January 8, 2006

It's Sunday January 8th, 2006. This marks our first weekly retrospective of the new year, as the planned previous edition of this article was lost in the revelry the holiday (which is a nice euphemism for "too much stout"). So anyway, music news this year kicked off like it always does, with a controversy over Mozart's skull. It's like clockwork. I don't know what ol' Wolfgang thinks he's doing hogging all the attention again, but we all know these late-career comebacks never work.

Stories you were talking about this week

While the band kept quiet throughout 2005, news of AFI's upcoming record drew a ton of attention this week, so expect a much higher profile for the long running act this year. Maybe it's not how we normally think of the frontman, but news that Pennywise's Jim Lindberg is planning a "punk rock" parenting book certainly turned a few heads. Of course Lifetime's reunions were big news last year, and that attention remained when we announced the details of their upcoming retrospective. Always good for an argument, the Misfits' plans for a new album in 2006 and word of a documentary posthumously narrated by the late Kurt Cobain each caused their share of controversy. Other topics that got a reaction included the "American Hardcore" documentary, Strike Anywhere's upcoming tour, the Bouncing Souls' recording plans, Death By Stereo's globetrotting adventures and Every Time I Die's harrowing van accident.

Of course we wished you all Happy New Year by unveiling the year end picks of a number of `Org family members. Check those out to learn our horrifying secrets.

Sponsored tours Take Action Tour Matchbook Romance, Silverstein, Chiodos, Amber Pacific, Paramore, The Early November, I Am Ghost and Hit The Lights are among the bands playing this year's Take Action Tour. The Sub City organized event provides support and resources for young people to turn to when in need through the National Hopeline Network and 1-800-SUICIDE(784-2433).

December 25, 2005

It's Sunday December 25th, 2005. So apparently the reason ol' Yukon Cornelius licked his axes was because he was using them to mine for peppermint. This makes sense (as far as cartoon logic goes) only the versions of this broadcast when I was a kid had the scene which establishes this fact cut out. So here I go, living my entire life with the perception that pick axes are, in fact, delicious, only to be disappointed time and time again. I don't know whose fault this is, but they'll pay. Oh how they'll pay.

Stories you were talking about this week

So there's no question what the biggest story of the week was, as it's likely also the biggest story of the year, but when a band like Against Me! signs to a major label imprint like Sire Records it can certainly be expected. As always, anything involving the ubiquitous social networking site MySpace, particularly allegations of unfair play, gets the comments flowing. Oh the tears were shed at the breakup of Bear Vs. Shark, at least if our comment sections are any indication. Also this week you debated the Warped Tour (again) due to the addition of Every Time I Die, as well as ETID's upcoming tour with Story Of The Year and From First To Last. Speaking of the latter, details on their upcoming record managed to whip the rabble into a frenzy. Finally an upcoming tour featuring No Use For A Name, the Suicide Machines and I Am The Avalanche also had you talking.

So you saw our holiday gift to each and every one of you who visits Punknews.org didn't you? You didn't? Well pour a big glass of egg nog and gather the family `round to watch a full live set from Dillinger Four. Happy holidays from all of us.

December 18, 2005

It's Sunday December 18th, 2005. Well the snow is falling, Canadian politicians are debating, the American president is spying on you, and the music industry is waging a war on lyrics, or something to that effect. `Tis the season… I guess…

Stories you were talking about this week

Once again the Warped Tour had your attention, particularly with the addition of Underoath and Against Me!, the latter always a magnet for controversy. Speaking of punk rock summer camps, one planned by the fiercely independent Plan-It-X caused just as much debate. The curious dissolution of Blink-182 continued, as its former members' projects, Plus 44 and Angels & Airwaves, seem to be competing for your attention. Other prominent stories this week include Fat Wreck's new website, Anti-Flag's impending tour, Microsoft and MTV's new challenge to iTunes, Kid Dynamite's long awaited DVD, and Over It's move from Lobster to Virgin Records.

This week also saw the passing of RKL's Bomber Manzullo and the All-American Rejects' Tim Jordan. Our condolences go to the families and friends of both.

Current contests Hewhocorrupts Inc. contest Hewhocorrupts Inc. is celebrating the holidays by giving away a ton of swag. Click that link for a chance to win clothes, CDs and other great merch from the label.

December 11, 2005

It's Sunday December 11th, 2005. So I think it's fairly clear that this mysterious new Beast of Borneo has some sort of soul penetrating laser vision, which is likely why we've only just caught it on film. You can rest assured that Punknews will be sending a team to Indonesia to capture this creature and harness it's power as a means of moderating our reader comment sections. Speaking of which…

Stories you were talking about this week

The fatal shooting at an Arizona Shattered Realm / Donnybrook show opened that can of worms regarding the role of violence in the hardcore scene, and it was without doubt the biggest story of the week. Following it closely was the reaction from Warped head Kevin Lyman to bands claiming false Warped Tour connections to potential sponsors. Yet again the music industry legal juggernaut struck, this time curiously targeting lyrics and tablature websites. A quick list of other prominent topics this week includes Green Day's success at the Billboard awards, the upcoming Bob Marley singles collection, an obituary for comedian Richard Pryor, and the completion of the new Lawrence Arms record.

