May 13th, 2007

It's Sunday May 13th, 2007. So Google's advanced analytics software looked at Punknews and with it's vast cold mechanical brain decided upon the most appropriate ad given our content. Its choice? Eye makeup. Fucking fantastic. This is your fault Wentz! Damn your seductive glance and the price it's taken on our souls!

The people must have something good to read on a Sunday

Let's hit the drama first then work our way to the routine stuff. Canuck pop-punks Sum 41 exchanged barbs with Rolling Stone magazine over attacks the band made on the US president. The cafe owner allegedly responsible giving My Chemical Romance and Muse food poisoning has receiving death threats from the former band's fans. The drummer for Ottawa punks the Suicide Pilots was implicated in the Environment Canada leak scandal. Chris McCaughan of the Lawrence Arms addressed and denied rumours that the band is breaking up. Rise Against, Thursday and Silverstein were recruited by animal rights organization PETA2 for an anti-KFC video. Most controversially, ska-punks the Mad Caddies launched their official hot sauce. Scandalicious!

American Steel are back together and they've signed to Fat Wreck Chords. Fans got their first official taste of Against Me!'s new record with the "White People for Peace" single, while Strung Out released "Calling" from their new record. Bad Religion is planning a digital single for May 22nd, more details arrived for No Use For A Name's "Best Of" collection, and that Operation Ivy reissue's been delayed due to, well, we're not really sure. The Groovie Ghoulies called it quits after a long career. The Stray Cats are back together for a tour this summer. Finally Slayer and Bleeding Through are looking to drum up some controversy on a tour with shock rocker Marilyn Manson.

Our Video of the Week featured Florida's Fake Problems while our Editors Picks featured a Mother's Day tune from Staring Back. We brought you streaming music every day, featuring a track from Sound The Alarm, a full album from Cincinnati's Black Tie Bombers, some psychobilly from Toronto's The Creepshow, the debut from Tomorrow the Gallows, Ringers new album Detention Halls and a new track from My American Heart. On the interview front we spoke with Avail frontman Tim Barry (interview).

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May 6th, 2007

It's Sunday May 6th, 2007. So Chris Hannah wants to be named the Worst Canadian, and you may think he doesn't have what it takes -- but I do. Chris Hannah derailed the Meech Lake Accord. Chris Hannah cancelled the Avro Arrow program. Chris Hannah sold Labatt's to the Belgians and Sleeman to the Japanese. Who caused the collapse of the Atlantic cod fishery? that's right folks: Chris Hannah.

The people must have something good to read on a Sunday

Well Rage Against The Machine's been back for a few weeks now and they've already managed to stir up some trouble. The band reunited for Coachella, playing some of their classics to an enthusiastic crowd, while delivering that radical political message we all know and love. Well that message managed to rile up pundit blowhards Sean Hannity and Ann Coulter, which come to think of it isn't that hard. This wasn't the only Fox News venture into music this week, as the network went "undercover" in the emo scene. We had some news about Michael Muhammad Knight's novel The Taqwacores, depicting a fictitious Muslim punk scene in the US that has since spawned the real thing. Pop stars Fall Out Boy are headed to Uganda in support of the "Invisible Children" charity. This week saw news of Courtney Love planning to auction off Kurt Cobain's belongings, My Chemical Romance and Muse cancelling a tour due to food poisoning, and the break up of troubled punk act The Explosion.

Let's talk new records. The build up to Against Me!'s New Wave continues as the band keeps revealing details. We saw info on Strung Out's Blackhawks, the Beastie Boys' instrumental record, the next Warped Tour compilation, and the reissue of the Foo Fighters' Colour and the Shape. Goldfinger posted a new song for animal activist Kevin Kjonaas. That long awaited Operation Ivy reissue has been delayed to July, and former member Tim Armstrong posted more music from his solo album.

Our Video of the Week featured New Jersey's Gaslight Anthem while our Editors Picks for the week included a mash-up of unknown British bands the Beatles and the Clash. We brought you streaming music every day, featuring J Church's new record The Horror Of Life, the Ergs' Upstairs/Downstairs, some critically acclaimed catalogue material from Autonym, the Mad Caddies latest Keep It Going, ex-Ducky Boy Mark Lind's Compulsive Fuck Up, and Fake Problems new LP How Far Our Bodies Go. On the interview front we spoke with the Mad Caddies (interview), the Paper Chase (interview), and Keeley Davis of Glos, Engine Down, Sparta and Denali (interview).

