels, but I assure you, it is worth it. You will no longer be the music fan stuck in your nostalgia, as it’s a great way to keep up with the music that is out there.If you are new to Bandcamp check out the crash course I wrote about Bandcamp.

Do you even bandcamp - the crash course for the music fan

The track list with hyperlinks!

1. Your Country Needs You - H.R. Frank

2. Hella Tight- Jesse Lebourdais

3. Spirit Adapter - YÏN YÏN

4. Lonely For You Baby- Sam Dees

5. I Believe in You - Ladytron

6. The Pit - Soft Moon

7. Teenage Spaceship - Thrashpalace

8. Too Much Tension - Mystery Lights

9. Sun Youth - DATES

10. Her Jazz - Huggy Bear

11. Memory - FEATURE

12. Losing Battle - Adolescents

13. Someone I Can Talk To - The Limps

You can listen via apple podcasts here

Don’t like apple? EatKS is available via other places that have podcasts with the exception of Spotify. So yes, android users. You can still listen to my show

links to listen and other links

I said, “No one was expecting you to look up 80 books. But you pick five titles that you seem interested in, look those up, then if you don’t like any of those, then you pick another five to look up.” As a teenager, he was clearly overdramatic and upset about my suggestion that he look up information, take the time to read, and choose from what he found.

But here’s the thing.... I know adults who struggle with this concept of reading more to get more information. And they are just as angry as he is at people asking them to read more and ask more questions before forming an opinion. I see it so often on social media: a person creates a rage bait sentence for a post, then attaches it to an article that literally does not support the claim they make in that sentence. Just the other day, a non-follower was telling me they didn’t have time to read all the replies in a thread. (The thread was only 8 posts long; it’s not like they were reading a research paper.)

I have been wanting to write about how opinion writers twist and distort facts to push an agenda, and to demonstrate the dangers of this practice. I know that even documentaries might feel one-sided, but I feel that if you treat documentaries as a pick-a-side rather than a medium that makes it easier for people to access information about events, countries, cultures, and languages that might not be in their wheelhouse, that might not be the case.

In 2026, I plan to start writing more about the documentaries from around the world that I watch, and discuss the opinion pieces in legacy media in Canada that I worry do not hold themselves to any accountability for facts, as outrage is now the new currency, and it’s time for it to be outdated just like the penny.

P.S.

Before the new year rolls in…. there will be another EATKS episode. This time a Do You Even Bandcamp episode. Are you excited? SAAAAAAME!

Thank you to all of you that subscribe to my nonsense, actually read it, take the time to share it with others because you think it’s share worthy.

Share Nikki’s Substack

Long time music pals of EatKS Christian D the frontman of Christian D and the Sinners and Adam Sewell frontman of Monster Voodoo Machine, Def Con Sound System, artist manager and writer joined me derailing conversations about The Clash and Joe Strummer.

We only had scratched the surface with talking about Joe Strummer, The Clash when it comes to the albums, the demos, the bootlegs, the boxset, our personal stories about the songs we love, some of the best books to read. We didn’t talk about all the albums, all the bootlegs, all the books or all the boxsets.

What I hope that people will get from this is that Clash fans are unique because The Clash was one of the very few bands that could pull pub rock, reggae, first wave ska, dub, rockabilly, and even some new wave music fans. Is there one Clash fan that is right and another Clash fan that is wrong?

Listen to the show and you’ll see for yourself that The Clash, and Joe Strummer hit differently for some Clash/Strummer fans. Here are some of the stuff that we talked about on the show

Track List

1. Know Your Rights - The Clash - Combat Rock

2. Straight To Hell - The Clash - Combat Rock

3. Tommy Gun - The Clash - Give Em Enough Rope

4. What’s My Name - The Clash - The Clash (UK version)

5. This Is England - The Clash - Out of Control Demos

6. Love Kills - Joe Strummer - Sid and Nancy Movie

7. V. Thirteen - Big Audio Dynamite (Written by Joe Strummer and Mick Jones)

8. Police On My Back* - The Clash - Sandinista!

9. The Call Up - The Clash - Sandinista!!

10. Washington Bullets - The Clash - Sandinista!

11. Naughty Christmas - Fat Les and Joe Strummer

12. Trash City - Joe Strummer and Latino Rockabilly War -Permanent Record Soundtrack

13. Turkish Song of The Damned - Joe Strummer and the Pogues

14. Ramshackle Day Parade - Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros -Streetcore

15. Burning Streets -Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros - Streetcore

16. Arms Aloft - Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros - Streetcore

17. Glue Zombie - The Clash - Out of Control Demos

18. Galleani - The Clash - Out of Control Demos

*original song by The Equals

Links to stuff talked about in the show

Story behind the Fat Les Song.

There was almost a 10 year gap between The Clash and Joe Strummer’s other projects and here is part of the reasoning

Link to all The Clash songs

Link to Ebay boxset list for giggles

Mick Jones reveals he was writing songs with Joe Strummer prior to his death

Books recommended by the book nerds ;)

Route 19 revisited

Last Gang in Town

A Riot of Our Own

Redemption Song:The Ballad of Joe Strummer

Now, for people who know me, know I LOVE social media. It’s been an important way to connect with my EatKS listeners, the music nerds that want to check out music not always in their wheelhouse, BANDCAMP FOREVER, and despite all my efforts to control myself, all my social media accounts had political rants. My talent was always finding that one inner misogynist or male fragile ego hidden in a “progressive” dude. A male fragile ego means you can’t say “Oh damn, I made a mistake”. It’s cute when dudes get offended when I call them out. If I can call out a racist colleague in person (tactfully, though), what makes you think I will not come for you (tactfully) on the internet?

Last weekend, The end of November, I went and deactivated my Instagrams, my Threads account, my Bluesky… right before my 50th birthday, right before a potential Bandcamp Friday promo and upcoming NEW podcasts. (no regrets)

Was that social suicide? No, yes and no and let me tell you why.

I think my favourite part is that many just assumed I blocked them on social media rather than deactivated my account. Or the OH NO, where did NIKKI GO? Well, if you weren’t lazy, you would have googled, and you would have found spaces that I still exist in. Like here. :)

Logging on here, and it’s been a while — I have lost some subscribers, but I am not letting go of this space. This is where I feel I can write, rant, share, and, if you subscribe, maybe you’ll read it. If you love it, you’ll share it. We don’t do enough of that. We don’t share what we like out into the world. We don’t share each other’s work, projects, or albums — because apparently, a repost or a quote post is too much work. We like posts, but those likes? No one sees that anymore. No one sees what you like. Sure, it spikes an algorithm the more likes a post gets. But NO ONE sees what YOU like anymore. Likes are just giving you fake, fab endorphin feelings. We have all been conditioned to “like” something, and that is somehow doing good for people. But if no one else can see what you like, does what you like on a social media post… even matter?

