Tony Foresta (Iron Reagan / Municipal Waste)

Having grown tired of partying, getting wasted and generally having a good time,Municipal Waste's Tony Foresta has thrown aside the keg, smashed the bong, flushed drugs, and formed Iron Reagan his hardest, fastest, and darkest band yet. Foresta rose to metal prominence with crossover revivalists Municipal Waste, a band that celebrate self destruction, set it to ripping riffs and encourage in-concert boogie boarding.

Now joined with fellow Waster Phil Hall plus Paul Burnette and Ryan Parrish, both formerly of Darkest Hour, Foresta is set to release Iron Reagan's nineteen song debut Worse than Dead, a record that espouses a bleaker and more vicious worldview than we've seen from him before. In order to see why Foresta has gone from being a party-maniac to just the regular kind of maniac, Punknews features editor John Gentile slipped a taser in his back pocket and met up with the vocalist where they talked about his new band, the concept of violence in harder music, and getting killed by GWAR.

Vinnie Caruana (The Movielife / I Am the Avalanche)

After the better part of two decades in the punk scene and a resume that includes fronting not one but two seminal melodic hardcore acts in The Movielife and I Am The Avalanche, you wouldn't blame Vinnie Caruana for resting on his laurels. But on his debut solo EP, City By the Sea , the punk lifer exudes a determination and vitality that is a promising harbinger of his career's next act. Caruana dropped science on Punknews staff interviewer G'Ra Asim about hanging out on central Illinois farms, his heavy new side project and why it still remains go time almost fifteen years since his debut with the Movielife. You can catch Vinnie solo all this month on the Acoustic Basement tour.

Matt Caughthran (The Bronx)

Whether it's gritty, smoldering LA punk or it's horn-driven Mexican folk, The Bronx create music on a set of terms completely apart from anyone or anything else. After releasing two albums as their charro-suited alter ego, Mariachi El Bronx, the band are back with their fourth eponymous album, the Bronx IV, and have returned with an energized, more confident attitude, ready to face the daunting music industry--as always--by a rulebook that they wrote.

From his home in Huntington Beach, lead singer Matt Caughthran spoke to Punknews interviewer Gen Handley about returning to the Bronx after four years in Mexico, interrogation techniques at Knott's Berry Farm and why the band seemed a bit doomed from the beginning.

Daniel Nash (Departures)

Departures have proven over the past few years that Scotland can produce a great screamo band in much the same way North American can. Having signed to No Sleep Records last October, they've begun to translate their grit onto the American landscape and Punknews staff interviewer Renaldo Matadeen caught up with guitarist Daniel Nash for a bit. With November's Teenage Haze receiving rave reviews, Nash was kind enough to shed some light on the band's transition to the US circuit.

Peter Hook (Joy Division / New Order)

In the music of Joy Division there is an massive, ominous sound that is perpetually hanging in the air. It is at once aggressive, metered, terrifying and cold. That sound is Peter Hook.

Forming the band with Ian Curtis, Bernard Sumner and Stephen Morris after seeing the Sex Pistols, Hook introduced a radically new sound to music through his bass. With the ethos of punk rock firmly in hand, Hook strummed out thick notes that were wonderful and wonderfully dread-inducing. Following Curtis' suicide, the rest of the band would go on to form New Order which again used Hook's unique bass as a foundation for the group's sound.

But over the past decade, things between the members of New Order have become raw, and the group has fractured. Now on his own, Hook has toured with the band the Light playing Joy Division albums in their entirety. To further cap off the era, Hook has just released his recollection of his time in Joy Division in the form of the book Unknown Pleasures - Inside Joy Division (IT Books). Punknews Features Editor John Gentile spoke with Hook about his career, his bass and his first punk rock show. In your book

Darren Johns (Crazy Arm)

Plymouth, UK's Crazy Arm are a difficult band to pin down. Seamlessly combining genuinely varied influences, but maintaining a core of punk passion and sensibility, they've established themselves as one of the most exciting and compelling bands in the UK scene.

Vocalist, guitarist and lyricist Darren Johns is the elder statesman of the five-piece, with over two decades of involvement in punk and hardcore. Punknews editor Andy Waterfield sat down with him to discuss musical growth, rioting and the potential limitations of 'punk' dogma.

Undesirable People

Undesirable People caught a lot of people by surprise in 2012. With word spreading on the band's sound and illustrious efforts in the Detroit local scene, they began to chalk up quite a following, building on the small fanbase they had previously. Gaining notoriety as one of the most underrated bands in the area, as well as some of the coolest and most down-to-earth guys plying their trade on the scene, their self-titled EP gained some acclaim in 2011.

That paved the way for more tours but more specifically, a bit more trudging on in the studio to churn out Eugenics in the latter half of 2012, which was even better received. They caught up with Punknews staff writer Renaldo Matadeen to chat about how this heightened success goes a long way to getting their name out a bit more, and exactly how music ties into the lives of a couple of guys actually meting out a living the conventional way.

Justin Pearson (The Locust, Retox)

Many readers are probably well aware of Justin Pearson, seeing as his artistic career spans over two decades and his music, whether you love it or hate it, encourages individuals to reconsider what defines the hotly contested concept of "punk." For those less familiar with his background, Pearson's musical endeavors include Struggle, Swing Kids, All Leather, the Locust and most recently, Retox. In addition to being deeply involved with the punk community he also has published two books and continues to run the Three One G Records record label out of San Diego, California. Staff interviewer Andrew Clark spoke with Justin Pearson via e-mail about reflecting on 2012, using humor in shitty situations and the future.

Barney Boom (Sonic Boom Six)

It's been a long journey for Sonic Boom Six have spent the past decade tirelessly making a name for themselves in the UK punk scene and their hard work seems to have paid off, signing to Xtra Mile Recordings (Against Me!, Frank Turner), gaining more attention in the mainstream press, and selling out shows. Punknews interviewer Faye Turnbull sat down with Barney Boom (vocals & guitar) near the end of their recent UK tour in Newcastle; he talked about the band breaking free from people's ideals and the ska-punk scene, the importance of their social and political message, and how the band's future was in jeopardy.

Chris Wollard (Hot Water Music, the Ship Thieves)

Chris Wollard has had a busy year. On top of Hot Water Music's first album in eight years in Exister, the Gainesville artist also released the almost equally-as-buzzed-about Canyons, the second recording as Chris Wollard and the Ship Thieves.

This album had listeners anxiously waiting not only because the self-titled debut was so impressive, but also that, at the time, the Ship Thieves project appeared to be a one-off idea, a fleeting spark that filled the creative vacancy left by the disassembled Hot Water Music. With an energetic, evolved sound, a stabilized band lineup as well as a thriving Hot Water Music in the background, Canyons swallows any fears of the Ship Thieves dropping anchor any time soon.

"I'm half happy and half relieved it's done," he said in a croaky, but almost jovial Florida drawl. "Putting an album together is a lot of work - you've got to do all the songs, you've got to put the art together, you have to record it, it's a lot of practice. By the time you get to the end of it, you're pretty exhausted."

"But man, it's so much fun."

Wollard recently sat down with Punknews interviewer Gen Handley to talk about his new album, what the past year's been like and how Hot Water Music is doing things a bit differently this time.

Nick Diener (The Swellers)

The Swellers are in a bit of a transitional period. While they aren't shedding any members or going through any life and band-altering decision-making, they have been putting out small releases in lieu of full-lengths lately and taking some time off from the grueling life on the road. Punknews interviewer Jason Epstein caught up with Swellers vocalist and guitarist Nick Diener via email to chat about the band's recent releases and plans for the future.