Oh, and we spoke with the elusive Chris Hannah (or is it Glen Lambert?) of Winnipeg's Propagandhi. The band's political views, as expected, caused their share of controversy.

Current contests Johnny Thunders contest Music Video Distributors is giving away a trio of DVDs featuring the legendary Johnny Thunders, including the new New York Dolls documentary All Dolled Up.

Win a bike from The Fully Down
Ottawa's the Fully Down released their Fearless Records debut Don't Get Lost In A Movement on November 22nd. To celebrate the band is giving away a brand new Hoffman bike.

Shameless self promotion

We've received your letters and know you're all pining for more Scott-related content, so here's your fix. Not one but two interviews with the former Punknews editor are online now. You can hear Mr. Heisel's heavenly voice via the October 28 podcast from Unrestricted Radio and read his words via a "5 in 5" feature for webzine BurnBurn (click "Features"). As you all know, our boy Scott's now rolling with Alternative Press magazine.

December 4, 2005

It's Sunday December 4th, 2005. December's always a funny month for us as music news seems to dry up for a good three or four weeks over the holiday season. We haven't quite hit that point yet, but it's coming and these recaps are going to get shorter and shorter. I'm not quite sure how we'll handle it this year, but -- well you've heard the New Pornographers' "Fake Headlines" haven't you? "I wrote the news today…" Stories you were talking about this week

So we had a fun day fielding Pennywise break up rumours, and while some of our less gun shy contemporaries went ahead and announced it as true, time told us otherwise. Upcoming releases from the Slackers, None More Black and Sum 41 each got their fair share of attention. Two big event announcements had you talking, as Bamboozle 2006 announced some performers and dates for next year's Taste Of Chaos tour were confirmed. After years stuck as bridesmaids, both the Sex Pistols and Blondie were finally chosen for induction into the Rock'n'Roll Hall Of Fame. What that amounts to is up for debate.

The most talked about story last week? NOFX's 2006 tour with the Lawrence Arms and the Loved Ones.

Current contests Johnny Thunders contest Music Video Distributors is giving away a trio of DVDs featuring the legendary Johnny Thunders, including the new New York Dolls documentary All Dolled Up.

Blink-182 iPod Shuffle contest Blink-182 recently released their Greatest Hits retrospective and to celebrate they're giving away an iPod Shuffle.

Win a bike from The Fully Down
Ottawa's the Fully Down released their Fearless Records debut Don't Get Lost In A Movement on November 22nd. To celebrate the band is giving away a brand new Hoffman bike.

Sponsored tours Fat Tour 2005 Fat Wreck Chords are in the midst of the 2005 Fat Tour. Against Me!, the Epoxies, Smoke or Fire and the Soviettes will be on the road together for one more week this December.

Nov 27, 2005

It's Sunday November 27th, 2005. So it's Thanksgiving weekend for you Americans, which as I understand it consists of getting in fights at Wal-Mart over video game systems. Me? I spent most of the weekend avoiding cars as they fishtailed through the ice. It seems all Ontarians forget how to drive right around the time of the season's first snowstorm. Anyways…

Stories you were talking about this week

Epitaph's recent signings have been been nothing if not controversial, and it seems their deal with Escape The Fate is no exception. NOFX's new record is creating a healthy buzz, as is the forthcoming album from New Found Glory. Once again the 2006 Warped Tour had your attention, particularly with the announcement that Anti-Flag was taking part. On opposite ends of the spectrum, articles on Propagandhi's homecoming benefit show and an XBox sponsored tour both got you talking.

Our condolences this week go out to the family and friends of pioneering guitarist Link Wray.

Current contests Johnny Thunders contest Music Video Distributors is giving away a trio of DVDs featuring the legendary Johnny Thunders, including the new New York Dolls documentary All Dolled Up.

Wow, Owls! contest
Richmond, VA's Wow, Owls! released Pick Your Patterns this year and we're giving a few copies away!

Win a guitar from Avenged Sevenfold
The Cities of Evil tour happening now and features Saosin, Death By Stereo and Bullets And Octane, Avenged Sevenfold! You can win an autographed Schecter Diamond Series guitar.

Blink-182 iPod Shuffle contest Blink-182 recently released their Greatest Hits retrospective and to celebrate they're giving away an iPod Shuffle.

Win a bike from The Fully Down
Ottawa's the Fully Down will release their Fearless Records debut Don't Get Lost In A Movement on November 22nd. To celebrate the band is giving away a brand new Hoffman bike.

