Category: Music News

Get Aggravated With The New Album From Surf Rock Masters The Coffin Daggers!

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Coffin Daggers med res.jpg
For Immediate Release
 
Get Aggravated With The New Album From Surf Rock Masters The Coffin Daggers!
 
Los Angeles, CA – New York’s premiere instrumental surf punk band returns with a brand new album of insanely catchy grooves and hip-shaking rhythms that are sure to get the hep cats dancing in the aisles! Aggravatin’ Rhythms, The Daggers third full-length album since 2002, ain’t your daddy’s surf rock, though the group certainly bares the influence of seminal surf legends, Dick Dale and Link Wray. But The Coffin Daggers deliver a more modern, punk-inspired brand of surf heard best on tracks such as the rollicking “Instigator,” the spooky “Sinister Urge,” or the bluesy swagger of “Concussion.” All of those tracks and more can be heard on Aggravatin’ Rhythms, will be available on both CD and on groovy green vinyl starting February 12 courtesy of Cleopatra Records!
 
Founding member and lead guitarist for The Coffin Daggers Viktor Venom hails from the vaunted East Coast ‘80s punk scene as a founder of crust punk band Nausea as well as a previous turn as bass player for Reagan Youth. Venom is joined by keyboardist extraordinaire and rhythm guitarist Rob Morrison, bassist Peter Klarnet and drummer Pete Martinez. Together this quartet are simply one of the most unique groups around. Speaking about the new album, bassist Klarnet declares, “We decided to go all out with this LP, so we recorded it over 16 tracks on 2 inch tape at Metrosonic Studios in Brooklyn—resulting in a deep, lush sound. It’s certainly not the cheapest way to record these days, but we all firmly believe that if you’re going to record something for posterity, it might as well be the highest quality possible. The proof of course is in the final product which we believe is our finest effort to date.” Previous releases by the band have been praised by Guitar Player who observed that Venom “moves proceedings beyond mere era emulation by unleashing a rude and vicious riff that would have made Link Wray smile.” Meanwhile, the group’s live performances have floored both European and American audiences from start to finish, prompting Chart magazine to declare “no one comes close to The Coffin Daggers when it comes to all-out intensity…they will stomp a mudhole into your fragile minds.”
 
A release party for Aggravatin’ Rhythms is planned for February 19 at the Lucky 13 Saloon in Brooklyn with special guests Black Flamingos and a rare performance by the legendary Purple K’nif!
 
Track List:
1. Aggravatin’ Rhythms
2. Instigator
3. Ghost Train
4. The Sinister Urge
5. Uprising!
6. The Spy
7. Kreepy Krawl
8. Wake Up Screaming
9. Three Blue Stars
10. Concussion
11. Head One
12. Side Arm
13. Five-Five
14. The Thing

Unwritten Law Announce Digital Preorder Via Cyber Tracks

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New Album ‘Acoustic’ – Out April 1st 2016
Feat. 2 New Songs & Acoustic Versions Of Fan Favourites

Preorder Here: http://www.cyber-tracks.com/store/music/unwritten-law-acoustic/
LOS ANGELES || February 9, 2016
Formed in San Diego in the early 90’s Unwritten Law has undeniably paved the way for Rock/Alternative musicians around the world with staple Multi­Platinum releases like Elva, Unwritten Law and Live and Lawless. Last month, the band announced their highly anticipated eighth studio album, Acoustic due out April 1, 2016, via Cyber Tracks, owned by El Hefe (guitarist of NOFX) and wife Jen Abeyta.

Today, fans are able to pre­order a digital copy of Acoustic for $9 via Cyber Tracks website here and sample 30 second clips of all 13 tracks.
Upon initial purchase of the pre­order, fans will receive an instant surprise gratification track immediately with two additional surprise tracks to be rewarded on March 1st and March 22nd which are before  the actual release date.
Fans can be on the lookout for more exciting announcements to come soon!

Acoustic is a masterful 13­track record filled with newly re­recorded Unwritten Law hits from Unwritten Law, Elva, Here’s To The Mourning, Swan, and The Hit List into flawless acoustic renditions. The emotionally rich album will also feature two brand new tracks including “Huartbreaker” a cover originally performed by John Legend and MSTRKRFT and “Belongs To You,” written by Scott Russo. The album features Scott Russo (Vocals/Guitar), Chris Lewis (Guitar, currently in Fenix TX), Jonny Grill (Bass), and original drummer Wade Youman; produced by Jim Perkins and Scott Russo, Additional production by Chris Lewis and Joe Marlett, Mixed by Joe Marlett, and Mastered by Tom Baker of Baker Mastering.