See? This is what I have come to realise. It’s all become crap. I still have some social media accounts like Twitterverse (judge all you want, it’s a trash place and every once in a while a person needs to be reminded that no place is safe for bigots, racists, disinfo, or ignorance) and Mastodon. After the Twitter split, some of my fave people went to Mastodon and Threads, while others went to Bluesky. It was maddening to try to be connected in 7 places to provide the same content and connection, simply to exist in people’s feeds and lives.

I follow a very small number of people because their content and connection mattered, but I stopped seeing their posts. Constantly having to explain context on threads because some random person who has mutuals with me is too lazy to scroll up and read the op post or the replies was really getting to me. And yeah, I could be that guy and simply ignore people, but I’m torn with that being considered rude and my mental health boundary. And Bluesky? I rarely see posts from some of the people I follow. I literally have to go to their profile and see what they have been up to.

There is no social connection anymore — it’s all content, and more often than not, it’s the algorithm that controls what content you see.

So watch this space for MOAR content. Cause I have Bandcamp money to burn, thoughts to write and podcasts to do. Fifty means no fuÇks given.

An update as of December 19 2025, I reached out to a lot of people to connect with them via my substack, emails, texts, messenger…. and its been awful. You all are hooked on having social media platforms as your way to have connections. Some of you think it’s interactions you want, but it’s not. You want information, but by the means YOU chose to access it.

Please note that I prefer threads however, in order to have my threads back, I had to reactivate not one but BOTH my instagram accounts. My reactivating is so that I can meet your needs of posting my content where it is convenient for you. But, for the time being, I am enjoying not having Threads, Instagram, or Bluesky on my phone. So if I am posting, its via the desktop, which means, I will be rarely on social media.

Special shout out to both my free and paid subscribers.

My free subscribers, you could choose NOT to subscribe — yet here you are. Reading the nonsense I write. My paid subscribers, your money helps offset the costs of doing the podcast. You know, website fees, domains, RSS feed cost, and even my SOCAN licence.

If you like my substack…don’t just share it here. Share it widely. Likes are appreciated but shares do matter most.

Subscribe now

Do you really think that celebrities can magically make the United Nations enter an area under siege or the USA, which is controlled by Trump, sanction Israel because of a million views to bring awareness?

We do not have an awareness issue about what is happening in Gaza or the West Bank. We have an issue with world leaders enforcing the Geneva Convention and following International Humanitarian Law.

I don't claim to be a scholar online*, but I like to think...I am a well-read, empathetic individual who is logical and capable of reasoning.

For example, before I engage in any discourse, I read the replies, especially because the algorithm doesn't always show the original post, so I find the original poster and start from there.

Then, I read some of the quote tweets, checked out the original poster's bio, and their other replies. I am sure you will say Nikki, no one is going to do that. You aren't supposed to read everything in a thread on social media.

Maybe that's how we got into this chaos of insane rage farming, dogpiling in the first place. No one is taking the time to ask simple questions of - Who, What, When, Where, Why and How before jumping into a conversation online.

For those who know me on social media, I am known for being ethical and factual, and I never resort to name-calling; I always stay on topic. I never engage in a discourse on any social media platform unless I am already prepared with links to support my statements from unbiased, reliable articles—not memes or pictures.

When I enter into conversation with conservatives or right-wing individuals, I am prepared to be name-called, harassed, dogpiled with horrible takes, and my words twisted from context because they cannot see things from another perspective.

Rage farming is the primary method for achieving maximum engagement online now, and this isn't just coming from the bigots, the racists, xenophobes - but also from the "left social justice warriors"

Imagine people who want justice for a marginalized, oppressed group are becoming rabid with people who call out their behaviour that is literally no different from what extreme right-wing individuals do.

There is a sense of entitlement, ego, as well as a lack of reading and comprehension skills on both the left and right sides of the political spectrum. *Do not label yourself a scholar of a specific topic unless you actually went to school for it - that is not gatekeeping - you are misleading your audience, and yes, I will call you out on it.

Suppose I call you a scholar because you read stuff and wrote a paper on Substack and social media as an anon - by that exact logic, I would have to acknowledge right-wing individuals calling themselves researchers because they watched YouTube videos.

Clearly, you can see that this is a problem, yes?

Fostering an environment to hate someone, whether your politics are left-wing or right-wing, is still promoting hate. Do you see the problem here?

I will challenge "people on the left" who are ignorant in the same way I challenge "people on the right". Regardless of where you stand on the political spectrum, you still need to be accountable for promoting hate, dogpiling, causing harm to others, rage farming and misinformation.

Many people have opinions, and that is 100000% acceptable. Many people want to criticize others - again, that is also acceptable; HOWEVER, when you are being critical of someone... THAT is when facts have to come into play.

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Remember, there is a difference between facts and opinions.

When following “activist” accounts look at their content:

• Are they reposting news articles for you to read about the topic?

• Are they sharing voices of other organizations or people who are trying to create awareness, bring in supports or aid?

If none of this is happening perhaps they are just social bandwagoning. It doesn’t take much effort to check if they are or not. Sadly, I can only pull up tweets from 2021 but I know I was tweeting about it much earlier. And not because I am trying to earn street cred - it is because my family is Palestinian, Arab, it’s important for me to create awareness and I know how the first sentence of that poem goes.

We have to really stop thinking that social media influences the people in the UN or the people in leadership roles of countries - that’s not how the world works. Sure you can complain about a company - and the company will buckle - but a government is going to change a course of action (especially a military action?) because of social media pressure or awareness?

Do not confuse anyone being critical of the Israeli govt as being anti-Jewish. That’s like saying that being critical of Trump is anti-American, critical of Putin is anti-Russian or critical of Saudi- Arabia means they are anti-Muslim.

And no... I stand by my statement that if Desmond Tutu, Nelson Mandela and Noam Chomsky could not stop the oppression of Palestinians or Greta Thunberg (a well known activist) stop a genocide - Certainly a pop star of any fame is not going to make Israel stop. Remember that people said if only there were endorsements for Kamala by super famous celebrities and there was - and nothing happened? yeah…. that.

What breaks my heart is that I have mutuals that follow click baiting rage farmers “leftists” who are absolutely rabid when their behaviour to misinform an audience, promote dogpiling, or hate of a group of people is called out for being no different than extremist right wing accounts.