Sponsored tours Fat Tour 2005 Fat Wreck Chords are in the midst of the 2005 Fat Tour. Against Me!, the Epoxies, Smoke or Fire and the Soviettes will be on the road together until December and hitting every state along the way.

The Briefs / Clit 45
The Briefs are on the road this month supporting their new album Steal Yer Heart with labelmates Clit 45.

Shameless self promotion

I suppose I'll throw him a bone again this week. Our staff reviewer Jesse Raub is now writing a weekly column for Sayrah. Give it a read!

Nov 20, 2005

It's Sunday November 20th, 2005. On this day in 1965 a child was born by the name of Michael Diamond. We know him today as Mike D of the Beastie Boys. He's 40. Have a good one Alesandro Alegre.

Stories you were talking about this week

Lifetime's back! Just what will result of their reunion remains to be seen, but their tour dates and musings on their future certainly captured your attention. Once again next year's Warped Tour was a hot topic, especially with the announcement that NOFX, Thursday and Motion City Soundtrack are participating. Speaking of Thursday, their 2006 plans got plenty of attention. The same goes for Less Than Jake. Weirdest news of the week? My Chemical Romance action figures. Yeah.

Finally our condolences this week go out to the family and friends of Timur Kacharava of Russian bands Sandinista! and Distress.

Current contests Wow, Owls! Contest
Richmond, VA's Wow, Owls! released Pick Your Patterns this year and we're giving a few copies away!

Win a guitar from Avenged Sevenfold
The Cities of Evil tour happening now and features Saosin, Death By Stereo and Bullets And Octane, Avenged Sevenfold! You can win an autographed Schecter Diamond Series guitar.

Blink-182 iPod Shuffle contest Blink-182 recently released their Greatest Hits retrospective and to celebrate they're giving away an iPod Shuffle.

Win a bike from The Fully Down
Ottawa's the Fully Down will release their Fearless Records debut Don't Get Lost In A Movement on November 22nd. To celebrate the band is giving away a brand new Hoffman bike.

Thrice Xbox 360 contest Thrice just released their much anticipated Vheissu and to celebrate the band and Island are giving away an Xbox 360!

Sponsored tours Fat Tour 2005 Fat Wreck Chords are in the midst of the 2005 Fat Tour. Against Me!, the Epoxies, Smoke or Fire and the Soviettes will be on the road together until December and hitting every state along the way.

The Fest 4
Tonight is the final evening of the 2004 edition of The Fest. We were thrilled to be involved this year and can't wait to hear about next!

The Briefs / Clit 45
The Briefs are on the road this month supporting their new album Steal Yer Heart with labelmates Clit 45.

Shameless self promotion

Not content with the amount of controversy he causes as staff reviewer, our pal Jesse Raub is now writing a weekly column for Sayrah. Give it a read!

Nov 13, 2005

It's Sunday November 13th, 2005. So a lot happened this week. Earth-2 Superman revealed Power Girl's true origins, while the OMAC's began their assault on Themyscira, and… wait… sorry, wrong topic. Here's your weekly recap of what's been happening in the `Org universe (which, we're happy to say, is crisis-free).

Stories you were talking about this week

The fallout over Sony BMG's intrusive copy-protection software continued, and from the look of our news submission inbox it's not going to be forgotten any time soon. There was a lot of interest in the forthcoming full lengths by Less Than Jake and Good Riddance, as well as the new recordings from The Draft. Poor old Streetlight Manifesto can't catch a break, as the band was robbed yet again. However the topic that got the most attention this week was the announcement that Rise Against was playing the 2006 Warped Tour. Even in the off season the long standing summer outing remains one of the most high profile and and contentious facets of the modern punk scene.

Current contests Blink-182 iPod Shuffle contest Blink-182 recently released their Greatest Hits retrospective and to celebrate they're giving away an iPod Shuffle.

Win a bike from The Fully Down
Ottawa's the Fully Down will release their Fearless Records debut Don't Get Lost In A Movement on November 22nd. To celebrate the band is giving away a brand new Hoffman bike.

PROTECT contest
With the help of Fat Wreck Chords and Punk Voter we're giving away a few pairs of Etnies shoes and more swag to promote PROTECT: A Benefit for the National Association to Protect Children.

Thrice Xbox 360 contest Thrice just released their much anticipated Vheissu and to celebrate the band and Island are giving away an Xbox 360!

Sponsored tours Fat Tour 2005 Fat Wreck Chords are in the midst of the 2005 Fat Tour. Against Me!, the Epoxies, Smoke or Fire and the Soviettes will be on the road together until December and hitting every state along the way.