TRACKLISTING:
1. “Celebration” (Originally “Celebration Song” Here’s to the Mourning, 2005)
2. “Nevermind”  ( Swan, 2011)
3. “Oblivion” (Originally “Welcome to Oblivion” The Hit List, 2007  (also on Live and Lawless, 2008))
4. “Huartbreaker” (Originally performed by John Legend and MSTRKRFT)
5. “Up All Night” ( Elva, 2002)
6. “ Seeing Red”  ( Elva, 2002)
7. “Teenage” (Originally “Teenage Suicide” Unwritten Law, 98)
8. “Starships” (Originally“Starships and Apocalypse” Swan, 2011)
9. “Shoulda” (Originally “I Shoulda Known Better” Live and Lawless, 08)
10. “I Like The Way”  ( Here’s To The Mourning, 2005)
11. “Save Me” (Originally “Save Me (Wake Up Call)” Here’s To The Mourning, 2005)
12. “ Cailin”  ( Unwritten Law, 1998)
13. “Belongs To You”

Unwritten Law will be hitting the road with Fenix TX this March kicking off their tour Pomona, CA at The Glass House and hitting Los Angeles, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Boston, New York City, and Las Vegas to name a few.

In addition, the band has two VIP options for fans:
(1) Band Hangout (ticket not included): includes early entry, first access to merch, exclusive CD featuring tracks by both bands, intimate soundcheck performance, M&G with Unwritten Law and Fenix TX, photo opportunity, signings and VIP Laminate.
(2) Band Hangout & Access (ticket not included): includes early entry, first access to merch, exclusive CD featuring tracks by both bands, intimate soundcheck performance, M&G with Unwritten Law and Fenix TX, photo opportunity, signings, VIP Laminate and watch the show from the stage (NOTE only 2 available per show)!
VIP ticket packages can be ordered here: http://ticketspin.com/ul­ftx

Unwritten Law Tour Dates 
All dates are with Fenix TX except for the shows marked
March
9 ­ Pomona, CA @ Glass House
10 ­ Los Angeles, CA. @ The Palladium (with Pennywise)
11 ­ Scottsdale, AZ @ Pub Rock Live
13 ­ Flagstaff, AZ @ The Green Room (No Fenix TX)
15 ­ Kansas City, KS @ Riot Room (No Fenix TX)
16 ­ Nashville, TN @ City Winery (No Fenix TX)
18 ­ Austin, TX @ SXSW
19 ­ Dallas, TX @ So What?! Music Festival
20 ­ Houston, TX @ House of Blues (with NOFX)
21 ­ San Antonio, TX @ 502 Bar
24 ­ St. Petersburg, FL. @ The State Theatre
25 ­ Cape Canaveral, FL. @Millikens Reef
26 ­ Fort Pierce, FL @ The Inlet
27 ­ Cape Coral, FL @ Dixie Roadhouse
28 ­ Jacksonville, FL. @ Freebird Live
29 ­ Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade
30 ­ Baltimore, MD @ Soundstage
31 ­ Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts

April
1 — Boston, MA @ Middle East Downstairs
2 — New York City, NY @ Marlin Room (Webster Hall)
4 — Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE
5 — Cleveland, OH @ The Grog Shop
6 — Columbus, OH @ A&R Music Bar
7 —­ Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
8 — Omaha, NE @ Slowdown
9 — Denver, CO @ Marquis Theatre
10 — Colorado Springs, CO @ The Black Sheep
11 — Salt Lake City, UT @ In The Venue
12 — Reno, NV. @ PB & J’s
13 — Las Vegas, NV @ Backstage Bar
14 — Long Beach, CA @ The Federal (No Fenix TX)
15— ­Santa Ana, CA @ The Ritz (No Fenix TX)
16 — Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst (No Fenix TX)

UNWRITTEN LAW SOCIAL MEDIA:  
http://facebook.com/unwrittenlaw.music
http://twitter.com/unwritten_law  
youtube.com/unwrittenlaw

PEARS – GREEN STAR – OUT APRIL 1!

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(San Francisco, CA, January 20, 2016) –PEARS laid siege to the punk world with their 2014 debut release, Go To Prison, and have been on a buzz-generating rampage ever since. After spending the better part of two years turning the hardcore scene on its ear, PEARS continue along the warpath with their hotly anticipated second full-length, Green Star, out April 1st (no joke!). Green Star rages with 16 tracks that are loaded with blazingly fast spurts of aggression. Re-recorded versions of “Snowflake” and “Anhedonia” (previously heard on last year’s Letters to Memaw 7-inch) take on new life, thanks in part to A Wilhelm Scream guitarist Mike Supina, who helped engineer the album. Alongside Supina, James Whitten, who also helped produce Go To Prison, works his magic on 14 new tracks of unstoppable hardcore.

