Wax On Tap

Four episodes in, we’re putting as many fours into one show as possible. Jay and Cromm bring four 45s and four beers to the table, flipping every record to hear what’s waiting on the other side.

From ABBA’s “Waterloo” and “Honey, Honey” to The Beach Boys’ “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” and “God Only Knows,” AC/DC’s “Touch Too Much” and a live “Live Wire,” and New Order’s “Blue Monday 88” and “Touched by the Hand of God,” the selections take us through pop, harmonies, hard rock, and the dance floor. Along the way, we talk singles, B-sides, picture sleeves, and what makes a great 45 worth keeping.

On tap: Other Half’s Ivy City Festbier and Trash Panda, plus Beer Zombies’ Killer Zombies from Outer Space and Zombie hWhip Raspberry White Chocolate Ice Cream. We taste all four and deliver our final scores.

We also compare the records with songs from The Last Dinner Party, Weyes Blood, Airbourne, and Nation of Language—with a few disagreements along the way.

Tell us your favorite A-side/B-side pairing, and which beer you’d pour with it. Keep it in rotation.

In Episode 3 of Wax On Tap, Cromm pulls one of his all-time favorite records from his collection: The Go! Team’s Thunder, Lightning, Strike. Jay goes in completely fresh, discovering an unpredictable mix of big drums, horns, hip-hop samples, and infectious energy—one track at a time.We work through both sides, talking sampling, live instrumentation, album artwork, and why this record means so much to Cromm. Along the way, we compare sounds with Superorganism and The Avalanches, navigate a few vinyl hiccups, and reflect on the music that stays with us through major life changes.On tap: Sho Time, a Japanese-style rice lager from Burning Bridge Brewing, and Pregame Warmup, a session hazy IPA from Offshoot Beer Co. for the Lazy Dog Beer Club. We wrap up with our beer scores and the big question: does the record earn a place in the collection?Grab a drink, drop the needle, and keep it in rotation.

One record, two beers, and a first listen full of discoveries. In Episode 2 of Wax On Tap, Jay pulls Twenty Miles’ self-titled album from his collection and introduces Cromm to its raw mix of blues and garage rock. What began as a Whatnot find opens up a conversation about Fat Possum Records, Mississippi’s fife-and-drum tradition, unusual sleeve artwork, and the stories a record can lead you toward.On tap are Suburban Foam from Hermosa Brewing Company and Goo Goo Muck from Fall Brewing Company, bringing a little punk spirit to the tasting. We work through both sides of the record, share stories from Memphis and New Orleans, and explore musical connections to Cedric Burnside and GA-20 before delivering our beer verdicts and deciding whether Twenty Miles deserves a permanent spot in the collection.Pour yourself something good, drop the needle with us, and let us know: what record should we discover next?

A $15 swap-meet find sends Jason and Cromm into The Nice's "The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack". On the first episode of Wax On Tap, we follow the record from psychedelic pop through “Rondo” and the unsettling turn of “Dawn,” compare notes over two Other Half beers, and decide whether it earns a permanent place in the collection. Plus, a new-music detour tests what we hear in common with The Fierce & The Dead and Ozric Tentacles.