If you were to search any name plus Palestine or Gaza and scroll you will find everything on the internet but I do have a starter kit for you on some dives :)

Churchill correspondence between Palestinian Arab Delegation and Zionist Organization

Image 11 of Mandate for Palestine and Memorandum by the British Government Relating to its Application to Transjordan. | Library of Congress

The UK parliament speaker notes ; Debate January 31 1947

In 1980 the United Nations put fort a report stating that Israel is not a piece loving nation

December 4 1997 Address by President Nelson Mandela at International Day of Solidarity with Palestinian People, Pretoria

Noam Chomsky interview in 2014

Noam Chomsky wrote a book in 2015

December 2021 “When Desmond Tutu stood up for the rights of Palestinians, he could not be ignored”. - (well he kinda was)

Taken from EatKS.com

FINALLY, another show from your music pal who loves to share music but hates getting herself together to actually do a music show again.

This time, I have to thank the front dude from Elephant and Stars for owning my threads pledged: that if I got another paid Substack subscriber or 25 new followers on Threads, I would finally drop a new episode. And while many might think it’s a gimmick, it was, and it wasn’t. I’ve been stuck in a rut, wondering why I still do this when it’s so wildly expensive.

I will never take on advertisers; this isn’t about making it into a career – I have one of those, and because of that, I have the freedom to honestly share the way I love to share. That being said, though, without having my podcast featured on some music blog website, etc., starting from scratch again after a couple of years on hiatus (well, vowing I was done, and having so many farewell shows, nothing like Cher though – she has the record of farewell tours!) is tough.

You have to connect with your audience, be engaging, create engagement and then, because this isn’t your job, do your job, house crap and family crap while having a chronic illness. The struggle to juggle is real, my music pals!

The show is also available where you can get your podcasts except Spotify. Sorry music nerds, Nikki don’t do Spotify.You can stream the shows via RSS here

EatKS Podcasts

The much-awaited playlist and you all know that if it’s in bold, it’s a hyperlink!

Bauhaus -Lagartija Nick

Bastard Child Death Cult- Radio Silence

Nirvana -Blew

Janice Graham Band – No Money Honey

Naked Aggression – Bankrupt

Ian Blurton – Upon Yesterday

Ride -Clouds of Saint Marie

James Brown -Out of Sight

Afrosound – Platico Chino

Big Rude Jake -Swing Baby!

Audioweb- Out of Many

The Clash – Armagideon Time

I am taking a page out of Tommy's Substack and sharing my love of artists and musicians in celebration of Black Music Month but also taking you down a rabbit hole of information as I feel that this information is essential on so many levels and perhaps you can come to your own conclusions as to why it takes soo long for bills to be passed.

I was not aware that in 1979, Jimmy Carter declared June to be an annual celebration of African American music in the United States. While the declaration of Black Music Month began in 1979, the actual bill for its recognition was not passed until the year 2000, mainly due to the persistent efforts of activist Dyana Williams for over a decade and with the support of Kenneth Gamble and Ed Wright. Then, in 2009, Barack Obama changed the name from Black Music Month to African American Music Appreciation Month, and it continued under that name until Joe Biden changed it back to Black Music Month in 2023.

I highly recommend checking out Dyana Williams, Kenneth Gamble, and Ed Wright on the internet, as it is due to their advocacy and dedication that proper acknowledgement of this month occurred, not because of the presidents in power.

Since Black Music Month is about recognizing the development of various music genres, I want to share the lesser-known and up-and-coming Black musicians in hopes of carrying the torch forward to acknowledge the importance of their immense talents.

If you like Leon Bridges (which I do as well), you might also like Curtis Harding. I have been obsessed with this album for a long time due to its soulful vibes, which incorporate a bit of garage and psych-rock elements. He has a new album coming out in September 2025 but with only 2 tracks available to listen to… I can’t comment on that one. If you really want to appreciate how much went into this album - you need to listen to it via headphones —especially with the track “Explore.”

Little Simz is an artist I discovered through another radio show back in 2021, where they played the track “Point and Kill” off her album, I Might Be Introvert. I am sure that many might feel that 'Point and Kill' is an aggressive term, but it is actually Nigerian slang, and it is more about making a choice from the options available. The musical arrangement in this piece ticks so many of my favourite music genre wheelhouses, and the incorporation of brass and bass is so good.

Little Simz (to me) shows how her culture can be the focus of her music with the backdrop of rap/hip hop/soul music. “Fear No Man” is another of my faves off this particular album. Seriously, you need to listen to the track in the headphones.

Pussy Gillette - a garage/punk band from Texas, is underrated in my mind. When we talk about how there is no more punk music challenging what’s happening in the US -I think we just stopped looking for new music to listen to, and we're stuck in our high school/college/uni years for listening to music that opened our minds.

Walking Crime was written in the wake of the murder of George Floyd’s murder by a police officer as well as the bassist of Pussy Gillette’s own experience of losing someone to police violence. If you are new to Pussy Gillette, here is a great write-up in the Austin Chronicle about the band

The music world isn’t what is was before with focuses on diverse groups in mainstream radio. Never stop sharing your love of music with others, especially music from lesser known- up and coming artists/musicians from marginalized groups.

There are many ignorant and unhealed people in the Queer community, just like there are in other marginalized communities. They discredit bisexuals, non-binary, and trans people in the gay/queer community. I have seen how it is casually talked about for decades: "Can't they just pick a team?", "Oh, they are a fence-sitter."

My 29-year-old son told me that he was bisexual when I came back to Canada. He doesn't come out as publicly as bisexual as he feels the stigma for men being bisexual is more than it is for women. I don't think he is wrong.

My other son came out gay at age 12, when we were living in the Middle East. Then, at 13, when we moved back home, he believed he was Trans: I think he was struggling to understand society's gender constructs are so much embedded into our body parts and who we want to love. After 3 years of love, support, and counselling, the teenager isn't questioning his gender identity and how he sees himself. He is more confident in his sassy, gay, bougie self. If my teenager's journey into his identity changes when he is older - he will still be loved and supported by his parents.

I think that many parents are experiencing their kids being "gender questioning" because we are no longer forcing kids to do "this or that" based on the gender they are born with. Yay for us! But damn, this is a more challenging road for us as parents to navigate.

I see you - parents who are trying to navigate this with your kids, and you do it with so much love.

I still have to write a piece about gender social constructs. I have received backlash on social media posts as people LOVE to cherry-pick a post to validate themselves - I'm not confident enough or thick-skinned enough to deal with that nonsense. The Coles Note version of that piece would be- to me true feminism isn't about "girls" doing "boys" stuff. It's literally smashing the ideology that only a specific gender can do _________.

My teenager is a proud gay Arab: that is everything. However, I also see the micro-aggressions and ignorance from many around me. Being gay is one hurdle of discrimination to overcome, if you are Black or a POC or from a specific ethnic group; that stigma is compounded!

Don't even get me started on the marginalization of neurodiverse or disabled people and how that also continues a stigma and marginalization for them to feel valued.

