Dale Crover of the Melvins on his new solo LP, the Bowie mix, and Hell

Rat-a-tat-tat, the new album by Dale Crover of Melvins is DARK. It has songs about dying when you're not ready to die. It has songs about busting up people trying to draw you into high school style drama bullshit. It has totally WHACKED out experimental tracks that sound like something out of Bowie's Low which were then assigned to a demented computer program. The black grime circulates throughout this bad boy. But, the weird thing is, Dale is a pretty happy-go-lucky kind of guy!

Dale has been drumming for the Melvins for almost 40 years now, and he is the boom-bapper of all boom-bappers. He brings the raw power of Bonham and the artsy-fartsy touch of Dennis Davis. So, on Rat-a-tat-tat, he merges his thunder-God smash with a decidedly creepy atmosphere.

To get to the bottom of this weird trip, Punknews' John Gentile spoke to Dale about the new album (out January 15 via Joyful Noise), how mix a cool record, and where the blackness comes from. You can check it out below.

Read a Chapter from Aaron Carnes 'In Defense of Ska' about Propagandhi's “Ska Sucks”

In April 2021, Clash books will release Aaron Carnes' In Defense of Ska. The book is an astounding piece of music history. The book explores the history of ska, ruminates on modern ska, and takes, deep, deep, deep dives into obscure ska factoids. Via hundreds and hundreds of interviews with musicians, Carnes weaves the stories involving the big name hitters (Less than Jake, Reel Big Fish, Fishbone) with the medium size ska-champs (Skankin' Pickle, MU330, Bomb the music Inudustry!), with the forgotten bands that only Carnes knows. Carnes himself played in the post two-tone/pre-3rd wave band Flat Planet, Roadied for Skankin' Pickle, and also worked at Asian Man Records.

Today, we're excited to debut a chapter from the book. The chapter looks at how the local ska scene received Propagandhi's controversal tune "Ska Sucks" and how Propagandhi responded to criticism of the tune. Punknews' John Gentile also interviewed Carnes about the book.

You can pre-order In Defense of Ska right here!. Meanwhile, you can read the excerpt below, right now!

The Punk Rock Past of Roman Mars, Host of 99% Invisible

Roman Mars has kept Radiotopia -- his wildly popular podcast company -- independent in a time when podcasting has become a multi-million dollar business. What does he owe the decision to? Values learned in the DC punk rock scene. Punknews contributor Graham Isador recently spoke with Mars on his punk roots, the 99% Invisible podcast, and his new book.

Greg Attonito of the Bouncing Souls talks the band's new album

Bouncing Souls just released their new album, Volume 2 . The album finds the band reworking older tracks into a new context and a new tune. To that end, Punknews Gen handley spoke to the band's Greg Attonito about the release. You can check that out below.

The Big Talk with Jello Biafra (Part Five)

Jello Biafra and the Guantanamo School of Medicine just released Tea Party Revenge Porn, a jacked-up album that might be their best LP yet. To that end, Punknews' John Gentile spoke with Jello Biafra about a whole bunch of things, including the LP, the upcoming election, and voter defense. It's a wide ranging conversation that we are breaking up into multiple parts. Today's section includes Jello waxing on The Dead Kennedys, reissues, and what's next for gSM.

You can check out part one right here,, part two here, part three here, and part four here! You can read the fifth and final part below, right now.

The Big Talk with Jello Biafra (Part Four)

Jello Biafra and the Guantanamo School of Medicine just released Tea Party Revenge Porn, a jacked-up album that might be their best LP yet. To that end, Punknews' John Gentile spoke with Jello Biafra about a whole bunch of things, including the LP, the upcoming election, and voter defense. It's a wide ranging conversation that we are breaking up into multiple parts.

You can check out part one right here,, part two here, and part three here! You can read Part Four below, right now.

