The venerated Los Angeles band Bad Religion is honored to be appearing at the historic Reason Rally this March 24^th in Washington DC. The event is a free nationwide celebration intended to “unify, energize, and embolden secular people nationwide.” Bad Religion’s singer, Greg Graffin (author of Anarchy Evolution: Faith, Science, and Bad Religion in a World Without God) will sing the national anthem and the world renowned band will perform a one hour set.

Slated to be the largest secular event in world history, the rally is sponsored by the top secular organizations in the United States and will feature music, comedy, and addresses by leaders of the secular movement. Scheduled to appear are Bad Religion, author Dr. Richard Dawkins, actor and comedian Eddie Izzard, writer and comedian Bill Maher, comedian Tim Minchin and many more.  The event is intended to give secular Americans an opportunity to unite under a banner of reason and community, at a level never seen before.

Bad Religion’s appearance at the Reason Rally is only fitting. Formed over three decades ago in the suburbs of Los Angeles amidst the incendiary punk movement, the popular and influential band has a well documented history advocating for intellectual freedom and secularism. From their provocative name, to their iconic “cross buster” logo to a lyrical canon filled with humanist themes, few other artists have so unflinchingly aligned themselves with issues of humanism and rational thought.

As Bad Religion guitarist and co-songwriter Brett Gurewitz explains, “People often ask whether I think music makes a difference; whether it’s a force for change.  Bad Religion’s invitation to appear at the Reason Rally (history’s largest secular gathering) for me affirms the notion that art has the power to transform social norms, that over the past 30 years our band, through its music and message, has contributed to a real and very positive trend toward secularization.”

The band’s singer and co-songwriter Greg Graffin offers, “We thought it was a good gathering of people who want to stress that reason should characterize the citizenry of this country, not affiliation with some religious group or socioeconomic stratum or any other criterion besides the willingness to engage in reasonable debate that is informed by rational knowledge. All I’ve ever heard from fans (and that includes parents and their kids alike) is that they have been inspired to learn more and care more by listening to our music. I think therefore, that the Reason Rally—like Bad Religion—can be very inspirational. “

Bad Religion’s latest album titled, The Dissent Of Man is available on Epitaph Records.

The Reason Rally will occur this March 24th, 2012, from 10:00AM – 6:00PM at the National Mall in Washington DC. For more information go to: www.reasonrally.org/

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Number 2, I didn’t like the single at first, which probably has a lot to do with gripe number 1.  I took repeated listens, and I actually had to make comparisons to other music that I like in order to help me along.  This is something I don’t usually like to do, but on the first two tracks “Grace” and “The Wallflowers” (the first of which also appears on their full length Awkward Breeds) lead man Steve Ciolek  vocals bring back fond memories of rocking out to Weezer without River Cuomo’s self loathing lyrics.  The next two tracks “The 9th Piece (Alternate version)”, and “Stay” (the first once again appears on their recent full length) have the same type of feeling as Graham Nash’s Songs for Beginners (one of my favourite non-punk albums). 

It has been a long time since I have been able to say I liked a different band or album without being able to attach the punk label to them mostly because I feel like it is cheating on my musical love, but sometimes to enjoy good music I have to accept the fact that I can be friends with other genres without betraying the other.  With Grace, The Sidekicks have introduced me to a new friend.

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I recently sat and listened to their two latest releases, Treason, which is available on 7″ vinyl from Rebel Time Records, and Equalize X Distort The Studio  3 Sessions. The latter recording is an 8 song live recording which was done in November at CIUT FM in Toronto.  The recording features 6 songs from the groups back catalog (including ” Treason” and “ Start Again” from the Treason 7″) as well as two covers “Breaking the Law” and “Fortunate Son”  (which I have heard covered before but the group has definitely added their own spin to this classic with a bass and drum intro).  The recording was apparently limited to 100 copies on cd but it is available in its entirety on their bandcamp page.

