July 22nd, 2007

It's Sunday July 22nd, 2007. Have you ever sat down to write your Sunday recap article, only to so completely fail in your attempt to link the stories that you create a remarkably thin premise at the expense of Angels & Airwaves? I know I have.

The people must have something good to read on a Sunday

So post-Blink-182 act Angels & Airwaves posted a teaser video for their upcoming record I-Empire. I'm getting a bit less of a messiah complex vibe from this bout of press, and I have to say I almost miss the epic grandstanding. Now I wouldn't say that Rivers Cuomo ever thought of himself a saviour, although for a while he was right up there with Mr. Delonge on the weirdness scale. Weezer's still kicking though, and they've begun recording their next full length. Now calling an anticipated record New Wave might be bordering on self-importance, but probably isn't quite messianic. Regardless Against Me! continue the press blitz behind their major label debut, this week chatting it up with Blender and announcing tour dates with Matt and Kim and Dave Dondero. Pete Wentz -- now we're talking. Mainstream pop punk stars Fall Out Boy are headed to Uganda to support the charity Invisible Children and the guitarist / mouthpiece chatted about the trip on YouTube.

Coheed & Cambria's Chris Pennie just wouldn't take the bait, pretty much turning the other cheek following the public ribbing he received last week from his former Dillinger Escape Plan bandmates. The Offspring keep on recording, announcing further progress on their pending full length. We heard they suck live, but regardless NOFX will give the live album another shot in early 2008. Celebrated alt-pop act Tegan and Sara streamed their new album The Con, as did their co-patriots Sum 41, who streamed their new work Underclass Hero. Finally the film Punk's Not Dead announced screenings over the next month, why not hit up your local indie theatre and give it a shot?

This week saw the passing of Kelly Johnson of Girlschool (1958-2007). It also saw John Stabb of Government Issue assaulted and in need of help.

Punknews editor / videographer Chris Moran is on the road with the Gaslight Anthem, and provided us with a feature on the tour this week. We spoke with Leslie Simon and Trevor Kelley, authors of "Everybody Hurts: An Essential Guide to Emo Culture" (interview) as well as popular act The Used (interview). We also streamed six songs from the new Menzingers full length this week. .

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July 15th, 2007

It's Sunday July 15th, 2007. Every once in a while the universe perfectly illustrates one of Tom Waits' metaphors. This is one of those times. Makes you think.

The people must have something good to read on a Sunday

So the big news this week was that the Dropkick Murphys will for the first time call a major label their home via their own Warner imprint. They should watch Against Me! closely to see how the big league waters are. That band supported their own Warner debut this week with an appearance on Conan O'Brien. The high profile of a major does give you quite a soapbox, just ask Tim McIlrith. The Rise Against frontman laid out just what's wrong with America this week. Thanks Tim! AFI seems to be doing ok as well, with a potential EP in the works and their electronic side-project / failed spelling test Blaqk Audio set to debut soon. Of course it's not all wine and roses once you're signed to one of the big four. Thursday had to hire a team of bloodthirsty lawyers to get out of their deal. They probably didn't want to get stuck on a package tour with Maroon 5 like the poor Hives did. There is life after the major though, and Thursday need look no further than Bad Religion to see how to do it right. This week Mr. Brett and company talked politics and revealed some behind-the-scene info on their recently released New Maps Of Hell. Less Than Jake are (for the second time) returning to the indie life, and a session at the the Blasting Room sounds like a fine way to shake the stink off.

This week saw the demise of much beloved noisemakers Planes Mistaken For Stars. At the same time we learned that news of Reggie and the Full Effect's break-up were greatly exaggerated. The Dillinger Escape Plan (shit)talked their former drummer who recently jumped ship to join Coheed and Cambria. Psychobilly freaks the Horrorpops are short a few members as well. The loss of Geoff, Kamilla and Naomi has left the band a three piece (but there's WAY more room in the van now).