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April 29th, 2007

It's Sunday April 29th, 2007. So because everyone loves to swap the correlation and causality, the news was jumping up and down trying to blame the collapse of bee colonies on the increasing use of cell phones. I started making a list of additional things that happened as the bee populations decreased, and then I figured it out: Against Me signed to Warner. The timeframes match up, so it's gotta be true. Who's going to pollinate the crops now Tom?

The people must have something good to read on a Sunday

Wentz! Wentz! Wentz! We haven't had this much fun with a mainstream punk celebrity since Tom Delonge got all creepy before his last record. First the Fall Out Boy mouthpiece announced plans to open a bar in the East Village, then topped off the week by being named one of People's "50 Most Beautiful People". Punk rock! So what's Cartel up to? Oh how about recording live in a giant transparent bubble sponsored by Dr. Pepper. You better believe it's a reality show too. If you think that's sounds a tad absurd then Bob Lefsetz agrees. My Chemical Romance didn't do anything to stir up controversy, but they are minus a bassist, at least temporarily. Of course if we're confusing you feel free to check MSN / Channel 4 for a mom-friendly explanation of the "emo" thing.

Yikes. What a paragraph. Let's try and regain some cred with some Crass news. Steve Ignorant is planning a live performance at the "Feeding of the 5000" event. Bad Religion's revised the track listing for their upcoming record New Maps of Hell. Crime In Stereo signed up with Bridge 9 Records while their former Nitro bandmates Much The Same called it quits. HORSE the Band claimed that mainstream rock act Snow Patrol ripped off their "Birdo" video. We got a look at the art for the new Against Me! record. Canuck pop-punks Sum 41 released a new song. There are plans to release a new song from Rancid frontman Tim Armstrong each Tuesday. Controversial professor, Ward Churchill, spoke in Winnipeg this weekend. The Foo Fighters are recording with Pixies producer Gil Norton, and the band will appear alongside Spinal Tap at Al Gore's "Live Earth."

Our Editors Picks for the week included music from Heroes Die and Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip. We brought you streaming music every day, featuring Limbeck, Cardiff UK's The Automatic Automatic, Test Your Reflex, Deathkiller, and longstanding ska act the Toasters. On the interview front we spoke with Nikola Sarcevic (interview), the Thermals (interview), the Reason (interview), Mêlée (interview), and producers of the film American Hardcore.

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

April 22nd, 2007

It's Sunday April 22nd, 2007. This last week was either horrifically sad or horrifically boring, and pretty much didn't waver between those extremes. Let's not talk about it. Next week though, oh wow, it's interview mania here at the `Org. We've got a great feature coming at you every day of the week featuring bands like the Thermals, Millencolin, the Reason and more. Interviews hit daily at 6:30 EST. To top it all off, new streaming music every day at 4:00. You know where to be.

The people must have something good to read on a Sunday

So let's talk "neo-punk." I have no idea what that is but it somehow spans both NOFX and Fall Out Boy, and it's also the subject of an upcoming book. The book features Kevin Lyman of the ever massive Warped Tour, a venture that's looking for your opinion this year. I know Social Distortion was around and rocking during this so-called neo-punk period, but I doubt they fit neatly into that timeframe. The classic band has a greatest hits record and new full length on the way soon. Now Strung Out definitely fits into that period, but they were a bit too much of a cult favourite so they may not be featured. They are however on tour soon. Now Rancid's got to have a whole chapter in there, with Tim Armstrong quotes must. The frontman's new solo outing is still free, contrary to reports, it's just going to require some work on your part. Now during said neo-punk era a lot of us were chasing that 3rd wave ska dream, and while it didn't quite work out for us we can still relive the glory art that Reel Big Fish / Less Than Jake tour. Pennywise, featuring "Punk Rock Dad" Jim Lindberg, is a shoe in for any chronicle of that period.

