Protest The Hero has recently finished writing their second full-length album and will begin recording this weekend with producer Julius “Juice” Butty at Toronto’s Silo recording studio. The band expects to wrap up by August 1st with a fall release date planned.

Protest The Hero spent most of the last year on the road, performing every date on the Vans Warped Tour and opening for bands such as Dragonforce, Trivium, and All That Remains among others. The trips were not entirely without incident. The band recently shot their third video from Kezia for the song “The Divine Suicide of K” with director Colin Minihan and expect to debut the video in the coming weeks.

Lyricist and bassist Arif Mirabdolbaghi issued the following statement about the upcoming release:

The new album is a further attempt towards bridging the distance between technicality and musicality. We hope to use organized and creative songwriting to explore, both sonically and thematically, the emotions, ironies and realities of our surroundings. The songs probe the paradoxical nature of everyday life- chiefly that aggressive music is an adequate vessel to convey not only feelings of anger and frustration, but also wonder, pathos and optimism.

The band released their last record Kezia, in 2005. A US release followed in 2006.
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Melodic-hardcore bands Set Your Goals and No Trigger are teaming up for extended stay across the pond. The bands will be playing an impressive 52 consecutive dates, and hitting more than 16 countries. With such a busy schedule, the guys should be able to keep themselves out of humerous mischief.

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The Rhino Films production of What We Do Is Secret has wrapped up.

Director Rodger Grossman made the announcement:

I am excited to report that What We Do Is Secret is complete and will make it’s world premiere in the dramatic competition at the Los Angeles Film Festival. I cannot think of a more appropriate or more exciting place to premiere this film.

A ticket page is available here and you can click Read More to check out a list of screenings.

The film aims to document the life and untimely death of Germs vocalist Darby Crash. While it does not cover his entire life, the movie focuses on Crash’s “five-year plan” to become a legend before comitting suicide in 1980. To ensure that the film was true to the story, Director Roger Grossman enlisted the help ex-Germs guitarist Pat Smear, as well as members of Crash’s family and others involved in the late ’70s/early ’80s Hollywood punk scene,

Playing Crash is actor Shane West who is best known from his role on ER. Rick Gonzalez will play Smear, and many other figures from the time will be included in the film, including Captain Sensible and Penelope Spheeris. Bands from the era are also represented in the film, with The Bronx filling in for legendary hardcore act Black Flag.

Source Continue reading Germs film completed, first screenings announced →

Some scattered tour dates have been announced in support of Beastie Boys‘s upcoming album. The record is titled The Mix-Up and is due out June 26, 2007. As originally reported, the record will be instrumental and derives it’s sound from classic punk and new-wave acts like Public Image Ltd., Gang of Four, the Slits and Killing Joke.

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Funeral For A Friend has posted the latest video from their new full length. The record is titled Tales Don’t Tell Themselves and was released May 14, 2007. It is the follow-up to Hours which was released in 2005.

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Our friends at Late Night Wallflower recently spoke with This Moment in Black History to get some of their perspectives on being a minority in the punk scene, the double standards of Afro Punk, and NY Times’ blipster article..

For those unfamiliar with the band, the band plays a fairly noisy and aggressive brand of hardcore, influenced by Black Flag and provides a different perspective since half of the band is African American.

You can check out the interview here.
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Fat Wreck Chords‘ Only Crime has been added to Rise Against‘s current tour with Silverstein and Comeback Kid.

The band will head out on the road this Friday on the tour in support of their 2007 release Virulence and their forthcoming Think Fast! Records split with Outbreak, which is scheduled for a June 26 release.
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Brooklyn’s Benji Cossa will release his second studio album Between the Blue and the Green on June 19th via Serious Business Records. The work is described as a mix of “outsider-folk, classic AM pop, lo-fi indie rock, and roots music.” The label has out the song “Sunset” online for download.

(Damn) This Desert Air features former members of a number of bands including Ex Number Five, Instruction, Elemae, Nora, Errortype: 11 and Merciana. The band recently uploaded new music to their MySpace site.

Nashville’s Stuck Lucky have released a split LP with Tampa’s Arm The Poor We Never Sleep. Each band contributes five songs, with Arm The Poor including their entire From America EP and Stuck Lucky including three new songs and two re-recorded versions of past tracks. You can preview some of Stuck Lucky’s tracks via MySpace.
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Word has come in that a number of musicians from influential early post-hardcore/emo acts have formed a new band dubbed House & Parish.

The band features Jason Gnewikow (Promise Ring), Brian Malone (The Gloria Record), John Herguth (The Love Scene), and Scott Winegard (Texas is the Reason). The band has booked their first ever live performance for tomorrow at Luna Lounge in Brooklyn. Opening up the event will be a solo set from Garrett Klahn, the vocalist of Texas is the Reason and Solea.

You can find four songs on their myspace page.
Source Continue reading Members of Texas is the Reason, Promise Ring, The Gloria Record form House & Parish →

Men Women & Children, which features former Glassjaw guitarist Todd Weinstock, have parted ways with Warner Bros. The band explained:

Our forthcoming album will NOT be affiliated with WBR nor will it suffer from the poor distribution our debut endured. We are very lucky for this freedom to explore the “right” options for us since most contractually obligated bands can end up crippled by a lack of both passion and resources. We have been hoping for this for quite some time now and for it to finally be the reality of our situation is both liberating and motivating. As soon as we find a new home for MWC, surrounded by forward thinking and passionate people, you will all be of the first to know.

The band released Men, Women & Children last year. Their song, “Dance In My Blood” also appeared on Aaron Sorkin’s Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.
Source Continue reading Men Women & Children leave Warner; animals take on record label labor →

While hard rock act Drowning Pool isn’t a band we often cover here, the group has taken some of their profile and used to address their concerns about the soldiers involved in ongoing conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. The band recently performed a USO tour for American troops currently abroad and noted concerns about health care for veterans:

Once home in the United States, we connected with Iraq/Afghanistan war veterans who have returned home. Though back on safe shores, these individuals are facing a steep uphill battle to reclaim their health after facing the trauma of war.

We are seeking an opportunity to testify before Congress on behalf of these troops and veterans who need mental, emotional and medical support services,” said Benton. That goal will be accomplished with the return of Congress from over the weekend as the calendars and agendas in Washington are being marked to welcome Drowning Pool during the course of the next 6 months.

To that end, the band wrote a letter addressing the issues of healthcare and concerns for the troops on their return home, which was placed in the President’s personal reading file. The band is now set to participate in a Congressional hearing where Drowning Pool will testify to both parties of the U.S. Congress, addressing the facts of treatment of the American soldiers upon their return home from the Middle East.

The White House is not the only government outlet that has given attention to the letter written by the band. Several of the 2008 Presidential candidates have accepted the letter and issue with open arms from Drowning Pool.
Source Continue reading Drowning Pool talking to Congress, president →

1917 Records has posted an e-card featuring new music from Syracuse, NY’s Attitude. The three new songs will be featured on a 7″ entitled Turn Into Stone, due out August 7, in time for the band’s tour with Crime in Stereo.

You can check out Turn Into Stone in its entirety here.

The band released We All Go Down Together in 2006.
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Dirtnap Records has released a new song from the Riff Randells upcoming album Doublecross. You can check out the song “Traitor Of The Heart” now. The 11 song CD, which has been in the can for a while as the band sought out a label, hits on August 21st with vinyl to follow on Germany’s Alien Snatch Records.
Source Continue reading Riff Randells “Traitor of the Heart” →