Under the Radar Bands to see at Fest 15

It's that time of year again. Fest 15 is right around the corner, and that means it's time for us to start helping you get ready to make the most of the best weekend of the year. We're kicking it off the way we usually do, by highlighting some of the lesser-known acts you can't afford to miss. If you've been living under a rock for the past few months, Fest 15 takes place Oct. 28-30, 2016 in Gainesville, Florida. You can find details on tickets, the full lineup, schedules and more here.

Here are 16 Cool New Bands to Check Out in '16

We said it last year, but we're saying it again this year: There are A LOT of cool, new bands just hitting the scene. And more than that, there are a lot of cool band that are diverse from one another. It seems that the punk scene is getting wild and wacky again, and we are very, very excited.

To that end, we've put together a list of 16 cool new bands (or so… math ain't punx) that you should check out this year. As always, this isn't a definitive "16 best punk bands of 2016," it's just a bunch of bands that the Punknews crew thinks are cool. By all means, post your picks in the comment section below!

Here are Ten Young Punk Bands to Check Out at Punk Rock Bowling!

Punk Rock Bowling (we're sponsors!) is right around the corner and there are A LOT of Punk Rock Champions playing… FLAG, Descendents, The Dwarves, Buzzcocks, Cock Sparrer, Subhumans, and more… whoa. BUT, there are also a TON of cool up and coming bands blastin' down the door, too. Check out our list of young bands to check out at this year's PRB below!

14 Fest Vets to see at Fest 14!

As we've already established, there are lots of cool lesser appreciated bands playing FEST this year. But, you know what? Sometimes, you just want to see pros doing what the pros do: kick ass, fast and furious, well oiled, perfected sets. Well, as usual, FEST 14 has its fair share of returning heroes playing the festival for their second, third, fourth, or even fifth time.

So, to that end, we've put together a list of 14 (or so) Fest veterans that you should check out this year. By all means, put your top picks in the comments below!

14 Under the Radar bands playing Fest 14

There are literally 400 bands playing Fest this year. Yes, you read that right. No one can keep up with that many jams. With that many bands, the big names, the heavy hitters, the shining stars tend to get most of the spotlight.

So, to make sure that you don't miss out on some of the great up-and-comers, the Punknews writers put together a list of 14 under the radar bands to check out at Fest 14. See the list below, and by all means, add your top picks in the comment section.

15 punk veterans still kicking out the jams in '15

It's been said that punk rock is a young man's game. HOOEY! In fact, now more than ever, there is a legion of old school, punk veterans that are just kicking out the hardiest, wildest, meanest punk rock. And really, most of these guys are making some of the best work of their career. In fact, some of these long-reinging champs are putting the kids to shame!

So, as a response to our 15 cool news bands for 2015 article, we've put together a list of 15 awesome long-running acts that are still touring and that have or will put out a kick-ass record in 2015. As always, this isn't a definitive list of "the 15 best old school punk rockers." These are just heroes that we still admire. By all means, post your favorite perennial punk pioneer below.

Cover image by the marvelous Dave Brockie. RIP

15 (or so) cool releases coming out in the second half of '15

The Summer is here: Sunshine! Cookouts! The Beach! Bikinis! But also with the warm summer months comes a slowdown of record releases, as compared to spring and fall. We know a lot of you out there are craving for the new jams. You want, you need that sweet, sweet new music!

Well, hold on! The second half of 2015 has some absolutely RIPPING releases on the calendar. So we put together a list of 15 (or so) cool releases that we are excited about for 2015's second half. This isn't a list of "the objectively best 15 records to be released in the fall" or anything like that. This is just a list of records that the Punknews crew is excited about. By all means, post new records that you are excited about in the comments section below.

Meanwhile, you can click read more for the picks.

Staff Record Store Day Recomendations

OOOH YEAAAHHH!!! Record Store Day is tomorrow, and frankly, here at the 'org hovercraft offices we are really excited. This year it seems like there are a lot of really cool releases coming out. We've put together a list of rekkids that we think look tasty. By all means, add your picks in the comment section below. And, as always, if RSD isn't your thing, that's cool. Head on down to the store and pick up any of the thousands of classics already sitting on the shelves just waiting for you to take them home and love them.

Tomorrow is going to be a party. You can see the staff picks for favorite records and favorite record stores below…

PS… ATTN: RECORD FLIPPER SCUM -- You are terrible and should reevaluate your life choices.

15 bands to check out in '15

There's the old cliche: "if you think music was better back in the day, then you're not looking hard enough." But, over the past year or so, for whatever reason, it's hard not to stumble over some incredibly awesome, unique bands. Maybe it's due to the interconnectivity everyone has these days, maybe it's due to the fact that the lines between "indie" and "pop" are more blurred than ever, or maybe we're just in a new golden age of music, but there are just tons of bands about to do some great things.

Because we're so excited about a lot of these cool new bands, we've put together a list of 15 new bands that you should check out in 2015. This isn't intended as a list of the "objectively best 15 bands this year." It's just a bunch of rising bands that the Punknews staff digs. By all means, post your favorite new bands in the comments section below.

You can click Read More for 15 bands we think you should check out in '15.

Dear You

Yeah, it might be sort of gimmicky to name your band in such a fashion, but it's not like I wasn't going to check out Dear You after receiving a notification that a band named after a favorite LP of mine were now following me on Twitter. My severe lack of activity on the hotbed social networking site is probably going to disappoint them, but their songs didn't disappoint me. The band's three-song EP, The Night a Forest Grew, bears a really promising, melodic post-hardcore/emo sound that seems to take a dollop of influence and then some from fellow Connecticut growlers Make Do and Mend. They also count on inspiration from acts like Dresden Dolls, the Promise Ring, the Get Up Kids, Latterman and Jimmy Eat World--try to guess which two-to-three of these I hear in there. You can download that brand new EP (and another one from May) over at their Bandcamp page for free.