9th Annual Cabaret Macabre. Photo by Justin Hills.

So, here we are. 2012 is over. It’s been a strange year for The Bad Things, to say the least.

We opened the year with a great show at The Comet, played on TV, visited our buddy Danbert Nobacon in Twisp for his 50th birthday, lost our practice space and thousands of dollars worth of equipment in a fire, had a busy and inspiring Folklife weekend and Punk As Folk showcase featuring, amongst other incredible acts, the last live performance of God’s Favorite Beefcake.

The week that followed was one of the worst weeks ever experienced within our Seattle artistic community, but, somehow, in the middle of it all, Mad Wilcox had an amazing marriage ceremony, lifting our spirits for a night. That beautiful night was followed by a month of fundraising shows, playing through multiple tears and multiple beers, and remembering our lost friends.

Then, a beautiful Seattle summer, which included playing with a member of The Specials and our favorite local ska band The Georgetown Orbits and a lively summer evening spent drinking Big Al’s beer and playing our tunes to the good people of White Center.

The fall brought an incredible show with our heroes Firewater at The Crocodile and the 9th Annual Cabaret Macabre. This winter has included more fundraising, tracking of our forthcoming album and a great evening spent playing Tom Waits songs with our friends. Here’s a taste of that (The Bad Things are chapter 8 in this 14 part series):

We lost a lot of friends and beloved institutions this year: Drew and Joe, the producer of our first album and Northwest legend Kearney Barton, our beloved Funhouse and the great Chumbawamba, who played their last show on Halloween in Leeds, England. Other amazing bands that we lost this year: God’s Favorite Beefcake, Bat Country and Titanium Sporkestra. All remaining members are continuing to do great things but those particular projects will be sorely missed.

To say we learned a lot would be an understatement. 2012 knocked us around quite a bit but judging by the last few shows and our recent recording sessions, it’s made us a better band. 2013 will bring a new album and a brand new chapter for this crazy bunch of drunken miscreants entering their 11th year as a band. Who woulda’ thunk it? Happy New Year everyone! We’ll see you on the other side.