The great Leatherface has announced a handful of UK d ates this August as well as some plans which include recording some material for the upcoming BYO Records box set. Frankie Stubbs and the rest of the Leatherface gang have began rehearsals in preparation for a handful of shows. The lineup for the band will include longtime guitarist, Dickie Hammond

After wrapping their short tour, they will enter the studio to record a new track for the BYO 25th Anniversary Box Set which is due out March 2008. This will be the band’s first recording since their 2004 full length release, Dog Disco. They’ve been keeping themselves busy with tours of both Europe and Australia in support of their release of the live DVD, Boat In The Smoke.

Source Continue reading Leatherface playing shows, recording for BYO box set →

Welcome to the inaugural edition of our new column, Vinyl File. With a growing interest in buying/collecting records, we hope to keep you informed with what’s out there so you can get it now and don’t have to sell everything you own to buy it on eBay seven years down the road. All the magic comes courtesy of our resident vinylphile (get it now?) Ben Conoley.

There are quite a few interesting bits of wax hitting streets in the next little while, including material from Alkaline Trio, mewithoutYou, Bomb the Music Industry!, Ampere, Tim Barry and more.

Source Continue reading Vinyl File: Alkaline Trio, mewithoutYou, Bomb the Music Industry!, Ampere, Tim Barry →

Mimi Tran recently contributed an interesting interview with Josh Berwanger, the mastermind behind The Only Children. Besides this latest project, Josh was also behind Vagrant act, The Anniversary, who released record’s in conjunction with the Get Up Kids’ Heroes & Villains imprint.

Earlier this year, the band released Keeper of Youth. The band will be supporting the album on an upcoming tour supporting Portugal. The Man.

Source Continue reading Interviews: The Only Children →

In the Red, the band featuring Mike Hale of Gunmoll as well as members of Breathe In, has posted some new music on their myspace page. The band released some material earlier this year on a split with Genrevolta.

The posted songs include material from Vol.1 as well as their cover of Leatherface’s “Patrick Kills Me.”

It’s all here.
Source Continue reading In The Red (ex-Gunmoll, Breathe In) post new music →

Public Serpents, which features Skwert of Choking Victim, INDK and American Distress (in)fame, has posted some new music from their upcoming debut for Tent City Records.

The album promises a merger of dancehall reggae, punk and ska and you can check out five songs on the band’s myspace page.
Source Continue reading Public Serpents (Choking Victim, INDK, American Distress) debut new material →

River City Rebels have posted some new music from their upcoming album. The record is titled Keepsake of Luck and is due out September 25, 2007. It is the follow-up to Hate To Be Loved which was released in 2004.

You can check out the song here.
Source Continue reading River City Rebels: “Nothing Makes You Hard” →

As the Warped Tour pulls into Milwaukee for the show at the Marcus Amphitheater, tour founder Kevin Lyman spoke to the local paper about some of the changes and challenges affecting the tour in its 13th year.

Lyman notes that this year’s tour focuses more on newer and younger bands than previous iterations which were driven by large draw acts. For example, the 2005 Warped tour featured several bands on the verge of huge breakthroughs including, Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, Hawthorne Heights and All-American Rejects. With last year’s less notable performers, the tour did take a hit. But Lyman seemed to take it in stride saying:

I’ve always felt like your success can be your downfall in some ways. I think we settled into what our niche is. I think the Warped tour is a niche of about 600,000 concert-goers.

Kevin also made reference to some of last year’s “famous feuds” including one most people know all too well:

Some of the more seasoned bands were irked by newer bands with rock-star attitudes, and also that there was some tension between punk bands and Christian groups.

Finally, Kevin talked about the sense of entitlement which he was starting to see:

I want the Warped Tour to be special again, so bands, when they get out there, they work. They take the opportunity to work hard, and they also look at it as, ‘Hey, this is something to aspire to and not just take it for granted.’ You’re not entitled to be on the Warped Tour because you’ve been a band for six months.

You can find the rest of the story here.
Source Continue reading Kevin Lyman talks about Warped Tour 2007, feuds in 2006 and attendance →

All-American Rejects have posted a selection of live tracks from their second DVD, this time documenting their recent 2006 tour. The disc includes a full live performance as well a behind-the-scenes documentary. It is due out July 10, 2007.

