Jello Biafra

As one of the key upstarts to the California punk/hardcore scene, Jello Biafra emerged as the singer of the Dead Kennedy's in the late '70's and hasn't gone away since. Whether he's singing, writing, acting, doing spoken word, or churning out records on his label, Alternative Tentacles, Jello has remained one of punk rock's true pioneers for the last thirty years. Fresh off the heals of Jello Biafra and the Guantanamo School of Medicine's newest album, Audacity of Hype, Mr. Biafra took the time to chat with Michael Dauphin.

The Fall of Troy

The Fall Of Troy has been somewhat of a polarizing band. Their debut full length on Equal Vision Records, Doppelgänger was well received and showcased the band's ability to blend angular guitar riffs with the straight forward intensity of fellow Seattle residents, The Blood Brothers. Their follow up full length and subsequent EP seemed to divide the band's fan base, as they began to explore their pop roots. Their new full length, In The Unlikely Event merges their earlier material with an even more accessible twist. Punknews contributor Matt Pagirsky recently caught up with lead singer/guitarist Thomas Erak and bassist Frank Ene to discuss the new album, their feelings on some of the newer bands cropping up in the scene, the state of rock and the music industry, and of course John Lennon.

forgetters

Brooklyn, NY's forgetters recently hit the road for a short tour of the east coast, giving many in the south their first taste of the new project from Blake Schwarzenbach, Caroline Paquita, and Kevin Mahon. The 11-date tour, appropriately titled "Too Small to Fail," accompanies the news that forgetters have already begun recording and we can expect material in February. The band sat down with Stephanie Thornton after their second date of the tour at St. Stephen's in Washington, D.C. They discussed the upcoming recording, expectations for the tour, and the proper spelling of the band name.

Ryan Glasgo (Los Furios)

For close to a decade, Los Furios has battled drizzly, grey days in the city of Vancouver with its powerful, gritty style of grassroots ska, reggae and punk. In a time when ska music's relevance, or even its existence, is being questioned, the band is proving naysayers wrong by continuing to release solid albums while playing scorching live shows with no signs of cooling down. The month of November was warmed up with yet another unyielding Los Furios release called Run Devil Run. Sax player, vocalist and rhythm-advocate Ryan Glasgo sat down with Gen Handley from Punknews to discuss the new album and why ska is not dead.

Matt Allison (Atlas Studio)

After the handful of world-renowned producers (Rick Rubin, Dr Dre etc.), the list of recognized personnel becomes extremely finite. With certain commercial sounds, it is easy to dismiss the producer as anything but what the title presupposes. But there is that curious group that truly makes (or is that facilitates?) an artist (The Beatle's George Martin and Broken Social Scene's David Newfeld are easy names that come to mind). There are very few engineers that make a name for themselves like the mostly less-than-mainstream bands they produce. Matt Allison is one of the rare exceptions. Punknews contributor Matthew Bentel recently called the modest Allison about the history of his studio, Atlas Studios, some of the more notable bands on his roster, and, oh, that new record by those three dudes from Chicago.

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Small Brown Bike

When Small Brown Bike broke up in 2004, bearded men across the world cried a little. They offered some relief (and hope) when they announced a string of one-off reunion shows in 2007. However, they still seemed determined to pursue their new career paths. Then something changed. Slowly, they started trickling out news: they were back together, writing new material and planning shows. Here at Punknews, we thought it was pretty important to find out exactly what led to this change of heart and what we should expect from this reformation. So we sent Matthew Bentel to meet up with the band at Fest 8 and discuss what drove them apart and what brought them together, their side projects, and how they are approaching the reunion.

Keith Buckley (Every Time I Die)

Love 'em or hate 'em, Every Time I Die has been one of the leading bands at the forefront of the metalcore scene this past decade. Their notorious blend of spastic hardcore mixed with an ever evolving Southern rock n' roll swagger has drawn a diverse group of fans over the years. Their new record, New Junk Aesthetic revisits their heavier past and injects new life into a band that's been chugging along with the same ferocious energy they began with. Punknews contributor Matt Pagirsky recently had a chance to speak to front man Keith Buckley about the new album, the departure of their long time drummer, as well as his upcoming engagement and marriage, and the band's future plans for 2010.

Adam Turla (Murder by Death)

Last month, Murder by Death joined Gaslight Anthem on a US tour. Murder by Death's dynamic indie rock sound sat well with audiences before welcoming Gaslight Anthem to the stage each night. Now in their ninth year, they've played shows internationally with a load of different bands from a variety of genres and that's what they're aiming to do. They recently completed an instrumental soundtrack for the new science fiction book Finch by award-winning author Jeff VanderMeer. While they're currently working on new material, you can check out their 2008 Vagrant release, Red of Tooth and Claw. Stephanie Thornton spoke with vocalist and guitarist Adam Turla before their sold-out show at the 9:30 Club in D.C. on October 22nd.

Chuck Robertson (Mad Caddies)

Fans of Mad Caddies know that their music defies categorization. Their unique blend of punk, ska, reggae, and jazz, has been pleasing ears for the last 15 years. The band recently began a several week U.S./Canada tour that promises to deliver set-lists filled with many of the Mad Caddies' staple songs, as well as some new ones from their yet-to-be-released full-length. Sean Jain spoke with singer Chuck Robertson to get the latest on the Caddies' upcoming U.S./Canada tour, their forthcoming album, and the best way to distract Serbian border-guards from finding one's hidden stash.

Kurt Ballou (Converge)

Since their formation in the early '90s, Converge has been one of the most innovative and tremendous forces in the hardcore music scene. Though their blend of speedy hardcore punk and extreme spastic metal has advanced greatly over the years, the band has still managed to retain their signature intensity and raw sound. Their new album, Axe To Fall continues this progression and is a brutal follow up to their predecessor, No Heroes. Punknews contributor Matt Pagirsky recently sat down with Converge guitarist and music producer Kurt Ballou for an extensive discussion on everything from the new album, their own personal musical evolution, the hardcore scene and it's development over the past 20 or so years, as well as his take on the band being labeled as "this generation's Black Flag."

Nat Rufus (Blacklist Royals)

Blacklist Royals first emerged under that moniker in 2008 with the EP Six Strings, presenting a unique folk-punk sound mixed with a country tinge that could only be born of a band of punks who relocated to Nashville. Since then, the band has toured relentlessly, with another stint on Warped Tour already behind them as well as The Fest in Gainesville. The band has also reworked its sound a bit for the upcoming release of Semper Liberi, which sees the band joining the ranks of Paper + Plastick. Vocalist and guitarist Nat Rufus exchanged emails with Punknews staff interviewer and Pads & Panels purveyor Bill Jones to discuss the upcoming album and the state of the industry that led the band to sign with Paper + Plastick.