To elaborate on how PEARS approached recording their latest full-length, singer Zach Quinn says, “The biggest difference was Go To Prison was a fast thing—we just threw it together. This, we slaved over it. We wrote songs and cut songs and cut parts of songs and put them into other songs. It was a nightmare, but I’ve never been more proud of anything. Even though it was a completely different process, it feels like the next step.”

PEARS are already tackling 2016 with vigor. Expect PEARS to continue to bring that energy to stages around the world, starting with Australia in March, followed by North America and Europe.

 

Tracklisting:

1. Christmas ‘91
2. Hinged by Spine
3. Cumshots
4. I Love My Kennel
5. Anhedonia
6. The Flu
7. Green Star
8. Bug Aware
9. Partridge
10. Dizzy Is Drunk
11. Snowflake
12. Cloverleaf
13. The Tile of St. Stewart 14. Doorbell
15. Jump the Fuckin’ Ship 16. Great Mt. Ida

You Can’t Kill Rock and Roll!

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unspecified“You Can’t Kill Rock ‘N Roll” is a fund-raising compilation for Supersuckers’ frontman Eddie Spaghetti’s fight against stage three oropharynx cancer. It features unreleased tracks from Mudhoney, ZEKE, Jack Endino, John McBain, the first track that The Derelicts have recorded in 25 years and many more! It’s a limited release and only available on CD (No digital download).

All profits go to the Spaghetti family. Orders can be made through: http://www.capacitorrecords.com/shop/you-cant-kill-rock-n-roll

Best of 2015

In terms of volume of writings, 2015 was a lackluster year here at good ol’ !upstarter. I’d like to say that I tried my best and things came out as good as they possibly could have. That simply isn’t the case. Motivation has been low. It’s not for lack of great submissions and tons of quality content out there in the music world. Simply put it was a trying and tiring year. That said, of the paltry amount of reviews, there is one standout.

Leftover Crack – Constructs of the State

If you haven’t yet checked it out, please do. It’s an incredible album.

Here’s to hoping that 2016 is a more productive and positive year.

Cheers,
Jerry Actually

Greg Graffin Releases New Book, Population Wars

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September 15, 2015 – Los Angeles, CA – Revered frontman for iconic punk band Bad Religion and esteemed Cornell University lecturer Greg Graffin has released his highly anticipated new book “POPULATION WARS: A New Perspective on Competition and Coexistence” today via Thomas Dunne Books. Purchase the book now at Amazon, Kings Road and all other digital and physical retailers.
According to popular opinion, the history of humanity has largely been defined by war from the beginning, with war between populations seen as an inevitable part of the evolutionary process. Darwin’s widely accepted notion of “the survival of the fittest” explains and often excuses these actions. But what if Darwin was wrong?
In POPULATION WARS: A New Perspective on Competition and Coexistence (Thomas Dunne Books; September 15, 2015; $27.99), Greg Graffin, lead singer of Bad Religion and author of Anarchy Evolution, offers a fresh argument on the biological roots of competition. A paradigm- shifting book about why humans behave the way they do and the ancient history that explains that behavior, Graffin argues that we need to rethink the reasons for war, not only the human military kind, but also Darwin’s ‘war of nature,’ and find hope for a less violent future for mankind.
Fascinating and original, POPULATION WARS contradicts Darwin’s reigning ‘war of nature’ theory, offering a completely fresh perspective on war, competition, and survival that will redefine the ways in which we understand conflicts of the past, present, and future. Graffin contends that humans have oversimplified the notion of war and in doing so we have become too quick to justify it, thereby preventing us from responding to the real problems we face. He rejects the idea that competition is a driving force of evolution, seeing evolution rather as the product of symbiotic relationships. Ultimately, he argues that we need to rethink the reasons for war, not only the human military kind but also Darwin’s “war of nature,” and find hope for a less violent future for mankind.
GREG GRAFFIN is the lead singer and a songwriter in Bad Religion. He obtained his PhD in zoology at Cornell University, and has lectured at UCLA and Cornell. He is the coauthor of Anarchy Evolution, with Steve Olson. He travels regularly between the cities he considers home, Ithaca, New York, and Los Angeles, California.
To mark the release of “POPULATION WARS,” Graffin will embark on a series of special live appearances. These unique events will offer an unprecedented perspective into the longstanding relationship between Graffin’s academic and musical spheres, examining the correlation between song lyrics and topics expressed in his new book. The events will feature some live acoustic performances of songs related to the book interspersed with spoken word and followed with a question and answer segment.
“POPULATION WARS” is available through Bad Religion’s online store (http://bit.ly/1V4Nwmh) and includes a limited edition 7” EP of specially re-recorded Graffin songs that helped inspire the book.
Greg Graffin “POPULATION WARS”: an event to celebrate the release of his new book:
Fri 9/18/15  – Washington, DC – Rock N Roll Hotel
Sat 9/19/15 – Philadelphia, PA – Coda
Sun 9/20/15 – New York, NY – Gramercy Theater
Wed 9/23/15 – Portland, OR – Hawthorne Theater
Fri 9/25/15 – Los Angeles, CA – Bootleg
Sun 9/27/15 – Santa Ana, CA – Constellation

