Sunday, July 31, 2011

Andrew Jackson Jihad releasing 'Knife Man' on Asian Man, embarking on full U.S. and Canada tours


Andrew Jackson Jihad announced the release of its fourth studio album, Knife Man, on September 20 via Asian Man Records. The band just debuted a new track, “Hate, Rain On Me” exclusively at Altpress.com.

At its core, Andrew Jackson Jihad is a band made up of a social worker and a gravedigger. Starting in 2004 and hailing from Phoenix, Arizona, these two men have been making music that attempts to understand and explain human nature. The music focuses on the horrid and beautiful ways that people treat each other, as well as the possibility that one day we will be able to reconcile this.

Typically playing live as a two-person band (Sean Bonnette: guitar, vocals/Ben Gallaty: upright bass, vocals), Andrew Jackson Jihad’s show is a cathartic experience that invites the audience to sing along. With the energy of a punk band, they blaze through song after song, stopping occasionally to interact with the audience. Their lyrics are tragic yet humorous, crass yet intelligent, heartbreaking yet uplifting. One listener has described the music as “sad in the key of happy.”

Their new album, Knife Man, is a record about love, poverty, violence, luck, discrimination, homelessness and Phoenix, Arizona. Recorded by their longtime engineer jalipaz at audioconfusion, Andrew Jackson Jihad formed an Arizona all-star band, borrowing members from ROAR, Doth, French Quarter, Swell… Adios, and Malakai. The Knife Man sessions have yielded Andrew Jackson Jihad’s most cohesive and driving album yet.
Andrew Jackson Jihad has played shows with The Gaslight Anthem, Xiu Xiu, Titus Andronicus, Against Me! and Deer Tick among many others. They are about to embark on a six-week full U.S./full Canada tour as the main support act for Frank Turner.

Knife Man Track Listing:
1. The Michael Jordan of Drunk Driving
2. Gift of the Magi 2: Return of the Magi
3. American Tune
4. Back Pack
5. Distance
6. Fucc the Devil
7. Hate, Rain on me
8. If you have Love in your Heart
9. No One
10. Sad Songs (intermission)
11. Zombie by the Cranberries by Andrew Jackson Jihad
12. People II 2: Still Peoplin’
13. Sorry Bro
14. Skate Park
15. Free Bird
16. Big Bird

Tour Dates:
Sept 20 - Danbury, CT - Heirloom Arts Theater
Sept 21 - New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
Sept 22 - Millvale, PA - Mr Smalls
Sept 23 - Baltimore, MD - Ottobar
Sept 24 - Richmond, VA - Canal Club
Sept 25 - West Colombia, SC - New Brookland Tavern
Sept 27 - Orlando, FL - The Social
Sept 28 - Gainesville, FL - Double Down
Sept 29 - Ft. Laouderdale, FL - Culture Room
Sept 30 - Tampa, FL - Crowbar
Oct 1 - Atlanta, GA - Masquerade
Oct 3 - Austin, TX - Emo’s
Oct 4 - Dallas, TX - The Loft
Oct 5 - Oklahoma City, OK - Conservatory
Oct 6 - Kansas City, MO - The Record Bar
Oct 7 - Denver, CO - Marquis Theater
Oct 8 - Albuquerque, NM - Launchpad
Oct 10 - Phoenix, AZ - Rhythm Room
Oct 11 - Pomona, CA - Glass House
Oct 12 - San Diego, CA - Soma
Oct 13 - Los Angeles, CA - El Rey Theater
Oct 14 - San Francisco, CA - Slim’s
Oct 15 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theater
Oct 16 - Seattle, WA - Neumos
Oct 17 - Vancouver, BC - Biltmore Caberet
Oct 19 - Edmonton, AB - Starlite Room
Oct 20 - Calgary, AB - Republik
Oct 21 - Regina, SK - The Exchange
Oct 22 - Winnipeg, MB - West End Cultural Center
Oct 23 - Minneapolis, MN - Triple Rock
Oct 25 - Milwaukee, WI - Turner Hall
Oct 26 - Chicago, IL - Bottom Lounge
Oct 27 - Detroit, MI - Magic Stick
Oct 28 - Toronto, ON - The Phoenix
Oct 29 - Montreal, QC - Corona
Oct 30 - Ottawa, ON - Maverick’s
Oct 31 - Quebec City, QC - Cercle
Nov 2 - Cambridge, MA - Middle East
Nov 3 - New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
Nov 4 - Philadelphia, PA - Theater of Living Arts

For More Information:

STREAM HOUSE BOAT'S NEW ALBUM, 'THE THORNS OF LIFE'


So, these guys just came out with a new record on Traffic Street Records. Keep 'em coming, bands in 2011. Holy shit.

