John Campbell (Lamb of God)

Few bands have been through the gauntlet like Lamb of God. In 2012, they landed in the Czech Republic for a concert. But, just as they were stepping off the plane, their lead singer, Randy Blythe, was arrested for murder stemming from the death of a young man who died shortly after attending a concert of theirs two years previously.

What followed was a nearly year long ordeal with Blythe being kept in prison, flying back and forth to the US and the Czech Republic, and the band themselves trying to help their fellow musician while knowing quite well that there was a good chance that their band would be destroyed in the chaos.

Thankfully, the court acquitted Blythe. To document their difficult year, the band has just released As the Palaces Burn, a documentary about the preceding tour, the trial and its aftermath. Punknews Features Editor John Gentile spoke to co-founding member and bassist John Campbell about the whole thing.

Jake Round (Pure Noise Records)

Jake Round is obsessed. According to the founder of Pure Noise Records, you have to be in order to run your own record label. You also have to be prepared to lose money and be willing to give up just about every other aspect of your life in order to make it work. And so far, it's working pretty well, as Pure Noise is marking its fifth anniversary in 2014. As part of the celebration, Punknews editor Adam Eisenberg caught up with Round to discuss the label's growth, take a look toward the future and find out why Round couldn't have done it without his mom.

Divided Heaven

For over a decade now, Jeff Berman, under the name Divided Heaven, has sung songs of experiences he has had or were shared to him as a singer songwriter. Breaking from his usual format, he recorded his second full-length LP, entitled Youngblood, as a full band album. Youngblood is due out March 25, 2014 via Say-10 Records. Divided Heaven sat with interviewer Samantha Barrett to talk about his new album.

Have Mercy

Have Mercy recently shifted themselves. Last year, they released the well received The Earth Pushed Back on Topshelf Records. It is a melodramatic drone through a crumbling relationship, interspersing self-loathing between throaty vocals over distorted chords and entrancing troubles coupled with clean-toned guitars. Earth is a great example of how to make emotional music powerful rather than pathetic.

This past February they followed up Earth on a split EP with Daisyhead. Rather than following the same minimal format Earthexemplified, this time around they pushed themselves to create two songs that gave proof to how talented they are. The overwhelmingly monumental songs, "Pete Rose and Babe Ruth" and "Pawn Takes Rook," are the band's masterpieces. Sonically, they are fuller, with more attention put on tonal aspects, as well as penetrative, with Brain Swindles vastly improved vocal performance complimented by lyrics written much more poetically. It's difficult to think that Have Mercy only has a small fan base currently, but it shouldn't be too long until that changes.

When they came through Chicago, Punknews interviewer Xan Mandell sat down vocalist/guitarist Brian Swindle and guitarist Andrew Johnson to learn as much as he could about them. They traveled through various topics including recent van troubles, how changing producers changed their sound, living with their parents, and how gnarly it is to take a shot of whiskey through your nose. Apparently, after the show they went to a karaoke bar and Johnson blew everyone out of the water with his skills on the mic…

Rad People Who Make Rad Art: Brian Walsby

Brian Walsby has created over 10,000 pieces art. You'd know him if you saw him. He's a tall guy with a curly afro and spectacles that can be seen behind the merch table at a show markering dozens and dozens of variations on a few similar scenes -- inserting contemporary bands into the covers of classic albums and riffing on iconic Black Flag art. At once, he is examining the power of repetition as well as simply drawing for the sake of drawing.

On top of that, he drew the cover for 7 Seconds' Walk Together, Rock Together and the famous Nardcore compilation. PLUS, he's made t-shirts for Fucked Up, Descendents, Negative Approach, Minutemen and The Melvins. You can check out the shirts at his site.

Because Walsby is insanely prolific, Punknews features editor John Gentile spoke to him about his cartoony style, revealing personal stories in comic form, and whether or not his examination of variation is the result of strategy or whimsy.

