The B-Side

One thing that separates a good show from a near-great one is venue selection. If a band is in the wrong room for its sound, it doesn't matter how well they are playing that night, something will just seem not quite right. On the flip side, a grand and great-sounding room can seem squandered on a band that can't quite fill it, sonically speaking.

Just like every other critic, blogger, scene regular and frequent record store patron around this time of year, I've compiled a "top 10" list. However, rather than throw together a list of my favorite albums, singles, videos, re-issues or beards using the same pool of nominees as every other list-maker, I've decided to make my "top 10" pretty personal. Here is a list of the top 10 shows I saw in New Jersey this year.