Scott Radinsky, vocalist of Pulley and formerly of Ten Foot Pole as well as the White Sox and Dodgers, recently spoke to Baseball Prospectus about his career as a musician and ball player.
You can check out the interview here.
Source Continue reading Scott Radinsky (Pulley) talks to Baseball Prospectus
The Banner has opted to release a few of their older albums for free download online. The band has posted everything releases except their last Ferret full length, Each Breath Haunted.
You can find the downloads here.
Source Continue reading The Banner gives away old albums
California ska-outfit Suburban Legends appear to be the latest victims of van/trailer/gear theft on tour. The band awoke from their hotel room to discover their van and trailer gone, losing over $80,000 worth of equipment. They are currently on tour with Streetlight Manifesto, who have also experienced similar setbacks in the past. Even more of a coicidence is that the van and trailer were stolen while the band was staying the night in Philadelphia, where Strung Out also recently experienced grand theft van.
The group’s producer Dallas Kruse has posted a MySpace bulletin explaining the band’s current situation:
I just got a call from my dear friend MIKEY, bassist for Suburban Legends. They are on tour in Philly and woke up to head down to the van and trailer from the hotel room and the van and trailer were stolen. Every piece of equipment and merchandise the band owns is gone. Drum sets, horns, clothing, basses, guitars, amps, etc. The value of the equipment alone is appx 40k. The value of the trailer alone is 30k. Estimated value of everything is probably close to 80k (in my estimation) including the van, trailer and gear.
They are troopers and going to try and rent another van, rent gear and finish the tour.
This is devastating. Most, if not ALL of you know just how dear and sincere these guys are and how close I am with them. Is there ANYTHING we can do to help them? My idea was to find someone with money who would be able to immediately front them an investment for gear and work out terms for the band to pay that person back. Or does someone here have connections to a car dealership? Instruments? SOMETHING!?!
Please help! if you have some help or ideas, PLEASE, lets help the guys out!
You can check out the post here.
Source Continue reading Suburban Legends van/trailer stolen on tour
The recent threats of a lawsuit from the University of Maine have prompted a response from platinum goth-punks My Chemical Romance. Drummer Bob Bryar explained:
We are very sorry about canceling our recent show in Maine. I have been having many problems with my wrists over the past few years. They have been getting worse but I kept playing. I have seen many doctors to get some relief so I wouldn’t have to stop playing. I guess I pushed it too hard this time. During our show at Maxwell’s I got a golf ball-sized lump in my wrist, I started to not only have pain, but lose control and feeling in my fingers. I went through a process to control the swelling and attempted to play the show with Bon Jovi the next day.
The Bon Jovi show was really bad for me – I was dropping sticks and could barely hit my drums. After that show we decided I had to go get immediate treatment. I had to leave the tour. Being the stubborn person I am, I made a last minute decision to give it another shot on the second Bon Jovi show. It didn’t work, we had to cut the set in half. We have a fill in now as I am getting treatment – he learned the songs in one day. We will try our hardest to make the show up to you when the specialists give me the okay.
The band was invoiced for all the promotional costs of the performance, which totaled over $20,000. The student government and the band recently announced a settlement, with the band agreeing to pay the University of Maine’s Student Government over $20,500 in restitution.
Source Continue reading UPDATE: My Chemical Romance settles with University of Maine
Gallows have announced the first few dates for their first headlining tour of the US. The band previously visited North America on Warped and then briefly opening for Bad Religion.
The band released Orchestra of Wolves domestically last year.
With all the talk about digital downloads and teleportation, it’s easy to forget that most people still get their punk rock in the mail. Well, the situation has not been great for independent labels in that regard either, and Dead Metaphor has assembled a detailed article explaining some of the challenges faced by the independent music industry – particularly with regards to vinyl and ‘zines.
It’s lengthy, but as the author notes: “the US Postal Service has a profound [impact] on the punk scene, from the price of the records we buy right down to the record formats we prefer.” You can check it out here.
Source Continue reading Punk and the US Postal Service
NOFX has posted a new downloadable track from their upcoming live album. The record is titled They’ve Actually Gotten Worse Live and is due out November 20, 2007. The record follows 1995’s I Hear They Suck Live will hit the streets November 20, 2007 on CD/2XLP.
The album is culled from three nights of talking mixed with the occasional song at Slim’s in San Francisco and will not include any material from Suck Live but will include new versions of old songs and rare tracks. They released Wolves in Wolves’ Clothing in 2006.
You can check out (and download) “Yer Wrong” on their myspace page.
