The organizers of the Australia/New Zealand-based Big Day Out have assembled another major lineup, this time for the 2008 edition of the travelling festival. Set to take place in the Australian summer, the event will include Billy Bragg, Rage Against The Machine, Arcade Fire, Bjork, Dizzee Rascal, Battles, Antagonist and many more.
Source Continue reading Tours: Rage Against the Machine, Battles, Billy Bragg at Big Day Out 2008
Rolling Stone magazine has posted a list of what they call the 25 most underrated guitarists. Taking the top spot is multi-instrumentalist Prince, with Nirvana vocalist Kurt Cobain taking the second place. The list includes a number of figures from bands like Kiss and Fleetwood Mac, but also includes The Clash‘s Mick Jones, The Smiths/Modest Mouse Johnny Mar, John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins and that kid from Silverchair.
You can check out the rest of the list here.
Source Continue reading Rolling Stone names Kurt Cobain, Mick Jones, Elliott Smith among most underrated guitarists
We’ve got a second stream for you today, this one from The Great Deceiver. The trio features Tomas Lindberg, formerly of influential metal act At The Gates and takes much of that band’s innovation and fuses it with a more defined hardcore base.
The band’s new record is titled Life is Wasted On The Living and was released today. It is their first new album after a three year hiatus. You can find two songs from the record on their Punknews.org Profile
Source Continue reading The Great Deceiver: “Life is Wasted on the Living”
Today, American Steel released their long-awaited Fat Wreck Chords debut, Destroy Their Future. The album is their first under the American Steel name since 2001’s Jagged Thoughts and our review described the album as “the band’s most complete, well-crafted and overall best album.”
You can check out three songs from the record on their Punknews.org Profile.
Source Continue reading American Steel: “Destroy Their Future”
The Seattle Times has put together a lengthy article on the phenomenon of leaking music, often months before the album is due out to retail.
It not only examines the circumstances of the leaks, using some particularly high profile releases like The Shins‘ Wincing the Night Away, but also the many things labels do to try to keep the genie in the bottle for just a few more weeks until retail.
What is most surprising though, is what appears to be a sense of entitlement among music fans, many of whom both justify and participate in both the leaking and downloading:
I have justified it by going to live shows when the band is in town. More money goes directly to the artist that way, where they maybe get $1 for any record sale. But it’s still wrong. It’s still stealing.
Conversely, many artists – particularly new ones – are offering support for leaks, saying:
If the record stinks, people are going to hear it and say, ‘I’m not going to buy that,’ For good records, though, they could get a higher profile. You’re not going to get noticed if you hold back and are paranoid about your work.
You can find the article here.
Do you download leaks?
Source Continue reading The problem with leaking albums
Dillinger Escape Plan has been forced to postpone their upcoming tour after guitarist Ben Weinman broke his foot. The circumstances around the injury led to this release:
We were filming two videos last week, and leave it to our resident Tornado Of Destruction In A Small Kosher Frame known as Ben Weinman to somehow break his foot while filming A FUCKING VIDEO. Of all the places and times Ben has been seriously hurt playing, he outdoes himself and manages to break his foot in A FUCKING VIDEO. He of course was ready to go out and kick ass with a cast on his foot, which we seriously considered for a second, but figured we’d wait til he could actually kick ass with both feet just in case he did further damage to his foot, which he certainly would have.
Both the band’s European and US tours are now postponed while Weinman heals. The band was gearing up for the release of Ire Works on November 13, 2007
Source Continue reading Dillinger Escape Plan guitarist breaks foot, postpones tour
Days Away has posted another new track from their forthcoming EP Ear Candy for the Headphone Trippers. You can check out the new song “Wish” on MySpace.
The band released Mapping An Invisible World through their former label Fueled by Ramen in 2005.
Source Continue reading Days Away: “Wish”
Against Me! recently spoke to The Nation about the various things that have plagued the band which each successive step since the band’s first album.
Besides addressing frontman Tom Gabel’s recent arrest:
The day of the Tallahassee thing, we were playing at this place The Beta Bar, and this coffee shop next door was having a protest show against ours. I mean… go protest the fucking war!”
The story cites a recent The L Magazine editorial which writes that “when you say the same things over and over again, as loudly as [Gabel] did, into a microphone no less, to countless impressionable teenagers, you’ve effectively lost your right to just decide one day that you didn’t mean any of it.”
The story also looks at the evolution of the band, particularly when pared against some of the band’s more vocal critics like Maximumrocknroll and more.
You can find the story here.
Source Continue reading Against Me! talks about Tallahassee incident, conflicts with DIY fans
There’s a lot of big names in today’s update, including a few high-profile punk releases. On Punknews.org. Of all places. Whodathunkit.
Speaking of upping punx, I made up a word below. See if you can spot it.
Say Anything has posted another new track from their forthcoming release In Defense of the Genre.
The newest track “Shiksa,” as well as the recently posted “Skinny, Mean Man” are both available on MySpace.
In Defense of the Genre will hit stores October 23, 2007.
Source Continue reading Say Anything: “Shiksa”
Most Precious Blood have plans to enter the studio soon. The band has 10 songs written so far, and expect the album to have 12 or 13 new tracks.
The album, entitled Do Not Resuscitate, will see a release through Trustkill sometime in 2008.
The band released Merciless in 2005.
Source Continue reading Most Precious Blood announce new album
No Harm Done will head into Goldentone Studio later this week to record a seven-song EP with Rob McGregor.
The band released Our Day of Days through Anchorless Records in 2006. You can check out the album on their Punknews band profile.
Source Continue reading No Harm Done to begin work on new EP
Carry The Torch signs to Detonate Records Sacramento, CA hardcore outfit Carry the Torch have announced signing with Detonate Records. The group plans to release their debut EP, Dead Weather, at the end of the year.
You can listen to a couple of their pre-production tracks at the band’s MySpace page.
Source Continue reading Detonate Records signs Carry The Torch