Billboard is reporting that Bright Eyes principle Conor Oberst has signed to Merge Records with plans to release his first solo album in nearly 12 years this summer. The self-titled release was recorded in January and February in Tepoztlan, Mexico and is due in stores on August 5th.

Oberst is backed on the record by the Mystic Valley Band; the lineup of that group has not yet been named. Oberst produced the recording with collaborator Andy LeMaster assisting. The album is Oberst’s first in his own name since 1996’s cassette Soundtrack To My Movies. It’s also his first domestic release apart from Omaha’s Saddle Creek Records.

Oberst and the Mystic Valley band will play the Reading and Leeds Festivals this August, along with Ireland’s Electric Picnic and September’s Austin City Limits.
Source Continue reading Conor Oberst signs with Merge →

Black President, which features members of Goldfinger, Sepultura and New Dead Radio, have finished tracking their upcoming debut at Unison Music Studios in Los Angeles.

The album features writing contributions by Greg Hetson of Bad Religion who was also a member for a short time. The record is due outAugust 05, 2008 via Cobra Music.
Source Continue reading Black President completes debut →

Show Of Hands Records is putting on their very first Show Of Hands Fest! The fest will be taking place at the Prince William Fairgrounds in Northern, Virginia on July 12th. The all ages festival will include of the best underground bands in the area including Me Vs The Monster, The Black Shade, Set By Satellite, Dreaming Of Eden, The Common Threat, Vexed Youth and more. Tickets are $10 and will double as raffle tickets for prize giveaways during the show. You can buy tickets directly from the bands or sending an email to [email protected]
Source Continue reading Show Of Hands Fest! 2008 →

UK-based power-pop/pop-punk act The Pipettes have announced another lineup change. The band explained:

The Pipettes have two new members, Ani and Anna. We are demoing up 20-25 new songs, with an eye to recording a second album in the Summer. We want to tell you all about them, but we’re very much head-down working on new material at the moment

This means that RiotBecki and Rosay have left to pursue other musical pursuits (which will be brilliant when they emerge), we wish them all the best, we’re all still great friends and news on their pursuits will be closely supported by us.

People may be confused by such a drastic change in line-up but please rest assured – if we were to be an imitation of ourselves we would stop. Plus the Pipettes has more members come and go than major labels have A&R men, it’s just another day in the office for us (plus we’ve got to go one better than the Sugababes).

The band released We Are the Pipettes last year.
Source Continue reading The Pipettes undergo lineup change →

Well, it took a while, but I think this update’s pretty quality.

• Billy Bragg is Mr. Love and Justice
• Pegasuses-XL is the alter-ego of Jeff Rosenstock (Bomb the Music Industry!) and his buddies Mark Dale (Disband), Jeff Tobias (We Versus the Shark, Dark Meat) and Joel Hatstat (Cinemechanica); their new album, which we’re streaming, is The Antiphon
• A Wilhelm Scream closes out their recent tour in New York
• I wonder if the Chalfont, PA hardcore act won’t be Let Down by tonight’s primary results (yuk yuk); We’re in This Alone
• More at the reviews page

Source Continue reading Tuesday, April 22, 2008 →

In advance of their upcoming major label debut, Alkaline Trio have released a new three song EP also titled Agony and Irony. The three song EP includes the tracks “Help Me” and “In Vein,” both which have appeared on the band’s website, and the new track “Into the Night.”

All three songs will appear on the full length, which is also titled Agony and Irony. It will street on July 01, 2008.

You can preview or purchase the EP here.
Source Continue reading Alkaline Trio release “Agony and Irony” EP →

The third episode of Fuse‘s NOFX documentary series, NOFX: Backstage Passport runs tonight at 10pm EST.

As reported here, the eight episodes cover the band’s recent world tour including their visits to Singapore, Peru, Israel, South Africa, Turkey and South Korea.. Or, as Fat Mike explained it: “Think Titanic meets Spinal Tap. .”

According to Fuse, the episode concerns itself with:

The band’s anarchic tour rolls on to Japan where they bask in their immense popularity and take a beating during a wild night at a local S&M club. The madness continues in Singapore where the boys put their collective sobriety, sanity and lives at risk going for a ride on “The Green Dragon”.

Source Continue reading NOFX “Backstage Passport” episode three tonight →

Jacksonville, Florida’s Whole Wheat Bread have announced that they will perform at Coachella in Indio, CA with rapper Murs on Sunday, April 27th at 9 pm. Other acts slated to perform include Prince, Roger Waters of Pink Floyd, Kraftwerk, Gogol Bordello, Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, Black Lips, and many more.

The band recently completed work on their new album The Hearts of Hoodlums which is expected to drop in August. The previously posted two new songs to their MySpace page.
Source Continue reading Whole Wheat Bread to perform at Coachella with Murs →

The Anniversary have announced plans to release their rarities/b-sides compilation via Vagrant Records. The record is titled Devil on Our Side: Rarities and B-Sides and is due out June 24, 2008. The band’s previous studio album was 2002’s Your Majesty.

The five-piece from Lawrence, Kansas formed in the late ‘90’s. Members went on to form The Only Children.
Source Continue reading The Anniversary plan ‘Devil on Our Side: Rarities and B-Sides’ →

Cute Is What We Aim For have posted a new song from their upcoming sophomore full length. The record is titled Rotation and is due out June 24, 2008. It is the follow-up to The Same Old Blood Rush with a New Touch which was released in 2006.

You can find “Doctor” on their myspace page.
Source Continue reading Cute Is What We Aim For: “Doctor” →

Killing the Dream have a new player featuring three songs from their upcoming Deathwish album, Fractures. The record follows 2005’s In Place, Apart.

You can check out the player here.
Source Continue reading Killing The Dream launches three-song player →

New Bedford, MA’s A Wilhelm Scream willl be releasing the vinyl version of last year’s Career Suicide through JumpStart Records this June. You can find the order information here.

Career Suicide was released through Nitro last year, a release so well received by the Punknews.org readers that it was crowned the number one reader’s pick of 2007.
Source Continue reading A Wilhelm Scream to releases ‘Career Suicide’ vinyl in June →

Riot Fest has just confirmed that legendary punk band ALL will be reuniting for Riot Fest 2008, Oct. 10-12 in Chicago, Illinois. The band will be reuniting with the Allroy’s Revenge., Allroy Saves, Percolater and Trailblazer lineup which includes Scott Reynolds (vocals), Bill Stevenson (drums), Karl Alvarez (guitar) and Stephen Egerton (bass). This ALL lineup has not performed together in 20 years.

Frontman Scott Reynolds commented:

Stephen is going to jump a motorcycle over 10 flaming school buses, then save all the children inside them before they burn up! Bill is going to levitate, then disappear, then reappear on Karl’s shoulders who will be riding a unicycle on a tightrope made from dental floss suspended 100 ft. above the stage. And I’m going to give one lucky audience member a makeover that will take 10 years off his/her appearance! So we better start practicing!! Everybody should come because it’s going to rock sooo hard,

Because of this, tickets for ALL’s Riot Fest 2008 mainstage performance (Oct. 12 at the Congress Theatre) will go on sale Thursday, April 24 at 8 a.m. CST on www.indietickets.com for the weekend or until these limited tickets sell out.
Source Continue reading ALL to reunite for Riot Fest 2008 →