Linda Ramone on the Johnny tribute, Ramones t-shirts, and a certain love triangle…

On July 24 at the Hollywood Forever cemetary, Linda Ramone (wife of Johnny… duh) will throw her annual Johnny Ramone tribute. To make things extra special, it's also the Ramones' 40th anniversary, so Linda has got a lot of cool stuff planned. There will be a screening of Rock 'n' Roll High School. Roger Corman will be there, as will Henry Rollins, Steve Jones, and a bunch of other people. Plus Kirk Hammett is bringing his horror movie poster collection!

To kick off our own celebration of the Ramones' 40th, Punknews' John Gentile spoke to Linda about the Johnny celebration, the responsibility of being the protector of the Ramones' legacy, and of course, that very, very famous love triangle…

You can read more about the tribute here and check out the interview below!

Connor Ratliff on why he really, really, really hates the Summer

Comedian Connor Ratliff really, truly, unironically, honest-to-Godly, hates the summer. Ratliff has honed his creative chops at the Upright Citizens Brigade theater and later, as a regular on the Chris Gethard show. But, despite the fact that he's a funny-man, for some reason, he has a blazing hatred towards the sweetest of all seasons.

In fact, his ire runs so hot that he actually recruited pop-punk titan Mikey Erg to record an entire EP about just why he hates Summer. The record has a loose jangle with slight touches of Moldy Peaches type whimsy and Fugs type bitterness, but through it all, despite that Ratliff gets paid for yuks, there really is a seething hatred towards the warmer months on this record. So, Punknews' John Gentile spoke to Ratliff about just why he hates the months that everyone else loves so much.

Photo by Mindy Tucker

Was it the acid? Nope. It was just an interview with Direct Hit!

Direct Hit! has come such a long way since the days that they were on Death To False Hope Records and Kind Of Like Records. They have released two full-lengths, a compilation, a bunch of 7-inches, and they have toured like hell over the past several years. This year the band found its new home at Fat Wreck Chords – something that seemed like such an obvious fit (at least from this fan’s view point) and now they have released their highly anticipated third full-length Wasted Mind . So Punknews editor Ricky Frankel talked with lead vocalist and guitarist Nick Woods about the new album, getting signed to Fat Wreck Chords, becoming a punk rock dad, his other band Galactic Cannibal and more. FUCK YOU! GET PUMPED!

Photo Credit: Denise Borders

Nerf Herder's Parry Gripp on how to embrace your inner nerd

Parry Gripp has had an interesting musical life, from nerd punker in Nerf Herder to YouTube viral video wizard to music writer for children's cartoons. Nerf Herder released Rockingham this spring, so staff writer and Punknews podcast producer Greg Simpson gave Gripp a call to chat about it and to discuss how to embrace your inner nerd-dom.

Making An Intruder: The Intruder Blue Story

The members of Masked Intruder are tough guys to get a hold of. They’re constantly on the run from the cops after (allegedly) committing robbery or they’re constantly on the road playing songs about their crime sprees, love, loneliness, and heart shaped guitars. But now that they have moved on from Fat Wreck Chords and have their new Love And Other Crimes EP coming out on July 8, 2016 via Pure Noise Records. Luckily Punknews editor Ricky Frankel managed to get a hold of lead vocalist Blue (aka Intruder Blue) and talk to him in an undisclosed location about the new release, the classic TV show The Wonder Years, committing theft, celebrity crushes and more before they get caught and thrown in the slammer… or at least before they go on this year’s Warped Tour.

Photo Credit: Joe Leonard

Adrian Cohen: “Cooler Than Cool” (Punknews Exclusive)

Today, Punknews is pleased to debut the new song by Adrian Cohen.

This premiere might be a little different than our usual fare. Cohen is a 16 year old savant that composes songs, using his dad as a lyricist. Cohen is a calendar counter, eats over 200 cantaloupes a year (he volunteered that info, we didn't like ask him, "how many cantaloupes do you eat in a given year"), and writes songs from a truly unique perspective. Whereas most bands we cover tend to write towards a genre's precepts, or intentionally move away from certain traits, Cohen, like a very small group, seems to write in almost a true vacuum. You could, perhaps, compare his process to that of Daniel Johnston, Brian Wilson, and Wesley Willis, but each of those artists have their own style.

