"mEMOries" Part 33 feat. Jonathan Lee Gonzales (Sunday Drive Records)

9 years ago, back on the old site, we did start a series called mEMOries. It was all about asking new Emo-bands or other scene affiliates about their all time favourite (Midwest-)Emo-record. It was about nostalgia. And it was about connecting the new with the old. I had big plans for this series, wanted to collect 20 parts and then release some sort of a sampler with an XL-booklet attached, that features all of the text pieces...

...after 7 parts the series was buried, when the end of borderline fuckup 1.0 was on the horizon. I'm still in love with the idea and tried my best to start a relaunch in 2021, but it mainly was a chore. However, I got back on track somehow, with a lot of support by some lovely people. Now, here's part 33 for your reading pleasure!

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// The author // Jonathan Lee Gonzales

Jonathan Lee Gonzales is the founder of the Sunday Drive Records. The label released its first record in the summer of 2015 and constantly grew in importance and relevance to the scene. It's safe to say, that SDR is one the the top labels right now when it comes to (Midwest-)Emo and Melodic Hardcore, giving bands like THE ARRIVAL NOTE, FEVERCHILD, SPARING or SQUINT a bigger platform. Taking a look on SDR's output so far, you can tell that Jonathan has a soft spot for the 90s and its Indie/-Midwest-Emo. His pick for Part 33 of "mEMOries" is proof enough...

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// The record // Jets to Brazil - Orange Rhyming Dictionary

Release: 1998 // Label: Jade Tree Records

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Jonathan on "Orange Rhyming Dictionary" by Jets to Brazil

I feel like it isn’t often that one of your favorite records comes to you in your early 20s. I would assume most people have their favorite music early on, and have their favorite high school records on repeat as adults. Growing up as an angsty kid, hardcore was something that naturally captured me. Hardcore and going to small, local shows introduced me to DIY and led me down the huge rabbit hole of discovering new music. I came across emo as a young kid, primarily consuming the new music at the time like Title Fight, Tigers Jaw, Balance & Composure, Daylight, etc. These bands all had hardcore and emo influences sprinkled throughout their music and I remember beginning to dive into their influences. I remember coming across Saves the Day, Jawbreaker, Mineral, Texas is the Reason, etc at the time, and for whatever reason, it didn’t hit the same as the contemporaries.

A few years later in latter high school and early college days, it all finally hit for me, and began to love all of these bands. One that took a little longer to catch me though, was Jawbreaker. I think it was Blake’s vocals for some reason that I didn’t love. In my early 20s, I gave “Dear You” a chance again and loved that record, which then led me to appreciate the earlier records. I then discovered Jets to Brazil. Being a huge Texas is the reason fan and reading more about JTB’s lineup, I was amazed this band existed and on Jade Tree (arguably one of the best labels). “Orange Rhyming Dictionary” became one of my favorite records when I was about 22–23.

Maybe because the songwriters were also in their early–mid adulthood, I was able to resonate with the themes throughout the record. Blake is an incredible songwriter and lyricist. I remember reading through the lines and thinking how in the world does he come up with these phrases—“the curtain’s a sea anemone, in the way it sways to the slow breeze…”. His story telling is very vivid and with the melodies of JTB, it’s all told so well. The record itself isn’t perfect, but it has some amazing songs; and surprisingly, primarily toward the back half.

Chinatown, Sea Anemone, I Typed for Miles and Sweet Avenue are some of my favorites from the record. Sweet Avenue actually inspired some of the words I engraved in my fiancé’s engagement ring. Listening to the song specifically reminded me of our teenage days of walking in the park, laying in bed all day, or driving around with nowhere to be.

This record inspired me to start writing music again and had a huge influence on the way I look at writing lyrics. If you haven’t listened to Jets to Brazil yet, I recommend starting with this album.

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"mEMOries" Part 1 feat. Mosey Jones
"mEMOries" Part 2 feat. Daniel Becker (Time as a Color Records, Amid the Old Wounds)
"mEMOries" Part 3 feat. Former States 
"mEMOries" Part 4 feat. Edie Quinn (Middle-Man Records, Coma Regalia)
"mEMOries" Part 5 feat. Human Hands 
"mEMOries" Part 6 feat. Alex Miles (Is this Thing on?)
"mEMOries" Part 7 feat. Boys' Club
"mEMOries" Part 8 feat. Keith Latinen (Mt. Oriander, Parting) 
"mEMOries" Part 9 feat. Villain of the War 
"mEMOries" Part 10 feat. John Szuch (Deep Elm Records)
"mEMOries" Part 11 feat. Flight Mode 
"mEMOries" Part 12 feat. Comic Sans
"mEMOries" Part 13 feat. Joe C (What Price Wonderland?, Plaids, Zochor)
"mEMOries" Part 14 feat. Mentah 
"mEMOries" Part 15 feat. Walking Race
"mEMOries" Part 16 feat. Against Realism
"mEMOries" Part 17 feat. Klaus Axmann (Goddamn Records) 
"mEMOries" Part 18 feat. Atlanta Arrival 
"mEMOries" Part 19 feat. Mary's Letter
"mEMOries" Part 20 feat. Sinking 
"mEMOries" Part 21 feat. Lakes
"mEMOries" Part 22 feat. Downhaul
"mEMOries" Part 23 feat. About Leaving
"mEMOries" Part 24 feat. The Arrival Note
"mEMOries" Part 25 feat. Letterpress 
"mEMOries" Part 26 feat. Mr. Princess
"mEMOries" Part 27 feat. Tragwag 
"mEMOries" Part 28 feat. soccer. 
"mEMOries" Part 29 feat. c.h.point (Summer 2000, Elder Jack)
"mEMOries" Part 30 feat. Time Spent Driving
"mEMOries" Part 31 feat. Bicycle Inn
"mEMOries" Part 32 feat. Achers