Listen to it here.

Buy the CD/LP/shirts, etc here.

Nick 13 of Tiger Army begins U.S. tour August 11


Southern California country/Americana musician Nick 13 has announced additional dates to his much anticipated U.S. tour. Heartfelt singer-songwriter Audra Mae will tour in support in August and former frontman for The Juliana Theory and thriving Americana artist Brett Detar will support in September and October. Tour dates and ticket info can be found here.

Hitting the road in support of his critically acclaimed, self-titled debut, Nick 13 will entertain packed venues across the country beginning in August with his blissful amalgam of honky-tonk, roots, country western and American music.

Known by many as the frontman for the internationally celebrated dark rock trio Tiger Army, Nick 13 is blazing new trails as a country music artist to the delight of fans and critics alike. In a recent interview with CMT.com, Nick 13 talks about his passion for vintage country and his transition from rock star to country artist.

“It doesn't make sense on the surface to some folks how I could come from that sort of background musically and be as into country as I am, but that's the real connection. It's raw emotion, and it's honest. That's the thing they really share.”

Critics are abuzz with Nick 13’s new solo album, which recently entered Billboard charts at #132, #2 Heatseekers and #22 Country Albums, calling it “a set of stylishly evocative originals” (Philadelphia Inquirer) and “a gorgeous tribute to the best country formulas out of Nashville's golden music era in the 1960s” (Roughstock.com).

Nick 13 Tour Dates:
Aug 11 - Velvet Jones - Santa Barbara, CA
Aug 12 - SLO Brewing - San Luis Obispo, CA
Aug 13 - The Alley - Reno, NV
Aug 15 - Aladdin Theatre - Portland, OR
Aug 16 - Tractor Tavern - Seattle, WA
Aug 18 - Amoeba – San Francisco, CA
Aug 19 - Great American Music Hall - San Francisco, CA
Aug 20 - Rio Theatre - Santa Cruz, CA
Sept 12 - The Rhythm Room – Phoenix, AZ
Sept 13 - Launchpad – Albuquerque, NM
Sept 15 - Club Dada – Dallas, TX
Sept 16 - Continental Club – Houston, TX
Sept 17 - Sam’s Burger Joint – San Antonio, TX
Sept 18 - Austin City Limits Music Festival - Austin, TX
Sept 21 - Local 506 – Chapel Hill, NC
Sept 22 - Ottobar – Baltimore, MD
Sept 24 - The Bell House – Brooklyn, NY
Sept 26 - Firehouse 13 – Providence, RI
Sept 27 - Mohawks Place – Buffalo, NY
Sept 28 - Grog Shop – Cleveland Heights, OH
Sept 29 - Southgate House – Newport, KY
Sept 30 – TBA – Chicago, IL
Oct 1 - Shank Hall – Milwaukee, WI
Oct 2 - 7th Street Entry – Minneapolis, MN
Oct 4 - Knuckleheads Saloon - Kansas City, MO
Oct 5 - Waiting Room – Omaha, NE
Oct 7 - Black Sheep – Colorado Springs, CO
Oct 8 - State Theatre – Salt Lake City, UT

For More Information:

Friday, July 29, 2011

Fest 10 announces more confirmed bands, gives away free compilation



THE FEST 10 recently announced more confirmations on their website for its big 10-year anniversary of their annual multiple-day, multiple-venue party down in Gainesville, Florida.