The Fest 4
A ton of bands will appear in Gainesville, FL for the fourth annual edition of The Fest on the November 18th weekend. Over 100 bands will take part, including Dillinger Four, the Bouncing Souls, Toys That Kill, the Draft, the Loved Ones, Paint It Black, the Marked Men, This Bike Is A Pipebomb, Latterman and the entire line up of the above mentioned Fat Tour!

The Briefs / Clit 45
The Briefs are on the road this month supporting their new album Steal Yer Heart with labelmates Clit 45.

Nov 6, 2005

It's Sunday November 6th, 2005. Exactly 30 years ago to this day the Sex Pistols made their debut performance at St. Martin's School of Art in London. It took about ten minutes for someone to pull the plug. Here's your weekly recap of what's been happening in the `Org universe.

Stories you were talking about this week

Social networking site MySpace launched a record label and you folks sure had something to say about it. The same goes for Sony BMG's copy-protection software, the shady computing practices of which were publicly exposed. Everyone had an ideal track list in mind for Bad Religion's Live at the Palladium DVD, and more than a few arguments were started over Green Day's extended video for "Jesus of Suburbia," Moby's new punk rock project and Anti-Flag's major label debut.

Finally our condolences go the families and friends of Bayside drummer John Holohan and DMBQ drummer Mana Nishiura. Both were lost to us in tragic accidents this past week.

Current contests Win a bike from The Fully Down
Ottawa's the Fully Down will release their Fearless Records debut Don't Get Lost In A Movement on November 22nd. To celebrate the band is giving away a brand new Hoffman bike. Note: This contest is open to Canadians, despite whatever we said earlier. To do otherwise would just be silly.

PROTECT contest
With the help of Fat Wreck Chords and Punk Voter we're giving away a few pairs of Etnies shoes and more swag to promote PROTECT: A Benefit for the National Association to Protect Children.

Thrice Xbox 360 contest Thrice just released their much anticipated Vheissu and to celebrate the band and Island are giving away an Xbox 360!

Rhino 27th Anniversary contest Rhino is celebrating their 27th anniversary by giving away the sweet box set No Thanks! The 70's Punk Rebellion and some essential early punk releases.

Sponsored tours Fat Tour 2005 Fat Wreck Chords are in the midst of the 2005 Fat Tour. Against Me!, the Epoxies, Smoke or Fire and the Soviettes will be on the road together until December and hitting every state along the way.

The Fest 4
A ton of bands will appear in Gainesville, FL for the fourth annual edition of The Fest on the November 18th weekend. Over 100 bands will take part, including Dillinger Four, the Bouncing Souls, Toys That Kill, the Draft, the Loved Ones, Paint It Black, the Marked Men, This Bike Is A Pipebomb, Latterman and the entire line up of the above mentioned Fat Tour!

The Briefs / Clit 45
The Briefs are on the road this month supporting their new album Steal Yer Heart with labelmates Clit 45.

Oct 30, 2005

So we're kicking off a weekly recap this Sunday to draw some attention to various happenings in the Punknews universe. We're still figuring out the format and purpose of this column, so bear with us.

-- Site News -- Welcome Justin!
I'm thrilled to announce that longtime Punknews reader and frequent contributor Justin August has joined Aubin, Brian and myself as a news editor. Justin's been submitting news, interviews and reviews under the sinister moniker of Fuzzy for some time now, and his reward is the maddening responsibility of sorting through hundreds of misspelled, erroneous news submissions. Once he's finished his training at the secluded Punknews Vineyard, Justin will emerge as a regular editor here. We welcome him to the team.

-- Current Contests -- PROTECT contest
With the help of Fat Wreck Chords and Punk Voter we're giving away a few pairs of Etnies shoes and more swag to promote PROTECT: A Benefit for the National Association to Protect Children.

Thrice Xbox 360 contest Thrice just released their much anticipated Vheissu and to celebrate the band and Island are giving away an Xbox 360!

Rhino 27th Anniversary contest Rhino is celebrating their 27th anniversary by giving away the sweet box set No Thanks! The 70's Punk Rebellion and some essential early punk releases.

Alkaline Trio / Reggie and the Full Effect contest
To celebrate their tour with My Chemical Romance, Alkaline Trio and Reggie and the Full Effect are giving away a whole ton of merch.

-- Sponsored Tours -- Fat Tour 2005 Fat Wreck Chords are in the midst of the 2005 Fat Tour. Against Me!, the Epoxies, Smoke or Fire and the Soviettes will be on the road together until December and hitting every state along the way.

The Fest 4
A ton of bands will appear in Gainesville, FL for the fourth annual edition of The Fest. Over 100 bands will take part, including Dillinger Four, the Bouncing Souls, Toys That Kill, the Draft, the Loved Ones, Paint It Black, the Marked Men, This Bike Is A Pipebomb, Latterman and the entire line up of the above mentioned Fat Tour!

The Briefs / Clit 45
The Briefs are on the road in November supporting their new album Steal Yer Heart with labelmates Clit 45.