| COCK SPARRER ANNOUNCE NEW & FINAL ALBUM: “HAND IN HEART” BAND TO PLAY TWO UK SHOWS IN APRIL 2024 CLICK HERE TO PRE-ORDER |
| London, England – December 18, 2023 – Some bands say all they have to say at the very beginning of their career, with diminishing returns the longer they hang around. That could not be further from the truth, however, for the legendary Cock Sparrer, the “biggest punk band most people have never heard of.” As the band gears up for the April 5th, 2024 release of their eighth and final studio album, “Hand On Heart,” and looks forward to celebrating their 52nd year with headlining shows and festival appearances, it’s never been a better time to be Cock Sparrer than right now! To celebrate the album, the band has announced two special record release shows in the UK: 04/06/2024: London, UK – O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire 04/13/2024: Glasgow, UK – O2 Academy The 10 tracks that comprise Hand on Heart will thrill the Cock Sparrer faithful with their iconic, anthemic sound, but the band still has surprises and new tricks up their sleeves, including a string arrangement by Simon Dobson (Bring Me The Horizon / Mike Oldfield) that lends a touch of class to the affair. With production overseen by James Bragg & guitarist Daryl Smith, as well as mastering by Grammy-winning engineer Kevin Tuffy, the lads sound better than ever, and for once, more of the budget went into the studio than down the pub! Pirates Press Records have teamed up with Cock Sparrer to make “Hand On Heart” available for pre-order on classic 12” 180 gram black vinyl, 12” 180 gram Milky Clear vinyl, 12” 180 gram Claret & Blue AsideBside vinyl in a deluxe gatefold sleeve, 12” picture disc with alternative artwork, digipak compact disc, and limited edition cassette! |
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| ABOUT COCK SPARRER: Astoundingly, the four core members present at the band’s 1972 inception – vocalist Colin McFaull, guitarist Mick Beaufoy, bassist Steve Burgess, and drummer Steve Bruce – are still the ones in the studio and onstage today, joined by their “new member,” guitarist Daryl Smith, who has a “mere” 31 years under his belt! This atypical longevity and stability are a part of Sparrer’s legacy of shoving any rules and expectations put on them by anyone else. They were childhood friends, and were already well underway playing, drinking, and rabble rousing by the time punk became a recognized social movement. While Cock Sparrer found a level of kinship with punk, their relentless independence meant they wouldn’t go down with the ship when the pop culture attention span moved on to the next big thing. While most bands were only getting started, Sparrer had already logged touring miles with luminaries like the Small Faces, Thin Lizzy, Motörhead, and Slade, and had already seen a contract with Decca Records go up in flames. Sex Pistols impresario Malcolm McLaren’s offer of management was rebuffed due to his refusal to pick up a round of drinks. So the decline of punk was yet another opportunity for the band to soldier on on their own terms, as they have continued to do for decades ever since! Nowadays, the band’s “career in reverse” sees them enjoying more success than they ever experienced in the “good old days.” Cover songs from a huge and diverse array of artists from Rancid to Against Me!, The Bouncing Souls, The Interrupters, Ted Leo, and more are a testament to their wide ranging influence, as is their status as an in-demand live act at festivals all over the world. However, as always, it is at their own headlining club shows that Cock Sparrer are most in their element, playing for sold out crowds of adoring fans of all ages. It turns out, over 50 years of doing things their own way has attracted legions of like-minded faithful! |
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| Photo by: Roberto Pavic |
| Track listing: 1. With My Hand on My Heart 2. Mind Your Own Business 3. I Belong to You 4. Rags to Riches 5. No Way Out 6. Take It on the Chin 7. Nowhere to Be Found 8. One Way Ticket 9. My Forgotten Dream 10. Here We Stand Cock Sparrer are: Colin McFaull – vocals Daryl Smith – guitar Steve Burgess – bass Steve Bruce – drums Mick Beaufoy – guitar For more information on Cock Sparrer: Instagram // Facebook |
Category: Music News
Free Sergio signs to High End Denim
Hailing from Tel Aviv, Israel, Free Sergio is a high-octane skate punk band with elements of ska sprinkled into the chaos. After a successful European tour and debut record, the guys are back with 16 new songs. “The Nail in the Coffee” is a fast and furious release and will drop on January 19 via High End Denim Records.
