Once again, Fanscape is stepping in to offer serious goods in exchange for a little information on your part and some additional fine print.

One lucky grand prize winner will stretch their mailbox’s capacity with a Samsung SGH-t809 phone, $100 in cash, a Samsung accessory pack, portable multimedia speakers, and three albums from either AFI, Brand New, Motion City Soundtrack, All-American Rejects or the Used. A first prize winner will get the phone, accessory pack and compact discs.

To enter, just click this handy entry form and be unexpectedly prepared to hear streaming tunes from said bands.

The deadline for all entries is March 6, so get a move on.
Read more at: Continue reading Contests: Samsung phone, new discs from AFI, Brand New, more →

Mindless Self Indulgence has apparently managed to both offend “conservative Christian organizations” and annoy Apple’s iTunes.

The band opted to file their music under “Religious/Inspirational” due to what the band described as a “devout fan base and cult-like following.” Because iTunes translated this as “Christian/Gospel,” a number of Christians purchased the material – despite being marked as offensive – without hearing it first. In fact, the album reached #27 on the Christian/Gospel charts as a result.

Those same Christians – apparently annoyed by the lyrical content of such inoffensive titles as “Pussy All Night,” “2 Hookers And An 8 Ball” and “Panty Shot” – filed complaint with iTunes. The colorfully named vocalist, Jimmy Urine explained:

It was iTunes, not us, that interpreted “religious” to mean Christian/Gospel. What is offensive to some people is obviously inspirational to others. To our fans this IS inspirational music. I have no intention of changing the genre listing of this album.

No word on whether anyone has scheduled an iPod burning in their town square.
Read more at: Continue reading Mindless Self indulgence offends Christians, fights iTunes →

Noise Pop has announced the lineup for the upcoming 15th edition of the festival. The bill will includeTed Leo and the Pharmacists, Sebadoh, Trainwreck Riders, Actual, New Amsterdams, Jolie Holland, The Dandy Warhols, The Donnas, Snowden and many others.

The fest takes place from February 27th through March 4th, 2007 in San Francisco and will include the Noise Pop Film Festival, a McSweeney’s-sponsored “instant calm” evening of short films, readings and more as well as the world premiere of a new documentary about the legendary 924 Gilman Street club.

Read more at: Continue reading Noise Pop announces full lineup including Ted Leo, Sebadoh, Trainwreck Riders, Actual, New Ams, →

IGN has posted some amusing videos of the upcoming Guitar Hero II for XBOX 360 which is set to feature bonus tracks including “Billion Dollar Babies” by Alice Cooper, “Dead!” by My Chemical Romance, “Hush” by Deep Purple, “Life Wasted” by Pearl Jam, “Rock ‘n’ Roll Hoochie Koo” by Rick Derringer, “Possum Kingdom” by Toadies, “Salvation” by Rancid and “The Trooper” by Iron Maiden.

The site is hosting videos of play throughs of the Rancid favorite “Salvation” complete with computer animated characters who do not exactly resemble Tim, Lars, Brett or Matt.

You can check out three attempts to play the song here.
Read more at: Continue reading Rancid’s "Salvation" as performed by Guitar Hero II →

Ronen Kauffman has unleashed episode 18 of his Issue Oriented podcast. This installment features Dan Yemin (Lifetime, Paint It Black, Kid Dynamite) about anger, music, and the pitfalls of being outspoken; and to Joanna Angel (CEO and star of BurningAngel.com) about porn, feminism, and much more.

You can check out the podcast here.
Read more at: Continue reading Issue Oriented talks to Dan Yemin (Lifetime), Joanna Angel (Burning Angel) →

The New York Times recently assembled a story about black fans of indie rock, punk and other underground music. Despite the long history of black musicians in everything from rock’n’roll (Chuck Berry, Jimmy Hendrix) to punk (Dead Kennedys) to hardcore (Bad Brains) to modern acts like Bloc Party, TV On the Radio and Whole Wheat Bread, indie and punk are largely seen as a white, suburban phenomenon.

The story examines some of the people attempting to break free of these stereotypes, and despite the condescending name it applies to them (“blipsters”) it looks at some the interesting reactions:

For a long time I was laughed at by both black and white people about being the only black person in my school that liked Nirvana and bands like that.