Listening to The Class Assassins reminds me of the Street Dogs songs “Punk Rock ‘n’ Roll”.  Not because it sounds like it, but because if Punk Rock ‘n’ Roll was added to the many sub-genres of punk I imagine they would have either wrote the recipe for it or redefined it.  Now while I am only currently familiar with the 8 tracks from these two releases, they are full of exactly what I like in punk songs,fast paced guitar attacks and  fist pumping, rabble rousing, sing along choruses.  Treason and Equalize X Distort were my introduction to The Class Assassins, and it is as good as a place as any to start, and I highly recommend you do.

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The Business returns to the U.S. for a month-long tour with direct support from Downtown Struts.

(w/ The Downtown Struts)
Feb 24 Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
Feb 25 Bremerton, WA @ The Charleston
Feb 26 Portland, OR @ Rotture
Feb 28 Sacramento, CA @ The Blue Lamp
Feb 29 San Francisco, CA @ Thee Parkside
Mar 1 Pomona, CA @ Characters
Mar 2 Anaheim, CA @ Juke Joint
Mar 3 San Diego, CA @ Shakedown Bar
Mar 4 Tempe, AZ @ Yucca Tap Room
Mar 6 Austin, TX @ The Mohawk, Patio
Mar 7 San Antonio, TX @ Korova
Mar 8 Dallas, TX @ LaGrange
Mar 9 Corpus, TX @ House of Rock
Mar 10 Houston, TX @ Walter’s
Mar 13 New Orleans, LA @ Siberia
Mar 15 Tampa, FL @ Orpheum
Mar 16 West Palm Beach, FL @ Respectable St.
Mar 19 Savannah, GA @ The Jinx
Mar 20 Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506
Mar 21 Pittsburgh, PA @ Smiling Moose (Upstairs)
Mar 22 Fort Wayne, IN @ The Brass Rail
Mar 23 Lansing, MI @ Macs
Mar 24 Chicago, IL @ Cobra Lounge (without Downtown Struts)

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14th Annual Punk Rock Bowling and Music Festival
Memorial Day Weekend • May 25 – 28, 2012
Downtown Las Vegas

MORE BANDS JUST ANNOUNCED!!!

Rancid, Nofx, Pennywise,
Sham 69, Hepcat, The Adicts,
Hot Water Music, The Briefs, Youth Of Today
Street Dogs, Dead Ending, Real McKenzies, Old Man Markley,
The Beltones , Far From Finished, Toys That Kill,
American Heist, Holding On To Sound,
The Bots, The Dips, American Werewolves,
PLUS MORE GREAT BANDS TO BE ANNOUNCED

TICKETS ON SALE!!!

3 Day Festival Passes On Sale
Fri. Feb. 24 @ 1pm (PST)
$100 (plus $5 service fee)
(Sat. May 26 • Sun. May 27 • Mon. May 28)

Single Day Tickets on Sale (Based on Availability)
Mon. March 5 @ 1pm (PST)
$40 (plus $2.50 service fee)

Daily Lineup To Be Announced on Feb. 24, 2012
The Punk Rock Bowling and Music Festival was started back in 1999 as a way to bring the independent music community together for an annual party. It has since grown into a 3 day festival in downtownLas Vegas that brings out fans and bands alike from all over the world. Make no mistake, this is a PUNK ROCK PARTY that features some of the best bands of the past 35+ years, from the old school pioneers and classics to mainstays and up and comers.  Founders Shawn and Mark Stern of BYO Records and seminal SoCal band Youth Brigade have been heavily involved in the PUNK ROCK community since the late ‘70’s and spend countless hours scouring their record collections, memories and abilities to reach out to old friends and new to put together an amazing line-up every year.

Joining previously announced acts Rancid, NOFX, Pennywise, The Adicts and The Briefs (original lineup) are: Sham 69 (Pursey / Parsons / Tregunna ’77 lineup), Hepcat, Hot Water Music, Youth Of Today (NYC 80′s Hardcore Monsters), Street Dogs, Dead Ending (featuring Joe Principe of Rise Against, Derek Grant of Alkaline Trio, Vic Bondi of Articles Of Faith, and Jeff Dean of Noise By Numbers), Real McKenzies, Old Man Markley, The Beltones, Far From Finished, Toys That Kill, American Heist, Holding On To Sound, The Bots The Dips, American Werewolves AND MORE TBA!!!!

