Arish Khan (King Khan)

Just about three years ago, Arish Khan just completely bugged out. He got in a huge fight with collaborator Mark Sultan, said some really nasty things, broke up the band, shaved off his hair and went and lived in a monastery in Korea for a while.

Khan, who leads the punk rock meets James Brown style soul orchestra King Khan and the Shrines, has always thrived on the edges of existence. He used to claim to be part of a death cult, he's well versed in tarot, and sometimes he would get naked on stage and shake bones at people. But, the Korea freak out was extreme for even Khan, and frankly people were unsure if the wild man had pushed himself over the edge.

Well, after a few years of self repair, Khan is back with his most personal release (which still rocks the hell out) called Idle No More. On it he ponders madness, pays tribute to Native Americans, and looks directly into darkness. So, Punknews features editor John Gentile called up Khan in Berlin and spoke to him about the new album, laying in Joshua's tomb, and that one time that he nose-flicked Lou Reed.

Chris McCaughan (Sundowner, The Lawrence Arms)

It's been three years since Chris McCaughan released an album under the alias Sundowner. Having recently been picked up by Fat Wreck Chords, Sundowner's third full-length album entitled Neon Fiction was released on September 2, 2013. Interviewer Samantha Barrett spoke with Chris right before the release and discussed the new album and future plans for Sundowner and his other band, The Lawrence Arms.

Rad Women Who Make Rad Art #3: Liz Prince

Over the next few weeks, Punknews is running a series called Rad Women Who Make Rad Art. The series is a string of interviews with some of the most exciting female visual artists that have connections with music, today. You can check out the previous entries with Nation of Amanda and Kristen Ferrell. Today's segment is with comic mastermind Liz Prince!

Liz Prince is a fearless artist. She draws comics about getting dumped. She explores the reasons why she is so bad at flirting. She even wrote an entire comic entitled Will You still Love Me If I Wet the Bed? (And it won an Ignatz award!)

On top of that, she's constantly putting out autobiographical comics and new collections. Also, she likes cats… like really likes cats. Like, she focuses an unhealthy amount on her cats, Wolfman and Dracula. So, of course, Punknews had to talk to Liz about her cats, her unique style, and why she owns a haunted skull.

Jeffrey Eaton (Modern Life is War)

Following six years of touring non-stop, three full-lengths, and tensions within the band, one of hardcore's most-loved names, Modern Life Is War, called it a day in 2008.

Five years later, the announcement of their reformation on April 1st sparked a confusing reaction of eager anticipation and skepticism within the hardcore world. But it happened; they're back.

And two days following their big comeback show at This Is Hardcore in Philadelphia, Punknews interviewer Faye Turnbull sat down with vocalist Jeffrey Eaton as he explained what led to their demise and reunion, and (more importantly) what's in store for the band's future.

Mariel Loveland (Candy Hearts)

If Candy Hearts leading lady Mariel Loveland was an actual heart-shaped confection imprinted with a conversational phrase, it would take an exceptionally tiny font to accommodate how much she has to say. Fortunately, Loveland, along with guitarist Kris Hayes and drummer Matthew Ferraro, instead expresses herself through driving rock songs as sweetly addictive as the band's name suggests. Staff interviewer G'Ra Asim caught up with the singer-songwriter via telephone for a chat about country music, the Org's infamously caustic comment section and that other band named after a drug store sweet.

Candy Hearts's latest EP, The Best Ways to Disappear, is available now.

Alex Kerns (Lemuria)

Currently celebrating their third full-length release and touring their asses off throughout the west coast on their way to Fun Fun Fun Fest and The Fest, Lemuria is blowing up. To the point that even NPR listeners have all been won over by their charm. As world travelers with sights set on the Eastern Hemisphere, Lemuria are dedicated musicians. Interviewer Stephanie Thornton spoke with vocalist and drummer Alex Kerns to discuss their success, his progression as a musician from trombone to drums, how awesome the Magnetic Fields are, and what it means if you catch bassist Max Gregor singing Rod Stewart songs at karaoke.

Find out more under Read More.

