Category: News

NEW RELEASE: THE SLACKERS “REDLIGHT” 20th ANNIVERSARY EDITION COMES WITH 3 BONUS TRACKS!

Long out-of-print, this classic sophomore album by one of the greatest ska bands ever has been given the proper 20th anniversary treatment. This is a must-have for any Slackers fan, regardless of whether you own the original or not. Having been remastered for vinyl, and pressed on 180gram vinyl, “Redlight” has never sounded as good; and with a two-color foil stamped cover, exclusive art-print insert, and lyric sleeve, it’s never looked so good!

Originally released by Hellcat Records in 1997, this album truly solidified the Slackers’ iconic sound, blending ska, reggae, soul, jazz and dub, seamlessly, with the passion and integrity that the band has embodied for over 25 years.
TRACK LISTING:
A Side
1. Cooking For Tommy
2. Watch This
3. Married Girl
4. I Still Love You
5. Solider
6. Fried Chicken / Mary, MaryB Side
1. You Must Be Good
2. Redlight
3. Tin Tin Deo
4. She Wants To Be Alone
5. Rude And Reckless
6. Come Back Baby

Bonus Digital Tracks:
1. When I Find A Place Where I Belong
2. Calypso Jazz (Iron Bar)
3. Come Back Baby (Glen Adams Mix)

THE SLACKERS’ TOUR DATES:
March 10 – Riverside, CA – Romanos
March 11 – Los Angeles, CA – Skankin Reggae Festival
March 12 – Oakland, CA – Skankin Reggae Festival
March 22 – New Smyrna, Fl – Beachside Tavern
March 23 – Jupiter Beach, FL – Guanabanas
March 24 – Miami, Fl – Churchills
March 25 – Orlando, Fl – Beacham
March 26 – Jacksonville, Fl – Jack Rabbits
March 31 – Winchester, VA – Bright Box
April 1 – Washington DC – Rock and Roll Hotel
April 5 – Rochester, NY – Montage Music Hall
April 6 – London, ON – Rum Runners
April 8 – Toronto, ON – Horseshoe Tavern
April 9 – Syracuse, NY – Funk & Waffles
April 22 – Garwood, NJ – Crossroads
April 26 – Yuma, AZ – Alement
April 27 – Phoenix, Az – Crescent Ballroom
April 28 – Albuquerque, NM – Launch Pad
April 29 – El Paso, Tx – Rockhouse Bar
April 30 – Tuscon, Az – 181 Toole
May 2 – Denver, CO – Marquis Theater
May 3 – Denver, CO – Marquis Theater
May 19 – Montreal, QC – Pouzza Fest
May 27 – Las Vegas, NV – Punk Rock Bowling
June 16 – Boston, MA – Boat Cruise
June 23 – New York, NY – Rocks Off Cruise

Wanna Write For Upstarter?

On a damn near continual basis I wish that I could do more to raise awareness for the bands and music that I, that we, love. Alas, I am just a one man show. One man with a day job.

Long story short, I’m looking for content contributors.

I can not pay you, but your soul shall reap the rewards of a life well lived. Your name will be shouted, and guts festooned about the halls of Valhalla.

So, for reals, if you fancy yourself a writer, or if you just wanna promote your scene, hit me up. I’m not hyper critical.

All I ask is that you keep it roughly to the format of “not mainstream”

Cheers,
Jerry Actually

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