Month: February 2017

Threatpoint – RIP

Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆

Ominous, dark, ambient sounds slowly give way to high speed menacing in the form of distraught distorted guitar, pummeling drums, thundering bass, and brutal yet harrowing vocals. That’s what you get on the beginning of R.I.P. the new release by Scranton, PA (The Electric City) based, Threatpoint.

Fucky yeah! I say. Old school thrash metal style. Reminds me a bit of latter year M.O.D. vocally, but more metal musically. It’s funny, I suppose. I was way into metal and thrash when I was a kid. I don’t listen to it a bunch these days. Listening to this makes me feel a bit nostalgic, and it also makes me want to start a mosh pit in my office. (I’m writing this while on a coffee break, ‘cause outside my spare time, I’m a fucking office drone.)

Because I’ve been out of this genre for a while I don’t have anything to readily compare it to. Not that comparisons are all that important. Suffice it to say that it’s doomy thrash metal. The band bio indicates that they’re a “Groove Metal” band. I don’t know what that means. Sounds fucking like something a hippie that’s also into meth might say. Beyond my shallow categorization, R.I.P. is a freaking gut punch and just what I need on a Friday afternoon to get psyched for the weekend.

Lyrically the themes are dark, as I’m sure you can assume from the song titles. It’s different from the more “Fuck you, and fuck society too” type of mantra that you get from hardcore punk. Much more gothic, doom, you know, more metal.

What I liked most of all, was the Spotify commercial in the middle of the album. … ok I actually didn’t fucking like that at all.

At the end of the day, I’d say this is a damn solid, dark thrash metal release from a band to which I hadn’t been privileged to hear before today.

Check em out! https://www.threatpointofficial.com/

Cheers!
Jerry Actually

Tracks:
R.I.P.
Deadend Machineland
Tombstone of My Enemies
Thy Will Be Done
Light Bleeds Through the Black
Bury the Wicked
Laugh Now… Cry Later
Writings on the Wall
One in the Chamber, One in the Chest
Face Your Fear
Angels with Broken Wings

WEAK13 release new music video for “Obey The Slave

British underground post punk band WEAK13 have released a new music video for their song “Obey The Slave” from their 2016 album They Live. The music video was filmed in a real English magistrates court and revolves around a theme of law and order. The song raises questions about authority and activism with thought provoking lyrics and proudly shouts “Don’t start a revolution. Have a revelation and share. Wake up”. Check out the video below.

The band is currently preparing to record their second as yet untitled studio album with producer John Stewart at FrEQ in Coventry, England. Speaking to the website, frontman and guitarist Nick J Townsend revealed “We were so impressed with the engineering by Stewart on the They Live album; it’s important news that we’ll be able to work with him again and we know already that he’ll do the new material the justice it deserves”. The They Live album contains the song “Obey The Slave” and is only available from weak13official.com

WEAK13 – OBEY THE SLAVE

JOHN FRUM: Mysterious New Project Announced from Current and Former Members of The Dillinger Escape Plan, The Faceless, John Zorn, etc.

A Stirring In The Noos Coming this May via Relapse Records.

February 15, 2017 – Los Angeles, CA – This is February 15, John Frum Day. On this day, cult followers from all over the island of Tanna in the South Pacific nation of Vanuatu come to the village of Lamakara at Sulfa Bay to march, raise their flags and celebrate their esoteric way of life. This is also the day that the patron saints of altered states known as John Frum reveal to the world the first glimpse into their chronicle of auditory disturbances. Indulge your senses HERE.
Consisting of current and formers members of The Dillinger Escape Plan, The Faceless, John Zorn and many other renowned projects, John Frum have been fermenting their bedeviled broth in the clandestine corners of their collective consciousness since 11.11.11. Like a planchette moved by the presence of subtle energies, John Frum functions as a medium for malefic musings.
Existing at the intersections of perception, superstition, intoxication, ritual, rhetoric, metaphysics and mystical experience, John Frum welcome in the golden age of musical enlightenment with their first manifesto, A Stirring in the Noos. Nearly 6 years in the making, John Frum’s unorthodox debut maneuvers through 40 minutes of darkly psychedelic and meticulously crafted death metal, the backdrop of a bad trip. A Stirring in the Noos is a dismal distillation of oneiric transmissions, an aural reliquary of mis-shapen manifestations, and a totem to modern primitivism in heavy music. A Stirring in the Noos will see it’s release this May via Relapse Records.
John Frum borrows its name from a relatively isolated group of natives in the South Pacific islands, known as a Cargo Cult, who first used the alias John Frum as a means to reject European ways, escape oppressive missionaries, and return to their old traditions. The narrative changed, during the war in the 1940s, to reflect their encounters with thousands of American soldiers who spectacularly descended on that region by sea and air with crates of wartime materials dropped from the sky, known as “Cargo.” These events drastically changed the beliefs and lifestyle of the islanders as they took the soldiers and their offerings to be god-like, as they descended from the heavens.
Alt-religious narratives induced by these encounters were incongruent with islanders’ long-held beliefs, yet the natives could not deny the call of the cargo. Attempting to reconcile their existing beliefs with the new understanding of the outside world led to some strange interpretations which evolved into a bizarre narrative about a dark-skinned soldier-deity who resides inside a nearby volcano, and who many believe will one day return, showering them in riches and technology.
Stay tuned for more info and music from John Frum. Read an in-depth account of John Frum Day via The Smithsonian Magazine HERE.
John Frum Is:
Matt Hollenberg (John Zorn, Cleric)/guitar
Eli Litwin (Intensus/Deveykus/Knife The Glitter)/drums
Derek Rydquist (Ex-The Faceless)/vocals
Liam Wilson (The Dillinger Escape Plan, Starkweather)/bass
Follow John Frum:

Happy Birthday, Esé. You’re a Man Now!

I’m a few days late in posting this, but !upstarter officially turned 18 years old last Friday.

It is amazing how much things have changed, how much things have remained the same, and how time marches the fuck on.

I’ve been privileged to listen to and meet so many great bands from across the globe. I’ve been able to go to a shit ton of shows I wouldn’t have otherwise even known about. It’s been a fantastic way to keep touch with the music and people that I love.

I wish that I could say that !upstarter is a thriving enterprise, but the truth is that these days it’s just a one man operation. That one man seems to have little time or motivation to muster more than a half-assed attempt most of the time anymore. I swear a lot that I’ll work on it, and I suppose in the last few months I have, but I’m not making any more promises.

Enough of the whining though. HAPPY FUCKING BIRTHDAY, !upstarter.

Cheers!
Jerry Actually

FLATFOOT 56 STREAMS NEW SONG, “PENNY,” AT BROOKLYNVEGAN.COM;

NEW ALBUM, ‘ODD BOAT,’ OUT APRIL 28TH

February 9, 2017 – Los Angeles, CA – Chicago’s Celtic punk band Flatfoot 56 will release their anticipated new album, Odd Boat, on April 28th with Sailor’s Grave Records. Today, the band has unveiled the record’s first new song, “Penny,” in partnership with BrooklynVegan.com. Fans can pre-order the album now from Sailor’s Grave Records or PledgeMusic.
Stream “Penny” now at BrooklynVegan.com: http://bit.ly/2kXlCPO
“”Penny” is a look at the way that we, as people, often consider ourselves unworthy of a second chance, while all the while it is staring us in the face, begging us to notice.” – Tobin Bawinkel (vocals/guitar)
Odd Boat was produced by Matt Allison at Atlas studios in Chicago and features 12 songs that blend the band’s unique blend of traditional Irish folk music and surging punk rock.
Fans can catch Flatfoot 56 on tour all spring, which will include album release shows, a tour with Larry and His Flask and a voyage on Flogging Molly’s “Salty Dog Cruise.” Dates are listed below.
Flatfoot 56 Tour Dates:
March 4 – Chicago, IL – Reggies Rock Club (Album Release Show)
March 5 – Fort Wayne, IN – Brass Rail (Album Release Show)
March 6 – Nashville, TN – The End (Album Release Show)
March 7 – Atlanta, GA – The Earl (Album Release Show)
March 8 – Atlantic Beach, FL – Fly’s Tie Irish Pub (Album Release Show)
March 9 – Miami, FL – Churchill’s Pub (Album Release Show)
March 10 – Salty Dog Cruise
March 14 – Charlotte, NC – The Milestone (Album Release Show)
March 15 – Baltimore, MD – Ottobar (Album Release Show)
Apr 4 – Seattle, WA – El Corazon Lounge
Apr 5 – Salem, OR – Grand Theatre (w/Larry and His Flask)
Apr 6 – Sacramento, CA – Goldfield Trading Post (w/Larry and His Flask)
Apr 7 – Santa Cruz, CA – The Catalyst Club (w/Larry and His Flask)
Apr 8 – Los Angeles, CA – The Echo (w/Larry and His Flask)
Apr 10 – San Diego, CA – Soda Bar (w/Larry and His Flask)
Apr 11 – Tempe, AZ – Yucca Tap Room (w/Larry and His Flask)
Apr 13 – Fort Collins, CO – Hodi’s Half Note (w/Larry and His Flask)
Apr 14 – Steamboat Springs, CO – Schmiggity’s (w/Larry and His Flask)
Apr 15 – Denver, CO – The Marquis Theatre (w/Larry and His Flask)
Apr 16 – Colorado Springs, CO – Black Sheep (w/Larry and His Flask)
Apr 18 – Omaha, NE – Lookout Lounge