This was a busy little week. Against Me! plans to release two songs on tour-only 7-inch. Canadian ska-punk act the Flatliners signed to Fat Wreck Chords. Dan Yemin's Paint It Black are set to record their third in August. Coalesce's Sean Ingram is in the People's Court, and finally site favouites Bomb The Music industry signed up with Asian Man

Our Editors Picks for the week included music from Everything Sucks while our Video Of The Week featured archival footage of The Explosion liver in Richmond, VA. We brought you streaming music Red Scare upstarts The Copyrights, previewing their new record Make Sound.

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April 15th, 2007

It's Sunday April 15th, 2007. Clap for the wolfman, he gonna rate your record high. Clap for the wolfman, you gonna dig him till the day you die

The people must have something good to read on a Sunday

We're at that point in the cycle of Against Me! news that high profile album updates will arrive with increasing frequency, this week's addition being the New Wave track listing. I still get excited whenever I see the name Operation Ivy in our news inbox, and the classic influential Energy looks like it's finally getting a reissue via Rancid Records. The strange case of Germs drummer Don Bolles' arrest continues, with the hemp soap producer coming to his defense. Al Gore's "Live Earth" concert series is coming together, with a huge number of bands participating including Foo Fighters, Beastie Boys, the Police and AFI. Speaking of good causes, Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong and his family are building homes in New Orleans for Habitat for Humanity. The Ramones may be gone but they're still getting some of that charity action, with plans for Ramones chucks to raise money for Project Red.

This week a music retailer condemned the RIAA and major labels for the decline in CD sales. Of course the industry's latest move to sue 400 college students isn't exactly going to breed loyal consumers. We linked a fascinating story about Iranian punk act Hypernova and the risks they face from being a band. We'll wrap this week with a mixed bag of stories, including the break up of Eighteen Visions, a live video of a new Bad Religion song, word that Connecticut will adopt an "official punk rock song" and the much debated "Blogger Code of Conduct."

This week we said goodbye to novelist and counterculture icon Kurt Vonnegut (1922-2007).

Our Editors Picks for the week included music from the Unlovables while our Video Of The Week featured Quebec's Fifth Hour Hero. We brought you streaming music from Matt Pryor's new act the Terrible Twos, ex-I Hate Myself Gainesville act Die Hoffnung, and a pair of songs from Millencolin frontman Nikola Sarcevic.

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

April 8th, 2007

It's Sunday April 8th, 2007. So this random winter storm completely killed my productivity this weekend, how about you? Not only is the desperately required lawn maintenance postponed, but my poor perennials are suffering under a layer of frosty sludge. I'm so punk, you have no idea.

The people must have something good to read on a Sunday

This week we said goodbye to Good Riddance, and news of their split seemed to hit you guys right in the gut. Rufio called it quits as well, as did Edmonton's Choke and Poorboy act Edenpark. Good Riddance should see if they can get in on that 90s Punk Documentary, which already features the usual suspects including NOFX, Green Day, the Offspring and Rancid among others. The hearts of 90s ska kids skipped a beat this week at the first confirmed dates of the upcoming Reel Big Fish / Less Than Jake double bill. Propagandhi announced US dates this week as well, and it was a nice departure from our usual speculative coverage of the Winnipeg act to actually have some info. That band's label the G7 Welcoming Committee dropped a bomb this week as well, announcing their transition to a digital-only label. Maybe they'd have been able to keep pressing CDs if they cashed in with some product placements, eh Fall Out Boy? By the way, the pop stars delayed the start of their Honda Accord tour due to personal issues. Thank god we can reply on Panic! at the Disco to keep art pure with projects like their new concept album.

Against Me continues to talk up their next album, with some choice Tom Gabel quotes of course splitting the earth in two as they often do. Ben Weasel is working on his next solo disc with Dan Andriano and members of the All-American Rejects. It was reported Cure's Robert Smith had made the questionable choice of contributing to the new Ashlee Simpson album, but that fact's been disputed. So CD sales continue to decrease, with digital sales on the rise. Of course since they follow the beat of their own drummer Victory Records bucked that trend and pulled their catalog from eMusic. Oh, and Showbread's vocalist quit the band because of, well, Happy Easter folks.