Stefan Babcock (Pup)

Stefan Babcock is a frickin' punk rock maniac. He fronts Pup, a band that can charge forward like Discharge, but also has the ability to pause for reflection a la Restorations or Menzingers. He wrote a song about how much he hates his ex-girlfriend (but not in like, the bro-core style… think more Billy Joel-style finesse). His grandma e-mails him before most gigs. He went to the wilderness of Canada and for three weeks, just HELLA tripped on 'shroooooooooooms!!!!

Now Pup is releasing their debut LP called Pup! It's great. It's raw. It's hard. It's nasty. But, it's also nice and introspective on some parts- everything a modern punk band should be. (I also taste the tiniest bit of Beach Boys, here and there). Some people call it "pop-punk" but what do "people" know, anyways?

Because Babcock gets down like David Lee Roth and goes on George Clinton style mindtrips, features editor John Gentile spoke to him about the new album, grandmas, and the grotesque isolation that is the great white North……..

You can click read more for the juicy bits…

Gnarboots

Gnarboots' new release is shocking- and that's saying something for a band that you expect to be shocking. In the past, the band merged punk rock with Hip Hop with electro with God-knows-what-else to create a stage show that was as bizarre as it was creative. Sometimes the audience loved the absolute mania and newness of the Gnarboots show and sometimes they were confused or just plain scared by the surreal stage mania.

But, on their new EP, which is called Dark Moon, Adam Davis and Aaron Carnes go pure synth. The release is incredibly dark, at times almost goth or synth-punk, and contemplates mortality itself through a series of vignettes. It's completely unexpected, completely unique, and sometimes, horrifying.

Because Gnarboots is venturing off into daring, strange, and philosophical new directions, features Editor John Gentile spoke to them about the release, the purpose of a live show, and death itself.

Click read more to venture to the dark side of the moon.

Dave Frenson (Banquets and Black Numbers)

Banquets had a whirlwind of a year in 2013, from putting out their sophomore LP entitled Banquets to touring in support of it. The band may have some tricks up their sleeves for 2014, including more releases. Interviewer Samantha Barrett spoke to guitarist Dave Frenson about their new split and the label he helps run.

Rad People Who Make Rad Art: David Williams

David Williams likes to take photographs of men drenched in water that are wearing nothing except tightey-whities. He also lived in Antarctica for three months and shot pictures of seals in sub-zero weather.

But, he's not just a weirdo that likes taking photos of exposed flesh, be it of the homo erectus or pinniped variety. He also tours with punk bands, including Elway, and snaps live shots. Also, this one time, he shot pics of Metallica for Ozzfest. Oh yeah!

Because Williams has been around the world snappin' them pics, Punknews features editor John Gentile spoke to Williams about his world travels, shooting pictures amidst ice, and why Dad-Rock bands are the true party kings.

Click read more for the conversation and some pics.

Late Bloomer x Old Flings

A (not really that) new thing we've tried to keep going here at the 'org is a series featuring a band interviewing another band they either really like, respect and/or just enjoy. In this edition, we have Late Bloomer and Old Flings interviewing each other. The two bands released a split together late last year, which you can hear below. Enjoy!

Joel Tannenbaum (Ex Friends)

Philadelphia's Ex Friends have a song where the refrain goes, "Cops crack skulls! Cops crack skulls! Cops crack skulls!" The funny thing is, that while you expect the vocals to be some grizzled, crustie-lifer, they are actually extremely poppy sounding, and with different words, could fit on pretty much any radio hit that you could name. Such is the quagmire of Ex Friends - a band of smart, thoughtful people that can go toe-to-toe with you on Anarcho-punk or Flaubert.

One of the group's driving forces is Joel Tannenbaum, who, as you may know, is also one of the guys in Plow United. He did some heavy time in the Gomorrah that was the 90's Philly punk scene before spreading his wings and getting a doctorate. But now, he's back and is eager to smash out some pretty hard punk rock that also flirts with sounds far outside usual punk conceits- think Conflict meets Leatherface.

Because Mr.-Smarty-Pants just got his PHD, features Editor John Gentile rang him up and they spoke about the newest Ex Friends album Rules for Making Up Words (which just got released on vinyl, yo!), memories of the old Philly punk scene, and fightin' with the cops!!!

You can click read more for the brawling tips.