Category: Music

From Fat Wreck Chords:

Streaming and downloadable sampler, featuring Against Me!, Dead to Me, Good Riddance, Lagwagon, The Lawrence Arms, The Loved Ones, Love Equals Death, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, NOFX, None More Black, Only Crime, Randy, The Sainte Catherines, Strike Anywhere.

Here.

From Manowar:

MANOWAR – the only band to have headlined the Gods Of Metal 3 times – is proud to announce they will make their 4th headlining appearance on the 2007 edition of the festival in Italy on Saturday, June 9th.

Along with MANOWAR will be special guests RHAPSODY and HOLYHELL bringing you the Demons, Dragons & Warriors World Tour for a day that you will never ever forget!

Here.

From the New York Times Magazine:

When I asked Anderson about Sunn0)))’s stage theatrics, his response was almost Warholian in its mastery of spin, laying claim to absolute sincerity while playfully allowing that a certain degree of camp might be involved. What about the robes? I asked. Anderson frowned. “The robe makes it easier for me, personally, just to forget about the audience and concentrate on what’s going on onstage — the chemistry, the tones, the sounds.” What about the fog machines? “The idea is that this is a ritual, somehow: not a ‘gig,’ not a concert, but a sort of invocation. That shifts the expectations of the audience.” What about the final track on “Black One,” the band’s breakout 2005 album, for which one guest vocalist, the legendary “suicidal metal” recluse known only as Malefic, supposedly recorded his vocals while sealed inside a coffin? This, finally, prompted Anderson to smile.

“That was about capturing a certain kind of claustrophobic, isolated tone. There was actually a hearse parked outside the studio — a Cadillac hearse, painted purple — that belonged to the studio owner. So, we’re like, well of course we have to put the coffin in the hearse! So we actually put contact mikes inside the hearse, and inside the coffin and on top of it, and shut the lid. Malefic’s a tall, lanky guy, and he didn’t really fit inside too well. Eventually he started feeling claustrophobic, and that’s how we got the tone we wanted. There are outtakes of him knocking on the lid, saying: ‘O.K., I’m done! Let me out!’ ” Might that not qualify as tongue-in-cheek? I asked. “Tone first,” Anderson said, holding up a finger. “What this group’s about is tone.” He watched me closely for a moment, then his smile suddenly widened. “I love metal,” he said, as if confessing a closely guarded secret.

Here.

From PunkNews:

The Aquabats have gained a new member. Eagle “Bones” Falconhawk will be taking over guitar duties from Chainsaw, the prince of Karate who injured himself just prior to May.

Here.

From LA Weekly:

Still, something about them has stuck. They live on through tribute albums, cover bands and MySpace fan clusters that rival the population of Long Beach. Even now, they poll as one of KROQ’s all-time fan favorites, and Nowell’s Dalmatian, Lou Dog, who died in 2001, has memorial pages littered all over the Internet like virtual roadside shrines.

What’s the appeal? Part of it is junkie-chic (the Cult of Dead Bradley) part of it is the staying power of a good pop melody, and part of it is Nowell’s lilting tenor and jazz phrasing — at his best he sounded like Billie Holiday on uppers. But there’s also the fact that as a band, Sublime was way ahead of its time.

Here.

From Manowar:

Heavy metal and outdoor adventuring may seem to be disparate entities, but in fact, they have one distinct quality in common: They are both lifestyles. It isn’t an easy task to find a “casual” metal fan, just as it is an enviable venture to dredge up an outdoorsman who doesn’t live and breathe his craft. There is a distinct sense of passion, devotion and intense involvement to be found within each field making each more than a hobby, but a way of life. Now, Eric Adams and Chester Moore – esteemed zoologist, outdoorsman, and wildlife journalist – have joined forces to create a unique and exciting look into the adventurous world of outdoor life in their upcoming hunting DVD “Wild Life & Wild Times.” This DVD release is scheduled for June 26, 2006.

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From LA Weekly:

Over the past decade, as pious citizens have shuddered at metal’s devil horns and tattoos, Korn, Marilyn Manson and Dio have extended a claw to the kids who were being abused, rejected and driven onto the streets. Lamb of God have scientifically demolished the patriotic oaferies of militarism. Cattle Decapitation have bellowed about the trashing of the Earth.

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Another Murderfest band later introduced a recently conscripted member. “This isn’t our original bassist,” proclaimed the vocalist, “this is his father!”