Our MP3 Of The Week selections included Captain Chaos and Ladyhawk. This week we spoke with Smoke or Fire about their new album (interview) and as well as Love Me Destroyer about, well, you'll see (interview).

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April 1st, 2007

It's Sunday April 1st, 2007. Lots happened this week, and since our April Fools joke used up my over-verbose rambling quota today, we'll get right to it.

The people must have something good to read on a Sunday

By the time Monday rolled along it was revealed that Tony Lovato, frontman of defunct pop-punk band Mest, was arrested on charges of murder. A few days later, surprisingly soon after the initial arrest, the authorities declared the fatal stabbing self-defense and Lovato was released. Amidst all of this news that another musician was arrested, as Love Equals Death / Tsunami Bomb bassist Dominic Davi was held on charges stemming from an alleged rape. After those bombshells, everything else seemed kind of trivial.

We had news on a number of upcoming releases this week. Tim Armstrong's solo record, once simply planned as a download, has been upgraded to a proper album. The release will include a video for each song, including "Into Action" which features Skye Sweetnam and the Aggrolites. The New Wave will have to wait a little while longer, as Against Me! has delayed their new record until the summer. Bad Religion continues to reveal information on New Maps Of Hell, with frontman Greg Graffin speaking about the record in a new UCLA piece. Propagandhi's planning to pick up the pace on their next one as well, but we'll wait and see on that one.

What else went on in the final week of March? Rise Against announced a tour with Silverstein and Comeback Kid. The Bouncing Souls posted a video for "Lean on Sheena." Quebec's Fifth Hour Hero sadly called it quits after nearly 8 years together. Finally Island Records and Thursday parted ways.

Our MP3 Of The Week selections included Soophie Nun Squad, Mouthbreather and Reunion while our Video Of The Week featured Planes Mistaken For Stars. We spoke with 108 (interview) regarding their new full length, while on the streaming music front we brought you a new track from the Chariot.

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March 25th, 2007

It's Sunday March 25th, 2007. So yes, the picture this week has absolutely nothing to do with the article, which is how things used to be and was quite frankly easier. Random irreverence is a thin veil for laziness.

The people must have something good to read on a Sunday

Point: Upcoming records. Venerable ska-punk act Less Than Jake are writing their follow up to In with the Out Crowd, and unlike that full length they promise "you will like" this one. There's more good will to go around for the Weakerthans, as the celebrated Winnipeg act is recording their anticipated follow-up to Reconstruction Site. Point: Band conflicts. The Dead Kennedys have responded to Jello Biafra's criticism of their licensing of "Too Drunk to Fuck" for a questionable scene in Grindhouse. Meanwhile another artist has accused pop-punk stars Fall Out Boy of lifting lyrics (this part of an apparent torrent of FOB updates this week). Point: Musician activism. Ted Leo has spoken out endorsing veganism in a new PETA2 feature. Across the pond, the Gossip's Beth Ditto has refused to perform at Topshop due to their lack of plus-sized gear.

Fast facts from the week of March 25th: Guitarist Matt Sherwood has amicably left Strike Anywhere. Pacific Northwest punks the Briefs have dropped off the pending Warped Tour for undisclosed reasons. Boots Riley of hip hop act the Coup has launched an initiative to send songs to Iraq. Long running Swedish punk act Satanic Surfers have called it quits. No Use For A Name have set a July 10th release date for their greatest hits release date. Modest Mouse has set North American tour dates in support of We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank. Finally your pals in the RIAA has published an editorial justifying why they're eating babies in service of their dark lord cracking down on university students.

Our MP3 Of The Week featured Matt Pryor of the Get Up Kids performing as the Terrible Twos while our Video Of The Week featured Modern Life Ifs War performing in Virginia Beach, VA. We brought you a few interviews this week, including chats with Sundowner -- that's Chris McCaughan of the Lawrence Arms -- (interview) and guitarist Michael Weiss of mewithoutYou (interview). On the streaming music front, this week brought you music from Prescott, Arizona's Hour Of The Wolf, Clementon, NJ-based Apple of Discord and Brooklyn's Nakatomi Plaza .

Click Read More to see this week's streaming music, contests, 2 comics from resident madman Jesse and more.