You can hear “מהזהפהקרה” now – a tune sung entirely in their native tongue of Hebrew.
MEAN JEANS ANNOUNCE NEW FULL-LENGTH, BLASTED
IN STORES AND ONLINE VIA FAT WRECK CHORDS ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 9th, WITH PRE-ORDER AVAILABLE NOW
“I DON’T GIVE A SHIT ANYMORE” NOW STREAMING ON ALL PLATFORMS
AUSTRALIAN DATES ANNOUNCED WITH THE CHATS
Photo credit: Jacob McCann
(November 29, 2023 – San Francisco) Today, we get to share some truly radical news! There’s a brand new Mean Jeans jam, and it’s oozing with all the pop punk slime you can handle. “I Don’t Give a Shit Anymore,” is streaming wherever you hang out digitally. This track serves as a sneak peek of their upcoming album, BLASTED, which hits the streets on February 9th! Plus, you can pre-order it now, and grab a color variant or this sweet MJ headband. 2024 is shaping up to be an epic year with a new album, an Aussie tour on the books, and more dates in the pipeline. The Mean Jeans party bus is going full throttle! Check out what Billy Jeans had to say below:
Getting back on tour post-pandemic and doing 9 weeks with The Chats in the US and Australia reignited our appetite for shredding. We got home, wrote a new album, and recorded it by ourselves in Portland over 5 days. Blasted’s got more fast + wild loser anthems, a couple tearjerkers, more Houndy singing, and I finally figured out how to do a guitar solo. We’re kicking the year off with another Australian tour, this time a punk cavalcade of 6 bands.
From the moment they started 15 years ago, Mean Jeans have been creating their own slime punk fantasy world. Study their six previous album covers and you’ll find junkyards full of bongs and yo-yos, macaroni galaxies, Jägermeister spaceships, alien saxophonists and pink slugs in bondage dripping ooze. On their newest full-length album Blasted, the goofball trio have clearly been through wild years and seen some shit—on the cover, the three members peer out of toxic waste bins, no longer cartoons of themselves but instead incredulous country-fried maniacs who are still following a slime punk dream, and dealing with where it’s led them.
Which isn’t to say the Jeans are jaded. In fact, the band—Billy Jeans, Houndy and Junior Jeans—seem to be having as much fun as ever on this record, ripping through these 15 rapid fire ear worms without coming up for air. They seem equally focused on tight catchy songwriting and packing in Easter eggs and absurd lyrical references, including (but certainly not limited to) Tim Armstrong’s X-Filescameo, Mike Schank’s PCP overdose story in American Movie, multiple songs with lyrics about their space-obsessed kindred pop-punker Tom DeLonge, a chorus borrowed from Seal, and a not-very-legal piano collage of well-known pop-punk melodies.
Anyway, this record is a frantic and frenetic joyride, though probably one made in Rick from Rick And Morty’s Space Cruiser and through time and space, rather than any form of road-based vehicle here on Earth. But that energy was probably enhanced by the fact the band recorded Blasted all by themselves here on this planet. Well, at The Trash Treasury in Portland, OR, at any rate—the city where the band first got together and which is one of the least Earth-like cities on, well, Earth. At their own behest, the trio were left entirely to their own devices, putting themselves through their own physical paces by trying to be in two places—the control room and the recording room—at once. One of Rick’s portal guns might have helped make it easier, but who needs a producer or engineer? It’s just another cook waiting to spoil that delicious, fluorescent green, slime punk broth.
“Studio time is just more fun when no one’s in charge,” says Billy Jeans. “To some extent, I know what I’m doing, and to some extent the other dudes know what they’re doing, but none of us are pro at all. Like, Junior would have to run over to the control room, hit the record button and then run back, all while holding the bass, and then we’d play. It’s idiotic, but when it’s just the three of us fucking around, the vibe is there.”
You can hear that all throughout Blasted. It’s a weird, wonderful and wacky album, but also not without its occasional serious moments. Mean Jeans are—still, after all these years—a band that love to party, and that’s what they continue to do on these songs. Every once in a while, though, you might catch a little regret about doing so, if not a full-on hangover. Opener “I Don’t Give A Shit Anymore” might sound like a statement of nihilistic intent, but it’s more what Billy calls an “underthinkers anthem”, a direct response to him overthinking everything all the time, while “Look What Punk’s Done To You”, “Took Too Much” and “I Don’t Know What I Did Last Summer” all address the comedown of life lived in the fast lane. But then there’s also “Something’s Going On”, which is the best (and possibly only) song that’s ever been written about the cult 1986 comedy horror b-movie Class Of Nuke ’Em High.