Added to the massive roster of bands will be onikers, Kyle Kinane, The Emotron, The Forthrights, Scum of the Earth, Worlds, Rivernecks, Alligator, Mouthbreather, John-Micheal Bond, Billy Wallace, Greys (Canada), Pujol, Kite Party, Teenage Softies, Wet Witch, The Fucking Wrath, Arms Aloft, Despite Everything (Greece), the Ex-Boogeymen, Over Stars and Gutters, Unfun (Canada), Liquid Limbs, Nato Cole and the Blue Diamond Band, Sister Kisser, Dig It Up (Canada), Luke Fields, Chicken Little, Charles the Ospery, Nightmares For A Week, Hold Tight, Vena Cava, Timeshares, Rose Cross, Post Teens, Nightlights, Douglas Shields and the X-Factors, Saint Alvia, Die Hoffnung, Chotto Ghetto, Sister Kisser, Evan Rocha, Luther, Party Drag, International Dipshit, Young///Savage, Kevin Seconds, Mauser, Wavelets and Creepiod.

You can read below for a complete list of bands performing including Hot Water Music, Against Me, Less Than Jake, Bouncing Souls, Lifetime, Dillinger Four, Samiam, Youth Brigade and more.

The festival will take place Oct 28,29 and 30 of 2011. Weekend passes are currently SOLD OUT but organizers are trying to find more venues willing to participate so they can open more weekend passes up for sale
FEST 10 also launched a Bandcamp page where anyone can grab a free downloadable comp featuring some of the artists performing. This will be the first of a six-comp series being released over the weeks leading up to the festival. You can go here to download (or just click on the album art):



Even though the FEST is SOLD OUT, organizers have been working with bands and local venues to help organize two PRE-FEST shows to happen on Thursday Oct 27th.
Bands performing include Cobra Skulls, Nothington, Banner Pilot, Worn in Red, Bridge & Tunnel, Moutherbreather, Spanish Gamble, O Pioneers!!!, Shores, Caves, Pure Graft, Landmines and Fellowship Project. There are also two TBA special guests to be added at a later date.
Head to the FEST 10 website for venue and ticket information.

Bands confirmed so far:

Hot Water Music, Against Me!, Less Than Jake, Upright Citizens Brigade Comedy Touring Company, Samiam, Ted Leo + The Pharmacists, Defiance Ohio, Franz Nicolay, Lifetime, Bouncing Souls, Youth Brigade, Dillinger Four, Smoke or Fire, None More Black, Paint it Black, Small Brown Bike, Dead to Me, Teenage Bottlerocket, Toys That Kill, Lemuria, Tim Barry, A Wilhelm Scream, Polar Bear Club, Circle Takes The Square, Off With Their Heads, The Holy Mountain, Cobra Skulls, Magrudergrind, Bomb The Music Industry, No Trigger, P.S. Elliot, Trap Them, Dear Landlord, Underground Railroad to Candyland, The Menzingers, The Copyrights, Broadway Calls, La Dispute, Fake Problems, The Soviettes, Cheap Girls, Ninja Gun, Nothington, Good Luck, Shook Ones, Paul Baribeau , The Arrivals, Banner Pilot, RVIVR, Static Radio, Rehasher, Armalite, Screaming Females, Coliseum, The Swellers, Chris Wollard and the Ship Thieves, We Are The Union, Grabass Charlestons, Iron Chic, Mikey Erg, Ampere, Worn in Red, The Measure (sa) [FINAL SHOW], Burning Love (Canada), Tiltwheel, Bridge and Tunnel, Dan Padilla, Blacklist Royals, The Snips (Canada), The Brokedowns, The Bomb, The Catalyst, Algernon Cadwallader, Red City Radio, New Bruises, Shores, Future Virgnis, The Riot Before, Make Do and Mend, We Were Skeletons, Pianos Become Teeth, The Flatliners (Canada), Young Turks, Campaign, OK Pilot (UK), Look Mexico, Dirty Tactics, The Dopamines, The Arteries (UK), Bent Left, SSSSNAKES(UK), How Dare You, Comadre, Grown Ups, Such Gold, Tigers Jaw, Touché Amoré, The Great Explainer, PJ Bond, Carpenter (Canada), Annabel, One Win Choice, Amateur Party, Cynics (UK), Sexy Crimes, Greenland is Melting, Spanish Gamble, Captain We’re Sinking, Senders, O Pioneers!!!, Pure Graft (UK), Caves (UK), Mixtapes, Vultures United, Living With Lions (Canada), Mose Giganticus Mockingbird Wish Me Luck, Whiskey & Co., Protagonist, Dukes of Hillsborough, Max Levine Ensemble, Big Eyes, No Friends, Failure’s Union, 1994!, Landmines, Heartsounds, After the Fall, Cletus, Coffee Project, Savage Brewtality, King Friday, Fellow Project, Gateway District, Worthwhile Way (Japan), Calvinball (UK), Leagues Apart (UK), Glocca Morra (Canada), The Slow Death, The Anchor, Punch, Goddamn Doo Wop Band, Banquets, Old Man Markley, Red Collar, Weak Teeth, Deep Sleep, No More, Reverse the Curse, Assassinate the Scientist, Army of Ponch, Naïve, Capsule, Jeff Rowe, Koji, Go Rydell, Pine Hill Haints, A Great Big Pile of Leaves, Former Thieves, Elway, The Wild, Pygmy Lush, Too Many Daves, Joey Briggs. City of Ships, INxSANE (Slovenia), Spraynard and Vacation Bible School.

