Choose Interactive have launched a new film/game/music project called “The Weathered Underground.” As the company puts it:

It’s a little of all three, but more than anything it’s the finished product to exemplify the goals of an LA-based new media company called Choose Interactive. CI is picking up where “Choose Your Own Adventure” books from decades ago left off, using web 2.0 technology to allow people to watch a film and determine its outcome at the same time.

You can see an example of the project here.
Source Continue reading Choose Interactive launches “the Weathered Underground” →

New Yawk City’s the Steinways are the latest in a long string of quality acts to join the Art of the Underground Single Series. Other bands who have been featured include Monikers, Lemuria, the Copyrights, Methadones, Ergs! and more.

Along with a metric buttload of bands, they’ll be playing Insubordination Fest this week in Baltimore along with Ben Weasel, Mr. T Experience, Teenage Bottlerocket, The Methadones, The Ergs!, Lemuria, The Copyrights and more.
Source Continue reading The Steinways hop on the Single Series bandwagon →

O Pioneers!!! have confirmed the depature of drummer Jeff Johnson from the band. The band has also announced that their upcoming July tour has been cancelled. In a recent post, the band said:

So yes the rumors are true. Jeff johnson/groban/the drummer of o pioneers!!! is no longer in o pioneers!!!. He quit to pursue his studio and his other band monocles…

No word on a planned replacement for Jeff has been announced. Last year the band released Black Mambas.
Source Continue reading Jeff Johnson leaves O Pioneers!!!, July tour cancelled →

Southern California’s Ignite have lined up their touring plans for the summer. Starting at the end of July, the band will do a week of dates along the west coast with Stick to Your Guns before heading to Europe for all of August and most of September. They’ll be hitting the European Festival circuit, playing club shows in between dates. Appearances include Reading (UK), Leeds (UK), Pukkelpop (B), Fear and Fury Festival (D), 2-Days-A-Week-Festival (A), a handful of mid-sized festivals and a show in Moscow, a first for the band. You can see the full routing below.

The band will also be premiering their new video for the song “My Judgement Day” on MySpace a week before the European tour starts. The band is supporting their 2006 release Our Darkest Days.
Source Continue reading Tours: Ignite (US West Coast, Europe) →

The folks behind the upcoming Naked Raygun documentary are having a special “Naked Raygun Night” at the Cobra Lounge in Chicago. The purpose of the night is to “share your stories with other Raygun fans, hang with the band, drink a few pints, and get some Free Shit”. The documentarians will be on hand filming people’s stories and the general mishmash of folks on hand that night. It will take place on Friday, July 20th at the Cobra Lounge (which is 21 and up only) at 8pm. For those interested, you can RSVP to mike[a]nakedraygun.org.

The influential Chicago act officially reunited this past January after a successful showing at the 2006 Riot Fest.
Source Continue reading Riot Fest Records holding “Naked Raygun Night” to record stories for documentary →

Still waving the Third Wave flag, Reel Big Fish have posted the first single from their upcoming full length, Monkeys for Nothin’ and the Chimps for Free. You can hear “Party Down” at their MySpace page. Expect a video for the song soon.

The Fish will be releasing their new album next week, which is the follow-up to Our Live Album Is Better Than Your Live Album.

The band will be supporting the record with a co-headlining tour featuring Less Than Jake, after the departure of longtime bassist Matt Wong last week.
Source Continue reading Reel Big Fish – “Party Down” →

So regardless of political views and bandana colors, today is July 4th and that means it’s Independence Day here in the US of A. Does that have a lot to do with punk music? It could. After all, without the freedoms guaranteed by things like the First Amendment, how else could a band like the Dead Kennedys, Black Flag or Suicide gotten away with their antics, message and everything else? While the US government at times has provided the ammunition it took to fuel the original embers of punk rock, it was the principles it was founded on that allowed it to flourish into the larger beast that it is today.

Anyways, the point is, Happy Birthday America. Even though our tyrannical overlord is based in the great white north of Canuckistan, Punknews.org wishes everyone a good day, free of BBQ-related burns and veggie dogs for all. We’ll see ya’ll tomorrow, although we’ve got a few stories to tide you over for the rest of the day.
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Gorilla Biscuits are back together and back on the road. The band will be taking their positive hardcore to Europe in September and October for a long string of dates. You can see those below. These dates piggyback on the previously announced trio of dates in Italy.

Formed in the 1980s, the band helped define upbeat melodic hardcore and has been cited as a singular influence by a generation of hardcore bands. Guitarist Walter Schreifels’ went on to form a succession of respected acts including Quicksand, Rival Schools, and Walking Concert. Frontman Anthony “Civ” Civorelli formed CIV, and drummer Sammy Siegler performed with a number of acts including Glassjaw and Nightmare of You.

Late last year, the band released a limited edition, remastered version of their classic album Start Today.
Source Continue reading Tours: Gorilla Biscuits (Europe) →

The delightfully named Secretions will be on a national USA tour all July and into August with fellow Sacramento punk band Final Summation in support of their fourth studio album, Faster Than The Speed Of Drunk, to be released August 7th on Springman Records‘ side-label Silver Sprocket. You can see those dates and album details below.

In a move sure to raise the ire of Good Templars everywhere, each disc will include a Secretions bottle-opener, along with a poster and DIY music-video. Early orders of the disc will receive extra swag and quick delivery. The album’s title-track can be streamed now on the band’s myspace.com profile. The Secretions prior album, Coming To Save The World, was released in 2006 on Springman Records.
Source Continue reading Tours: Secretions / Final Summation →