Our Video Of The Week featured the second segment of an interview and live performance by Against Me!. We also made the exclusive debut of The Falcon's video for "The La-Z-Boy 500". We streamed lots of new audio this week, including Guff's new full length Symphony of Voices, an exclusive remix of the Static Age, a reading from Ronen Kauffman new book, the full length from country-punk act Two Cow Garage, and the new record from Sacramento pop-punks Secretions.

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July 8th, 2007

It's Sunday July 8th, 2007. We return to the long standing tradition of launching Navel Gazing with an image of some under sea horror. So please join myself, the sasquatch lobster, the laser squid and Scooter Libby in welcoming the Octosquid to the party.

The people must have something good to read on a Sunday

Months of hype came to an end this week as the new full lengths from both Against Me! and Bad Religion were officially unveiled. We had streams of New Wave and New Maps of Hell , both of which hit stores next Tuesday. Speaking of the Gainesville act, they announced more dates for their tour with Gaslight Anthem and Two Gallants. A number of high profile tours were announced this week, as Richmond acts Avail and Smoke Or Fire will share the stage later this year. Strung Out announced the first leg of a US tour, this one to feature A Wilhelm Scream and I Am Ghost. Ignite is set to hit the road in the US and Europe as well. One band that won't be touring is O Pioneers!!!, as they're regrouping to deal with the departure of Jeff Johnson.

Dave Walsh and Chris Gonzalez of the Explosion have officially joined up with the Loved Ones. The Explosion will bow out later this summer, playing farewell shows with Modern Life Is War and the Ergs. You can add a few more names to the list of defunct bands, as both Hot Cross and Reggie and the Full Effect are calling it quits. On the new music front we previewed Reel Big Fish's "Party Down," MXPX's "Secret Weapon" and Every Time I Die's "Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Battery." Victory returned to the headlines with the signing of Across Five Aprils. Finally this week ended with the unfortunate news that Tinkture's drummer was injured in a fireworks prank.

Remember that Punknews.org and Fat Wreck Chords have teamed up for the San Francisco AIDS Walk. It's a great cause and you can show your support by making a donation or even joining us at the walk.

Our Video Of The Week featured the first segment of an interview and live performance by current Org-coverage kings Against Me!. We also posted an interview with acclaimed Toronto hardcore act Fucked Up (interview). Our Editors' Picks for the week featured Dirty Money, Bob Burns and the Breakups and Resonance.

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July 1st, 2007

It's Sunday July 1st, 2007. Happy Canada Day everyone! I won't waste too much time here as I need to get back to my long weekend. I guess our friends in the US have, um, Wednesday off… which is sort of the same thing. It's not a long weekend or anything, but… well I guess you can sleep in. That's something. Just don't stay out too late.

The people must have something good to read on a Sunday

The legendary Bad Brains returned this week with the release of Build a Nation. The record's been streaming online all week. We had word of several new releases in the wings. Weezer's not quite dead yet, as the influential alt rock act announced plans to release a new record next year. The same goes for My Chemical Romance, although we never really thought they were dead. They just need some sun. The Dropkick Murphys finished recording their new record, so expect that later this year. Thurday doesn't have a new studio album on the way yet, but they did patch things up with Victory for a retrospective DVD/CD. Following in Thursday's lead, Thrice parted ways with major label Island Records. The band is set to hit the road this fall with Brand New and mewithoutYou. Speaking bands recently off the major label train, long time bassist Matt Wong has left third-wave ska punks Reel Big Fish.

This week saw The Used cancel their upcoming tour plans due to the singer's surgery, Vagrant sign the Watchmen dubbed Dr. Manhattan, and Civet seemingly sigh with Hellcat. Nary a week goes by without half a dozen Against Me! articles, and this week is no exception. We had new music from NYHC standards Madball and a new video from Rise Against. We were introduced to two acts with strong pedigrees this week, those being the Re-volts (Swingin Utters, Me First & the Gimme Gimmes, Dead to Me, One Man Army) and Last Of The Believers (Rise Against, Ignite, Reach the Sky, Spark of Life).

Our Video Of The Week featured Olympia, the DC/Richmond based post-Fairweather act. We interviewed Carbondale, IL's very own Red Scare pop-punk upstarts The Copyrights (interview).