THE FEST 10 will host 250+ bands over three days at 11 venues all within walking distance in downtown Gainesville, Fl.
Last year, The FEST 9 had over 5,000 folks in attendance with visitors from 46 states and 14 countries such as Canada, UK, Australia, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Puerto Rico, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

In past years, The FEST has hosted numerous bands such as:

7 Seconds, Able Baker Fox, Against All Authority, Against Me!, Alexisonfire, American Steel, Ampere, Ann Beretta, Armalite, The Arrivals, As Friends Rust, ASG, Assholeparade, Atom and His Package, A Wilhelm Scream, Banner Pilot, Baroness, Bear vs. Shark, Ben Davis, The Blood Brothers, The Bomb, Bomb the Music Industry, Bouncing Souls, The Briefs, Bridge & Tunnel, Broadway Calls, Burning Love, Cheap Girls, Chuck Ragan, Cinemechanica, Circle Takes the Square, Cloak/Dagger, Coalesce, Coliseum, Communique, Das Oath, Dave Dondero, Dead to Me, Dear Landlord, Defiance, Ohio, Dillinger Four, The Draft, Drag The River, Engine Down, The Epoxies, The Ergs, The Eyeliners, Fake Problems, The Falcon, Fifth Hour Hero, The Figs, Finfangfoom, Fleshies, Floor, Frank Turner, The Gaslight Anthem, Ghost Mice, Good Luck, Gospel, Government Warning, Grabass Charlestons, Gunmoll, Hard Skin, Har Mar Superstar, The Holy Mountain, Hot Cross, Hot Water Music, J Church, Joey Cape, Kylesa, Latterman, The Lawrence Arms, Leatherface, Lemuria, Less Than Jake, Look Mexico, The Loved Ones, Lucero, Marked Men, Mastodon, Mates of State, Matt & Kim, Mercury Program, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, The Methadones, Minus the Bear, Municipal Waste, Naked Raygun, None More Black, Off With Their Heads, One-line Drawing, Paint It Black, The Pietasters, Pink Razors, Planes Mistaken For Stars, P.O.S., Polar Bear Club, Pretty Girls Make Graves, Radon, Rehasher, Riverboat Gamblers, Russian Circles, The Sainte Catherines, Savage Brewtality, Seaweed, Sinaloa, Small Brown Bike, Smoke or Fire, SNUFF, The Soviettes, Strike Anywhere, Suicide Machines, The Swellers, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, This Bike is a Pipe Bomb, Thunderbirds Are Now, Tiltwheel, Tim Barry, Tiny Hawks, Torche, Toys That Kill, Transistor Transistor, Twelve Hour Turn, Valient Thorr, VCR, The Velvet Teen, Whiskey & Co., Wow, Owls!, Young Livers and Youth Brigade.

The FEST is put together by the folks who run No Idea Records and Southern Lovin’ PR.

'Domesplitter' by Direct Hit!