Die Hexe is slated to release ‘Coven’, their second EP on February 11th 2017

In support of the release the band will embark on a cross-Canada tour. A video for ‘Distress’, the first single off ‘Coven’ is available here.

Bandcamp: http://diehexe.bandcamp.com

Tour Dates:
Feb. 15th – Press Cafe. Ottawa, ON.
Feb. 17th – Jimmy Jazz. Guelph, ON. 
Feb. 18th – D-Beatstro. Toronto, ON. 
Feb. 19th – The Assylum. Sudbury, ON. 
Feb. 23rd – Sewing Machine. Edmonton, AB. 
Feb. 25th – The Vineyard. Chilliwack, BC. 
Feb. 26th – 333. Vancouver, BC. 
Feb. 27th – The Space. Kamloops, BC. 
Mar. 1st – Distorion. Calgary, AB. 
Mar. 2nd – Liquid Cafe. Medicine Hat, AB. 
Mar. 3rd – Mercury Cafe. Regina, SK.
Mar. 24th – Ajax, ON
Mar. 25th – Ottawa, ON
Mar. 26th – Quebec City, QC
Mar. 26th – Fredricton, NB
Mar 29th – Moncton, NB
Mar. 30th – Charlottetown, PEI
Mar. 31st – St. John, NB
Apr. 1st – Halifax, NS
Apr. 2nd – Woodstock, NB

LESS THAN JAKE PREMIERES MUSIC VIDEO FOR “BOMB DROP” AT FUSE.TV

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February 7, 2017 – Los Angeles, CA – Influential Gainesville punk band Less Than Jake has premiered a new music video for their song “Bomb Drop” today at Fuse.tv. The song is featured on the band’s newly released EP, Sound Alarm, which is available now for purchase and stream from Pure Noise Records at http://smarturl.it/LTJ.
Watch the new video for “Bomb Drop” now at Fuse.tv:

 

“With this video, we wanted to acknowledge online existence, and how in this day and age, likes and comments can affect our real, waking lives. Max Moore was excellent to work with, and i feel like the video compliments the lyrical message of the song;“Those wars inside your mind are all for nothing” – Roger Lima
Fans can catch Less Than Jake live on their current co-headline U.S. tour with San Diego rock band Pepper. Tickets are on sale now at http://www.lessthanjake.com/. Follow the band at https://www.facebook.com/lessthanjake for additional updates.
Less Than Jake Tour Dates (w/Pepper):
Feb 07 – Milwaukee, WI – The Rave
Feb 08 – Chicago, IL – Concord Music Hall
Feb 09 – Royal Oak, MI – Royal Oak Music Theatre
Feb 10 – Pittsburgh, PA Stage AE
Feb 11 – Cleveland, OH – Agora Theatre
Feb 12 – Clifton Park, NY – Upstate Concert Hall
Feb 15 – Portland, ME – State Theater
Feb 16 – Boston, MA – House Of Blues
Feb 17 – NYC, NY – Playstation Theater
Feb 18 – Huntington, NY – Paramount
Feb 19 – Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore
Feb 21 – Baltimore, MD – Rams Head Live
Feb 22 – Richmond, VA – The National
Feb 23 – Charlotte, NC – The Fillmore
Feb 24 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade
Feb 25 – St Augustine, FL – St Augustine Amphitheater
Feb 26 – Ft Lauderdale, FL – Revolution (Outdoor Stage)
Feb 28 – St Petersburg, FL – Jannus Live
For More Information:

SAVE FERRIS DEBUT VIDEO FOR “NEW SOUND”

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February 6, 2017 – Los Angeles, CA – Influential Orange County ska-punk band SAVE FERRIS will release their first record in 17 years, Checkered Past, on February 10th via WITHYN Records. In anticipation, the band has teamed up with PasteMagazine.comto premiere a new video for their hot new single “New Sound.” Fans can pre-order the new EP now at iTunes and Amazon.
Watch the video for “New Sound” now, exclusively at PasteMagazine.com:

Speaking with PasteMagazine.com, Save Ferris’ frontwoman Monique Powell says “Filming this video was so much fun because it was literally a house party with our friends. Directing the video was my dear friend Piper Ferguson. I have wanted to do a video with Piper for years but because Piper typically does such high budget productions, I was afraid she might say no. Fortunately this is a situation in which having good friends that are incredibly talented comes in handy. You can truly tell this was a passion project for her. Having Angelo Moore (Fishbone, Angelo Moore and the Brand New Step) there was a given, as we always have so much fun together. The only person missing was Nev, he flew in his parts from the UK.”
The music video for “New Sound” opens at a lame house party that suddenly becomes an epic throwdown with the assistance of Save Ferris. The video features a cameo by Fishbone’s Angelo Moore and a vocal/cameo by Neville Staple, former vocalist for the legendary 2 tone ska band The Specials.
The video comes just days before the release of Save Ferris long-awaited new EP, Checkered Past, and their headline North American tour, which kicks off Friday with support from Vista Kicks (West Coast dates) and Baby Baby (East Coast dates). Dates and links to purchase tickets can be found below. Follow the band at facebook.com/saveferrisofficial for more information.
Save Ferris Tour Dates:
Feb 10 – Santa Barbara, CA – Velvet Jones (Buy Tickets)
Feb 11 – Las Vegas, NV – Backstage Bar (Buy Tickets)
Feb 12 – San Diego, CA – Belly Up (Buy Tickets)
Feb 14 – Phoenix, AZ – Rebel Lounge (Buy Tickets)
Feb 16 – Dallas, TX – Trees (Buy Tickets)
Feb 17 – Austin, TX – Barracuda (Buy Tickets)
Feb 18 – Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall (Buy Tickets)
Feb 20 – Pensacola, FL – Vinyl Music Hall (Buy Tickets)
Feb 22 – Orlando, FL – Backbooth (Buy Tickets)
Feb 23 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL – Revolution Live (Buy Tickets)
Feb 24 – St. Petersburg, FL – State Theatre (Buy Tickets)
Feb 25 – Atlanta, GA – Masquerade (Hell) (Buy Tickets)
Feb 26 – Nashville, TN – Exit/In (Buy Tickets)
Mar 1 – Washington, DC – Black Cat (Buy Tickets)
Mar 2 – Philadelphia, PA – Underground Arts (Buy Tickets)
Mar 3 – Asbury Park, NJ – Stone Pony (Buy Tickets)
Mar 4 – New York, NY – Gramercy Theatre (Buy Tickets)
Mar 5 – Boston, MA – Brighton Music Hall (Buy Tickets)
Mar 7 – Toronto, ON – Lee’s Palace (Buy Tickets)
Mar 8 – Pittsburgh, PA – Rex Theatre (Buy Tickets)
Mar 9 – Ferndale, MI – Loving Touch (Buy Tickets)
Mar 10 – Chicago, IL – Bottom Lounge (Buy Tickets)
Mar 11 – Minneapolis, MN – Fine Line (Buy Tickets)
Mar 14 – Denver, CO – Bluebird (Buy Tickets)
Mar 15 – Salt Lake City, UT – Metro Music Hall (Buy Tickets)
Mar 17 – Portland, OR – Hawthorne Theatre (Buy Tickets)
Mar 18 – Vancouver, BC – Venue (Buy Tickets)
Mar 19 – Seattle, WA – Tractor Tavern (Buy Tickets)
Mar 22 – Santa Cruz, CA – Catalyst Atrium (Buy Tickets)
Mar 23 – San Francisco, CA – Independent (Buy Tickets)
Mar 24 – Sacramento, CA – Harlow’s (Buy Tickets)
Mar 26 – Anaheim, CA – House of Blues (Buy Tickets)
For More Information:

And The Wasters – State of Repair EP

© 2017
Rating: ★★★★★★★★½☆

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Here’s an interesting little slice of audio for ya. State of Repair, a forthcoming EP by Bristol based folk-ska-punk act “And The Wasters”. Five tracks of music spanning several decades of influence.

I’m immediately struck by how much it reminds me of many of my favorite late 70s / early 80s UK favorites: The Specials and Fun Boy Three, Madness, Pogues, Clash, then throw in a bit of more modern influence of Flogging Molly and Gogol Bordello. Blend it up even more with some dub ska instrumental jams ala Skatalites and I think you’ll get a sense of what I’m picking up.

