Nick Oliveri

A little over three years ago, Nick Oliveri, one of rock ‘n’ roll’s true wild men, was involved in a five-hour standoff with the SWAT team. He could have gotten the shit kicked out of him. He could have gotten shot. He could have gotten killed. But, in true chaotic luck, he survived with just a few scratches.

Since then, things have gotten better. He’s gone on to cut killer records with the Dwarves, record with the Moistboyz, tour with punk legends Bl’ast, and even reunited on stage with formerly estranged bandmate Josh Homme with Queens of the Stone Age.

Now, Oliveri will release his solo record, Leave Me Alone on October 28, 2014. On the LP, he details the SWAT stand off, almost dying in a car accident and partying too hard. To get the scoop, features editor John Gentile spoke with Oliveri about the new record, that nasty car accident and that one time a giant one-eyed robot smashed down his front door.

Cory Branan

Folk, roots, Americana, singer-songwriter… punk… Any of these descriptions suit Cory Branan. The latter being based more on theoretical aspects. But, consider that he’s currently touring with The Gaslight Anthem and Against Me!, you’ll realize punk rock isn’t just about sound, it’s about the ideas behind the music. "Punk music and country music, they're trying to get to something with the least amount of bullshit, and I find that that is the immediate tie between punk, roots and folk music," Branan says in his interview with us. His latest release, No Hit Wonder , signifies the soul of punk, yet in a much different package. A stellar release, No Hit Wonder , asks for repeated listens to full grasp, yet addictively straps you down from the first listen. You can grab it here.

On his tour, he spoke by phone to contributing editor Xan Mandell about touring with Against Me! and The Gaslight Anthem as a folk musician, the process of writing an album and the realities of making a career out of being a solo musician.

Ev Gold (Cinema Cinema)

Cinema Cinema is one bad-ass duo. Guitarist/vocalist Ev Gold stomps around the stage, swinging his guitar like an axe while he screams, growls, and hisses nasty things into the microphone. Meanwhile, Paul Claro, who is Gold's cousin, hits the drums so hard that they literally shimmy across the stage as he plays. It sounds sort of like heavy metal played as hardcore punk -- vicious, energetic and with a little bit of swing.

The group just released their new album A Night at the Fights and finished a really, really long tour opening for Black Flag. So, features editor John Gentile spoke to Gold about the new album, boxing, reincarnation and generally being nice to people.

You can click read more for the interview.

Keith Latinen (Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate))

Having just returned from tour with The Early November, Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate) frontman and Count Your Lucky Stars co-owner Keith Latinen spoke with Punknews staff writer Adam Sever to discuss their new releases, the You Will Eventually Be Forgotten LP and the Ribbon graphic novel, based off of the lyrics from the album, plus working with Bob Nanna and Chris Simpson on the new album and if everything he’s done in music up to this point has been worth it.

Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate) will be hitting the road with label mates Free Throw starting tonight and will most likely be hitting a city near you as they make their way to FEST 13 on October 31st.

Kristian Emdal (Lower)

Within the past two years, a group of associated Danish bands have been making waves all the way over to the United States. Centered around a venue called Mayhem, bands including Iceage, Girlseeker and Sexdrome have formed a sound with a raw coldness. It’s at times harsh, at times tactical, and always hard to pin down.

Copenhagen’s Lower is the latest band to spread out from Scandinavia, having recently toured house shows and small venues in the United States. At those shows, Lower exhibited their strange, haunting sound, and wowed the crowd, but did little to explain some of the mysteries surrounding them and their compatriots.

Because Lower has recently released their debut LP, Seek Warmer Climes, features editor John Gentile spoke to bassist Kristian Emdal about the new LP, the Copenhagen scene and kidnappings.

You can click read more for the interview.

Blag Dahlia (The Dwarves)

Controversy is nothing new for The Dwarves. For three decades, they’ve been accused of promoting drugs, of promoting violence, of promoting misogyny. A brief glance at album covers and song titles -- naked women and tunes like "Smack City" abound -- does add credence to that proposition.

