In a relatively quiet neighborhood of Los Angeles known mostly for the corner where Biggie Smalls was shot, a bunch of museums, and a stretch of about 4 blocks known as Little Ethiopia, sits a small Irish pub and music space named Molly Malones. A little over ten years ago a group of musicians played their first shows of rowdy, celtic roots inspired punk rock to small crowds which would eventually lead to naming themselves Flogging Molly. Earlier this year, that same band – who has since garnered a substantial following worldwide – released a brand new live DVD titled Live at the Greek Theater, ,that was recorded last fall at LA’s massive outdoor amphitheatre, The Greek Theater, in front of a sold out audience of nearly 6,000 fans. Punknews’ own Scot Barrett recently chatted with bassist Nathen Maxwell about how the band got to be so popular, how LA has influenced them, and what they set out to accomplish with this DVD.

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German outfit Red Tape Parade have posted a new song. “The Year of the Pig” comes from an upcoming split 7″ with Safety that will be released early next month by Jump Start in North America and Ass-Card Records in Europe. Vocalist Wauz had this to say about the song:

“The track is a tribute to SNFU´s infamous frontman Mr. Chi Pig and tells the story of seeing his band play as a teenager in 1997 and then 12 years later in the reformed version in 2009 and how much and yet how little has changed in those years in my life and in his life.”

Check out the song at the band’s MySpace page.
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Rival Schools has signed with Photo Finish/Atlantic. The label will likely release the band’s new album later this year; more details are expected soon.

The band will perform a couple of shows at SXSW this weekend, one this Friday at Red 7 as part of the Photo Finish showcase and another on Saturday afternoon as part of Spinner.com’s Pop-UP Show, with a location for that show to be announced that day. Dates are also expected to be announced soon for a planned tour of Japan, slated to kick off next month.

Rival Schools features Walter Schreifels (Gorilla Biscuits, Civ, Walking Concert) and last released United By Fate in 2001. Schreifels will be a busy man this year, as his first solo album is expected out soon.
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Brendan Kelly, accomplished blogger and moderately popular musician, today poignantly addressed the question of a commenter on his blog, Bad Sandwich Chronicles, who questioned the attitude and motives of Against Me! regarding what the band hopes to accomplish with their upcoming album, White Crosses. The commenter cited the article attached to Against Me’s new video for “Rapid Decompression,” in which frontman Tom Gabel is quoted as saying he “hopes that this album, produced by Butch Vig, and its anthemic, Tom Petty-inspired punk songs is the one that finally catapults them to selling out stadiums worldwide.”

Kelly addressed the commenter by speaking from personal experience and citing a few examples:

“See, the reason you all like Against Me! in the first place, the reason that they’re even a band you’ve HEARD OF is because Tom et al have ambition that can’t be contained by playing dumb basement shows and working as waiters. They aspire to be career musicians. And before you get all snippy about that being a bad thing, let me remind you that selling tee shirts, sweaters, patches and beer cozies are the trappings of a lifestyle boutique, not a musical troupe, so ANY BAND that makes shirts is doing so for the purposes of commerce, even though realistically, it has NOTHING AT ALL TO DO WITH MUSIC. AND THAT’S FINE! That’s fucking great. That’s the thing. Propaghandi, Tragedy, whoever, they all fucking deal in commerce. … Finally, there are people out there (I was one of them) who say shit like “all I want is to play music to two or three hundred kids a night. I don’t want to be big. I think this is much cooler.” They say that because that’s an ambition point that they have not yet reached. Ask Avail. Ask the Suicide Machines. Ask the Lawrence Arms or Strike Anywhere or Matchbook Romance or anyone who’s gotten to that point and gotten stuck if that was where they hoped their career topped out. Go ahead. Ask them. They’re all working at bars and landscaping jobs and shit like that. Meanwhile, Tom [Gabel] is asleep on a bus and he’s gonna wake up and write songs and then play some songs for a bunch of happy people tonight and it’s because he’s realizing his ambition. What’s cooler? You tell me. Go ahead. Come into my bar today and see how many of your favorite songs I sing you. Yeah. I’m real glad I “decided” not to play stadiums for thousands of people. “

Check out the entire post here, and let us know what you think in the comments.
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It’s Alive Records have announced two upcoming releases from The Varsity Weirdos and That’s Incredible. Due first is the new full length from the Weirdos, Can’t Go Home. The 12-track album is due out March 23rd and will be released on CD as well as blue/white half-n-half color vinyl limited. The label is promising only about 75 copies will be available.

The same day the label will release That’s Incredible‘s self-titled 7-inch. The band features current and former members of Toys That Kill, The Soviettes, Killer Dreamer and Dick Army.
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The Kings of Nuthin’ have posted some new music and detailed their upcoming album for Sailor’s Grave Records. The album, Old Habits Die Hard, is their first all-new full length since 2002’s Fight Songs. It’s due out May 10, 2010 and was recorded at The Outpost (Dropkick Murphys, The Unseen, Blood For Blood). The band promises “a mystifying mixture of Joey Ramone huffing paint and Little Richard sniffing glue. Laced with pounding cadences of wild R&B and the punk rock that inspired it, all woven into one potent tapestry of rock n roll chaos.”

You can grab two songs from the album via their label page.
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