Hello everybody and welcome to Navel Gazing: your look back at the week in Punknews. I’m Adam White and I’ll be your guide through some of the most popular, notable, and otherwise attention getting stories of the past seven days. Each and every Punknews story is built from tips contributed by you fine folks, and here’s what got the community talking…

We start this week in Berkeley. Pinhead Gunpowder, which of course features members of some band called Green Day, donated a new sound system to the famous scene hub at 924 Gilman. Fello denizen Jesse Michaels of Operation Ivy and Common Rider is working on a new batch of songs that are reportedly “raw, traditional punk rock.” Plenty of other acts announced updates this week. NOFX‘s world tour documentary is now slated to air on Fuse. Richmond’s Ann Beretta have announced upcoming reunion shows with additional dates and festival appearances to come. Bad Religion‘s Brooks Wackerman is playing in a new project with what amounts to the refugees of nu-metal, the results of which are anyone’s guess. Epitaph announged the signing of Minneapolis power-pop act Sing It Loud. Pop-punk act the Starting Line recently announced a hiatus.

On the new release front we had details on New Found Glory‘s greatest hits compilation. The Dropkick Murphys will issue a limited edition version of The Meanest of Times, expanding on their lastest full length. The Alkaline Trio‘s Matt Skiba posted a new studio update detailing the progress on their new record. From First To Last detailed their major label debut as well. 100 Demons, 108, Blacklisted and Madball will all appear at This Is Hardcore 2008. The Asian Man Records tour keeps adding dates. It’ll feature the Queers, Lemuria, Bomb The Music Industry!, Andrew Jackson Jihad and Kepi Ghoulie. There were plenty of video releases this week as well. You could check out Millencolin‘s “Detox,” the Presidents of the United States of America‘s “Mixed Up SOB”, Against Me!‘s acoustic “Amputations” and “Nuclear Cowboys in an Age of Drift,” and Avenged Sevenfold‘s “Afterlife”.

This week we said goodbye to Dungeons and Dragons co-creator Gary Gygax (1938-2008).

Our Video of the Week featured Smoke Or Fire performing with Avail‘s bassist Gwomper guesting. This week also brought new Streaming Music from the Gaslight Anthem, featuring a song from their new EP Señor and the Queen.
Source Continue reading March 9th, 2008 →

Brooklyn melodic hardcore outfit Dear Tonight have called it quits after 5 years. The band announced the split this morning via MySpace but offered no further explanation. Details on a final show is expected soon.

The band released the EP These Are Wires on Slave Union Records in 2005, and a full-length We’re Not Men through Red Leader Records in 2007.
Source Continue reading Dear Tonight (2003-2008) →

State Of Mind Recordings has signed Dallas, Texas’ Decades. The band has been active since April of 2007, prior to that writing under the name Sever The Ties.

You can check out an unmastered version of the new song “Cold Sweat” there along with some past material. A street date for the band’s new work has yet to be announced.
Source Continue reading State of Mind signs Decades →

The Banner has finished their forthcoming release Frailty. The album will be mastered at New Alliance and is slated for release in June.

The band broke up in 2006, but decided to resume touring a few months later. They released Each Breath Haunted in 2005.
Source Continue reading The Banner finishing new album →

Insubordination Records has added three acts to the lineup of this year’s Insubordination Fest. This includes a reunion of Sludgeworth, Danny Vapid’s band between the first and second incarnation of Screeching Weasel, the Crumbs (who will release Dade County Trash this spring on Insubordination) and Cletus. The label plans to announce a new band (out of the planned 40 playing the fest) every Monday. The event has been tentatively scheduled for June 26th, 27th and 28th in Baltimore.

This past December the first two bands were confirmed for the event: The Queers and a reunion from 80s-era Lookout! act Sweet Baby.
Source Continue reading Sludgeworth, the Crumbs, Cletus added to Insubordination Fest →

It appears that Gainesville, Florida’s As Friends Rust will reunite this summer for a handful of European shows. The band recently teased via MySpace: “Europe is on in August. We’re coming clean about that shit. UK and Belgium shows already confirmed. Seven years later, five shows only, and probably never again. Bring your dancing shoes.” No dates have been announced.

The band’s prior run ended with the 2002 release of A Young Trophy Band in the Parlance of Our Times. The remnants of the group evolved into Salem, which only lasted until 2005. Since then members have played in a number of projects including Damien Done, Moments In Grace, Bread Riot, Goodnight at the End of the Tunnel, Feathers, ROM, Currents, J. Page, the Drake, GATORS! and How Dare You.
Source Continue reading As Friends Rust to reunite for European shows →

French Kicks has announced plans for a new album titled Swimming. The album, which was produced and mixed entirely by the band, will be their second Vagrant release

Swimming will be released exclusively through iTunes April 1 and will hit stores May 20.
Source Continue reading French Kicks set to release new album →

Kingston Falls has posted the video for their song “Freakin eXtreme.” You can check out the video here.

The band will release their Facedown debut, Armada On Mercury, March 18.
Source Continue reading Kingston Falls: “Freakin’ eXtreme” →