March 18th, 2007

It's Sunday March 18th, 2007. So we now have a precedent that when super heroes die their weaponry is given to comedians. We need to think this through and make some decisions before the next tragedy, just so we're not caught off guard. I'd hate to give Iron Man's armor to David Cross only to find out he's scared of flying or claustrophobic or something like that. It'd be embarrassing.

The people must have something good to read on a Sunday New Maps Of Hell, baby! We were thrilled this week to bring you news on the next Bad Religion record, a 17 track monster set to hit stores on July 10th. The old Dead Kennedys fued reared its ugly head this week, as Jello Biafra spoke out against his former bandmates' plans to license a song to the Quentin Tarantino / Robert Rodriguez double feature "Grindhouse." Green Day's putting together a cover of Lennon's "Working Class Hero" to benefit Amnesty's campaign to end the Darfur genocide. On a less dire note, they're also in the Simpsons movie. Davey Havok and Jade Puget of AFI finally released music from their electronic side-project Blaqk Audio, a band that's been in the works for several years now without any output. Of course we can't have a week with some sort of weird Fall Out Boy news, and this one tops them all. The mainstream pop rockers have plans to release posters inked in their own blood.

Everyone broke up this week. Under tragic circumstances street punks Cheap Sex are no more. Punknews helped them get noticed, but now we can report that Matchbook Romance has announced the dreaded infinite hiatus. We're left with one less Simpsons-referencing pop-punk band, as Madison, WI's I Voted For Kodos is gone. Finally the ever controversial Ramallah called it a day. Ditto Victory act Scars of Tomorrow. A number of new releases were discussed this week, including Propagandhi's upcoming DVD, the next record from Canadian pop-punks Sum 41, and a new record from ska-punks the Mad Caddies. To cap it off, we had one of our traditional monthly Sex Pistols arguments, as we celebrated the 30 year anniversary of the band's A&M swindle.

Our MP3 Of The Week introduced you to the Virginia Beach's No Brass and Philadelphia's Bookburner. We also spoke with members of the Riverboat Gamblers (interview) and San Francisco's Set Your Goals (interview). If you, like me, grew up with Short Music for Short People soundtracking your teenage years, you're absolutely going to love the stream from Short Attention.

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March 11th, 2007

It's Sunday March 11th, 2007. To the jet stream has been kind to us and we're finally starting to see the snow melt up here in North Org'ville. I tell ya, after a month or so of arctic air a high of 2 degrees celsius is reason to party. We creep just above the freezing point and suddenly everyone's naked. You folks down in the warmer zones will never understand.

The people must have something good to read on a Sunday

Bad news all around in the mainstream pop-punk realm. It came to light that Fall Out Boy lifted lyrics from celebrated hardcore act American Nightmare / Give Up The Ghost. GUTG vocalist Wes Eisold settled out of court with multi-platinum act. A courtroom is where Good Charlotte's Joel Madden may find himself, as the frontman was accused of battering a woman this week. Hawthorne Heights is at least having some luck in the legal realm, as a judge ruled in their favor in one part of their war with Victory. Nothing particularly dramatic happened to Panic! At The Disco, but they did try their hand at controversy with a "mature" rated video. Allister? Heck they just sat the whole thing out.

Against Me! announced a major tour this year with Mastodon and Cursive among others. Band frontman Tom Gabel also spoke with the National Post the band's upcoming New Wave. The Beastie Boys announced a new record this summer, a return to action that Adam Yauch says will feature more live instruments than their previous. Yauch's also in the producer's chair on the new Bad Brains record, but you knew that. There's trouble in Denmark as members of Level Plane act Graf Orlock as well as Comadre were arrested for, essentially, "looking punk." This crazy week brought you a new studio journal from favorites Strung Out, a new video from Lifetime, and a good ol' "Top X albums" list for music nerds to rip apart.

We brought you a lots of new streams this week, including selections from the Pop Punk's Not Dead compilation, music from South Korea's the Geeks, the split from Leftover Crack and Citizen Fish, Chris McCaughan's new project Sundowner, and anticipated new music from Hot Rod Circuit. Our MP3 Of The Week introduced you to the Chinese Telephones and brought you an old favorite from the Dismemberment Plan, while our Video Of The Week featured Against Me!' performing a new song in Richmond.

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