The opening track, Lion’s Share sets the tone of disenchantment. Without picking apart each track, I get a strong sense of anarcho/pirate punk and a bit of an anti-establishment bent, certainly helpful for any sort of protest music. The tracks are up-tempo and catchy and at only five songs, I’m left with wanting more.

I feel like maybe the tracks I’ve been given to listen to are a bit out of order, what with “Intro Dub” occurring last, but hey, who am I to judge? At any rate, I’ve listened to the EP about 10x through now and I am totally into it. If you haven’t heard And The Wasters, I demand you check them out!

“After many years touring Festivals, Squats and far-flung venues, And the Wasters have evolved from their Folk-Punk-Ska roots through elements of Hip-hop, Balkan & Latin. They weld this explosive musical concoction with an empowering political message to create a relentless live energy!” ~And The Wasters

https://willtunandthewasters1.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/willtunandthewasters

Cheers!
Jerry Actually

Tracks:
1. Lion’s Share
2. Small Victories
3. Reduce, Reuse, Rebel
4. Bound as One
5. Intro Dub

THE MENZINGERS’ AFTER THE PARTY OUT TODAY

PHILADELPHIA PUNK BAND SET FOR NATIONAL HEADLINE TOUR

Today marks the long-awaited release of After the Party, the new album from The Menzingers. The fifth full-length from the Philadelphia punk band, After the Party arrives as the follow-up to 2014’s widely acclaimed Rented World.

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Stream After the Party at Spotify now:

Produced by Will Yip (Title Fight, Balance & Composure, Pianos Become the Teeth), After the Party is a raw yet introspective look at getting older but not quite growing up. Throughout the album, singer/guitarists Greg Barnett and Tom May, bassist Eric Keen, and drummer Joe Godino offset their nuanced songwriting with anthemic harmonies, furious power chords, and larger-than-life melodies.

After the Party is a “a force of freewheeling expression and determined resolution” that “showcases the band at their boldest and brightest yet,” according to The Line of Best Fit. The review also notes that the album “reflects on the world around us and becomes a spark of motivation for something new.”

After the Party features several critically lauded singles from The Menzingers, including “Lookers” (hailed by Noisey as a “classic and thoroughly catchy piece of Menzingian songwriting”), “Bad Catholics” (a track whose “penetrating lyrics [are] packed into a sly haymaker of a hook,” according to Stereogum), and “Thick as Thieves” (which “flirts with a touch of abstraction” and “recalls the power pop-rock of the early 1980s,” in the words of New York Times pop critic Jon Caramanica).

AFTER THE PARTY TRACKLIST:

1. Tellin’ Lies
2. Thick as Thieves
3. Lookers
4. Midwestern States
5. Charlie’s Army
6. House on Fire
7. Black Mass
8. Boy Blue
9. Bad Catholics
10. Your Wild Years
11. The Bars
12. After the Party
13. Livin’ Ain’t Easy

As previously announced, The Menzingers will soon tour in support of After the Party, with Jeff Rosenstock and Rozwell Kid opening up. The national tour kicks off February 26 in Pittsburgh and continues through April 1 in Boston.

In addition, The Menzingers will play an acoustic in-store at Wilkes Barre, PA’s Gallery of Sound tomorrow at 4 p.m.

Tickets for the tour are on sale now.

THE MENZINGERS TOUR DATES:

Feb 04 Wilkes Barre, PA – Gallery of Sound (record in-store)
Feb 26 Pittsburgh, PA – Mr. Smalls
Mar 01 Cleveland, OH – House of Blues
Mar 02 Detroit, MI – Magic Stick
Mar 03 Chicago, IL – Metro
Mar 04 Minneapolis, MN – Cabooze
Mar 05 St. Louis, MO – Blueberry Hill
Mar 07 Houston, TX – Warehouse Live Studio
Mar 08 Dallas, TX – Trees
Mar 09 Austin, TX – Barracuda
Mar 12 San Diego, CA – The Irenic
Mar 13 Pomona, CA – The Glasshouse
Mar 15 San Francisco, CA – Slims
Mar 17 Denver, CO – The Summit
Mar 18 Lawrence, KS – Granada Theater
Mar 21 Birmingham, AL – Saturn
Mar 22 Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade Heaven
Mar 23 Orlando, FL – The Social
Mar 24 Orlando, FL – The Social
Mar 25 Ft. Lauderdale, FL – Culture Room
Mar 26 Tampa, FL – The State Theatre
Mar 28 Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle
Mar 29 Washington, DC – Rock & Roll Hotel
Mar 30 New York, NY – Irving Plaza
Mar 31 Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore
Apr 01 Boston, MA – Royale