John Wright (Nomeansno) talks about writing songs for the robotic band Compressorhead

You all know John Wright. He’s the legendary punk musician that drummed for Nomeansno, who were one of the bands that took punk from simple-three chord bashing to alternative avant-garde ruminations to complex, shifting arrangements. If anything, Nomeansno are champions of thinking man’s punk rock. He’s also the vocalist for the hockey-themed Hanson Brothers who revel in ye olde three-chord bashing.

Well, now Wright has hooked up with Compressorhead, the trio of Robots who kick out driving, grim and gritty punk rock. That is, Compressorhead are not three guys dressed up as robots, they are actually robots that play instruments- there is no pre-recorded audio backing track for these modern marvels.

Well, now the droids are manufacturing a vocalist unit to add to their group. So, they asked Wright to write some tunes for them. Punknews spoke to Wright about what it’s like to pen tunes for cold, metallic hands.

Old Flings (Fest Interview)

Punknews' Ricky Lineberger got the chance to interview some of the under the radar bands at Fest this year. Old Flings lead singer and guitarist Matt Evans talked to Ricky L on the phone about the differences from being a Fest fan and a Fest artist, touring Europe and the future of Old Flings.

Meridian (Fest Interview)

Punknews' Ricky Lineberger had the opportunity to interview some of the under-the-radar bands playing Fest 14 this year. Max and Jake of Meridian were kind enough to speak to Ricky L outside a house show in Charlotte on their tour supporting The Cathedral. They grabbed some Cookout and Jake skated while all of them talked Fest, new albums and touring.

World/Inferno Friendship Society

And once more, the most important day of the year for World/Inferno Friendship Society fans doth approach: HALLOWMAS.

The celebration, which takes place on October 31 at Brooklyn’s Warsaw Hall is the day where the dead commune with the living, one is free to express oneself however one chooses, and the Great Pumpkin- that fickle, chaotic, ageless entity- rises from his dark abyss and grants wishes upon the sincere, and wreaks havoc upon the wretched. And on that day, World/Inferno, a five to eleven piece band that blends classic 70’s punk with blue-eyed soul with big band music (and a little anarcho-punk philosophy) delivers their most impassioned, most complex, most complete performance of the year. Two years ago there was a coffin and entire Gospel choir. Last year they played for two and a half hours. What will this year bring?

In order to learn about this year’s supplication, features editor John Gentile spoke to Inferno frontman Jack Terricloth about Hallowmas, the latest record This Packed Funeral, and the infamous punk rock riot of 1986.

Tim Browne (Elway)

Elway has been churning out orgcore tunes for the better part of eight years. They recently released a new record titled Better Whenever on Red Scare this past July. Punknews editor Samantha Barrett sat down with frontman Tim Browne to chat about the new album and his favorite Fest moment.

CJ Ramone

If you don’t know who Ramones were then what the hell are you even doing on this website? If you do, then you know that without them the music world would be very different than it is today. Arguably, punk rock really wouldn’t exist. The Ramones are a crucial punk band and their legacy will live on for a very long time -- hopefully forever. CJ Ramone replaced bassist Dee Dee Ramone in 1989 and played with the band until they broke up in 1996.

In addition to the Ramones, CJ has since been in 22 Jacks and released two records, Reconquista and Last Chance to Dance as a solo artist. But there is a lot more to him you might think. So Punknews news editor Ricky Frankel caught up with CJ Ramone at It’s Not Dead Fest where they discussed CJ playing Cuba, being on The Howard Stern Show, what he has planned for his musical career and, of course, being in The Ramones.

Oso Oso (Fest Interview)

Well… like yesterday's interview interview with Dollar Signs, we sent Punknews writer Ricky Lineberger out to interview Oso Oso. But, instead of interviewing frontman Jade Lilitri, he decided to spend all night playing NBA 2k15 with the band instead.(Wims won, but Ricky thinks he cheated).

So, we had to send Ricky out again at great expense to interview Lilitri. They talked about Fest, sports and the future of Oso Oso. See the interview below.

Dollar Signs (Fest Interview)

Dollar Signs are playing Fest 14 this year. We sent Punknews writer Ricky Lineberger out to interview them at their album release show, but instead of interviewing them, they decided to binge on pizza and then engage in a wall of death with cigarette pool noodles.

SO, we had to send him out again to interview the band, who are playing Fest 14 this year. You can see the interview below.

Joey Cape (Lagwagon)

It’s been five years since Joey Cape’s last solo album, Doesn’t Play Well With Others. That doesn’t mean that he’s been idle, though. Lagwagon’s frontman has put out albums and singles with other side projects, such as Scorpios, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, and Lagwagon itself. But that’s not all he’s been up to, either. His session label, One Week Records, has, so far, put out seven records – all recorded within one week.

Stitch Puppy, released September 4th, 2015, sounds nothing like Lagwagon’s Hang, released earlier this year, but there is a continuity between the two, a darkness that the two albums have in common. It’s a melodic and heavy hitting acoustic album, voicing concerns over extremely personal topics and society as a whole. It’s not quite a One Week Record, but it’s more raw and filled with gut-influenced decisions than his previous solo albums.

To learn about the darkness behind the album (among other things), Punknews’ Emma Potts spoke to Joey Cape about the new album and the making of the video for “This Life Is Strange”, how fatherhood changes things, and chasing instant with Mountain Dew.

Jon Hernandez (Timeshares)

For the past seven years, Timeshares have played Fest sets filled with singalong punk anthems sure to please your average bearded, plaid-wearing festival-goer. This year, they'll be playing the Wooly on Friday October 30 at 11:50 PM, but first they'll be heading out on a tour with Signals Midwest.

Punknews interviewer Alex Meylink talked to guitarist/vocalist Jon Hernandez of Timeshares about Fest, their (sort of) new record and Jon's love for spiteful internet commenters.

Brian Gorsegner (Night Birds)

Brian Gorsegner feels like he was hit by a train. Not a literal train, but the thundering locomotive that is parenthood. He sleeps less now, and his free time isn’t exactly his own anymore. But unlike many who cite parenthood as a mellowing force, Gorsegner hasn’t gone soft. In fact, the Night Birds frontman thinks becoming a father has had the opposite effect on his songwriting, and it’s hard to argue after spinning the band’s new Fat Wreck Chords LP, Mutiny At Muscle Beach . The album is 25 minutes of tense, frantic punk rock, with the overtones of surf punk and ‘80s hardcore that have always marked the band’s sound. In advance of the record’s release, Punknews editor Adam Eisenberg caught up with Gorsegner to talk about Night Birds’ move to Fat Wreck Chords, the band’s upcoming appearance at Fest 14 and the magical effects of coffee on the human body.