Katy Goodman (Vivan Girls/La Sera)

Katy Goodman has recently experienced enlightenment.

Starting out as the bass player for indie-punk trio Vivian Girls, Goodman provided a charging throb and backing vocals that were at times both soothing and haunting. With their debut, The Vivian Girls established a unique combination of classic punk, Motown harmonies and shoegaze fuzz.

Right now, The Vivian Girls are on break, so Goodman is planning to release her second solo LP under the name La Sera, in March, called La Sera Sees The Light. While the first La Sera, Self-titled LP was a swirling mass of layered, heavenly choruses, the new release is just a little meaner, a little sharper, and a lot more direct… it's almost as if Goodman herself has undergone personal illumination.
To find out what caused this clarity, staff writer John Gentile rang up Goodman to talk about the new LP, her life as a ginger and video games.

Phil Hiotis (Sacred Love)

Baltimore nowadays gets associated with a few less than noteworthy characteristics: a city in decline, crime (thanks, The Wire), and the Orioles baseball team. Amidst this dire environment a vibrant independent music scene carries on, and one of the up-and-coming bands is Sacred Love. Punknews staff interviewer Andrew Clark sat down with vocalist/lyricist Phil Hiotis to discuss the group's origins, how permeable the Canadian border can be, and the Baltimore hardcore scene.

Patrick Kindlon (Self Defense Family/End of A Year)

If you follow Self Defense Family (formerly End of A Year) online, you will know that frontman Patrick Kindlon is a man never short of a few words - whether it's acting as an agony uncle on Formspring making YouTube videos on Paramore, documenting his journey from LA to New York via Greyhound on Twitter, or even causing a stir with his piece on sexism in punk on this very site last year.

Punknews interviewer Faye Turnbull sat down with Patrick at The Fighting Cocks in Kingston, UK to discuss, well, everything – from CM Punk to prostitutes.

Brace yourselves.

Damian Abraham (F*cked Up)

Now that Fucked Up has ended its banner year, rumors of questionable origin have begun to plague the band, somewhat mimicking the early days where the band themselves deliberately disbursed misinformation. Last year found the Toronto band releasing their critically acclaimed David Comes to Life LP, a meta-concept album that tied the band themselves into a story about blowing up a factory in 1980's England. But, after the accolades came pouring in, stories of the band's demise, lead vocalists quitting, and rampant dysfunction quickly followed in the wake.

Now, Fucked Up is releasing the fifth of twelve planned twelve inches dedicated to the Chinese Zodiac, Year of the Tiger. To get to the bottom of these mysteries, staff writer John Gentile spoke to lead vocalist Damian Abraham where they covered Abraham's status in the band, Year of the Tiger, and Gentile's (one sided) vendetta against the band concerning a Fucked Up song writing credit attributed to a certain Ted Leo…

Randy Yost (Weekend Nachos)

While many Punknews readers may associate Chicago, IL with the hometown of numerous beloved melodic punk bands, the city in recent years has also seen a flourishing hardcore scene emerge. One of the bands to lead the charge is Weekend Nachos, a four piece that plays what some refer to as "powerviolence" or something similar. Staff interviewer Andrew Clark spoke with vocalist Randy Yost about the band's unique name, people that piss him off, and reasons to visit Chicago.

Ampere

It seems like recently there has been an upsurge of bands resurrecting the "screamo" genre that flourished in the late 1990s and early 2000s. One such band, which features members of Orchid and other contemporaries, is Ampere from the Boston area, who produce music that rises above the ordinary tropes of the genre (i.e. love gone wrong). Instead, the band, as with its past releases, delivers socially-conscious lyrics through intricate, yet chaotic passages with Like Shadows. Staff interviewer Andrew Clark spoke with guitarist Will Killingsworth and bassist Meghan Minior about the release and ongoing commitment to DIY.

Jesse Michaels (Classics of Love)

Jesse Michaels is back and he's gone hardcore. Although the East Bay native was the lyrical mastermind behind extremely influential ska-punk band Operation Ivy, after the band collapsed in 1989, he seemed to fade from public view. Michaels briefly resurfaced with Big Rig, and then again with Common Rider. But, while both of those bands had thought provoking themes, and perhaps featured deeper introspection, neither seemed to have the youthful fire of his earlier releases, and both groups seemed to dissolve with more of a whimper than a bang.

But now, Michaels has joined up with San Jose trio Hard Girls, to form Classics of Love. Again, Classics of Love features Michaels' lyrical singularity, but his words are now carried by the most energetic, fiercest, straight-up-slamming music that has ever been connected to his voice. Not only that, in contrast to his earlier work, the upcoming Classics of Love LP finds Michaels directly pointing fingers against corporate greed and railing against fiscal fiends. Because Classics of Love is about to release their first full length, staff writer John Gentile met up with Michaels to talk about the new self titled release, why he's been so prolific the last few years, and if he's so influential, why doesn't he drive a Bently?

Uriah Thomas (Dead End Path)

Proudly emerging from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, home of one of the most thriving hardcore scenes in the US, comes Dead End Path. Having recently released their debut full-length, in the form of Blind Faith, their refined New York sound, along with some of the most proficiently written lyrics, make them a clear standout in their genre. Punknews interviewer Faye Turnbull sat down with frontman Uriah Thomas, ahead of their show in London, covering: the new album, discrimination within hardcore, violence at their shows, and his hometown scene.

Jeffrey Ziga (Armalite)

Philly's Armalite has recently blessed us all with a new 7", Humungous [7-inch] after a five-year break. A bit of an all-star group, Armalite combines the best of all four members' worlds to create a sound unlike any other. Punknews interviewer Stephanie Thornton recently had a few questions for drummer Jeffrey Ziga. Jeffrey questions the term "supergroup", praises Philly's scene, and is reluctant to scope out reviews of the new release for a slightly awkward but hilarious reason – read on to find it!

Ezra Kire (Morning Glory)

When a guy that calls himself "Stza Crack" tells you that you've got a drug problem, you KNOW you've got a drug problem. Although Ezra Kire was an essential part of both Choking Victim and Leftover Crack, writing some of their most memorable hooks, more thought provoking lyrics, and uniquely soaring vocals, he often found himself at odds with the group of notorious drug users, and in late 2009, found himself cast out of the group due to his own substance abuse issues. As his participation with the "Crack Rock Steady" crew would ebb and flow, Kire would form and re-form Morning Glory, a band that seemed to be Kire's contributions to LoC and CV multiplied and enhanced. Although 2001's This is No Time ta Sleep and 2003's The Whole World is Watching hit high marks with fans, Kire would seemingly appear and disappear with no reason or explanation. But now, Morning Glory is back and planning to release a new LP, entitled Poets Were My Heroes slated for a March release. Since Kire has battled and bested some of his own demons, staff writer John Gentile sat down with the singular composer and talked about the upcoming album, his new "perspective" on religion, his status in Leftover Crack, and the very nature of drug addiction.

Police and Thieves

Police and Thieves, along with contemporaries Night Birds and Deep Sleep, produce punk that is simultaneously nostalgic, yet distinctly their own. The Washington, DC band carries the figurative musical torch for the city's scene by having demonstrated a continuous commitment to DIY ethics and socio-political discontent. Punknews.org staff interviewer Andrew Clark, a fellow DC-ite, spoke with vocalist Carlos Izurieta about the band's 2011 release and living in the District.