All festival shows are ALL AGES.

To purchase tickets, register for Punk Rock Bowling and for more information, visit: www.punkrockbowling.com

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The City Calls new music video ‘Meet In The Middle’ has just been released. Produced by the extremely talented Josh Partridge who has worked with such U.K. bands as ‘Sell Your Sky’

The band is also heading out on tour in February with Forever August and Malokai I’ve included the dates and details below.

15.02 London – The Good Ship
16.02 Nottingham – The Maze
17.02 Yeovil – Tabernacle Junction
19.02 Winchester – The Railway Inn

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Groundbreaking Band To Play Coachella and Way Out West Festival

The groundbreaking, highly influential Swedish hardcore band Refused have announced a series of shows scheduled for summer 2012. This is the band’s first appearance since their breakup in the late ‘90s and will include performances at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 13th and 20th and the Way Out West Festival in Sweden Aug 9-11.

Refused have released the following statement and the full statement can be found here:   www.officialrefused.com 

…It’s been a motley 14 years since our band came apart. We’ve all kept busy in our respective endeavors but we’ve all remained friends and kept in touch. There have been offers, and lots of jokes about these offers. We’ve sort of looked down from our high horses and made fun of people who’ve just wanted to share the psychopathic intensity that we would deliver on a nightly basis in our post-pubescent prime. A reunion has just seemed irrelevant to us. Too much other shit to do…

 …We never did “The Shape of Punk To Come” justice back when it came out, too tangled up in petty internal bickering to really focus on the job. And suddenly there’s this possibility to do it like it was intended. We wanna do it over, do it right. For the people who’ve kept the music alive through the years, but also for our own sakes…

Originally released in 1998, The Shape of Punk to Come  “blurred the lines that separate punk, metal and hardcore, while peppering this brutal fusion with bits of techno percussion, jazzy rhythmic change-ups and long, complex song structures that support politically-charged messages,” (CMJ,1998).  Refused’s most critically acclaimed and final album exploded on the scene with the jaw-dropping hardcore anthem “New Noise,” which helped change the game forever by influencing a range of genres to this day, which includes being named “Best New Re-issue” by Pitchfork.com in 2010.

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Band To Tour In Support Of Anticipated Epitaph Records Debut

Rising punk rock band The Menzingers create a rousing sound featuring crashing power chords, rock steady drumming and anthemic sing-along choruses alongside powerfully poetic everyman lyrics. The group is set to release their Epitaph Records debut album On The Impossible Past this February 21st. Fans are invited to pre-order the album by going to www.themenzingersstore.com.

On The Impossible Past was recorded at Atlas Studios in Chicago with longtime collaborators Matt Allison (Alkaline Trio, The Lawrence Arms) and Justin Yates. While the record retains all the raucous spirit of the band’s earlier efforts sonically, it’s a monumental step forward. “I think that ‘Gates’ is one of the most mature songs on the album,” guitarist/vocalist Tom May explains, referencing the tender rock song sung by Barnett that truly transcends genres. “I hope it surprises people because it’s not a straight-forward punk song with gang vocals or anything like that but it still definitely sounds like us.”

It’s undoubtedly been an exciting time for The Menzingers, touring with acts like Against Me! and The Gaslight Anthem as well as playing their own headlining shows to enthusiastic audiences and the band wouldn’t change it for the world. “I get a lot of personal emails that say something to the effect of ‘my girlfriend broke up with me or my dad died and I listen to your music and it makes me feel really good’ and that validates what we’re doing and the time and effort we put into the new album,” May summarizes. “When people hear the songs from On The Impossible Past, I just hope people can relate to it and it makes them feel the way we do when we sing it.”

The Menzingers will be on tour with Rise Against starting January 17th and will release a 7 inch single for the track “The Obituaries” available here.