Source Continue reading NOFX: “Yer Wrong”
Canadian hardcore band Comeback Kid have begun recording live footage and backstage video for an upcoming DVD. The band explained:
We are touring in Europe right now and have our friend Jim Agapito on tour with us capturing backstage shenanigans, talking to fans before or after the show and of course getting some live footage.
Then when we get to Leipzig on November 23 we will be shooting the live show with a full camera crew. So basically what we’re asking is get out to the shows get as crazy as you can stagediving, singing along or getting interviewed while waiting in line outside before the show and you may find yourself on our DVD.
The band is currently on the road in Europe with Cancer Bats, Parkway Drive, This Is Hell and The Warriors.
They released Broadcasting… in 2007.
Source Continue reading Comeback Kid planning DVD release
Weezer‘s highly anticipated sixth full length has been scheduled for a April 22, 2008 release. Very little is currently known about the record, but the months leading up to the release have included rumours of a break up as well as a new solo album from frontman Rivers Cuomo.
The solo album, which will feature early material from the band’s acclaimed Pinkerton era, is due out December 11, 2007
Source Continue reading Weezer’s “album six” set for April release
The New York Times has posted an interesting article about the relatively recent phenomenon of the 360” deal. The deal basically signs the band to a full service deal with their label, with the label taking responsibility – and a cut – from touring, merchandise and sponsorship.
The article points at recent success story, Paramore, who signed such a deal and explains:
These deals were born of desperation; after experiencing the financial havoc unleashed by years of slipping CD sales, music companies started viewing the ancillary income from artists as a potential new source of cash. After all, the thinking went, labels invest the most in the risky and expensive process of developing talent, so why shouldn’t they get a bigger share of the talent’s success?
In return for that bigger share, labels might give artists more money up front and in many cases touring subsidies that otherwise would not be offered. More important, perhaps, artists might be allowed more time to develop the chops needed to build a long career. And the label’s ability to crossmarket items like CDs, ring tones, V.I.P. concert packages and merchandise might make for a bigger overall pie.
You can find the article here.
Do you think labels should act as full service shops providing everything from tours to merchandise or does that limit the band’s choices – and ability to get the best deal?
Source Continue reading New York Times looks at “Band as Brand” marketing
The New York Times has posted an interesting article about the relatively recent phenomenon of the 360” deal. The deal basically signs the band to a full service deal with their label, with the label taking responsibility – and a cut – from touring, merchandise and sponsorship.
The article points at recent success story, Paramore, who signed such a deal and explains:
These deals were born of desperation; after experiencing the financial havoc unleashed by years of slipping CD sales, music companies started viewing the ancillary income from artists as a potential new source of cash. After all, the thinking went, labels invest the most in the risky and expensive process of developing talent, so why shouldn’t they get a bigger share of the talent’s success?
In return for that bigger share, labels might give artists more money up front and in many cases touring subsidies that otherwise would not be offered. More important, perhaps, artists might be allowed more time to develop the chops needed to build a long career. And the label’s ability to crossmarket items like CDs, ring tones, V.I.P. concert packages and merchandise might make for a bigger overall pie.
You can find the article here.
Do you think labels should act as full service shops providing everything from tours to merchandise or does that limit the band’s choices – and ability to get the best deal?
Source Continue reading New York Times looks as “Band as Brand” marketing
The latest volley in the file sharing war seems designed to turn fellow students into copyright enforcement agents and punish innocent bystanders. According to CNET, a Democrat-sponsored bill would cut off all financial aid if universities did not agree to test “technology-based deterrents to prevent such illegal activity,” all of their students — even ones who don’t own a computer — would lose federal financial aid.
A number of universities including representatives from Yale, Stanford, Maryland and Penn responded:
Such an extraordinarily inappropriate and punitive outcome would result in all students on that campus losing their federal financial aid–including Pell grants and student loans that are essential to their ability to attend college, advance their education, and acquire the skills necessary to compete in the 21st-century economy.
Lower-income students, those most in need of federal financial aid, would be harmed most under the entertainment industry’s proposal.
The proposal, which is embedded in a 747-page spending and financial aid bill, comes with the support of the MPAA.
Source Continue reading New bill threatens to pull financial aid for colleges whose students download
Every Time I Die and Escape the Fate have been announced as co-headliners for the upcoming 2008 edition of the Take Action Tour.
The 7th incarnation of the tour will kick off in February, 2008. Take Action was founded by Hopeless & Sub City Records with the mission to create a better world, one voice and one action at a time. Take Action strives to educate people about the positive difference that can be made by each of us in our community through activism and charitable work. To date over $450,000 has been raised through the efforts of Take Action.
Source Continue reading Every Time I Die, Escape the Fate to co-headline Take Action 2008