Rad Women Who Make Rad Art: Kristen Ferrell

Over the next few weeks, Punknews is running a series called Rad Women Who Do Rad Art. The series is a string of interviews with some of the most exciting female visual artists that have connections with music, today. You can check out the previous entry with Nation of Amanda, here. Today's segment is with the wonderfully, whimsically, wicked Kristen Ferrell!

Kristen Ferrell makes incredibly awesome, highly detailed, trippy art that just completely scares the bejeezus out of me. She painted a picture of a hummingbird nailed to a Boston Terrier. She makes cupcakes with human fingers and dentures stuck inside of them. She sketched two birds (with Chimneys coming out of their heads) fighting over a severed finger. She has a Chiweenie that she treats like a child. You ain't gonna see that on the Bob Ross show, that's for sure.

On top of that, she's done some awesome designs for Leftover Crack, F-Minus, and Jucifer

Andrew Seward (Human Parts)

When Andrew Seward left Against Me in May, he didn't immediately jump into a new band. In fact, the first thing he did was get a job washing dishes at a Gainesville pizza joint. He also turned his attention toward being a husband and father to his wife and three-year-old daughter. But creativity runs through Seward's veins, and eventually the desire to express himself became too strong to resist. This is where the story of Human Parts begins. Fast forward a few months and Seward, along with wife Verite and friends Andy "Pants" Schwich, Kim Helm, and Dave Kotinsley are on the verge of releasing a self-titled record and prepping for their first show, scheduled for Fest 12. Punknews interviewer Adam Eisenberg caught up with Andrew Seward on his day off to discuss life after Against Me!, the enduring influence of "The Hank Williams Story," and how Human Parts has already conquered the toddler demographic.

Chris Mills (Harms Way)

Chicago hardcore act Harms Way have blazed a long path since the early days of the band. Starting as a straightforward traditional powerviolence band (goofy sound clips and all), they made a name for themselves in the American hardcore underground. Years later, the band has transformed into a behemoth act, melding together elements of 90's metallic hardcore and traditional industrial metal to create the Blinded EP, the band's first release for Deathwish Inc. Staff interviewer Gregg Harrington recently connected with Harms Way drummer Chris Mills via Skype to talk about the band's evolution, working with Deathwish, and how they were singled out on the Internet this summer by European festival attendees.

Rad Women Who Make Rad Art: Nation of Amanda

Every Tuesday in the month of September and November, Punknews will run a series called Rad Women Who Make Rad Art. The series will be a string of interviews with some of the most exciting female visual artists that have connections with music, today. Our inaugural edition features Nation of Amanda aka Amanda Kirk!

Nation of Amanda's art is simply awesome. She draws detailed diagrams of Tortas, creatures from the black lagoon that wave in a melancholy fashion, cupcakes that vomit, and hedgehogs… oh so many hedgehogs. On top of that, she draws tons of punk rock flyers and collaborates with Mitch Clem on those straight-up-kickin' Turnstile Comix. Her work focuses on watercolors and inks and she's able pull more emotion out of a single brush stroke than most chumps can in an entire book.

Click Read More to see what Nation of Amanda has to say and see some of her fly work.

Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein

Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein is just as menacing on the phone as he seems to be in person. His answers are short and to the point. He's got the kind of cold, monotone-ish voice that lets you know that he's not to be played with. In fact, you have to be careful that you don't accidentally offend him, or else you think that he might track you down rip your head from your shoulders with those massive fists of his.

But, would you expect or want anything else from this ghoul? A pivotal member of the Misfits, Doyle brought a massive, slamming guitar sound to the band during the second half of their original run. He doesn't so much pick the strings as slam down on them like King Kong crushing airplanes. He's recently killed off his last band, Gorgeous Frankenstein, and started the new group simply titled "Doyle," which includes Gorgeous Frankenstein members Alex Story and Dr. Chud.

Punknews contributing editor John Gentile spoke to Doyle (though the safety of about 3,000 miles) about the new band, the meaning of horror imagery, and well, The Misfits, of course.

Click read more… if you dare… Muahaha!