The December/January issue of jmag is glowing with the best of the Aussie summer! Sunny songsters MGMT head up our guide to the sultry season’s top 20 must-see gigs, with shows by awesome Aussies (Children Collide, Eddie Current Suppression Ring, Nick Cave among others) and the best of across-the-ditch acts (Bon Iver, Franz Ferdinand, Fleet Foxes and so many more) topping the list. And to make sure you don’t miss a beat, we’ve got a detailed summer festival guide with the lowdown on every gathering everywhere from islands to amphitheatres, ski resorts to laneways.

As the clock winds down on 2008, jmag wistfully looks over the best the year had to offer, with a rundown from Richard Kingsmill, a peek at the Hottest 100 with the Ting Tings, a head-scratching feature albums quiz and a hilarious peek at the online blatherings of fans on their favourite band (think the Vines, Living End, Augie March and more) forums.

It being the travelling time of year, jmag takes readers on the road with wayfaring tales from all over the shop — witness the horrors of hostessing in Japan, whack on your blue singlet with our resident hick chick, follow Aussie bands abroad for their weirdest moments and hitch a ride with the Drones on their eye-opening/taco-scoffing tour through the USA. Need a soundtrack? Check out Richard Kingsmill’s top 20 road trip tunes.

Plus, there’s emo for beginners, a gruff talking to from ex-Rolling Stones tour manager Sam Cutler, tips on tropical tunes from the handsomest man to ever hold a tiny guitar, Dan Kelly, and way too much information on bacon. And don’t miss jmag’s ace comps: you could win a guitar swag worth over $4000, the chance to chaperone the Grates’ Patience and jmag’s Deano backstage at the BDO, classic festival tees or a Smashing Pumpkins DVD!

Oh, and did we mention that everyone who buys the Dec/Jan jmag gets 12 free downloads? And there’s even more to be nabbed by taking the online jmag survey!