The Big Talk with Jello Biafra (Part Three)

Jello Biafra and the Guantanamo School of Medicine just released Tea Party Revenge Porn, a jacked-up album that might be their best LP yet. To that end, Punknews' John Gentile spoke with Jello Biafra about a whole bunch of things, including the LP, the upcoming election, and voter defense. It's a wide ranging conversation that we are breaking up into multiple parts.

You can check out part one right here, and part two here! You can read Part three below, right now.

The Big Talk with Jello Biafra (Part Two)

Jello Biafra and the Guantanamo School of Medicine just released Tea Party Revenge Porn, a jacked-up album that might be their best LP yet. To that end, Punknews' John Gentile spoke with Jello Biafra about a whole bunch of things, including the LP, the upcoming election, and voter defense. It's a wide ranging conversation that we are breaking up into multiple parts.

You can check out part one right here. You can read Part two below, right now.

The Big Talk with Jello Biafra (Part One)

Jello Biafra is still really pissed off, is still really into mega-watt punk rock, is still laser focused on attacking injustice, is still really, really, really funny, still looooves to talk, and still has tricks up his sleeve. On Friday, Jello Biafra and the Guantanamo School of Medicine suddenly released Tea Party Revenge Porn. The record RIPS. Yeah, it's fast, it's heavy, it rocks, but more importantly, Jello is on FIRE (and the band kicks ass, too). Jello's career has many highpoints, and here's another one.

Of course, the new album blasts Trump- a lot. But, it also goes deeper and looks at the machinations behind the machinations. And perhaps somewhat surprisingly, a few times, Biafra opens up about himself, instead of what's going on during this insane year.

In order to dig into the album, Punknews' John Gentile called up Biafra to chat about the record just before midnight. In true Jello style, he was wrapping up a label meeting, preparing things for a charity auction, and answering e-mails like it was three in the afternoon. The pair talked for hours and covered the new record in detail, the upcoming election, that recent pesky Dead Kennedys remix, selfies, and a LOT more.

Because the chat was so wide ranging, we will be presenting this discussion in multiple parts over the next few days. Today's segment begins just as AT is wrapping up their meeting- label manager, Dom Davi is lamenting that Jello once chastised Davi for standing still during a concert with his arms crossed. Davi says, "Jello said to me, 'Do you even like music?'" Strangely, the comment seems to slightly wound Biafra, who is as fiery on stage as he is sensitive to his own feelings and the feelings of others. Biafra responds, "I don't even remember saying that…". Davi, appears to be shocked as he now learns that a comment that has affected him for the past few years was really just a forgotten aside. And, that's where our interview begins…

Ivor Hanson of D.C. Hardcore Legends The Faith

Name the most iconic DC Hardcore bands and The Faith are sure to be near the top of that list. While the band only lasted a few years, they left an indelible mark on the scene, and on punk as a whole, with their iconic Subject to Change EP and the titanic Faith/Void Split LP. (You can tell a lot about person by looking which side of that record is more worn). Aside from those two releases and a demo released about ten yeas ago, there isn't a whole lot more Faith material out there…

Until now! The band recently found a live recording of them playing their third ever show… at CBGBS!… opening for the Bad Brains! And let me tell you, the record does not disappoint. It's fast, it's furious, it's emotional, it's what early hardcore is all about. And it's also out via Outer Battery records right now as Faith - Live at CBGB's.

To learn a little bit about this recently discovered treat, Punknews' John Gentile spoke to drummer Ivor Hanson about the release, his early days in SOA, and what it's like to look back and hear your younger self! Check it out below.

An Extended Conversation with Chuck of the Mad Caddies

The Mad Caddies have been taking their show on the road from the Santa Ynez Valley to venues around the world for the last quarter century. Were it not for the COVID-19 pandemic, they’d be in the middle of their 25th anniversary tour of the U.S., Europe, and Oceania. Instead, lead singer Chuck Robertson sat on his lawn with a cup of tea and chatted on the phone with Punknews staffer Tyler B. for nearly an hour on topics ranging from Katy Perry and the Mad Caddies to the racist history of cannabis stigmatization.