I have seen so many struggle to accept my relationship with my husband and have been hella micro-aggressive. Like people, I’ve been in a multi-ethnic relationship for 27 years, and I'm still my badass feminist hellscape but who is fiercely supported by her Arab husband.

Have I changed? Yes, it's called growing up. We all are supposed to change.

We can all learn and educate ourselves about diversity; we no longer face the same lack of accessibility to information that we did before the 1990s. So, people not trying to unlearn their micro-aggressive behaviours are lazy. I don't need toxic nonsense in my life, and I will happily remove those that will cause my family harm. And you remove those who are toxic for you too!

I want to extend Happy Pride wishes to all my friends, allies, and parents who are allies to their kids.

You are ALL loved. You are ALL seen.

In case you missed it, this month, I held my #NoPantsRecordStoreShopping contest, in which people get a chance to win Bandcamp albums or gift cards. The Bandcamp albums are not freebies from the artists to me but purchases that I made to give out to you who participate. To ensure it is fair, I videotape the actual drawing of names for these contests.

Video Link Here

And because of so little engagement on the social media platforms, I don’t want you to miss out on good music, so here are the posts I shared via social media for BandcampFriday. There are two sections: one is for signal-boosting music to you, my followers, and the other is for purchases I made on Bandcamp Friday. Remember, you don't have to wait until Bandcamp Fridays to buy music. Some people want to purchase physical copies, which you can do on Bandcamp, but the shipping costs will probably bankrupt you.

I know so many of you love Spotify and create playlists via Spotify, but I want you to know that you are not helping bands or record labels by using Spotify. Here is a fantastic write-up from Venice Music, including the payout breakdown.

How Much Do Artists Make on Spotify? A Realistic Breakdown for 2025

Sharing posts like this is the best way you can help me promote bands, artists, and record labels.

Warning: This post has a ridiculous number of music links, so it’s about to go through. I will not apologize for sharing my deep love of music with you, though. ;)

Remember, there is never a paywall on my Substack this way you can access ALL the posts whenever YOU have time. If you want to be a paid subscriber you can do that too. That helps offset the costs on websites, domains, music licences, my mixcloud pro-account.. but MOST important is regardless if you are a paid subscriber or not, the liking of the posts, sharing in other places matters!

Share Nikki’s Substack

This section is for music that I wanted to signal boost but didn’t purchase

I don't know why you can't buy this Black Fever album anymore. I own it. I remember I played it in my NXNE music series back in 2014 They have some other great stuff but this... so good

Did you loan out our S.O.A album to your "best friend" and the fucker never gave it back to you? (before Henry Rollins was Henry Rollins for newbs) well now you can get your old punk rock albums back because Dischord Records reissues them

I forgot I put this album in my wish list because Eli Paperboy did a cover of Motorhead's "Ace of Spades" Can you imagine a funk and soul version of that track? ITS EVERYTHING

oddly.... this is one a the very few albums from Elvis Costello that I do not own, yet. I will never buy North. that would be a reject purchase

I really love track 1 off this album but track 8 and 9 are okay. on the fence about purchasing so it will stay in the faves. Super industrial goth vibes but maybe I am getting to old for screamo... what is screamo anyway? is Ministry considered screamo?

Shoegaze/grunge from the band Oddly from Kyoto Japan Record Label: Dambly

folk /Irish vibes from the band Landless from Ireland Record Label: Glitterbeat Records

Experimental Rock from the band Heaven For Real from Nova Scotia

The most eclectic sounds that collab with different countries YOU NEED TO READ THE LINER NOTES! Band - Avalanche Kaito Record Label - Glitterbeat Records

Psych rock stylings from the band Ribbon Skirt from Montreal Record Label : Mint Records

New Album from Metz Record Label: Subpop

This section is for music that I purchased on BandcampFriday

9 Euros is out of my price range for an album right now but I will buy this stunning track. you can just buy single tracks! like you could/can on iTunes, but if you buy from bandcamp the artists get more of the money

Lofi dream pop from Montreal

There's a dream pop/shoegaze/ synthwave record label out of Montreal Canada called Cold Model RecordsSuper gothy vibes always appreciated from this band

Afro-Disco from a band in Italy is EVERYTHING! read the liner notes on their page to learn more!

There is a Turkish psych band that was GRAMMY nominated! But your radio station doesn't play it. Spend the $2 to add to your collection!

This is a wild remix. This isn't a band I am into but I just might explore it I follow Sub Pop on Bandcamp I get flooded with new releases. Don't wait for radio to tell you whats happening. Follow the record labels!

This is a dreamy haunting cover of R.E.M.'s Strange Currencies

Pussy Gillette is one of my fave in your face garage punk vibe bands For $1 you can own their "Haters" track the band literally makes more money today with this purchase than they would would 500 listens on Spotify

Buying ALL THE SINGLES TODAY

This grrrl supports this epic compilation out of Montreal. I will judge you if you don't pay at least $9 for a name your price album that has this many tracks. Super eclectic in genres I paid cassette price for it

If you like a retro 80's electronic vibe this is $4.99 well spent

Hardcore Punk rock with the message of Right to Choose just in case you though punk rock wasn't angry anymore

This is a killer soul single AND she is from Toronto!! Record Kicks is a great record label that you need to check out

All my other nonsense is available in other places the damn places link tree

This post is not pro Muslim or pro Islamic culture. I am not here to debate your opinions or your perspectives. I am here to share my own perspective based on facts as well as my own lived experiences about how I see micro aggressions being the fuel for bigotry and how social media is the accelerant.

Micro aggressions come in many forms; they can be a slight, subtle quip or jab, a display of someone’s ignorance*. This behaviour isn’t new; it’s always existed, but I believe that with social media, anyone from a marginalized group is definitely exposed to it more. *which can either be innocent or willful.

I want to point out that I am an atheist who respects people's religious beliefs*. I am an anti-fascist, anti-racist, queer feminist* who tries to challenge prejudices wherever I see it.*I do not support religious people who interpret writings in spiritual books when it affects an individual's rights or freedoms, which goes against Amnesty International's Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

I identify as a queer person. I am in a multi-ethnic marriage. I have lived/worked in two countries in the Middle East (one for several years). I am sensitive to micro aggression comments that target LGBQT+ communities and Arab communities. For white people, and I say this as a white person, we do not always see how ethnicity/faith/sexual identity/race/skin colour/ability/socioeconomic status intersect and how it can impact our ability to participate in our jobs, towns, etc.

I will bore you with a crash course on what types of Micro aggressions are casually passed into everyday interactions, with some screenshot examples from social media. I am not here to name-shame anyone for micro aggressions, but I really want you to see what they look like.