The stream is US only for some reason, and includes the following songs: ‘Dance Inside’ / ‘Dirty Little Secret’ / ‘It Ends Tonight’ / ‘Move Along’ / ‘Night Drive.’ Don’t try to watch it you sneaky Canadians.

You an check it out here provided you meet residency restrictions.

The band previously released Move Along in 2005. Their first DVD Live From Oklahoma… The Too Bad For Hell was released in 2003.
Source Continue reading All-American Rejects post live footage from “Tournado” DVD →

The surviving members of Reagan Youth have announced some shows this summer. Filling in for their late frontman Dave Insurgent is Pat from the band Distraction.

The original band was together for nearly a decade, but released only one album, Youth Anthems for the New Order, which was later collected along with other material for A Collection Of Pop Classics.

Source Continue reading Tours: Reagan Youth (Tour) →

Red Scare Industries has announced their plans for an upcoming release from Smoke or Fire. It will be titled Early Years In The Worker’s Union and contain 15 songs including their first EP, unreleased songs from the Above The City sessions, plus two new songs. The collection is looking for an October release.

Smoke or Fire just released The Sinking Ship earlier this year and are set to tour with Avail this October.
Source Continue reading Smoke or Fire to release collection on Red Scare →

American Steel has posted an update about their next album. The record is titled Destroy Their Future and is due out October 02, 2007. It is the follow-up to Jagged Thoughts which was released in 2001.

They had this to say:

we finished recording for our new record and shipped off the tapes and files and artwork to be pressed. It is going to be called “Destroy Their Future” and will be out October 2nd on Fat Wreck Chords. We’re all really amped (if you will) on how it all came out. Very easy and spontaneous and natural. Many people have asked what it sounds like, and my best answer would be a mix of later Phil Collins with some Miami Sound Machine sans Gloria Estefan. Anyway, lots of electronic drums.

Ok ok, so a little of the first record, a little more like Rogue’s March, a smattering of Jagged Thoughts and then some of it’s own new jam. If that even makes any sense. I’m not so sure after reading all that. We got a big name producer and engineer (at least in our world), who also wrote all the songs and babysat us. Ourselves. We’ll be posting some shiza pretty soon so stay tuned.

The band will be supporting the record on a upcoming tour alongside new labelmates The Lawrence Arms as well as a bunch of guys from Chicago.
Source Continue reading American Steel talks about Fat Wreck Chords debut →

Self-described “flower punks” the Black Lips have announced the release date for the proper studio debut for Vice. The record is titled Good Bad Not Evil and is due out September 11, 2007.

The album was recorded in Atlanta, GA and the record is the follow-up to the live record Los Valentes del Mundo Nuevo and their prior In The Red full length Let It Bloom. The album was include 13 songs including the recently previewed “Katrina” and “Cold Hands.” The band will continue to tour extensively and has announced upcoming dates supported fellow Atlanta act the Selmanaires. The first show will be in the bands’ hometown the day after the record is released.

Source Continue reading Black Lips’ "Good Bad Not Evil" due in September →

Brian Baker, legendary guitarist and member of Bad Religion, Dag Nasty and Minor Threat recently participated in an interview talking about the former band’s new album, and the latter’s longevity.

Since both Bad Religion and Minor Threat existed in the same period, Baker notes:

I was aware of Bad Religion, but they never toured out to Washington. I had their first record and I thought it was really good. For us, they were a little off the radar, because the only California bands we became really passionate about put out multiple records and would always tour in Washington. Circle Jerks, Black Flag, bands like that.

Bad Religion’s longevity, I think, is attributed to the fact that — much like Minor Threat was an after-school hobby — Bad Religion was exactly that for Brett and Greg, who were interested in education.

Greg, you know, is a professor at UCLA. Bad Religion is his art project, and I think that having it not really taken so seriously, or as a primary vehicle for financial success, is why it continues to exist, because it’s there for our expression, but it’s not the end-all be-all of our existence. Minor Threat broke up because we hated each other. We’re all friends now.

He also notes that Minor Threat has probably sold upwards of 800,000 records. The entire interview digs deep into both Bad Religion and Minor Threat. Check it out here.
Source Continue reading Brian Baker talks Bad Religion, Minor Threat →