The Harvest of Hope Festival recently wrapped up its second annual weekend of music in support of the Harvest of Hope Foundation. With acts ranging from Billy Bragg to Dead Prez and three days’ worth of punk bands in between, the festival has quickly found a place in the punk community as the spring break destination for charitable music fans.

Punknews interview writer, Sarah Collins, recently conducted an in-depth look at the people behind the scenes and on the stage at Harvest of Hope Festival. Tuesday’s story focused on the beginnings of the foundation, yesterday’s looked at the people it effects. Today we bring you the story of how the festival came to be.

Want to help out? Why not check out some items being auctioned off for Harvest of Hope through eBay. You can do that here.

Source Continue reading Turning Rebellion into Money Part III: The Story of Harvest of Hope →

The Saddest Landscape recently entered the studio to record their first full-length record since 2003’s Lift Your Burdens High, For This Is Where We Cross. The band was dormant from 2006-2007 and reconvened to play a few European shows in 2008, which would eventually lead to The Saddest Landscape’s reemergence in 2009 and the band’s first new release since 2005, a split 7″ with Trophy Scars and the release of their double LP vinyl discography, All Is Apologized For. All Is Forgiven [2xLP].

The band will be releasing a split 9-inch with Pianos Become the Teeth this summer and will also contribute songs to “Connections Vol II” as well, which is an international compilation from Sweden’s Moment of Collapse featuring six bands from six different countries.
Source Continue reading The Saddest Landscape plan new LP, split 9-inch with Pianos Become the Teeth →

Band of Horses have posted the new video from their upcoming Fat Possum Records/Columbia Records debut. The record is titled Infinite Arms and is due out May 18, 2010. The album was produced by Band of Horses with additional production from Phil Ek and mixed by Dave Sardy.

Source Continue reading Band of Horses: “Compliments” →

Our stream today comes from Orange County, CA-based Vultures United. We’ve got a stream of six songs from the band’s new full length, Savages.

You can check it out on their Punknews.org Profile.
Source Continue reading Vultures United: ‘Savages’ →

Our stream today comes from San Antonio/Austin, TX’s Stegosaur. We’ve got a stream of the band’s new 7″, Adventure.

You can check it out on their Punknews.org page.
Source Continue reading Stegosaur: ‘Adventure’ →

Think Fast Records act Reignition have posted a song from their upcoming 7-inch, The Epitome of Free Will, due out April 27, 2010. The label draws comparisons to “genre pioneers like Snapcase, Refused, and Burn”

Check out the stream on their MySpace page.
Source Continue reading Reignition: “Fire Breathers” →

Amanda Palmer has announced her split from Roadrunner Records after a lengthy legal battle. The pianist and former Dresden Dolls vocalist has been released from her contract and was able to release a new song. She talked about the split on her blog:

As many of you know, I’ve been fighting very, very hard to get off the label for the better part of two years. For the past seven years, anything I have written and recorded (solo or with my band, The Dresden Dolls) has technically been owned and under the ultimate control of the label, but no longer. After endless legal bullshit, it’s over, I’ve been DROPPED, RELEASED, LET GO.

I’ve been a very vocal advocate of artists being fearless in asking their audience and supporters for direct financial help. I come from a background of grassroots theatre and street performance, and I think that artists should feel no shame while passing the hat around once they’ve entertained a crowd of people. It’s been a huge and obvious irony that I have been legally unable to ask for money for my music, since it’s been verboten by my contract with Roadrunner. Now that I’m unshackled, I plan on doing a lot of really awesome and creative things with my songs and how people can pay for them – or, better yet, donate – now that I have control over my stuff.

Check out the download and more discussion on her free agent status on her website.
Source Continue reading Amanda Palmer leaves Roadrunner, posts new music →

The legendary and controversial Malcom McLaren has passed away, reports the Independent. The former manager of the Sex Pistols and had been battling cancer for some time. His condition recently deteriorated rapidly and he died this morning in New York.

He had been suffering from cancer for some time, but recently had been full of health, which then rapidly deteroriated. He died in New York this morning. We are expecting his body to be brought back to London and buried in Highgate Cemetery.

McLaren was attracted to the Situationist movement as a youth and adopted many of the movement’s ideas into his future work promoting various musical groups. In 1971 he and designer Vivienne Westwood opened the clothing shop in London’s King’s Road that would eventually become the S&M boutique SEX. Following a stint in which he outfitted and promoted the New York Dolls in the United States, McLaren entered the popular consciousness as manager of the Sex Pistols.

It was McLaren that organized such stunts as the band’s Silver Jubilee performance from a boat on the Thames, but the degree to which he controlled the group remains disputed to this day. Competing versions of the truth were maintained over the years by both McLaren and members of the Pistols, notably playing out via the 1980 film The Great Rock ‘n’ Roll Swindle and 2000’s The Filth and the Fury. Following the break up of the Pistols McLaren went on to release the hit hip-hop styled Duck Rock and pursued a solo musical career.

Our condolences to his friends and family.
Source Continue reading Malcom McLaren (1946-2010) →

Aaron Gillespie has posted an update to his tumblr blog explaining some of his reasons for leaving Underoath after more than a decade:

When I was fourteen i was asked to join a band called Underoath this was long before any of the members you know now were here. We began as a sort of progressive-metalish type band. I just knew i was young and had an incredible opportunity to play as fast as i could, which was super fun. Fast forward- all the rad dudes you know and love joined this band and we made music together, and I believe with my all that God used it (and still does and will) to touch a lot of people. I feel so blessed to have been a part of this, it has been triple what i ever imagined or thought could happen,and some of the most fun times of my life.

Truth be told, things change, people change, lives rearrange. My time here in this band is up. I love it, the people, the traveling. It is just time for me to go.

Source Continue reading Aaron Gillespie talks about his departure from Underoath →

The cause of the tragic plane crash which injured Travis Barker of Blink 182 and claimed the life of four people has been established, reports Businessweek. According to the article, the crash was caused by inadequate tire maintenance and the captain’s decision to abort the takeoff at high speed.

Tires on the Learjet had not been checked for the three weeks preceding the takeoff and the plane overran the runway at a Columbia, South Carolina, airport on Sept. 19, 2008. The tires were 36 percent underinflated and failed on the take-off roll. The pilot and co-pilot were both killed in the crash. The National Transportation Safety Board blamed Global Exec Aviation and the decision by Captain Sarah Lemmon, 31, to halt the takeoff after the airplane had reached a speed where there was too little runway left for a safe stop.
Source Continue reading Cause of Travis Barker’s plane crash determined →

Andrew WK has released a song he recorded for a school project aged 17 that resulted in him being served with a juvenile restraining order. Written about a girl he was “deeply and passionately fixated on”, upon hearing the song, which includes lyrics such as “Drove Past Your Doorway Fifteen Times / I Don’t Want To Cause You Harm / Harm – That’s What You’re In For / If You Don’t Open Your Door”, the girl “freaked out” and called the police.

WK stated,”Three months ago, I was advised by my personal manager and life coach to finally let people hear it, to resolve the nightmare. So, I am. Now is the first time since the incident that I’ve let anyone hear the song. And I can hear why.”

You can hear the song, titled “My Destiny” here
Source Continue reading Andrew WK releases song that got him a restraining order →