The first picture exemplifies a micro aggression that happens SO often. This person is replying to a woman who chose to wear a Hijab in a western country and then well… decided not to wear it anymore.

It’s casual; it’s not meant to cause harm; if anything, one could see it as a way of praising someone. But what are we praising? Are we praising that a woman has decided to take off her Hijab as a way to assimilate into Western society which is predominantly Christian? Do we praise Orthodox Jewish men for not wearing their Kippah? No, we don’t. I could go into an entire theory that women are targeted more for religious attire than men are, patriarchy, blah, blah, blah: but that is a whole different post.

For my readers, yes, I am well aware that there indeed are a few Middle Eastern and Islamic ruling countries that make it law for Muslim women AND also non-Muslim women to wear a head scarf of some sort. However, to paint all Islamic* or all Middle Eastern countries with the same brush is dangerously ignorant. That would be like saying that the UK, the USA, Australia, and Canada treat women, men and minority groups the exact same way. We certainly know that this isn’t the case.

Speaking of painting people, cultures and religious beliefs with the same brush as being dangerously ignorant, let's talk about the notorious Niqab. I have seen so many online discussions that do not create an understanding or support diversity on this subject. These discussions are poised to challenge a woman's right to dress because of their religious faith.

The first social media post paints a picture of oppression from the writer’s words. I find it interesting that a man wrote this, is also apparently Middle Eastern by the last name. This post is meant to be divisive but this is simply this man’s opinion based on what he sees. He does not tell you which Middle Eastern country this picture was taken in. Was it Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Qatar?

While each of those countries, have Muslim women who wear the Niqab, none of these countries require the women to wear it by law. We all know that this picture wasn’t taken in Afghanistan, because women are required to wear the Burka, which is very different, and also it’s by law.

Here is another social media post where apparently this woman is complaining that she can’t eat at the beach with a face veil and then apparently demands more spaces Muslim women can eat in public that are halal. I howled so hard when I saw this post. Even as a non Muslim, I know that halal has nothing to do with how someone is dressed but how food is prepared.

This woman had to be joking as in the Islamic country I lived in, there was no special place for women in niqabs to remove their veils and eat in public. Niqab women would lift their veil and eat or position themselves away from public traffic, facing their friends or husbands. I have gone to coffee hangouts with women in niqabs in public spaces, and this is what I have seen them do. Again, I am speaking from my own experience.

Some public beaches in the Middle East have private cabanas that you can rent, but that is for anyone who wants privacy. And those tents are ridiculously fancy and expensive—more expensive than renting a room at a 5-star hotel for one night, at least in the country I lived in.

I worked in a setting where I saw a lot of women wearing Niqabs and yes after awhile you can figure out who it is because you start looking at eye colour, eye shape, eye brow shape, height and other physical features more than having to rely on the entire face to identify a woman. It’s not really complicated. It’s seems like it might be, but I assure you it’s because you have never lived in that situation where you had to navigate it. The women I knew that wore them, wore them for different reasons.

These are some of the reasons that women wore niqabs in the country I was in:

• Some were Western second wives, and they wanted to hide their identity in public. Yes, ignorance, bigotry, and disapproval of intercultural marriages exist in all countries; shocker, I know.

• Some women wear the niqab was a way to show men that the woman was married and “off the market” - this is what I was told by other local women in the country.

• Often the women wearing niqabs were citizens to that country or other Islamic countries and this is how they would express their religious beliefs.

• There have been on occasion, where I knew of single women wearing niqabs so that they could go out on dates with Arab men. Dating before getting engaged is frowned upon in some Muslim families. Again, some not all.

So how did these social media perspective posts cause harm?

These aren’t perspectives, these are thinly veiled micro assaults on a marginalized group in order to continue to fuel hostile environments for women who choose to wear religious clothing. Imagine people invalidating another person because they choose to wear religious clothing.

Another social media post that bothered me on so many levels was the continuation of people posting micro assaults like this picture below. I decided to just take the picture and point out what the problem is with this. Yes, it is technically illegal to be gay in Islamic countries, but it was also illegal to be gay in non- Islamic countries, and actually still in many non- Islamic countries. In fact there are 66 countries where it is illegal to be a homosexual and 6 of those countries are in the Americas. Again non Islamic countries.

For good measure, I want to share a post that is not an example of micro aggression but full-on hate towards another group of people. While the person who identified as a Jewish person said some horrible things about a Jewish Israeli Pro-Palestinian protester, this response to that person continues to fuel the fire of hate. (I purposely didn't add the whole conversation because I don't want to have debates on the Middle East)

Remember that we should challenge people who are in the positions that create wars, not the people who happen to live in countries where there are wars.

This is a picture of me in 2018, in a mall enjoying some fabulous, bear-faced cotton candy. If you really squint, you can see a man wearing a ghutra, traditional clothing for men in the Arab Gulf states. Men wore thobes and ghutras, and women wore abayas; some wore hijabs, some wore niqabs, and the odd time I would see a full burka. Imagine me looking the way I did there, and I never received any hate for it.

When I see posts on social media painting any group of people with the same brush, I hope this post will help you ask some important questions.

Try asking these questions yourself next time:

Is the post on social media trying to attack, harm, or invalidate the well-being of others?

Is the social media post trying to inform or educate in a way that isn't harmful? Does it also understand that being critical doesn't need to require you to be harmful or attack a group of people?

Is the post on social media based on actual facts or one person's perspective?

Even though many people might have the same negative perspective or opinion, am I being mindful of stereotypes and that stereotypes, while technically a generalization, can also be considered micro-aggression or full-on racism or bigotry?

I know that everyone doesn’t want to get into social media fights on the internet. I do respect that fully. My concern is that if we don’t check the micro aggressive behaviour it can lead to full on hate.

Just use these easy reply statements:

“Remember: Fear + Ignorance = Hate”

“This above post is an opinion that is invalidates the well being of another person”

Will it change that persons opinion? Nope, but it whether it changes someone’s opinion does not mean you should let micro aggressions go unchecked.

If you want to help keep my song in the top 25, my song is Sonic Reducer and here is the quick link for you

Sonic Reducer - The Dead Boys

The tracks that are played in this show from the list are the following.

The Cranberries - Dreams

The Tragically Hip - Fireworks

Iron Maiden - Run To The Hills

Joan, Craig and Julian are not just musicians in this crowd funding event but they are part of some great proper indie bands, and of course I had to highlight some indie bands on an EatKS show.

Joan and The Jane Does - Drown A Goat

Christian and The Sinners - Monday Feels Like A Week

Craig is also in another band called The Dorkies and Julian is in another band called Sundecay (a new album coming out this fall!)

You can listen to the show via RSS on the EatKS.com website and the show is available on most podcast sites with the exception of Spotify.

For example, there is a write-up in February about the best Latin music.

