Greg Raelson (Celebration Summer)
What are your top five albums that were released in 2025? (In order 1-5)
Tired Radio - Hope in the Haze
Waited years for this. Is there such thing as a perfect album Everything from the songwriting to the production on this is fantastic. Any one of the songs could be a "single" which speaks volumes. Plus, they are some of the best dudes you'll ever know.
ERRTH - s/t
I haven't been this excited about a new band in years. And they formed at a Celebration Summer show (true story), so they were destined for awesomeness from the start.
Signals Midwest - Layovers
What can I say? I'm going to start calling him "Midas" Max Stern because it seems everything he touches is friggin' gold.
Mirrorless - s/t
Saw them on a whim when I showed up early to see Shiner at Quarry House Tavern just outside DC in Maryland (Quarry House is a tiny, TINY venue. Those who know, know). Blew me away. And then to find out they are members of Coliseum, Elliott, and By the Grace of God, I was hooked on this record from the start.
Diaz Brothers - The World is Yours
I love this band. The singer was previously the frontman in his band with Dickie Hammond, HDQ (probably the best band besides Leatherface from that region of the country).
Honorable mention: Technically not music "from" 2025, but Numero Group knocks one out of the park again with the fantastic Boilermaker boxset Not Enough Time to Get Anything Done, released in 2025.
What band did you discover in 2025 (can be a brand new band or an older band) that had an impact on your life? How so?
Well, I discovered Fever Sleep at FEST a few years ago when eating a slice of pizza in front of How Bazaar. I heard a band playing inside whose singer reminded me of Young Livers (spoiler alert: it was him). I popped in to check them out, but sadly, they had no music available at the time so I sort of forgot about them. I "re-discovered" them at FEST this year and immediately bought their record. It would definitely be a frontrunner for 2025 had it not been released in 2023! I'm still kicking myself for the 2 years spent unaware this was out!
How will you remember 2025 (in terms of music)?
In terms of music? I'll remember 2025 a lot better than anything else this year brought, that's for sure.
What can we look forward to from you in 2026?
I think we'll be taking it a bit easier this year to catch up on life stuff. But, we are planning on recording a long-overdue full-length.
What records are you looking forward to most in 2026?
I'm really interested to see which of my favorite records are getting re-pressed this year.
Singles rule the music scene right now. How has that affected you as a band or label? Has it influenced your approach to new releases or touring?
I'm a front-to-back LP guy, so I can't really speak to the singles aspect. I don't think that affects us one way or another. We write and play what we like and if something stands out to people, that's great!
Greg Raelson – social media links
- Instagram: @celebrationgregger