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From PunkNews:

Descendents will be launching their own signature Vans shoe on June 1st, 2006. The long-running and influential hardcore/pop-punk act is currently on hiatus while members work as producers, scientists and even the backup band for the Lemonheads.
Here.

From the BBC:

Hand-picked by the festival’s organiser, veteran Ukrainian rocker and cultural patriot Oleg Skrypka, they had to fulfil three festival conditions:

•    To sing professionally and live (ie – not miming)

•    To play rock, hip-hop or anything other than pop

•    To sing in Ukrainian.

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Just noticed that Manowar has an RSS feed (in their news section). Bought Into Glory Ride in 1983 at the Record Exchange, Walnut Creek, California. The same day Jef bought Metallica’s Kill ‘Em All but it was too fast so he sold it to me for $5. Then around that time, bought Mercyful Fate’s Melissa. Set it on fire in my backyard with a couple kids from church.
From the loudest band in the world, Manowar:

“The whole purpose of playing live is to blow people’s heads off,” says Manowar bassist Joey DeMaio . “That’s what we do; that’s the energy of this band. We’re out there to kick ass. We’re out there to turn our gear on and blast. We’re out there to kill. That’s what metal is. Anybody who says otherwise is not playing heavy metal. We will melt your face!”
Here.

So many great things over the years, this is one of the best. Can’t believe I’m just now mentioning Ill Mitch, my favorite Russian-American rapper.

From Ill Mitch:

To person who throw me a fruit to my helmet on street. I know color year and styles of saturn car you drive and I tell my probations officer what you look. If I catch you on the drive by my front I do you a serious danger and I can tell you “one thing” you don’t drive thats “for sure”. You crazy fan.

Here.

From Punknews:

United By Walter has confirmed the rumours that influential and beloved hardcore act Gorilla Biscuits will be reuniting this August for a US tour. The tour coincides with the re-release Gorilla Biscuit’s classic second full length, Start Today. The album was originally released in 1989.

Formed in the 1980s, the band helped define upbeat melodic hardcore and has been cited as a singular influence by a generation of hardcore bands. Guitarist Walter Schreifels’ went on to form a succession of respected acts including Quicksand, Rival Schools, and Walking Concert. Frontman Anthony “Civ” Civocelli formed Civ, and drummer Sammy Siegler performed with a number of acts including Glassjaw and Nightmare of You.

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From The New York Times:

They have eight-foot retractable latex Satan wings, sing hits like “Chainsaw Buffet” and blow up slabs of smoking meat on stage. So members of the band Lordi expected a reaction when they beat a crooner of love ballads to represent Finland at the Eurovision song contest in Athens, the competition that was the springboard for Abba and Celine Dion.

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Love it or hate it, from Punknews:

The first single from AFI’s upcoming full length has been posted on the band’s official website. The track comes from the band’s long-awaited (and delayed) sophomore album, Decemberunderground.

The album is expected to contain both “hardcore moments” and more electronc leanings as well as feature backing vocals from Tiger Army’s Nick 13, Dan Smith from Day of Contempt, Bleeding Through’s Brandon Schieppati, Eighteen Visions’ Keith Barney, and Ronan Harris from VNV Nation, among others.

Here.

From the Guardian:

Today, he finds himself in the unlikely position of becoming the world’s leading heavy-metal cineaste. The first film he co-directed, wrote and produced, Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey, has been touring the festivals to much acclaim. The editing suite has been hired to cut another documentary, this time about the life of Dennis “Piggy” d’Amour, the late guitarist of Canadian thrash metal band Voivod. Later this year, he will embark on a third documentary, this time about metal’s popularity in unlikely corners of the globe. There is, he claims, a burgeoning black-metal scene in Indonesia: apparently, they can’t get enough of bands called Abettor of Satan and Deformed Tartarus in Bandung. “The thing is,” Scot McFadyen sighs, “I’m not really into heavy metal.”

He only loses his natural ebullience when confronted with the leading lights of the Norwegian death-metal scene, including the fragrant Gaahl, lead singer of Gargamel, practising Satanist, and, it quickly becomes apparent, raving anti-semite. “He was actually pretty nice to us, although he’s just been in prison for torturing a guy,” says McFadyen, carefully. “He told us it was self-defence. We’re not quite clear on how that works.”
Here.