Another showgoer was frequently mistaken for a security guard. Sadly, the negative stereotypes also extend the other way:

There’s an unfortunate tendency for some black people to think if you listen to rock music or want to play rock music, you’re an Uncle Tom,

Of course, Cocker Spaniel’s “The Only Black Guy at the Indie Rock Show” may be the most succinct way of examining the whole issue.

You can check out the entire story here.
Read more at: Continue reading New York Times looks at race in underground music →

The Jazz June will be playing their reunion show this Saturday in New Brunswick, NJ. The band announced their intention to play again last year in support of a friend diagnosed with brain cancer.

The show will be at the Court Tavern at 10pm and feature the Killtakers and the A-Sides as openers. The show is 21 and up only.

The band originally formed in 1996 and released a number of records including 2001’s They Love Those Who Make The Music and their final record, 2002’s Better Off Without Air. You can check out an interview with the band, as performed by our friends at the defunct Punkrocks.net, right here.
Read more at: Continue reading Another Jazz June reunion show this Saturday →

Dustin Kensrue has posted the first video from his new album Please Come Home. Equal Vision signed the Thrice frontman this past October.

You can check out “Pistol” right here.
Read more at: Continue reading Dustin Kensrue’s first video available online →

As the release for their long-awaited new album approaches, Lifetime‘s Dan Yemin has posted a new blog discussing the sound of the record as well as filling out the list of record release shows.

We have a new album coming out in two weeks. We wrote the songs in 6 months, as opposed to the two years it took to write “Jersey’s Best Dancers”. We recorded the album in three weeks, as opposed to the three days it took to record “Hello Bastards”. As you can see, some things are different, and some things are the same.

I feel like the music, and relationships between the five of us that fuel that music, have remained much the same, but hopefully have matured too. Same old super-fast hardcore pop songs. Same weird mix of Gorilla Biscuits, Jawbreaker, Green Day, Elvis Costello & the Attractions, 7 Seconds, Dag Nasty. Same less-obvious-but-no-less-intense obsessions with the Smiths, the Cure, Superchunk, Weezer. Same themes of love and loss, & love of music. New themes as well.

Read more at: Continue reading Tours: Lifetime posts new blog, adds record release shows →

Jaws, the final project from late Lagwagon and Bad Astronaut drummer Derrick Plourde has “pre-released” the last recordings featuring Derrick. Derrick’s close friend and bandmate Joey Cape made reference to the band in the liner notes of 2006’s Twelve Small Steps, One Giant Disappointment, their last record together.

Described as influenced by 70’s rock, 80’s pop/new-wave and 90’s melodic hardcore, the band also includes bassist Little Joe (RKL) and vocalist/guitarist/sequencer, Sharky Towers (The Wet Weasels, Sniper).

You can stream some music on their myspace page or but the entire album digitally right here.
Read more at: Continue reading Jaws (featuring the late Derrick Plourde) prereleases Death & Taxes: Volume One →

Late last year, New Found Glory released their latest album, Coming Home and I had a chance to speak with guitarist Chad Gilbert about the new album, the last album and his other projects including some brief mentions of both Hazen Street and Shai Hulud.

Read more at: Continue reading Interviews: New Found Glory →

Comeback Kid have posted the title track from their forthcoming Victory Records release. Broadcasting, the follow-up to 2005’s Wake The Dead, which will hit stores February 20th and marks the band’s first release since former vocalist Scott Wade left the band almost a year ago.

You can check out the track here.
Read more at: Continue reading Comeback Kid post new song →

Anti-Flag recently recorded a PSA for PETA2 endorsing the vegetarian and vegan lifestyle. In the PSA, Justin Sane (Guitar & Vocals), Chris #2 (Bass & Vocals), Chris Head (Guitar), and Pat Thetic (Drums) discuss their vegetarianism and explain:

It’s important to challenge people to think about those kind of things, the things that most people never think about at all. It’s so much easier today to be a vegetarian or to be a vegan then it’s ever been.

Anti-Flag joins a growing list of musicians, including Rise Against, NOFX, and Billy Talent, to speak out against organizations like KFC, and on behalf of PETA.

You can check out the PSA here
Read more at: Continue reading Anti-Flag declares “Meat is Murder” in new PETA PSA →