Five Indie Bands That Will Make Dad Feel Cool

There's a reason why they call it a "dad joke" — because it's kind of corny, dated and usually only relevant to the person telling it. Growing old isn't easy, but just because you're growing old doesn't necessarily mean that you have to grow lame. That's why its imperative that we, the sons and daughters of Americans, make sure that our parents stay plugged into today's society through tons of conversation, social media and, of course, art. Want something to discuss at the dinner table that isn't politics or religion? In honor of Father's Day, here are five indie bands that will make your dad feel cool and won't embarrass the shit out of you.

SONGS: OHIA, THE MAGNOLIA ELECTRIC CO.
My dad is from Baltimore, but he might as well be from Georgia. Outside of his collection on the heavier side of things — bands like Nazareth, Deep Purple, Zeppelin and Sabbath — pop loves anything that leans even remotely country, but still has one foot firmly in the world of rock. Neil Young, Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Allman Brothers are all favorites, and as such, I’ve shown him records by everyone from My Morning Jacket to Wilco and many stops in between. The one that I’m most proud of, though — and rather shocked that he attached himself onto as a 75-year-old man — is Songs: Ohia and their LP The Magnolia Electric Co. While there isn’t a strong country element to the record, Jason Molina (R.I.P.) and company do an excellent job of mixing influences from across the board, keeping things rocking, introspective and interesting the whole way through. —Fred Pessaro

SLEEP, HOLY MOUNTAIN
Let’s be real — my dad is a rocker. He loves hard rock, and that’s 100 percent where my influence comes from. I grew up with Sabbath, Deep Purple, Aerosmith and much of proto-metal’s early invasion, so it’s really no surprise that he’d like Holy Mountain. Sleep’s “Iommic” tendencies are pretty loud and clear not only on the record, but through the bulk of their career, so if you like one, chances are you'll like the other. I don’t see him having the patience for Dopesmoker, but, you know, baby steps. —FP

SUPERHEAVEN, JAR
In the mid-'90s, my parents split up. While my dad was on his own, he got heavily into the earlier grunge of the decade, as well as Smashing Pumpkins’ newer oeuvre. When I began to get more into music, I started to recognize copies of albums from the Pumpkins and other artists, which painted a clearer picture of my dad. So, of course, years later, when I encountered Superheaven (formerly Daylight), I knew it would be a band my dad could easily rock. Their sound combined a wide swath of influences, from Soundgarden to shoegaze, and expelled it as really loud and concise rock music that’s filled with all kinds of subtle ins and outs. He could’ve sworn he’d heard the band back then, too. —John Hill

POWER, ELECTRIC GLITTER BOOGIE
My old man was never a punk, but he was into rock music in a big way growing up. His taste was informed by a lot of '70s rock: Zeppelin, Steppenwolf, Blue Öyster Cult, etc. Wanting to show him a punk band he might dig, I introduced him to Aussie punks Power and their album Electric Glitter Boogie. The band mixes just enough punk with a lot of straight-up rock influence, like the love child of the Stooges and KISS — and about 80 times more drunk. I imagine if the Melbourne trio knew that an old head jams their music, they’d be over the moon. —JH

COHEED AND CAMBRIA, GOOD APOLLO, I'M BURNING STAR IV, VOLUME ONE: FROM FEAR THROUGH THE EYES OF MADNESS
Say what you will about how cool or not cool Coheed and Cambria are; they're going to be the ultimate dad rock band for kids born in the 2030s. My dad got really into Rock Band, and found himself digging “Welcome Home” really hard. So, of course, when I got him the band’s popular Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV LP, he dug the hell out of it. The band doesn’t give a fuck how obvious their influences are, pulling from the likes of Hendrix, Rush and Pink Floyd, making their third record a poppy, proggy mash-up of all kinds of rock tunes. —JH