Americana-Na

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Americana-Na
© 2015

Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆

americana-naWelcome to the debut release by Wichita, KS based folk/rock/garage/americana/tejano/cowpunk act, Americana-Na. The self-titled debut brings about an intriguing blend of musical genres. The songs are uptempo and of short duration in the vein of punk rock, but with less vitriol and intensity that is often associated with the aforementioned genre. The prior has been replaced with tongue-in-cheek (I assume) storytelling about American flag t-shirts ala the opener, “American” and what seems to be the Spanglish, or maybe it’s Gringlish stylings of “Eclipse”. Musically, the songs are simple chord driven 4/4 numbers with a “kick/snare, kick/snare, kick/snare, fill” cowboy/country rhythm.

The overall vibe comes across as slightly less than serious. This isn’t a bad thing mind you, so much as something to note. Vocally, the tunes sound a bit tortured, as though someone was trying to wring a note out of a old worn boot. I think that, in significant part, helps with the less-than-serious overtone. The songs are raw and rough around the edges. I think the mutli-colored duct tape cover provides a nice visual compliment to the tracks being haphazardly held together, perhaps by the very mystical properties of duct tape itself.

I’d be hard pressed to list all of the influences that are melded into the sound, but there’s a little band that I’m reminded of continually as I listen to this: Awesome and the Ass-kickers. … If you haven’t heard them, look them up.

At the end of it, the debut release by Americana-Na is 8 short, fun tracks and one track that is about double the length of the others. … that’s like getting ten tracks I’d say. Good deal!

If you’re in the Midwest and/or upper-ish Midwest, word on the street is the the boys are doing a mini-tour coming up soon. Have some fun. Check them out.

Cheers,
Jerry Actually

Revolt Revolt Video Premier for Hold On Let’s Go

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Here at !upstarter we’re happy to premier the brand new video for Hold On Let’s Go.

Revolt Revolt comes to us from the population metropolis of the Inter-mountain West, aka Boise ID. The put together a blend of rock and psychedelic and the occasional foray into more aggressive territory. The video track is spacial and trippy, with stabs of noise and reverberated lush backing. If it’s your thing, I’d bet this would be a freaking awesome jam to get really really wasted whilst listening too. It’s really kinda freaking me out and I’m totally sober right now.

At any rate, watch and enjoy!

-Jerry Actually

Revolt Revolt
“Hold On Let’s Let Go”
Wild Unraveling
2015
20 Sided Records

The footage for the video to “Hold On Let’s Let Go” was captured by Joseph David Lockhart while on tour with Revolt Revolt & Mindrips in May of 2015. The band(s) toured from Idaho through Las Vegas, and made their way up the California coastline on into Oregon and Washington. Some of the footage includes scenes from Venice Beach, Portland, Olympia, and Seattle. Cameos include Members of Mindrips, Joseph Lockhart, & Ben Brunn (Stereo Embers/Past RevoltRevolt)

Hold On Let’s Let Go was recorded at Audio Lab Studios Boise, Idaho by Todd Dunnigan. This is an original song by RevoltRevolt which additionally features the talents of Dug Marstch (Built to Spill) on guitars, Todd Dunnigan on The Hammond Organ, and Legendary Earl Huges on Steel Guitar. Dunnigan’s gospel tinged organ gives the poignant melody of “Hold On Let’s Let Go” a dark, unnerving tone. Bock’s bluesy, distorted solo duels with Martsch’s mixed down, metallic shredding to disturb the song’s calm, quiet feel, then quickly vanishes to let the woeful vocals and mournful sustained notes of special guest Earl Hughes’s steel guitar take the tune home. Lyrically this song speaks of the importance of remembering to let go.. fear less live more.