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June 24th, 2007

It's Sunday June 24th, 2007. Now I know that in their statement the Punk Planet editors mused that the internet was possibly a factor in their downfall, but as a representative of the internet I have to say that everyone in our organization is going to miss you. Unlike us, you couldn't rush back and re-edit your articles when the snarky comment kids started pointing out your errors. We have nothing but respect for that, as fear would paralyze us from giving up our precious edit button.

The people must have something good to read on a Sunday

This week we bid farewell to Punk Planet, the influential and respected magazine, founded in 1994, ceased production with its 80th issue. More details were unveiled on the Weakerthans upcoming fourth album Reunion Tour. We got a peek at the cover art and track listing for the September-arriving record. Now it was probably just for fun, but we had reports from a few sources that members of the Sex Pistols were in the studio "having a laugh." While we're not expecting a new record don't be surprised to see some shows this December. Speaking of the studio, that's where Saves The Day is, promising new albums this year and next. New music arrived this week from Whole Wheat Bread, who previewed their upcoming record, and Social Distortion, who unleashed the new track from their greatest hits album. Angels and Airwaves is up to something or other, probably promoting an upcoming album, but they that's far less epic than they want it to sound.

The disco before the breakdown? Against Me posted a dance remix of their single "White People for Peace." The band's press machine didn't stop there, as we had news of a limited edition pre-order 7", and a second "making of" video. Andrew WK, having left us here in North America starving for the party, will finally release some new material domestically. White Stripes frontman Jack White spoke about that radio leak and the appropriateness of his response. Finally this week we had news of a tribute to Leatherface featuring music from Hot Water Music and the Sainte Catherines and the soundtrack to Transformers, which will feature Armor For Seep and Taking Back Sunday. Oh, and an MSNBC columnist decided that all your favourite bands are overrated, but we're not really sure what his point is.

Our Video Of The Week featured pop-punk/melodic-hardcore hybrid Set Your Goals. We interviewed South Dakota's The Spill Canvas (interview) We streamed music from Ben Weasel's new solo record, Philadelphia melodic hardcore band Giving Chase, the The Story Changes' upcoming full length, and the new full length from legendary hardcore pioneers Bad Brains.

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June 17, 2007

It's Sunday June 17th, 2007. Now despite what I read when I was 11 I really don't know much about palaeontology, and in particular the naming conventions used. However when we hear that the newly discovered five meter tall dino has been dubbed the Gigantoraptor, you suspect it's based purely on what sounds the most bombastic. I suppose Incrediraptor and Amazoraptor were taken.

The people must have something good to read on a Sunday

It was World War Emo this week as the mainstream pop-punk / emo acts engaged in battle on multiple fronts. On the physical side of things Fall Out Boy mouthpiece Pete Wentz and team of security commandos clobbered a heckler at Chicago rock club Schuba's. Meanwhile there was some heat between My Chemical Romance and shock rocker Marilyn Manson as the latter accused the former of encroaching on his creepy pale guy racket. The New York Post took a step back and did an exposé on the management company behind bands like Fall Out Boy, Panic! At The Disco and Gym Class Heroes (oh, and the Bronx, weirdly enough), which prompted MTV to turn on their darlings and ask if emo is the new incarnation of 80's hair metal.

So members of the Dead Kennedys looked at all the white belts and eyeliner flying and thought "let's show these kids how you really feud" and launched another volley in their long standing fight. Bassist Klaus Flouride accused Biafra of banning him from a Dirk Dirksen tribute, to which Jello countered it was an insulted promoter's doing, not his.

However it wasn't all conflict this week. Against Me! continued their New Wave push with a "making of" video. The Germs film was completed and the first screenings were announced. Strung Out appeased their rabid fans with a video for "Calling" and Guff announced a surprising collaboration with Steve Perry of Journey. Rancid is set to record in January of next year, but before that we'll see another of the Hellcat showcasing Give 'Em The Boot compilations. Finally the World/Inferno Friendship Society are working on a punk-rock opera following Peter Lorre's life.

This week also saw the passing of Kawakami, long time vocalist and guitarist for the Japanese band Disclose.