At the same time, the album also serves as a kind of meditation on pop-punk, about what it means to be a punk band as opposed to a band playing music in the style of punk. Can you be both? Does it even matter? Maybe. Maybe not. What matters is that, with Blasted, Mean Jeans have made a record that defines what they are and what they’re not at the same time. Most importantly, it was fun for them to make, and it’s an absolute joy to listen to. For Billy, that’s always the aim.
“We’re a band in it for the good times,” he says. I’ve always thought if we’re not having fun, then it isn’t Mean Jeans. Which isn’t a recipe for success in the music biz, but I could bitch about that all day if you want. What’s the difference between being a bitch and being punk?” He doesn’t answer his own question, but it might be found somewhere in these songs.
Mean Jeans Tour Dates – Tickets Available Here.
- 9 Feb 2024 in Maroochydore, QLD, Australia @ The Solbar
- 10 Feb 2024 in Brisbane, QLD, Australia @ The Tivoli
- 13 Feb 2024 in Byron Bay, NSW, Australia @ The Northern
- 14 Feb 2024 in Coffs Harbour, NSW, Australia @ The Hoey Moey
- 15 Feb 2024 in Newcastle, NSW, Australia @ King Street Band Room
- 16 Feb 2024 in Gosford, NSW, Australia @ Drifters Wharf
- 17 Feb 2024 in Sydney, AU @ Metro Theatre
- 20 Feb 2024 in Castlemaine, VIC, Australia @ Theatre Royal
- 22 Feb 2024 in Frankston, VIC, Australia @ Pelly Bar – Pier Hotel
- 23 Feb 2024 in Melbourne, AU @ Northcote Theatre
BLASTED track-listing
1. I Don’t Give a Shit Anymore
2. Let’s Go
3. Diagnosis
4. Lost My Mind
5. Blasted to the Moon
6. Something’s Going On
7. Reggie
8. Taco Bell Parking Lot
9. Look What Punk’s Done to You
10. Slugs
11. Break up With You
12. Took Too Much
13. I Don’t Know What I Did Last Summer
14. Living Large on a Credit Card
15. Pop Punk Casualty
Sgt. Scag – Everest (Official Video)
On Friday, September 8, Sgt Scag released the single “Everest” off of At Least More than Half-Way Dead. The music video was directed by Mike DeMatteo of Sgt. Scag. About the “Everest” music video, vocalist Steve Lonergan says, “‘Everest’ is a song for all the people who ever had to attend a company kick off meeting or industry conference. Tony Robbins, Gary Vee, Snake oil salesmen, organized religions that pass a hat. All bad. All predatory. All nonsense. Plus, ain’t New Haven pretty from up there?”
Simple Minded Symphony – Feather (Official Video)
The song “Feather” is about experiencing burn out as a creator against the routine of working to pay the bills. In the music video, an artist going about his routine is followed around by members of the band who take the scraps of his crumpled thrown up artwork to have a fight with the balled up artwork like snowballs.The video is warm and fun, much like the progressive groove matched with the earnest lyrics.
The video was directed by vocalist/bassist, Kevin Silveira. “Feather” features the artwork of Melon Bobby instagram.com/melonbobby Simple Minded Symphony will be available on all streaming platforms Tuesday, August 22. Vinyl pre-orders begin today at Ska Punk International: skapunkinternational.com
Mustard Plug – Fall Apart
Mustard Plug have shared the video for their new track “Fall Apart” off their upcoming album, Where Did All My Friends Go? Out in September on Bad Time Records.
Grand Rapids ska-punk legends Mustard Plug are back with their 8th studio album titled Where Did All My Friends Go? that will be released on Friday, September 8th. The band will be joining the ever growing and exciting roster of Bad Time Records who have carefully cultivated a community around all things ska over the last five years. Once again, Mustard Plug have teamed up with Bill Stevenson and Jason Livermore at the infamous Blasting Room to produce an album that captures everything that has made Mustard Plug a fan favorite over the last 30 years. Mustard Plug will be touring in support of Where Did All My Friends Go? throughout the rest of 2023 and will be linking up with Toasters, Half Past Two, Matomska!, Big D and the Kids Table, The Slackers, and Stop the Presses on select dates.
