Sixteen years since their formation and H2O are still showing the hardcore world how it's done as they prepare for the release of their covers record, aptly-titled, Don't Forget Your Roots. Punknews interviewer Faye Turnbull caught up with frontman Toby Morse ahead of their recent London headline show, where they talked about the band's longevity, the importance of being open-minded and his project One Life One Chance.
With three full length records and more than a few EP's under their belt, Circa Survive know a thing or two about the music industry. Primed to finish writing and recording their fourth full length record, the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania based quintet are back on the road doing what they love, building energy for their upcoming writing and recording sessions in the process.
Mark Millard caught up with the band's critically acclaimed vocalist Anthony Green to chat about their current run of shows, the writing process for their upcoming record and an important lesson he's holding close to him this time around.
Bruno Mascolo has a target on his back, literally. On stage, the lead singer of Drive A is frequently wears a rendition of a shooting range target for a shirt. Similar to other bands that have used symbols to represent concepts that can't always be pinned down by words alone, Mascolo created the idea of "Marked Man" which is featured on the groups newest album, The World in Shambles. In some ways, pointing to a weak spot was a power play on Mascolo's part. Although the average age of the band is just under the legal drinking age, they've seen a rapid rise in exposure, touring with international acts and being featured on countless websites. In order to find out the origins of the Marked Man concept, what it's like being a young band with huge exposure, and what the group thinks of genre tags, Punknews staff writer John Gentile centered his journalistic sniper riper directly on Mascolo's mid-section and pulled the trigger…
With a brand new record (Agitations), signing to Fat Wreck Chords, and a never ending tour schedule, Reno, Nevada's Cobra Skulls are a band constantly on the move with zero plans of stopping. Punknews editor, Brittany Strummer, recently sat down with lead singer, Devin Peralta, to discuss their hectic tour schedule, their brand new record, Brittany's lack of knowledge of Nothington, and how they won the adoration and acceptance of the infamous Punknews commenters. Not to mention guitarist, Adam Beck, adding his two cents where applicable.
Be sure to catch Cobra Skulls on their fall tour with Nothington and click here for a chance to win some pretty rad stuff from the band.
Riding on the hype train, and deservedly so, having released a record that will probably top a lot of end-of-year lists in the form of Parting the Sea Between Brightness and Me, Punknews interviewer Faye Turnbull sat down on the cobbled streets of London with Touché Amoré frontman Jeremy Bolm. The pair talked about the aforementioned release, being labelled "the saviors of hardcore", major label interest, and coming out of 'mosh retirement'.
Founded in the mid-90's by Mike Park, Asian Man Records was one of the first labels to make its mission to be "nice" and to treat everyone, from bands, to fans, to distributors, with respect and general pleasantries. By 2008, AMR had become a household name, but also was facing the very harsh reality of the collapse of the (major label) music industry. Although AMR is still chugging along, the fallout did deliver a few hot coals onto AMR's roof. In this third and final installment of Park's Oral History of Asian Man Records, Park talks about his excitement at the labels newest projects, how the sudden shutdown of his main distributor was a sudden blow to the company, and what AMR is looking forward to in the future. If you're not up to speed, please check out Part One and/or Part Two.
"Emo" as a genre identifier may still conjure one of two divergent, but equally cringe-inducing images -- as either soft and unashamedly cathartic or as abrasive and melodramatic. However, a resurgence of in the emo aesthetic and styling is taking root and does not reflect anything close to Victory Records or My Chemical Romance. While a majority of artists promoting the emo revival borrow from the likes of Mineral and the Promise Ring, others are digging further. Chicago-based Cloud Mouth is one such band, drawing from the Washington, D.C. post-hardcore scene of the mid-1980s and infusing it with updated and revised punk ideals. However, much like the fluid nature of the bands that comprised the early emo scene, Cloud Mouth has decided to call it a day. Just before the group sorts out its final affairs, Punknews contributor Matthew Bentel sat down with John and Matt Harmon to discuss the band's final plans, running a DIY space, and living without regret.
Motion City Soundtrack is taking a break from recording their 5th full length album, to bring us the four album/two nights/seven cities tour where they're playing their discography across a couple of nights in each city. Punknews interviewer, Jason Epstein caught up with MCS bassist Matt Taylor at their I Am The Movie/Commit This To Memory show in New York City for a chat about the band's past, present and future.
Founded in the mid-90's by Mike Park, Asian Man Records was one of the first labels to make its mission to be "nice" and to treat everyone, from bands, to fans, to distributors, with respect and general pleasantness. This led to Park signing some of the most influential and most popular punk acts of the 90's and 2000's. Once AMR became a viable source for putting out records, Park began to sign bands. Either through skill, sheer luck, or destiny, Park happened to sign some of the biggest punk releases of the 90's. But with that boon, came the attendant pressure and conflict from (punk-scale) fame and notoriety. In this section of Park's Oral History of Asian Man Records, part two of three, Park talks about some of his most noteworthy signings during the label's initial rise, how he scouts out bands, and what Park thinks about file sharing. If you're not up to speed, please check out Part One.
With a new full-length titled The Other Side of Darkness released through Grave Mistake and several past releases, Brooklyn's Night Birds have been grabbing people's attention lately with their unique mix of 80s style hardcore and surf music. Punknews interviewer Andrew Clark caught up with Brian Gorsegner, the band's frontman. They got talking about the aforementioned release, the strangest place Night Birds have played, and the must-see movie of the year.
In all probability, Blink-182 cover bands were a mainstay of last-decade suburban garages everywhere. But scarce few Dickies-sporting teens managed the meteoric rise it took to go from aping the kings of Top 40-friendly three-chord punk in Mom's basement to boasting Alternative Press's Band of the Year 2008 award, collaborating with Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo and being showered with the jettisoned brassieres of screaming adolescent girls upon taking the stage in multiple continents. Baltimore, MD's All Time Low has consistently transcended the pack, however, and with the recent release of Dirty Work, their fourth full-length and major label debut, the quartet have their eye on their tallest order yet: longevity within today's blink-and-miss-it cadre of pop music.
Punknews staff interviewer G'Ra Asim checked in via email with guitarist Jack Barakat for the low down on major label boogiemen, skeletons in Cuomo's closet and reckless abandon.