ZOO MUSIC'S best tracks of 2009.

a couple months late but here it is: 100 of my favorite tracks of 2009 in 4 downloadable parts.

disclaimer: a few faves are missing, and sound quality is not always awesome.

enjoy.

Zoo Music's Best of 09, Pt. 1

Zoo Music's Best of 09, Pt. 2

Zoo Music's Best of 09, Pt. 3

Zoo Music's Best of 09. Pt. 4

RIP & RAGE ON...

more on the 2009 recap tip, but on a more personal note. . .

two very good pals of mind passed away at the end of last year, and i'd like to take a moment to pay tribute. 2010 is going to be all about "living free" in honor of these two ridiculously awesome human beings.

Roseann behind the bar at Club Foot.

Roseann Kuberski was a bartender at Club Foot and i had the absolute pleasure of DJing on one of her nights for several years. aside from being the sassiest, coolest, whipsmart-iest and funniest ladies on this entire earth, Roseann could tell some freakin' awesome stories. her legacy as: one of Chicago's early punk rockers (she WAS there), a longstanding bartender at a few of Chicago's early punk bars (O'Banions, Artful Dodger, etc.), and a fixture in the early San Fran punk scene (she was one of the original Mabuhay Gardens bartenders!) led to a LOT of awesome stories. not to mention, Roseann (aka "Roz" aka "Big Red") was a fierce activist for Greenpeace and was extremely active in the AIDS activism community. in addition to all the awesome things she did and lived through, Roseann was the epitome of fierce and independent living. she taught me a lot about life and men and music and her advice was always candid, funny, honest and full of truth. i can only strive to be such an awesome woman. she passed away suddenly at home on October 19, at the age of 58, and is sorely missed.

Donations in Roseann's honor can be made to the Howard Brown Health Center, one of her favorite non-profit organizations.

Mat at one of our legendary Maplewood Ave. house parties, most likely around 2002.

Matthew Allen Arluck was a major player in chicago's punk, metal, and skateboarding communities. He played in a shitload of bands, but just to name a few: Horace Pinker, Cooler by the Lake, Sweet Cobra and Deminer. i met Mat when i interned at Choke Distro in 1999 (at the time he was the warehouse manager) and we instantly became friends and bonded over our extreme love for heavy metal. Mat was THE sweetest, most hilarious, kindest, and ridiculous dude, and over the years we continued to have serious hangs and nerd out over sweet thrash and metal records. the awesome thing about Mat was that although he was a super-cool skateboarder/musician/all-around popular guy, he was fucking nice and accepting and friendly with EVERYONE. he taught me almost everything i know about metal and, more importantly, taught me the importance of LIVING; putting life before work, cherishing the now, and how to grow up without "growing up". totally the definition of rad. Mat succumbed to a long battle with cancer on Thanksgiving Day. today would've been his 40th birthday.

Donations in Mat's honor can be made to Grind for Life, an AWESOME organization that provides help and financial assistance to cancer patients and their families.

let these folks inspire you, k?