You can pre-order his upcoming album, Sticks and Stones right here. Meanwhile, hear his new single, "Cooler than Cool," and check out an interview with Adrian and his dad, below.

Brendan Kelly and The Falcon fly west

2016 has been pretty big year for Brendan Kelly. So far it has been filled with a bunch of “firsts” and it’s about to become more hectic, too. The first Falcon record in ten years, Gather Up The Chaps was released on Red Scare in March. And now that the long awaited record has finally graced our record players (or iPhones or streaming apps or cassette players or floppy disk drives or whatever the fuck), the time has come for the band to head out and do some proper touring for the first time in a long time. They played their first Groezrock show, but The Falcon will be going on their very first west coast tour in July as well as playing Punk Rock Bowling Asbury Park in June (SEE TOUR DATES BELOW!). So Punknews editor Ricky Frankel caught up with Brendan to talk about the upcoming tour, the new album, David Hasslehoff, his Twitter endeavors, that famous interview he did on The Daily Show and much more.

Photo Credit: Greg Pallante

How a Cancer Diagnosis Reunited Sticks and Stones

Sticks and Stones are reuniting for a single show. The band is often spoken about in a sort of reverent tone- they never had a big following, but since their demise, their fan base has grown silently and has grown even more dedicated. The group is hard to define, but frankly, no one, before or since, made music quite like them.

One wishes it was under happier circumstances, but the show is a benefit for rising Jewelry maker Lavender Buttons. Buttons recently had a very serious operation removing a substantial mass of cancer and still is fighting the battle. You can read the story of how the upcoming June 3 benefit gig came together, below.

Thrice's Ed Breckenridge on the band's high-energy return

It’s a typical day for Ed Breckenridge when he’s not on the road with his band Thrice.

“Surfing really sets my brain straight in the morning,” the bass player says as he’s sipping a needed coffee. “It’s something I like to do because it makes me more productive…I think it helps with my playing.”

Breckenridge says he’s excited about the new record, To Be Everywhere is To Be Nowhere , coming out to the world on May 27th and their ninth release since announcing a hiatus 2012.

“I’m looking forward to be doing music with these guys again – it’s been a long time,” the 36-year-old says. “I can’t wait to get out there and play Thrice songs again.”

Before To Be Everywhere is To Be Nowhere is to be released, Breckenridge spoke with Gen Handley at Punknews.org about the new record, playing with his older brother and which Thrice album he thinks has stood the test of time best.

Plow United's Sean Rule on the new LP, Queen, and being an authority figure

Let's just say it: Sean Rule is an emotional guy. The drummer chokes up several times during his interview. But, the thing is, he's in the hyper fast, hyper bombastic Plow United. Rule might be quick to the water works, and maybe he's an introspective guy, but the band plays so fast and so loud, these deep musings blast your skull off like something from Wild in the Street.

Never has this been more apparent than on the trio's new album, Three . It's fast. It's loud. It rocks. And it has has some pretty heavy commentary on the human condition. With all that in mind, Editor John Gentile spoke to Rule about the new LP, his Queen obsession, and being a pops-punk-rocker.

The New Dimension of Mean Jeans

We’re not even half way though 2016 and Mean Jeans have already had quite the year. After a long stint on Dirtnap Records the band transitioned over to Fat Wreck Chords where they have already released the Nite Vison 7-inch and their new full-length Tight New Dimension , which was released on April 22, 2016. The band also went on the pretty extensive Hepatitis Bathtub Tour opening for NOFX and Direct Hit!. With so much going on with the band, news editor Ricky Frankel caught up with Billy Jeans, the band’s vocalist and guitarist, to talk about Mean Jeans’ eventful year thus far.

Photo Credit: John Leonard / Fat Wreck Chords