Our Video Of The Week was a two-parter, featuring a video interview and performance from Philadelphia's Loved Ones. We interviewed Epitaph hip-hop act Sage Francis (interview and UK based The Automatic Automatic (interview).

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June 10th, 2007

It's Sunday June 10th, 2007. I suppose when tasked with making some quip about the week that passed, most media folk would say something on the trials and tribulations of a certain wealthy socialite heiress… but that's not the way things work here at the Org, so what do you get from me is FIN FANG FOOM! The most fearful menace of them all! What more could you possibly want?

The people must have something good to read on a Sunday

So I'm looking at the magic mirror which reveals the week's biggest articles and I see a virtual hype race between Against Me! and Strung Out. First we had Against Me! teasing their video for "White People for Peace" with some streaming music while Strung Out previewed Blackhawks Over Los Angeles with some new music of their own. A few days after the initial hype we had Against Me's "White People for Peace" video and Strung Out's "Blackhawks over Los Angeles" album stream. That's the way to run a railroad, kids. Rage Against The Machine took it a step further, creating a countdown to something mysterious to get people talking. Guitarist Tom Morello took some time out of his busy guerrilla schedule to chat with Socialist Worker as well. Around here all Propagandhi needs to do is sneeze and they'll get grassroots hype. The announcement of a new album in Spring of 2008 takes it a step further.

This week saw Courtney Love claim that Linda Perry would produce the next Green Day record, and the band flat out denying that. We had news that A Wilhelm Scream have finished their next record as well. A set of tour dates were announced for Lifetime and the Bouncing Souls. They'll share the stage with the Ergs! and Static Radio NJ on select shows. Finally we had a new song posted by Throwdown. Oh, and we took some time to made fun of the "guyliner" thing again. Making fun of emo kids is somewhat of a sport around here.

This week also saw the tragic passing of John Pike, drummer of Syracuse, NY's Ra Ra Riot and Ben Hutson of Richmond, VA's Mancub.

Our Video Of The Week featured Brooklyn's Nakatomi Plaza performing a brand new song live in Richmond, VA.

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June 3rd, 2007

It's Sunday June 3rd, 2007. So last week when I predicted that Trio story? The truth is I'm not clairvoyant. We already had the article written. As a matter of fact, just like some newspapers have pre-written obituaries for famous people, we here at the Org have pre-written major label signing articles. We hope never to have to use the "Crass signs to Jive" article, but if they ever do…

The people must have something good to read on a Sunday

The Alkaline Trio topped the news heap this week as the popular band finally announced that they've found a home at major label Epic Records. Looking into the band's future we previewed a new track from the upcoming Warped compilation and reminiscing the past we had details on their Goddamnit reissue. Fat Mike of NOFX spoke about the future of Punk Voter , and while they made a big impact in the punk scene the organization looks like it'll be scaling down. An incident that we can only call a "snacksident" saw Set Your Goals arrested in Georgia. We had photos from Good Riddance's final show and word that a book of Fugazi photos is planned for September. White Stripes guitar hero Jack White tore a strip off of a Chicago DJ for playing the band's new record before it's release/

Bad Brains keep talking their new record releasing a slew of details and future plans. a 7" from Big Rig, which featured Jesse Michaels from Operation Ivy and Common Rider , will see a reissue on 1-2-3-4 Go!. Post Blink-182 act Angels & Airwaves spoke about their next album as well. This week saw a video for "Underclass Hero" by pop punks Sum 41. Jim Lindberg from Pennywise spoke about his role as punk rock dad. Social music site Last.fm was purchased for $280 million. Finally we saw a news organization call out their peers for drumming up a whole moral panic over those pesky emo kids, who while often ridiculous and funny looking, probably aren't gong to destroy society.

This week we brought you the exclusive debut of Sundowner's video for "This War is Noise". Our Editors' Picks for last week's holiday Monday featured Battles and Italy's Stolen Bikes Ride Faster. We streamed new music this week from the Eyeball act Signal To Noise and a full album stream from The Measure [SA]. Jesse sat down with Seth Hubbard of Polyvinyl Records to chat about the indie label and their current challenges (interview).