But, if you peer below the surface, it becomes quickly apparent that there is more than dick-driven punk rock going on here. And that’s precisely what the bands new album, The Dwarves Invented Rock ‘n’ Roll makes clear. As the band strips away the layers of rock music, looking for a source or common thread in this great genre, the band also reveals their own underlying drives and strategies. Is the naked girl on the album cover just a picture of a good looking girl, or is she really a question about you and your reaction to her?

Because the new album is simultaneously one of the band’s hardest-driving and peppiest releases to date, features editor John Gentile spoke to frontman Blag Dahlia about the LP, his underlying message and the Bible, of course.

Mike Watt (Il Sogno Del Marinaio)

Mike Watt, the legendary bass player who created helped create a new form of spontaneous, twisting, hyper-short punk rock with The Minutemen, the man who challenged the format of music itself with the bass duo Dos, the man who held his own on stage with the punk godafathers The Stooges for almost 10 years, is currently in the role of a student.

In the group Il Sogno Del Marinaio, Watt is joined by drummer Andrea Belfi and guitarist Stefano Pillia where they snap out raw, organic and sometimes improvisational tunes in Italian and English. They’re about to release their second album, Canto Secondo which was recorded in eight days. The rapid nature of the project is clear on the recording -- the band zigs when you expect them to zag and surprisingly, at times, Watt, despite being a punk rock legend, steps out of the spotlight to support his two band mates.

Because the new album is out soon, features editor John Gentile spoke to all three members about the new album, what the ocean means to them and the Minutemen.

Dexter Holland (The Offspring)

Continuing with the 1994 review theme, 20 years after Smash, The Offspring are returning to the record like never before, playing it from start to finish – and bringing along a handful of iconic bands of the era (and beyond) with them on tour.

Punknews interviewer Jason Epstein got a chance to meet with Dexter Holland before the sold out show in NYC and talk about trade secrets from the band’s old "home videos," the members of Pennywise, AFI and T.S.O.L. who sang backup vocals on "Pretty Fly" and what Gringo Bandito isn’t good on.

Shawna Potter (War on Women)

It’s been a whirlwind for War on Women. In the span of a few years, the Baltimore band has gone from relative obscurity to being BFFs with Propagandhi and signing with big-time label Bridge Nine Records. As War on Women prepare to hit the road again with Propagandhi, as well as RVIVR, Punknews copy editor Adam Eisenberg caught up with vocalist Shawna Potter to talk about the band’s pointed message, discuss how you can get married at a War on Women show and swoon over the world’s most delicious pickles.

Photo by Megan Lloyd (shot at Ladyfest Baltimore 2014), with drummer Evan Tanner.

Helios Creed (Chrome)

Chrome is about as far out as it gets. Solidifying in the late '70s with Damon Edge and Helios Creed, the band created avant-garde sci-fi music that had songs like "Zombie Warfare" and "You Can’t See Them – They Can’t Touch You." Edge supplied art-school experimentation, warping weird sounds into the music via tape manipulation and sound effect distortion. Meanwhile, Helios Creed supplied a charging, ominous guitar that would sometimes screech like a hawk and sometimes rumble like a tank.

Unfortunately, Edge passed away in 1995, leaving Creed to carry on the skeletal, neon torch that is Chrome. Now, he’s just released the first Chrome album in 12 years, the astral, creepy, dark Feel It Like a Scientist. It’s a trip!

Because Creed has once again resurrected the mighty (though cultish) Chrome, features editor John Gentile spoke to the axeman about the new LP, ghosts and his awesome train set.

Homeless Gospel Choir

Derek Vanetti, aka The Homeless Gospel Choir, is a storytelling acoustic-folk-punk singer who weaves issues like terrorism, materialism and consumer greed between personal topics on his new album I Used to Be So Young.

The new record was released on A-F Records and was produced by Anti-Flag's Chris #2. Punknews staffer Max Qayyum caught up with Derek to talk about his new record, his views on the state of punk music and explanations of the topics he discusses on the new album.

You can click read more for the conversation.