By Kevin Toomey
Kind Of Like Records
8/2/2011
Rating: 4/5

I thought I was going to hate this record. The first song is awful. It opens with some guy bellowing, “FUCK YOU! GET PUMPED!” and it’s just really really cringe-inducing. I could only assume that this was just another Dillinger Four rip-off band, but I was really relieved to be proven wrong. Direct Hit is no D4 wanna-be band; they’re ripping off Blink-182. The riff on “Monster in the Closet” or almost any of the other tracks could be mistaken for a Blink song. I’d even bet that at some point in time, the guitar player in this band owned one of those surf green Tom DeLonge Stratocasters (you know, the one you wanted when you were 14). This is angsty, snotty pop punk music the way it should be. Lyrically, most of the songs are about general boredom and alien invasions and don’t offer anything too insightful, but sometimes that’s a good thing. I still can’t get over the fact that this isn’t some hidden gem from 2002 or 2003 that went unreleased until now. Highly recommended for fans of any/all of the following: Dear Landlord, Home Alone 2: Lost In New York and being 17.
[Domesplitter is comprised from re-worked and re-recorded songs selected from the Direct Hit EPs and available in digital format or available on LP (edition of 500).]

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Sneak peek video of comeback episode, Beavis and Butthead returning to MTV in October



The most influential show of my childhood and adolescent years is coming back (huh huh, I said coming). It's been 14 years since MTV aired a new episode of Beavis and Butthead and this time around, they set their cross hairs on Jersey Shore. Below is a preview of the first episode of their return titled Holy Cornholio, in which Beavis ingests a bunch of pain pills prescribed to him for injuries he sustained in both his hands. As he and Butthead are leaving the hospital, two members of a religious cult spot him "speaking in tongues." They remembered that their master always spoke in tongues and riddles.
"Why do I not use TP for my pee-pee?"
Beavis holds his hands up, and by now, the growing crowd of religious followers see the injuries on his hands, acknowledge it as stigmata, and being to worship Beavis.
They raid wholesale stores of its toilet paper. They steal it from port-o-potties. They steal it from other shoppers' carts. They pile it on a stage with Beavis in the middle commanding everyone to bring him "more TP." The "camera" zooms out and reveals a crowd of hundreds of Cornholio followers, shirts pulled over their heads, and chanting, "I need TP for my bunghole" in unison.
Check it out, and more, for yourself...



A specific date for the release has not yet been set, but once it has, I will let you know. Find the nearest Kwik Mart because when it airs, we're going to buy nachos, large sodas and the big burrito. Huh huh huh. This is gonna be cool.

Friday, July 22, 2011

'Independent: Chicago Band Photography' opens July 29th


Photo submitted by Katie Holland

Independent: Chicago Band Photography is a gallery show in the Milwaukee Avenue Arts Festival, taking place in Logan Square July 29th-31st along Milwaukee Ave., between California and Diversey Avenues.

With countless venues, Chicago is a hotbed for local musical acts. Many popular bands got their start in small venues here, playing to eager friends and fans. This gallery will exhibit film and digital photography of local bands and solo acts, from newer to already established; focusing on the punk and indie genres. This includes live photos, band promos, the crowd, candid shots, etc. The aim of this exhibit is to convey the feeling of community and excitement from a live show and bring this into a gallery space.

There will be a trolley running up and down Milwaukee Ave. so you can easily check out all the amazing galleries and bands that will be playing.

Friday, July 29th will be the opening reception for the show from 4 p.m.-11 p.m. at Crown Liquors at Diversey and Milwaukee (bar will be open till 2 a.m.). Come have a drink and browse the photographs of Chicago punk and indie bands.

July 29th-31st at Crown Liquors
2821 North Milwaukee Ave,
Chicago, IL

Friday: 4-11 p.m.
Saturday & Sunday: Noon-11 p.m.

Artists:
Carlos Canario
Patrick Fraser
Patrick Houdek
Katie Hovland
Diane de Ribaupierre

Curator: Katie Holland

General festival info: http://milwaukeeavenueartsfestival.org

Thursday, July 21, 2011

No Idea Records to release 3xLP HOT WATER MUSIC: 'LIVE IN CHICAGO' 9/27/11


From No Idea Records:

"Rewind to 2008. HOT WATER MUSIC shocks many by resurfacing for a string of reunion shows. Everyone was in a frenzy, shows sold out in record time, airline tickets were purchased and fans were ecstatic. No Idea Records got the crazy idea to record the shows to document the grand reunion. Turns out the results were amazing, so the label created a 7” series. Six volumes in total were made over 2010 and 2011. Each volume was limited to 1,000 copies and sold out immediately leaving many folks empty handed.
Enter the present. No Idea takes the best version of every song they played at The Metro in Chicago on February 1st & 2nd, 2008 and compiles them into one collection. The final product boasts a 30-song, 90-minute live journey through the band’s history in your choice of three formats.
Release Date: 9/27/11 via No Idea Records.
Formats:
-3xLP, die-cut, wide-spine jacket with printed inner sleeves.
-2xCD
-Digital (First time available for any of the songs.)
Vinyl color variations will be announced on release date.
There will be no pre-order for this collection!