Tour Dates:
September 7th @ Reggie’s – Chicago, IL
September 8th @ Magic Bag – Detroit, MI
September 9th @ Pyramid Scheme – Grand Rapids, MI
September 10th @ Grog Shop – Cleveland, OH
October 6th @ El Corazon – Seattle, WA
October 7th @ Dante’s – Portland, OR
October 8th @ John Henry’s – Eugene, OR
October 9th @ Cornerstone – Berkeley, CA
October 10th @ Catalyst Atrium – Santa Cruz, CA
October 11th @ Goldfield Trading Post – Sacramento, CA
October 12th @ Knitting Factory – Hollywood, CA
October 13th @ Garden Amp – Garden Grove, CA
October 14th @ Nile Theater – Mesa, AZ
October 14th @ The Holding Company – San Diego, CA
October 28th @ Heartwood (FEST) – Gainesville, FL
October 29th @ High Dive (FEST) – Gainesville, FL
November 9th @ X-Ray Arcade – Milwaukee, WI
November 10th @ Uptown VFW – Minneapolis, MN
November 11th @ High Noon Saloon – Madison, WI
November 12th @ Blueberry Hill (Duck Room) – St. Louis, MO
December 13th @ Rumba Cafe – Columbus, OH
December 14th @ Black Cat – Washington D.C.
December 15th @ Broken Goblet Brewing – Bensalem, PA
December 16th @ Brooklyn Bowl – Brooklyn, NY
December 17th @ The Sinclair – Cambridge, MA
Social Distortion Postpone Summer Tour
Today, legendary OC punks Social Distortion announce that they have postponed their upcoming North American headlining tour due to the stage-one tonsil cancer diagnosis of vocalist Mike Ness. As he recovers from a recent surgery, the band is also temporarily halting the recording process of their eighth studio album. The previously announced tour, set to kick off on June 30th with support from fellow California rockers The Bellrays, is now being rescheduled for future dates. Check out the emotional statement from Ness below:
“We think that life is going to go according to our plan, but it has a way of saying “I don’t think so!”
In the midst of pre-production, I was diagnosed with stage one tonsil cancer. I was feeling well enough to continue with recording in the studio up until the very day before surgery. The band and I were so inspired and excited to lay down these tracks, which by the way sound f-ing AWESOME!
The recovery from surgery is a day-by-day process and in three weeks we start radiation and that should be the last therapy I need. The team of doctors are certain that once finished with this course, I will be able to start the healing and recovery process. We expect a full recovery enabling me to live a long and productive life.
It breaks my heart to post pone tours, and this album release, but time is required to heal. I can’t thank our loyal fans enough who have been waiting so patiently for this. While it will take a little longer-I promise you that it will be delivered and it will exceed your expectations.
I want you all to know that this has opened my eyes to a whole new struggle. I know it’s one that many of you or your loved ones have personally endured, and my heart goes out to you-because I now know what it’s like from this heavy experience.
I’m surrounded by love and support from my friends and family ESPECIALLY my lovely wife and incredible boys (oh and don’t forget my 3 dogs and kitty) THANK YOU ALL in advance to our unbelievable fans for YOUR love and support right now. ♥️
We WILL get through this….”
Formed as rebellious teenage punks in the working-class suburb of Fullerton, California, Social Distortion survived their tumultuous youth to pioneer an undeniably honest and fiery brand of rock ‘n’ roll that would incorporate outlaw country, classic seventies punk and primal blues. Seven studio albums and countless electrifying live shows have earned the band a dedicated worldwide fanbase and catalog of timeless anthems including “Story Of My Life,” ”Ball And Chain,” “Prison Bound” and more. The band’s last release, Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes entered the Billboard 200 at #4 and in 2019 they celebrated 40 years as a band.
For More Info On Social Distortion Visit:
ZEKE – New single “Ride Hard Ride Free”
Short, fast, loud, ZEKE!
New single “Ride Hard Ride Free”
due out June 9
Seattle punk legends ZEKE return with new recordings. “Ride Hard Ride Free” contains two tracks laced with ZEKE’s signature mix of turbo-charged thrash-punk and Motörhead possessed rock n’ roll and provides the first taste of ZEKE’s new album, which will be released later this year.