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May 27th, 2007

It's Sunday May 27th, 2007. I'm so clairvoyant I predict one of next weeks biggest stories will arrive around at around midnight tonight. You should all prove me wrong by ignoring it and not commenting on it at all. Just go to bed early. Get some sleep. You really need to rest more you look horrible.

The people must have something good to read on a Sunday

So first I break a lace and for the life of me can't find a long enough replacement, and now this. Advertising images peddling boots from U.K. based Dr. Martens was unveiled --- and it featured the photo-manipulated sales-angels of Joe Strummer, Joey Ramone, Sid Vicious and Kurt Cobain. After a few days of negative feedback (including some from Joey Ramone's brother) the makers of the iconic rock-related boot apologized for the the "unauthorized" campaign, firing their ad agency in the process. Aside from that, we had a deluge of Green Day news, among them an appearance by the the band on a popular TV talent show performing John Lennon's "Working Class Hero." The band apparently won't be featured on the Simpsons Movie soundtrack, despite the fact that they're in it (that honor goes to Fall Out Boy, which I guess is sort of fitting), but they will contribute to the score. Oh, and just to get you all riled up Rolling Stone named American Idiot the best comeback album ever.

This week saw Vinnie confirme earlier reports that Less Than Jake had left Warner / Sire. The much loved "Goddamnit" album from the Alkaline Trio (cough) will be re-issued soon via Asian Man. Cartel launched their much debated, corporate sponsored bubble stunt. Against Me! kept in the press, with a tour diary from Tom Gabel and a video interview from Warren Oakes. Whole Wheat Bread talked their upcoming album while Good Riddance announced that their final show will be recorded for a live album. Finally, Utah joined the list of US states to have their own little moral panic over the big spooky "emo" movement that's corrupting the kids.

Our Video of the Week featured Richmond, VA's Landmines while our Editors' Picks featured music from Bracewar, Jewdriver and an animated Calvin & Hobbes clip, just because. We streamed new music this week from the Gaslight Anthem, their entire new album, in fact.

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May 20th, 2007

It's Sunday May 20th, 2007. It's May Two Four up here in Canuckistan. The long weekend basically involves everyone heading to a cottage, drinking and blowing things up in honour of Queen Victoria. It's a grand ol' time, too bad you suckers south of the border hoofed the Monarchy or else you could get in on this. But you did and you can't. So there.

The people must have something good to read on a Sunday

This week brought us plenty of updates from some of old favouries. Bad Religion released not one but two very different tracks from their upcoming full length New Maps of Hell. The steady trickle of Tim Armstrong song releases was wrapped up in a full album stream from the Rancid frontman. NOFX talked about their touring plans for `07, confirming that they will not appear at Reading and Leeds. Staying with the Fat Wreck family, the label announced their 1,2,3, Punk tour of Canada featuring the Mad Caddies, the Sainte Catherines, and the Real McKenzies. The label also confirmed that there would be no vinyl issued for the upcoming Strung Out and No Use for a Name releases. Two former Fat bands were in the news, with Rise Against planning a new album and Less Than Jake apparently leaving Warner (more on that next week!).

The post-Blink-182 factions were back in the news. Former Distillers member Ryan Sinn was kicked out of Angels & Airwaves, while Plus 44 promised some Blink covers at their live shows. Details were released on hte upcoming Iggy Pop biopic starring Frodo as the influential Stooges frontman. Finally this week saw recording updates from Jimmy Eat World as well as A Wilhelm Scream while Silverstein detailed their upcoming Arrivals And Departures

Our Video of the Week now, and I suspect for a while after knowing Chris, will feature Inquisition reunion. Check out a two part video-interview with the melodic-hardcore act, Part 1 and Part 2. I suspect we'll see some performance footage soon enough. We brought you streaming music from Clorox Girls and their new album J' aime Les Filles, Trophy Scars' EP Hospital Music for the Aesthetics of Language, the split between Fox Trotsky and Die Benny, and four songs from recent A-F signing Incommunicado.

Click Read More to see this week's contests, streaming music and more.