The People Must Have Something Good To Read
In the past few weeks we've spoken with a number of bands and artists. Don't miss out on these interviews:
Tonight We're Going To Give It 35%
Punknews content is syndicated to a handful of your favorite social networks, including Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr. Join our Last.fm group and contribute your listening habits to our weekly charts. All of our high definition video footage can be found at Vimeo.
Here's your question and answer of the week from the Punknews Formspring:
Q: Have you ever dabbled with controlled substances? (note: this is not a cop asking)A: I have not. I should preface this by saying that the Johnny G is anti-drugs. I'm not some berserk sXe guy that thinks that people that do drugs are evil or immoral, but I do think that drugs are foolish and a waste of time and money.
Right now, it seems like media and society are portraying drugs as "cool." In the past two years, I've seen like four movies where the main characters do cocaine on purpose or by accident without any major consequences and just shake it off like it's no big deal. They also make it seem like doing drugs is a blast. I think that's sad.
Because of my connection to punk rock (and because I lived in the bay area for a while), I've been to numerous parties and places where people are doing harder drugs. Let me tell you, it's never a huge party with people running around getting into zany adventures. To the contrary, when people do hard drugs, they just sit around and stare at each other and are bores. The times when people are having a great time and doing hard drugs would be great times without the drugs too, and really, the drugs are nearly inconsequential.
I suppose the reason that I'm so anti-drug is a result because I worked in the produce industry for about 10 years. Due to the hard labor and extremely early hours, that industry generally doe snot attract top tier help, and a lot of people working in that field are current or ex-drug addicts. When you see these guys, day after day, with their dim eyes, grayed visages, and just generally dampened mental ability, it really turns you off the drug thing. Some people right now say "certain drug use in certain circumstances doesn't have long term affects," but I'll tell you, I've met lots of examples that shoot that idea right down.
Plus, I'm anti-drugs on an economic level. We're lucky in that we are born in countries with low starvation levels where life is pretty okay. All around the world, people are fighting desperately for life, and to pay money for death in a bag (and make no mistake, drugs DO damage you) seems foolish at best and fundamentally selfish and insulting at worst.
Also, I'm anti-drug because drugs like cocaine and heroin are the direct result of death and slavery. Every day, men, women, and children are murdered and enslaved in South America and other countries as a result in the production or conflict in the drug trade. People sniffing coke are literally using a product that is the result of brutal murder.
One way to counter that last argument is to make all drugs legal, which would effectively eliminate the illegal drug trade. I'm all for letting people make their own choices- if someone wants to blast their brains out with weasel powder, I don't care. But, the problem then, is that hard drugs can be particularly dangerous (way more dangerous than weed or booze) so if a young kid or teenager that doesn't understand the dangers in what they were doing, one small screw up could potentially ruin his or her entire life.
I just wish people would be smart enough enough to stop doing hard drugs. What a foolish, group-minded and stupid thing to do. As for weed, I think that's dumb too, but I can't really make an argument as to how weed is more dangerous than beer. So, I don't think it's that big of a deal. But, if you are going to do weed, just make sure it doesn't cut back on your productivity and creativity.
I don't have any answers. Hard drugs just seem like a foolish way to squander this short time on earth that we have.
-John G
Of course your day wouldn't be complete without knowing every inane detail of your humble editors' lives. Follow @aubinpaul, @adamwhite, @johngentile, @ameliaaacline, @kiraface, @mcflynnthm, @andywritesstuff, @wackymondo, @Brittastrophee and @BrittStrummer's every move at Twitter. A few of the new fathers on staff have even started a punk dad blog.
Where else are you online? Share your links below and keep connected with the Punknews community.
Radio Free Punknews
Check out the Punknews Music page to stream all sorts of new music from recent or upcoming releases. Our latest additions include:
- The new EP from New York, NY's The Strange Times
- The new EP from Los Angeles, CA's Neighborhood Brats
We've also expanded our podcast empire to something that will eventually resemble a network. Be sure to check out the original Punknews Podcast (subscribe via RSS or iTunes), Adam's Ontario showcase Some Party (subscribe via RSS or iTunes), and Greg Simpson and Greg Moore's Two Gregs One Podcast.