In 2022, ZEKE was unexpectedly reborn with founding members Blind Marky Felchtone (vox/guitar) and Donny Paycheck (drums) returning to the drum kit. They went into the studio with Jason Freeman (bass) and Jeff Hiatt (guitar), they were with ZEKE before and got back in, to record a new album. The first single “Ride Hard Ride Free” is everything you’ve come to expect – or want to hear from ZEKE.
A full-on thrasher celebrating speed in more ways than one, “Ride Hard Ride Free” has a very sharp style, with the band takes cues from old Motörhead rlffs, then fusing it with hardcore punk roughage. A modern ZEKE classic. They tie in here stylistically with “Death Alley”.
Produced by Jeff McNulty (Screamers, Blöödhag, Hell Bent For Letters) at Soundhouse in Seattle, WA, and mastered by Joe Bozzi at Bernie Grundmann in Los Angeles, CA. Cover photo by Mike Mitchell.
“Ride Hard Ride Free” will be released via Hound Gawd! and distributed by Amped (US/CAN), Rough Trade (DE/AT), Phonag (CH), Plastic Head (UK), Kuroneko (FR), Compact (PT), Border (Scan), PIAS (BeNeLux), Gran Sol (ES), Heathen Natives (GR), Audioglobe (IT), Hangfelvetelkiadó Kf (HU), Matrix (SI HR, RS) and Disk Union (JP).
The tracks are not available on Spotify, Apple Music and other digital platforms.
ZEKE recently completed a successful West Coast tour. The band also has a number of high-profile European performances scheduled in the coming months, including Sjock Festival in Belgium and appearances at Pitfest in the Netherlands and Sardina Fest in Spain. The group will return to America later this year. Stay tuned to www.zekeyou.com/tour for further details.
Ride with Zeke!
“Zeke are the dive bar that’s survived onslaughts of gentrification, knowing that the charm of lawless riffing and broken bottles never fades.“
– Pichfork
Visit ZEKE online:
https://instagram.com/zekeband
THE DIRTY NIL READY NEW ALBUM
The Dirty Nil, Ontario’s rock ‘n’ roll torchbearers, are emerging with their fourth album, Free Rein to Passions, and it’s a return to a more reckless approach for the JUNO Award-winning trio. In order to incinerate their apparatus, they had to destroy it completely. After experimenting with some smoother, more radio-friendly sounds on 2021’s Fuck Art, The Nil promptly returned to the studio and got back to the basics of what their band is about at its core—thrashy riffs, bashed out drums, and levels-to-the-max volume.
Set for release on May 26th, 2023 via Dine Alone Records, click here to pre-order Free Rein to Passions now.
“Fuck Art had a lot of singing on it. There were not a lot of parts where you could just jam out on riffs,” says frontman Luke Bentham. “Free Rein to Passions is a bit of a nastier record where we didn’t sweat the small insignificant details. If it sounded cool, we went with it.” The band pays homage to some of their loudest, gnarliest influences on Free Rein to Passions, with subtle nods to everything from Power Trip to the Jesus Lizard.
On the album’s catchy first single, “Nicer Guy,” The Nil reminds listeners that they also still wield the power to stitch a perfect, infectious pop hook into their rock fabric. “I’d been sitting on some of the guitar parts for a long time, husbanding them for a suitably righteous song,” Bentham explains. “In the depths of lockdown, I dusted them off and came up with the words. It was a happy day in an otherwise lonely time. Special shoutout to Kyle‘s extremely tight playing and Sam‘s stampeding elephant bass. Sincerity can feel uncomfortable, but this one feels right.”
Watch the accompanying “Nicer Guy” music video now.
Toronto’s Debt Cemetary Unveil New Single ‘Let’s Murderlize ‘Em!’
Debt Cemetary strikes again with the aggressive new single “Let’s Murderlize ‘Em!”. This hard-hitting release explodes with huge vocal harmonies and ripping guitar riffs that soar throughout the track.
Inspired by the height of the civil rights movements that spanned across the globe in 2020, the song reflects the thoughts and feelings of guitarist/vocalist Eddie Knowlton. Mixed and mastered by Matt Gauthier, this latest release from Debt Cemetary shows a new side to the band while keeping true to their original and unique brand of fast punk.
This latest single is further proof that Debt Cemetary is on the rise to bigger and better things.