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 this week…

Blink-182 is currently rehearsing for their upcoming reunion. Mark Hoppus recently revealed that songs such as “M&Ms,” “Apple Shampoo,” “Man Overboard,” “Anthem, Pt.2,” “Dammit” and “Down” are among those being practiced. According to a recent Guardian report, the fourth “scariest word” for parents in the UK is “emo.” The paranoia stems from recent media coverage of suicides in the country. Screeching Weasel is apparently playing shows again. Ben Weasel revealed as much in a recent Asian Man newsletter. Details on the line up and extent of the reunion are a little fuzzy right now. While they’re not a band that falls into our usual umbrella, it was notable this week that the Counting Crows go label free. They join other former major label acts who recently cut ties with the media conglomerates.

Green Day‘s recently announced vinyl reissues will soon encompass the band’s entire catalogue. 39/Smooth and Kerplunk are due out next week, with Dookie to follow in April along with a singles boxed set. Compton, California’s Pour Habit has signed to Fat Wreck Chords and will re-issue their 2007 full length Suiticide this summer. The Paper Chase are planning a Kill Rock Stars release this Spring. Rapper 50 Cent will be sharing the stage with Fall Out Boy for five dates of their Believers Never Die tour this summer. The lineup has been announced for the 2009 BNB Bowl / Superbowl of Hardcore. It will feature Cro-Mags, Discipline, Earth Crisis, Indecision, Murphy’s Law and Walls of Jericho among others. More shows have been added to the Alkaline Trio / Saves The Day tour. The Trio has also launched a remix contest. Chicago supergroup the Falcon will appear at the Windy City Soundclash event and will re-issue their LP Unicornography. Other bands on the road soon include 311 with Ziggy Marley. Footage was released this week of Propagandhi performing live in Sydney. Finally Brian Fallon of the Gaslight Anthem unveiled the song “Tin Pan Alley.”

Punknews.org is proud to present a new feature from Mike Hale (Gunmoll, In The Red). Having packed up his belongings, moved out of his apartment, and committed himself to living as a touring musician, Mike will have some tales to tell. Check out Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3 and now Episode 4 of For Those Still Standing. Our Dispatches series of band tour blogs featured Philadelphia’s the Menzingers (Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4) and Lansing, MI’s Cheap Girls (Episode 1, Episode 2).

This week we spoke with Darius Koski of the Swingin Utters, also of the Filthy Thieving Bastards and the Re-Volts (interviews). This week’s Editors’ Picks recommended music from Pennsylvania’s Daylight. So what’s coming up this week? Look for new releases from Mastodon, Radiohead (reissues), Green Day (reissues), Vanna, the Queers, and the Decemberists with tours kicking off from The Bronx (US), Converge with Ceremony / Rise and Fall / Coliseum / Pulling Teeth (USA), Sebastien Grainger and The Mountains (USA / Canada), New Found Glory / Bayside / Verse / Set Your Goals (USA), and Joey Cape / Jon Snodgrass (Europe).
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