January 5, 2014
Hello everyone and welcome to Navel Gazing: your look back in the week in Punknews. I'm Brittany Strummer and I'll be your guide through some of the juiciest, most popular and otherwise noteworthy stories from the last seven days. Remember, every Punknews story is built from tips from our wonderful, good-looking readers, so get to submitting. Here's what got the strange, slow and old community talking this week:
- We did some math to determine our favorite records of 2013. We did the same for our wonderful readers.
- The Gaslight Anthem's Brian Fallon debuted his new project.
- The next group of bands for Warped Tour was announced.
- Shinobu headed back into the studio.
- The Bruce Lee Band released a new song with guest vocals from Sean Bonnette of Andrew Jackson Jihad.
- Record collectors rejoiced when it was revealed that the Jetty Boys' beloved recording, Sheboygan, would see a vinyl release.
With that, we hand over this Sunday evening to the Punknews community, where anything is possible, from the next amusing-then-overwrought meme, to the creation of bands and message boards, to alienating sports chatter. So talk amongst yourselves and we'll see you Monday morning.
Tonight We're Going To Give It 35%
Punknews content is syndicated to a handful of your favorite social networks, including Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr. Join our Last.fm group and contribute your listening habits to our weekly charts. All of our high definition video footage can be found at Vimeo.
Here's your question and answer of the week from the Punknews Formspring:
Q: Assuming both albums come out this coming year, what will be more interesting in your opinion, the new Morning Glory album or the new Leftover Crack album; the first one without Ezra Kire?A: Well, first of all, I feel that the whole "Crack Rock Steady Scene" and the acts that it split out into are unfairly maligned. Truly, I feel as though Choking Victim and Leftover Crack were two of the most clever bands of the 2000's- maybe even the most clever.
What I love about those bands is that they blend together anarcho-punk with ska with Satanism in both a serious and silly way. One moment, they are exhibiting and praising the best virtues of anarcho-punk, and then, the next moment, they are reveling in the ridiculousness of it all.
I think a lot of people had trouble with those bands because they didn't spell everything out. They never let on what parts were serious and what parts were jokes. A lot of punks like to read everything literally and use almost no analysis, so they took everything CV/LoC did at face value, which is a misstep.
Plus, the way CV/LoC half seriously/half jokingly saluted suicide and drug use in an era when most punk was "always do the right thing" or "suicide is bad" or "straight edge is the only way to live" gave punk rock a good kick in the ass. Through example, CV/LoC were arguing that punk doesn't need to be code, but rather, an invitation to think critically. Also, they were (and are) one of the few truly dangerous bands while most other bands want to try to present themselves as "sensible" or "nice guys." Screw that. Plus, they are just fun, which a lot of punk bands were scared to do.
But, none of it would have amounted to anything if the members of those bands were dynamite song writers- Scott Sturgeon, Ezra Kire, Brad Logan, Ara Babajian, Alec Baille, and the rest each are phenomenal songwriters. "Infested" is one of the greatest punk songs ever written. (Did you know that there is a LoC version of "Infested", too?
But, by now, the two main song writers, Sturgeon and Ezra have split into Star Fucking Hipsters and Morning Glory, respectively. A new MG record called War Psalms is coming out in February and the rumor mill is that a LoC record is in the works.
It might be the wimpy answer, and I usually like to avoid the wimpy reply, but I can't pick a favorite between those two. I love how Sturgeon has that wonderfully raspy, unique voice and has really dangerous concepts in his music. But, I equally love how Ezra has that soaring voice and his songs are so meticulously plotted and huge.
Had I my druthers, I'd have them record together again because the interplay between their two voices, personalities, and writing styles is one of the best song writing teams in punk rock. But, if they'd rather write apart, that's not so bad because the last MG record was probably the best and the last SFH record was probably the best one too.
2014 is a good year to be alive- despite this.
-John G
Of course your day wouldn't be complete without knowing every inane detail of your humble editors' lives. Follow @aubinpaul, @adamwhite, @johngentile, @ameliaaacline, @kiraface, @mcflynnthm, @andywritesstuff, @wackymondo, @Brittastrophee and @BrittStrummer's every move at Twitter. A few of the new fathers on staff have even started a punk dad blog.
Where else are you online? Share your links below and keep connected with the Punknews community.