Menzingers’ Tour Dates:
Jan-12 Greenville, NC Tipsy Teapot
Jan-13 Chapel Hill, NC Local 506
Jan-14 Charlotte, NC Milestone Club
Jan-15 Birmingham, AL God’s Butt
Jan-16 Little Rock, AR Downtown Music Hall
Jan-17 Dallas, TX The Prophet Bar
Jan-18 Austin, TX Austin Music Hall w/ Rise Against
Jan-19 San Antonio, TX Illusion Theater at Alamodome w/ Rise Against
Jan-20 New Orleans, LA House of Blues w/ Rise Against
Jan-22 Orlando, FL UCF Arena w/ Rise Against
Jan-23 Columbia, SC The Township Auditorium w/ Rise Against
Jan-25 Norfolk, VA Constant Convocation Center w/ Rise Against
Jan-26 Harrisonburg, VA The Blue Nile
Jan-27 Kent, OH Memorial Athletic and Convocation w/ Rise Against
Jan-28 Chicago, IL UIC Pavilion w/ Rise Against
Jan-30 University Park, PA Bryce Jordan Center w/ Rise Against
Jan-31 Poughkeepsie, NY Mid Hudson Civic Center w/ Rise Against
Feb-02 Lowell, MA Paul E. Tsongas Arena w/ Rise Against
Feb-03 Hartford, CT Webster Underground
Feb-04 Uniondale, NY Nassau Veterans Mem. Col. w/ Rise Against
Feb-05 Camden, NJ Susquehanna Bank Center w/ Rise Against
Feb-06 Fairfax, VA Patriot Center w/ Rise Against

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Performing In Support of Hit Album Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes

Revered Southern California rock ‘n’ roll band Social Distortion will be performing at the upcoming “WreX The Halls” concert hosted by popular San Diego radio station 91X. The legendary band will be performing December 11th on night two, alongside Blink 182, Pennywise and more. The concert will take place in San Diego.
In addition, Social Distortion has added some North American dates for January and February with Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls and Sharks playing in support.
Southern California natives, Social Distortion pioneered a revamped rock ‘n’ roll sound merging outlaw country, classic punk and swaggering blues rock. The band’s latest album Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes has been the highest charting of their storied career with USA Today called the revered band “as intense as ever.”
To purchase tickets for Social Distortion at WreX The Halls, just go to: http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/2C00475BC72F4C0F

Social Distortion Tour Dates

w. Chuck Ragan & Suedehead*
w. Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls and Sharks ^

Nov. 23 – Buffalo, NY – The Town Ballroom *
Nov. 25 – Louisville, KY – Expo 5 *
Nov. 26 – Toledo, OH – The Omni *
Nov. 27 – Grand Rapids, MI – The Orbit Room *
Nov. 29 – Madison, WI – Orpheum Theatre *
Dec. 02 – Denver, CO – Odgen Theatre *
Dec. 03 – Denver, CO – Odgen Theatre * SOLD OUT
Dec. 04 – Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre * SOLD OUT

Dec. 10 – Los Angeles, CA – KROQ ALMOST ACOUSTIC CHRISTMAS @ Gibson Amphitheatre SOLD OUT
Dec. 11 – San Diego, CA – 91X WREX THE HALLS @ Valley View Casino Center
Dec. 16 – Santa Monica, CA – Gary Tovar’s GV 30 @ Santa Monica Civic Auditorium SOLD OUT

Jan. 27 – Las Vegas, NV – The Joint @ Hard Rock Hotel ^
Jan. 31 – Albuquerque, NM – Sunshine Theater ^
Feb. 01 – Tucson, AZ – Rialto Theatre ^
Feb. 03 – Tempe, AZ – Marquee Theater ^
Feb. 06 – Reno, NV – Knitting Factory ^
Feb. 09 – Santa Cruz, CA – Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium ^
Feb. 10 – Oakland, CA – Fox Theater ^
Feb. 13 – Chico, CA – Senator Theater ^
Feb. 14 – Modesto, CA – Modesto Center Plaza ^
Feb. 16 – Ventura, CA – Majestic Ventura Theatre ^

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