Last month, I featured bands being hustled on Bandcamp by indie record labels. This month, I am going to feature picks from music purchased by fans that I follow.

Yes, following tons of indie record labels and music fans means your inbox will be flooded with emails. Still, I mean, this saves you from constantly trying to find new music on your own. Let's be honest here; so many of you are just not looking for new music but also complain that music isn't as good as -insert your nostalgic high school years here-.

I have many friends who love music, and oddly, I am the one they seek out to find new bands. Are your friends really telling you about new bands, or are you all just stuck in your favourite bands and nostalgia bands? It's a pain to get new friends, and it's exhausting to follow new people on social media because they posted once or twice about bands…. My solution is to get a Bandcamp account and follow some music fans!

All you have to do is click on an album you love on Bandcamp. All of those tiny pictures underneath the album are accounts that purchased that album.

I recommend exploring by clicking on a picture (I clicked on the 3rd picture for this album) and tada!

Bandcamp Music Fan Mike has purchased 29 albums. We have one album in common, and his wishlist is pretty long! Typically, I follow people who have a bigger collection or more albums in common with me. But once you follow, you get bi-weekly emails about all the fan accounts you follow and what they have purchased. That email is just like spreading the word of mouth that a band is good and you want others to know.

Now, I get it, who in this economy can buy tons of albums. One Bandcamp fan I follow who also has a radio station doesn’t buy entire albums; he buys tracks. The album will appear in your collection even when you buy one track.  If you do the “name your price” option and pay nothing…. That album will not show up in your collection, nor will it show that someone downloaded it. (from my experience, this might have changed) Download codes that you get from bands are different, if you use a download code, it will still show up as a purchase.

I follow 61 bands/record labels and 96 music fans on Bandcamp, so when I say that my inbox gets flooded with emails, it does. Especially with indie record labels. Here are some of the Bandcamp music fans I follow and some of their recent purchases.

Fistful of Dave is a person I stumbled on through my Mastodon social media account. We currently have 2 albums in common and his fave genre is rock.

Band : Sleepytime Gorilla Museum

Genre : a mess of grindcore, weird theatrical metal?

I believe I originally met Summer Villain on Twitter years ago. It was through one of my Bandcamp tweet sessions that he shared his Bandcamp Music fan profile. His preferred genre is Alternative, which is really just an umbrella term for a bunch of genres. We have 44 albums in common.

Band: Ekko Astral

Genre: Self proclaimed pioneers of Mascara Moshpit music which is a blend of pop and punk? I dunno

Betty Howls is a music fan that I stumbled on when I clicked her profile picture on an album I had also purchased. I don’t know many women who buy often from Bandcamp or promote bands from Bandcamp loudly. Betty is also from Ontario, Canada, which made her account extra cool, as I am also from Ontario, Canada. We currently have seven albums in common, and she is also a proper radio host (unlike me).

Band: The Shouldnts

Genre:Surf Punk

The Cazart Chronicles aka Out of Step Music Hour which I believe I followed many moons ago on twitter, and I think there was a name change? I have 55 albums in common with this music fan.

Band: Venamoris

Genre: they call themselves pop but when you read the liner notes… having Dave isn’t a pop thing. If anything this proves we have to stop pigeonholing musicians in specific genres.

Rich is someone that I began to follow on twitter through a few mutuals. Rich also has a music show which is very, very different than what I do. He is deep in the throws with everything doom, stoner rock and metal genres. If those are your musical wheelhouses too, I highly recommend following him on threads and other places. I only have 4 albums in common but he is one of my trusted sources for genres that I feel are out of my depth

Band: Maanen Faces

Genre: Stoner Rock

Kenaima is an account that I have followed first on twitter so many years ago. He has been a long time listener and supporter of my show. Even though I don’t have any albums in common with him right now, we both have a love for electronic/industrial/experimental music.

Band: The Art Barbeque (side project of Control Bleeding)

Genre: Goth/Industrial

Cities in Flames is an account I believe that I stumbled on by clicking on the profile of an album that I had purchased as well. The user account name as well as the profile picture piqued my interest, so far we have 10 albums in common. Cities in Flames preferred genre is rock, but you will find some great heavy metal and doom albums in their collection as well.

Band: Stygian Crown

Genre: Heavy Metal/Doom

Dumb mmmn is an account I follow because he tries hard to give reviews on each album that he purchases, and they are quite interesting reviews. His preferred genre is metal but he will buy from a mess of genres. We currently have 9 albums in common.

Band: Nagasaki Sunrise

Genre:Metal/Punk

Adam Schaper I believe I followed from twitter from when I was doing my #NoPantsRecordStoreShopping tweet sessions and asking for people to share their purchases and fave finds. Adam’s fave genre is rock which is really an umbrella term for a bunch of really cool sub-genres that no one wants to read the list of. We have 6 albums in common.

Band: Native Sun

Genre: Garage Rock/Punk

In April I hope to get myself in a better state of mind so that I can give you both a bandcamp music fan piece AND bandcamp record label piece

If you missed the piece I wrote in January. Here is the link to that

With Trump on Twitter, the algorithm started to change.

I will take some responsibility for sabotaging my show audience because when the BLM protests came about, I saw a lot of social media bandwagoning, similar to what I saw back in 2014/2015 with the #MeToo Movement. I couldn't associate myself with people caught up in the hype just to be a part of something without trying to make changes (no matter how small they were)

My #NoPantRecordStoreShopping tweets in 2019-2021 did not have the same impact as in 2015/2016. Time zone differences, as well as people being so sucked up in the news, really made it challenging to break into the algorithms for people to see my tweets.

When COVID hit worldwide, things changed on social media, and it was just hard to get through any internet noise to help share music on social media from indie artists. Still, it didn't fully hit rock bottom until Elon acquired it in 2022. My followers jumped ship and went to Dischord, Signal, Mastdon, Bluesky, and yes... even Spoutable.

Most bands have gone back to using Facebook and Instagram platforms, which have always been the worst places for engagement for me, so I don't bother anymore.

I really enjoyed Threads because of the engagement in music topics. Now, people have left that platform, and my posts are no longer getting through the algorithm. Bluesky is a hot mess, and I cannot figure out how to connect with my audience there, which is wild becasue SO MANY ARE FROM TWITTER!!

I have never done my podcast in hopes of being remotely famous or making a living. It's always been for the love of sharing music with people worldwide. And this substack was never to be about really promoting my podcast but more my writing pieces. But with the algorithm on all social media platforms being awful, it appears I have to promote here, too.

Anyway, my podcast is available on most podcast apps except Spotify because, despite being a Socan/Resound licensed podcast, big record labels can tell Spotify to pull my show (they have done it twice), which affects my distribution to other places.