December 29, 2013
Hello everyone and welcome to Navel Gazing: your look back in the week in Punknews. I'm Brittany Strummer and I'll be your guide through some of the juiciest, most popular and otherwise noteworthy stories from the last seven days. Remember, every Punknews story is built from tips from our wonderful, good-looking readers, so get to submitting. Here's what got the strange, slow and old community talking this week:
- The Punknews editors and staff shared their favorite albums of 2013.
- Big Eyes and Maura Weaver of Mixtapes also shared their lists. So did Dan Yemin of Paint It Black and Joel Tannenbaum of Plow United.
- The Lawrence Arms announced a tour with Great Apes, Nothington, and The Copyrights.
- Bomb the Music Industry! revealed the impressive support for their final shows.
- Blatz announced their first show in 21 years to raise money for Mike Montano of Filth who was diagnosed with cancer.
- Propagandhi unveiled a handful of dates with The Flatliners and War on Women.
With that, we hand over this Sunday evening to the Punknews community, where anything is possible, from the next amusing-then-overwrought meme, to the creation of bands and message boards, to alienating sports chatter. So talk amongst yourselves and we'll see you Monday morning.
The People Must Have Something Good To Read
In the past few weeks we've spoken with a number of bands and artists. Don't miss out on these interviews:
Tonight We're Going To Give It 35%
Punknews content is syndicated to a handful of your favorite social networks, including Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr. Join our Last.fm group and contribute your listening habits to our weekly charts. All of our high definition video footage can be found at Vimeo.
Here's your question and answer of the week from the Punknews Formspring:
Q: metal or punx?A: As an art form? Definitely punk. Heavy metal rules, but if you compare the range of sounds from metal- Sabbath to Judas Priest to Slayer to Deafheaven, say, to the range of sound in punk, from The Sex Pistols to Devo to Bomb the Music Industry! to Discharge to Gnarboots, punk has a wider range and is more experimental, overall. Punk for the win.
But, as a social group? Definitely metal. Whenever I go to a punk house show, or even a punk concert, people are just constantly trying to "be too cool" and tend to be more cliquish and self absorbed. People seem to not be there to make friends or even enjoy the show, but just display their punk cred or whatever. But, for most metal shows, it's like a huge party. Everyone there is glad that everyone is down with the band playing and is excited to get their face melted off. At a metal show, you'll meet tons of cool people, like "Hacksaw Jim," or Thomas the guy who literally hasn't bathed in four months or maybe even your future wife- like I did when she gets early release in 2016!!!!!
-John G
Of course your day wouldn't be complete without knowing every inane detail of your humble editors' lives. Follow @aubinpaul, @adamwhite, @howtobepunk, @johngentile, @ameliaaacline, @kiraface, @mcflynnthm, @andywritesstuff, @wackymondo, @Brittastrophee and @BrittStrummer's every move at Twitter. A few of the new fathers on staff have even started a punk dad blog.
Where else are you online? Share your links below and keep connected with the Punknews community.
December 22, 2013
Hello everyone and welcome to Navel Gazing: your look back in the week in Punknews. I'm Brittany Strummer and I'll be your guide through some of the juiciest, most popular and otherwise noteworthy stories from the last seven days. Remember, every Punknews story is built from tips from our wonderful, good-looking readers, so get to submitting. Here's what got the strange, slow and old community talking this week:
- Against Me! released a new song and lead singer Laura Jane Grace spoke to NME about the journey to Transgender Dysphoria Blues.
- Cobra Skulls decided to hang up the hat.
- Fake Problems' Chris Farren and Red Scare's Toby Jeg shared their best of 2013 lists. So, did Mikey Erg and The Gaslight Anthem's Benny Horowitz. Check theirs out here.
- Former Lostprophets lead singer, Ian Watkins, was sentenced to 35 years for child sex offenses; 29 years in prison and 6 years under license.
- Bad Religion performed "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" live on Conan.
- Cayetana released the new song "Hot Dad Calendar".
With that, we hand over this Sunday evening to the Punknews community, where anything is possible, from the next amusing-then-overwrought meme, to the creation of bands and message boards, to alienating sports chatter. So talk amongst yourselves and we'll see you Monday morning.
The People Must Have Something Good To Read
In the past few weeks we've spoken with a number of bands and artists. Don't miss out on these interviews: