Justin: Sadly between a full-time job, writing news, eating and sleeping we don’t always get to hear each of the bands we post about in the New Music Roundups that we post. I took the time to check out Sidekicks and was pleasantly surprised. Upbeat, melodic punk rock that’s kinda jangly with some pretty obvious singalongs and raspy vocals a’plenty. The first track on their MySpace “Slight Sting” is probably the most standout track they have posted – you can tell where the crowd’s going to get into it already. I think they’d fit in great with the current revival of fun punk rock that’s not vapid but also isn’t entirely depressing. Imagine them on a bill with Nothington, Off With Their Heads and Dead To Me and you’d have an amazing show.

Sidekicks on MySpace

Ben: With summer coming to a close, it’s almost time to put away those sunshine jams and break out music to me through another Canadian winter. 500 Miles to Memphis, named after the distance from the band’s hometown to Graceland is the perfect band to help us through that transition. sunshine in a Shot Glass, released in June through Deep Elm goes just as well with an open window drive through the country as it does with a glass of stout by the wood stove. The band’s combination of punk grit and attitude combined with country-staples such as a vocal drawl and tales of remorse make the band appeal to Social Distortion‘s fans as much as Lucero ‘s.

500 Miles to Memphis on MySpace
Source Continue reading MP3 of the Week: Sidekicks, 500 Miles to Memphis →

Justin: Sadly between a full-time job, writing news, eating and sleeping we don’t always get to hear each of the bands we post about in the New Music Roundups that we post. I took the time to check out Sidekicks and was pleasantly surprised. Upbeat, melodic punk rock that’s kinda jangly with some pretty obvious singalongs and raspy vocals a’plenty. The first track on their MySpace “Slight Sting” is probably the most standout track they have posted – you can tell where the crowd’s going to get into it already. I think they’d fit in great with the current revival of fun punk rock that’s not vapid but also isn’t entirely depressing. Imagine them on a bill with Nothington, Off With Their Heads and Dead To Me and you’d have an amazing show.

Sidekicks on MySpace
Source Continue reading MP3 of the Week: Sidekicks →

All That Remains has posted the latest video from their 2006 full length, Fall Of Ideals. The video was directed by Soren (Unearth, Light This City) earlier this summer.

You can check it out here
Source Continue reading All That Remains: "Not Alone" →

German pop punks the Donots will release a new full length in early 2008. The band updated fans on their recent happenings:

A lot has happened in the lives of the Ibbtown Rockers since the release of “Got The Noise” in 2004 and we´re more than proud and happy we got to use a bunch of NEW DELICIOUS INGREDIENTS for a tasty new album soup. After various TOURS of Europe and Japan, WINNING A LAWSUIT against our old label and loads and loads of DEMO SESSIONS we eventually locked ourselves away in the TONSTUDIO-45 in Koblenz, Germany to work on the new record together with a 60 feet tall producer called KURT EBELHÄUSER who happens to be a genius. I might sound repetitive but it´s true: We managed to capture THE MOST INTENSE DONOTS MOMENTS EVER and we can´t wait to release the album and play the new tunes for you guys on endless tours!

The new album does not yet have an announced title or firm release date, but the band promises to release that info soon.
Source Continue reading Germany’s Donots to release new album in early 2008 →

Futureheads vocalist / guitarist Barry Hyde recently posted a lengthy look at the recording process of their upcoming third full length. In his article, he reveals that the reception of 2006’s News and Tributes nearly caused the band to split:

I would really like to thank those of you who ‘got’ our second record and enjoyed where we took it, perhaps not the most predictable musical diversion, but a progression none the less. It was a pretty difficult process to rejuvenate and restore our confidence after it failed to live up to the first records success. A personal challenge and a half but nobody ever said to us, ‘be a band, it’ll be easy, a doddle’. We were so sure that we had made an album that would take us to places we had never been, I think mainly because the creativity was flowing so well and we felt confident about it. Basically, we took it for granted. A dark time followed, the demons started to appear, the truth is we came pretty close to splitting up, not that we ever talked about it, but that feeling was there. Present on the tour bus or after a sound check in Idaho or some other far away place. Things slowed down, we were tired, we’d lost some really good crew etc etc etc whinge whinge……… I’ll stop now. That’s enough.

When the time came closer for us to start working on a follow up we started to get excited again, that’s the thing about the cycle of it all, when it starts again you are filled with optimism, if it’s not there then it’s time to become postmen, when it is there it totally carries you through any snags that might appear, it’s like ‘ Fuck it, listening to this riff, or check out this half a verse’ when these things start to develop a light appears, you know that if it’s started then at some point you’ll be finished, this might sound obvious but it feels amazing.