There are four different theme shows to look forward to from EatKS. The regular EatKS is a mix of new and old music in various genres. EatKS from the Vault, where I bring back an old show; Do You Even Bandcamp Bro?-all about bands from Bandcamp; and Mixed Tape - which I have yet to roll out, but this is a playlist by YOU, the listener and another new upcoming show will be EatKS - Deeper Cuts because I love to nerd out about unpopular tracks on an album.

Have you caught on the shows?

Here's a handy link to my shows, website and two social media places.

where to find my stuff

Nikki EatKS is super searchable on the interwebs, though.

If you like the show, share it on your social media platforms. Word of mouth as a means of supporting DIY projects still matters.

I figured since I don't play all the music that ends up in my inbox from Bandcamp ( I only play what I have purchased), I needed to start a series called "What' Bandcamp Albums are in Nikki's Inbox" as a way to connect you the listener to even more bands!

I follow many indie record labels and indie artists which means that my inbox gets flooded with releases. On average, I get about 20 to 25 emails per month just from the indie record labels that I follow on Bandcamp (clicking the follow button on Bandcamp means you will get regular updates on new releases, items and listening parties).

I also get about 3 to 4 emails per month with a list of all the albums the Bandcamp music fans bought. If I don't stay on top of checking out the albums, it becomes a nightmare.Currently, I have about 300 emails about music.

Radio isn't really a place where you find new music; it's become more about background noise, with the radio stations playing the same song 3 or 4 times over the course of a 12-hour day. So, where do you end up listening to new bands? On a Spotify or iTunes discovery list?

When you do that, are you more inclined to explore the rest of the album? Do you just stop at that one song? So many of us have been wired by terrestrial radio to focus on a song and not be encouraged to discover more songs from that band. Hence, the joke names 4 songs from the band that you like. It's a real thing.

Radio DJs are now no different than club DJs, playing track after track without a story behind the artist, the album, the song or even what they loved about the song, whether it was the lyrics or the musical arrangement/production that moved them. Music is no longer about exploration or inspiration; it's just something to have in the background.

Each month, I will try to do two write-ups about Bandcamp. One piece will be about the albums that are hustled by the bands/indie record labels, and another one will be about the purchases by music fans on Bandcamp that I follow. While there are no "social" interactions with the Bandcamp fans, I do love that I can follow other music fans who have similar tastes and check out their collection and new purchases. On top of following Bandcamp fans, I follow about 10 to 15 record labels. This would be a very long post if I featured every record label. So, for this post, I will be featuring 4 of them.

I know RSD is where you want to support your local record store, an aside from me; you should be going there more than once a year. But for the peeps that do not have cool record stores in their country (trust me, that is a thing). Shipping to somewhere in Asia would cost a fortune, so in reality, offering digital music makes it more globally accessible.

Record Label: Record Kicks

Based out of Milan, Italy established in 2003, it has a big roster of bands from around the world, and the genres are wildly diverse. If you are looking for funk, soul, and jazz fusions with afro and world beat fusions. This record label is one to definitely follow.

The Diasonics are an instrumental funk band from Russia. Their Cover of Beggin reminds me that covers are an important gateway to other music and bands. The Cover isn't bad, but I prefer the other song. Check it out yourself.

Seun Kuti & Egypt 80, phenomenal Afrobeat Jazz artists from Lagos Nigeria. This album was produced by Lenny Kravtiz. Most of the Bandcamp albums that I have shared with my audience do have the option to buy physical copies, but those copies are always limited runs, so if you can't buy physical copies, buy digital!

Record Label: Dischord Records

The epic punk label from Washington DC was started by the one and only Ian MacKaye of Minor Threat, Fugazi, etc.… Dischord Records not only puts out new bands on their label but also does a fabulous job of bringing back old punk bands through both physical and digital copies.

Dischord brings back a remaster of Fumble from Scream. People who are serious Dave Ghrol fans know about this band. If you didn't know about this band, now you do

Punk obviously runs in the family. Amanda MacKaye is killing it in the band Bedmaker.

Record Label: Run For Cover Records

Based out of Boston USA established in 2004 by a teenager. You cannot get more DIY than this.Run For Cover has a mess of genres in its roster, from indie rock to shoegaze and hardcore punk. For those who love emo indie punk pop, Anxious from Connecticut might be for you.

Armlock from Australia is an indie band with a splash of electronic experimental vibes. They call themselves folk… I dunno

Portrayal of Guilt from Texas: it's a wild blend of deep goth industrial vibes with screamo hardcore. You would have to like industrial and hardcore music to like this band.I do love the 1st track A LOT, but it doesn't prepare you for the other tracks. If you like Skinny Puppy, this will be your jam for sure. Track 10 VERY BIG Skinny Puppy vibes.

Record Label: Glitterbeat Records

Glitterbeat, established in 2012 in Germany, is one of my favourite indie record labels because its musician roster is diverse in location and genre.

Samba Touré from Mali - Desert blues at its finest

I featured Park Jiha on my #NoPantsRecordStoreShopping tweet session years with her debut album Communication; she is a phenomenal ambient artist.

Al-Qasar, a band from Portugal, defies all musical and cultural boundaries.

They are an Arab psych rock band that also incorporates traditional Middle Eastern musical instruments and have special guests like Lee Ranaldo (Sonic Youth) and Jello Biafra (Dead Kennedys) on their tracks.

This is just a sample of the albums that really cool indie record labels are hustling out there. In February , I will feature different indie record labels that are on Bandcamp. If there is a record label that you love that has a Bandcamp page reach out to me and let me know so I can share it with my audience.

PS

My RSS feed is now working to post all my podcast shows. Here is the link that you can listen through various apps minus Spotify Places to listen to podcast .There is the option of Mixcloud too, however if you want to stream the show AND have the hyperlinks to all the music you need to go to the website for that. EatKS.com

Please make sure that you read my substack post and all the hyperlinks. The hyperlinks are my receipts to backup my piece.

For survivors reading this, the links provide a lot of detail about the brutality of a sexual assault, so please take care of yourself when reading this post or the links. Being blunt about this is essential because men (and some women, let's be honest here) do not understand how serious this topic is.

I have wanted to write a piece about GG Allin for years, and I was planning to do so in February this year. However, I didn't have enough confidence in myself because I knew that any time a girl expressed her opinion about punk music, toxic boys came for blood. 2 days ago, a noise artist named Danny Tantrum made the news for eating his own shit mid concert. It was considered "art" This particular piece talks about the punk scene being divisive about GG Allin. I am sure it is regarding his lyrics and stage antics. Now, GG Allin's name is all over the internet again. I take serious issue with how the media remembers GG Allin and how they choose what to discuss about him.

