Guest Lists: The Best of 2018

Gillian McGhee of Turnspit, Hi Ho

Before we close the book on 2018, we have a couple more guest lists and the results of our albums of the year bracket showdown. Today Gillian McGhee of Turnspit and Hi Ho shares her favorite music and personal memories of 2018. Turnspit's album Desire Paths made the cut for Change the Rotation's albums of the year. Stream the album at Turnspit's Bandcamp page. You can also listen to a brand new Hi Ho song, "Whiskey Sheets," over at the Bad Copy. Gillian's list follows:

My Favorite Things in 2018

Hi hello, my name is Gillian, I do the musics in Chicago as Hi Ho (sad girl singer-songwriter tunes) and one-fourth of Turnspit (thoughtful, melodic punk rock). I don’t like ranking music, so instead, I’m gonna tell ya about some of the things that shaped 2018 for me.

Press Club - Late Teens

This is my album of the year, hands down. Press Club is from Australia and they make some of the most catchy, dreamy, anthemic indie punk songs. I feel so empowered listening to them and love singing along with vocalist Natalie Foster. Her lyrics are honest, heartfelt and so close to home and her voice ain’t nothing to fuck with. This record inspired me and was the soundtrack to many summer bike rides. I also showed it to anybody who would listen. Give it a shot; you won’t be disappointed.

Other Killer Tunes

Other records I listened the fuck out of that were released in 2018 include:
Cloud Nothings – Last Building Burning
Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacas – boygenius
Lucero – Among the Ghosts
Red City Radio – SkyTigers
Brian Fallon – Sleepwalkers

And here’s some stuff I was either late to the game on or just ruled my year:
John Moreland – High on Tulsa Heat
Phoebe Bridgers – Stranger in the Alps
White Reaper – The World’s Best American Band
Chris Wollard – “All the Same to You”
Kurt Vile – “Pretty Pimpin’”
Tyler Childers – “Feathered Indian”
And basically Jason Isbell’s entire discography

Singing on Stage with Rise Against

This is indulgent of me, but it was the coolest moment of my entire life. As chance and hard work would have it, my band Turnspit found ourselves opening up for Rise Against in Detroit back in May, and I got the opportunity to join them on stage for their song “Give it All.” As a Chicago punk kid, Rise Against was immensely important during my formative years. They inspired me to think beyond my world, encouraged me to start thinking politically and write my own songs. Singing a song that my first ever punk band covered in high school on stage with them to a sold out venue was the most dream-come-true moment of my life and I’m so grateful to them for being so welcoming and letting me join them. I cried VERY HARD after the adrenaline left my system.

Poetry

I spent this year trying to reconnect with reading for pleasure. I had started slowly last year, but followed through this year and managed to read some pretty awesome books of poetry by women. My two favorites were Rupi Kaur’s The Sun and Her Flowers and Noor Unnahar’s Yesterday I Was the Moon. Both are composed of short, easy to read poems that pack a lot of heart and brutal truths into very few words.

Yoga

I became a certified yoga teacher this year and it was one of the first major accomplishments I’ve achieved since graduating college. It was hard work, but I learned so much and made so many valuable relationships along the way.

I also started the year reading I Wanna Be Well: How a Punk Found Peace and You Can, Too by Miguel Chen (of Teenage Bottlerocket fame). It combined two very different worlds I live in and provided great insight into the yoga practice and what it means to live a yogic life in a punk rock world. Whether you care for punk rock or yoga or neither, it’s a great book on self-reflection, meditation, tools for long-term change and how our perspective shapes our realities.

Turnspit - Desire Paths

Ahh, and here it is, the shameless plug. My band Turnspit released our debut full-length record this year. I’ve put out EPs with my old band and as a solo artist Hi Ho, but I have never released a full-length or put so much work into my art in my entire life. We recorded those songs two years ago this month and I still couldn’t be more proud of them. It’s the best songwriting I’ve ever been a part of and as a whole, I think the overarching theme of finding yourself in the midst of some pretty heavy shit is something that’s incredibly important. If you like feelings and melodies and anthemic choruses and whoa-oh’s, give it a whirl.

Flowers

I started buying flowers for myself two or three times a month for my coffee table, and I gotta say, it feels nice. It’s a small thing I do for myself on a regular basis that makes me happy and makes my home feel a little warmer. Investing in small self-care strategies like this is important (and would perhaps make a nice lil new year’s resolution).

Revisiting Childhood Movies

I’ve found when you’re trying to save money and drink less, you take trips down memory lane. I have watched so many animated Disney and Don Bluth movies this year, I feel like it’s 1997 all over again. Honorable mentions include Balto, The Fox & The Hound and Pocahontas. Lots of tears and singing.

Traveling

I started 2018 in a new city (Oklahoma City) and it set the tone for the rest of the year. I’ve been to places I didn’t expect to go and played music in new cities – everything from packed basements and spooky barns to sold out venues and empty bars. I’ve built new friendships around the love of song and reconnected with old friends who have moved far away. It’s been a beautiful way to get close with people and get to know more about myself.

Being Okay Being Alone

I wrote a song a few years ago called “The Art of Being Alone.” It’s a great song and I’m really proud of it, but I think about how far I’ve come since then and how different that song would be if I wrote it now. I’ve spent most of my life in relationships and this is the first time in my adult life that I can say I’m not focused on that at all. I’m focused on myself, my growth, my friends and their growth, and most importantly, my music. Keep an eye out for new tunes from Turnspit and Hi Ho in 2019; I’m making some moves and have a feeling it’s gonna be a big year.