TRACK LISTING
1. A Flight and a Crash
2. Remedy
3. Wayfarer
4. Trusty Chords
5. Jack of All Trades*
6. Rooftops
7. End of a Gun
8. Better Sense
9. Kill The Night*
10. Instrumental
11. Free Radio Gainesville
12. Giver
13. All Heads Down*
14. Moonpies for Misfits
15. God Deciding*
16. I Was on a Mountain
17. No Division*
18. Just Don't Say You Lost It
19. Old Rules*
20. Swinger
21. Our Own Way
22. Choked and Separated
23. Manual
24. Paper Thin
25. Turnstile*
26. 220 Years
27. The Sense*
28. Alachua
29. Position*
30. Hard To Know
* previously unreleased

'Gotta Get That Feeling/Racing In the Street ('78)' Live 10'' by Bruce Springsteen & the E. Street Band


By Justin Schwier
Columbia Records
April 16, 2011
Rating: 3/5

The second annual Bruce Springsteen Record Store Day 10'', being a huge fan of the Boss, this was another must-find for me this year. It’s basically a single for the song, “Gotta Get That Feeling” from last year's “The Promise: The Making of Darkness on the Edge of Town” box set/album of outtakes. The A side is a studio recording of this great song, quite indicative of the Darkness-era of the band. It's earnest and triumphant, but with a full horn section, that definitely adds the '70s-era E. Street Band flavor to the song. When you consider the context of the album it was recorded for, it’s understandable that it didn’t make the cut, but it’s a solid outtake (like virtually all of his B sides - see his “Tracks” box set) and I’m excited that it’s been polished up and re-released to the world.

Side B was the reason that I needed to have this: a 1978 live version of “Racing In the Street;” my favorite Bruce Springsteen song. First off, this is a crystal clear-sounding recording and not only is this song quite catchier and more upbeat than the original that appears on “Darkness,” but it has a violin player on it, which oddly enough makes it sound like a more recent version of the song as the E. Street Band usually has a violinist on tour with them these days. I still prefer the original album version, but I love to hear these alternate takes, another thing the “Tracks” set is good for.

Additionally, I must address the fact that the art department at Columbia misprinted the word “Street” on the back cover of the record that’s in huge print letters in the “Racing In the Street (‘78)” song title, which is a pretty impressive screw-up if you ask me. That aside, this is a cool EP. The notes on the back cover also state that the tracks come from the forthcoming single disc version of the “The Promise” DVD with some minor added live footage and other expanded nerd-dom. If you picked up the box set version, you won’t need to get it. Kind of like this 10''; you don’t need it, but if you have one, you enjoy it.

Friday, July 15, 2011

'Napalm Dream' by Tenement


By Kevin Toomey
Mandible Records
June 30, 2011
Rating: 4/5

Long awaited, possibly overhyped, and hard to get, but finally here. This record has been called record of the year by a few people, and even garnered comparisons to The Ergs! Taking the opinions of the Pop Punk Message Board with a grain of salt, I had to see for myself. After about five listens, I can say that this album is good. Real good. I don’t know that it sounds much like The Ergs! but I can see some similarities in song structure. “City Bus #30” is a good example of this. It starts out kind of wail-y and then really picks up around the 45-second mark. The songs are so earnest, and catchy (another similarity with The Ergs!) that it’s hard not to immediately want to listen to the album again. The only track that drags is “Death in the Family,” and I found my self skipping over this every time it came up just to get to “Schadenfreude.” I don’t really know what else to say about Napalm Dream; it’s just good midwestern pop-punk. Head over to tenement.bandcamp.com to let the album speak for itself.

11/13/2011 UPDATE: Check out a review of Tenement's new 7'', Taking Everything here.