This is not my first time challenging punk boys or music scene boys about GG Allin. I have always been articulate, factual, and presented receipts. Still, some of you boys don't seem to understand the problem with GG Allin.

Here is a little back story for those who might not know who GG Allin was.

GG Allin was a punk musician who started the band GG Allin and The Murder Junkies from New York, USA. The band had songs and lyrics that pushed many boundaries in society in general. I mean, with songs like "Cunt Sucking Cannibal", and "Shove That Warrant Up Your Ass", it's hard not to see how GG appealed to "the fuck you and the system" that punk rockers held so dear.

GG Allin was well known for stage antics, from shitting on stage, shooting up on stage, self-abuse, smashing bottles on his head, and beating up his audience. GG Allin’s stage presence went completely against EVERYTHING in the punk scene. It was more chaotic than seeing The Sex Pistols on stage, which is why many punkers still revere that dude as an epic punk rocker and part of the counterculture scene because of his songs and stage act.

Now, here is the thing: When I think of counterculture, I think of George Carlin; I don't think of GG Allin. Counterculture technically refers to a group of people who oppose the norms of society, embrace unconventional lifestyles, and seek to challenge the dominant social order of society. We really have to be careful who we categorize as counterculture.

Being a punk, I am familiar with the mosh pits and concert scene rules. You don't go to the front of the stage unless you are ready to get slammed hard in a pit. At the same time, there is an unspoken etiquette to the pit where you don't cause harm intentionally,and you pick up the people that fall down; not everyone follows that etiquette, and you can't get mad. You went into that pit knowing that shit was a possibility to happen.

GG Allin had a reputation for his violent antics on stage as well as to his audience members, so to me… if you went to a GG Allin show, you knew what you getting into back then; no one protected women at a GG show and it was all under a guise of that GG treated men and women equally with assaulting them. That’s my opinion.

The wiki page for GG Allin briefly describes his trial and imprisonment. The problem is, whoever wrote this part, did not do their due diligence to ensure the information was detailed and accurate. This (in my opinion) perpetuates GG Allin as an epic punk rock dude or a person in counterculture.

GG Allin was on Jerry Springer and called himself a "Rock N Roll Terrorist." I mean, are you okay with him bragging about forcing women to suck his cock or have sex with him on stage? But Nikki, you said that you know what you are getting into when you go to a GG show. Well, for the mosh pit, but I mean, sexual assault is sexual assault.

But Nikki! It was all for show; it was all on stage! It was his gimmick! So, let me get this straight, punk rock boys, you are okay with a man sexually assaulting a woman as long as it is just in the performance?

So let me break it down for you, my readers, why GG Allin is human trash.

It's not because he defecated on stage and ate it. It's not because Allin assaulted men and women at his shows. It's because he used that "fuck you, Im punk rock" persona to do as he pleased, and the results were him being criminally charged and served time for brutally assaulting a woman.

GG Allin was charged with no contest to beating and burning a 25-year-old woman (she was in the hospital for 12 days). You either had to be an avid reader of Maximum Rock n Roll zine back in the day or a super Google search person to find all the information in regards to GG Allin's criminal charges. The link I am providing you, I have archived through internet archives; however, I didn't know how to attach tags to make it easier to find.

This oocities link details GG Allin's statement about the event, the victim's statement, and the judge's conclusion. That link has a lot of information, but if you have the attention of a goldfish; here is what I feel is the most important excerpt from that link.

begin quote "A rock musician was ordered Friday to spend 18 months to four years in prison for severely burning and cutting an Ann Arbor woman after she invited him into her apartment.

Although Kevin M. Allin pleaded no contest in November to the felonious assault charge, he claimed Friday in Washtenaw Circuit Court that the woman's burn injury "was an accident." His court-appointed attorney, Assistant Public Defender R. William Schooley, said "the entire case is bizarre... deviant." Judge William F. Ager Jr., who sentenced Allin, remarked that, "I understand there are lifestyles which this court does not understand." Allin, 33, was charged with injuring the young woman so seriously by burning one of her legs with a cigarette lighter and cutting her that she required 12 days of hospitalization for skin grafts and other treatment.

Allin, from New Hampshire, claims to lead "the most violent rock and roll band in the country." He has described beating himself unconscious and knocking out his own teeth while on stage. He said Friday he feels "somewhat blackmailed." This is his first felony conviction.

He was originally charged with assaulting the Ann Arbor woman with intent to commit great bodily harm after she invited him and members of his band into her North Fourth Avenue apartment. Prosecutors dropped that charge when Allin agreed to plead no contest to the lesser charge of felonious assault. Immediately before Allin was sentenced, Public Defender Schooley said the woman made several untrue allegations when she testified on the day of his no-contest plea and in a probation agent's report on the case. Schooley said the medical reports do not support the woman's contention that Allin burned her in the back of her throat, dripped candle wax into her leg burn, and forced her to drink a glassful of cigarette butts in an unidentified liquid. The woman made a victim-impact statement on Dec. 8 in Ager's courtroom, as allowed by state law. She said, "I am very, very sad. I feel very deep sorrow that humans can be so cruel..."

Judge Ager noted that his sentence for Allin is "slightly above" the minimum prison term of 12 months suggested in state guidelines. The judge said he is not punishing Allin for his lifestyle, but because he pleaded no contest to a charge that he is responsible for "burns that required hospitalization and skin grafting on her left leg, cuts on both cheeks, and half moon cuts around both breasts." End quote

I am sure some people will say, "Well, this is only one woman, and he served his time, so…" This isn't robbing someone or stealing a car. GG Allin brutalized a woman, and to be fair, we should all know by now, that it is never just one woman. One woman was brave enough to come forward and be retraumatized again through a court process in the hopes of getting justice. I mean do I really need to talk about Bill Cosby, or others to prove my point?

We will never end sexual violence towards women if we don't give safe spaces for these frank conversations to happen and ensure accountability. I firmly believe in accountability and consequences, and many confuse consequences with "cancelling" a person.

Do I think that sometimes people bandwagon and outrage over the dumbest stuff and think there should be severe consequences for it? Yes, yes, I do.

This is not one of those times.

Don't get it twisted. I am not out here to cancel GG Allin fans but to educate you. I am not saying that you have to throw out your GG Allin albums and never listen to the dude again. Still, I want to remind you that you are either an ally to women who are brutalized by acknowledging that, yes, a man can be human trash and create art or be in sports, etc .. at the same time. We have more access to information now than ever before, and I am here to remind every music writer and fan- we all need to be better educated on topics as well as understanding that some sources are not the greatest sources (case in point - the vice article and the wiki page)

This piece is dedicated to all sexual assault survivors, regardless of age, gender, lifestyle, or religion, who may not feel comfortable telling their story, I see you, and I stand in solidarity with you.