. The band recorded for three weeks in Andalusia, Spain with producer Martin “Youth” Glover. Guitarist Ross Millard commented earlier that unlike the restrained sophomore full length “there’s much more Punk Rock spirit in the new stuff.” No release date has been announced for the new material.
Source Continue reading Futureheads’ Barry Hyde talks new record →

Oxnard veterans Dr. Know have a new record on the way for Unrest Records. Frontman Brandon Cruz sent us in the following update:

hey guys, we just got back from canada, where we played with inepsy, dayglo abortions, the hoovers, the homewreckers, and a lot of great bands. on the way home we stopped in santa cruz, ca. and recorded our new album for unrest records. 18 new songs, 2 videos, and a live gig at the jury room. the album will be out in 2 months on unrest records, pressed on vinyl, and an enhanced cd with footage of the recording process, the live gig, and 2 video’s. we are getting the artwork together now, and deciding on a name for it. after it’s out, we will be doing a full u.s./canada tour, then go to europe, japan, australia, and who knows where else?

On a side note, we’re still grateful Brandon didn’t kick our collective ass that one year in Vegas.
Source Continue reading Dr. Know finish album, plan tour →

Mistake Us For Friends will release their debut album in stores and online September 24th. The album, Kill The Composer will be available via Glasgow-based Struck Dum Records. You can check out two tracks at the band’s MySpace page.

Florida’s Lipona released their 5 song EP, titled Urbi Et Orbi. The EP is available via free download at Rapidshare using this link.

New Jersey based hardcore punk band Exit Only has released a video update from the studio for their new album, Ripped Off, Spit Out, and Shit On…. They have also posted some tracks from the album online. You can check out the video and songs at their MySpace Page.
Source Continue reading Mistake Us For Friends, Lipona, Exit Only →

The Autumn Offering have posted a new song from their new album. The record is titled Fear Will Cast No Shadow and is due out October 30, 2007. It is the follow-up to Embrace the Gutter which was released in 2006. You can find the artwork on the release page.

The song is available on their myspace page.
Source Continue reading The Autumn Offering: “The Castaway” →

The Leftovers have posted dates for the upcoming fall tour of the East Coast. You can see the dates below. The band is currently supporting their Rally Records released full length On the Move. That 13 song album was co-produced by Ben Weasel and recorded at Smart Studios in Wisconsin.

Also, The Leftovers are planning a Winter European Tour with Dutch Punk Rockers The Accelerators and have confirmed some dates so far.
Source Continue reading Tours: The Leftovers →

Legendary reggae musician Bob Marley is currently at the center of a legal battle between his family, Universal Music Group and Verizon Wireless.

Last month, Verizon Wireless paid an undisclosed sum to license Marley’s music for use in ringtones The Marley family threatened to sue arguing that deal implies an endorsement of Verizon by the late singer. Verizon pulled the ringtones and then, after statements from Island founder Chris Blackwell, resumed selling the ringtones. The result is some serious animosity from the Marley family and Blackwell who note:

I am infuriated that Verizon would go around the estate and initiate partnership with Universal Music Group. We cannot and will not allow Bob Marley’s name and likeness to be used in such a manner without the authorization of the family.

The case is also notable since it will force courts to determine whether the use of an artist’s image consistutes an endorsement with the Marley family and Blackwell claiming it does while Universal claiming it does not.

The use of legendary musicians in advertising, even after their deaths is an increasingly controversial situation. Earlier this year, Doc Martens fired an advertising agency after they used Kurt Cobain, Joe Strummer, Joey Ramone and Sid Vicious in an advertising campaign.
Source Continue reading Bob Marley in ringtone battle →

Looks like MTV isn’t the only party skeptical of a new record from Panic! At the Disco. The band has scraped the first attempt at a follow up to A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out saying:

We’ve had quite an interesting last nine months. We were in the mountains for a while, writing songs, and we moved to L.A. for a bit, and then we decided to start over in July. So now we’re kind of trying to finish writing this second second record. Actually, it’s almost like our third record, since we were like three-quarters finished with the other one before we scrapped it.

We went through a stage of writing that just happened because we were on tour for so long, and we were sick of those old songs so much that we decided to write songs that were really complicated and challenging for us.

Then we realized that it’s not going to be any fun to play these live either, so we decided to ditch the whole project. There was a story line throughout the whole record, a short story, and we decided to put that on the shelf and just start playing as a band, and it’s been a lot better.”

The band is hoping to have a single from the new, new record out by Christmas with the album expected to follow up 2008.
Source Continue reading Panic! At the Disco scrap LP, planning to try again →

The Black Numbers record label recently unleashed their first three records ever: defunct Jersey locals Purpose and their discography entitled 1994-2001, melodic hardcore flag-wavers Static Radio NJ and their debut EP One for the Good Guys, and finally, another long-gone Jersey favorite, Rock,Star with Inamorato. Now they want to celebrate by giving ten ‘Org readers copies of all three.
Source Continue reading Contests: Black Numbers catalog →

Sweet Hickory, the volunteer-run art space started by members of folk-punk group Defiance, Ohio, has recently encountered fiancial problems with maintaining their facility. The non-profit art space/record store serves both local and out-of-town artists with providing a location to display their efforts in the region. Recent rent increases have caused the facility the difficult choice of raising prices for featured art and music, or closing their doors. In effort to do neither, they are currently selling benefit t-shirts to attempt to stay afloat.

You can find more information on Sweet Hickory, view the t-shirt designs, and find ordering information at the Sweet Hickory website.
Source Continue reading Defiance, Ohio t-shirt to benefit Sweet Hickory art space →