Japanese punks Hi-Standard have announced their drummer Akira Tsuneoka has passed away at the age of 51. The band posted the following statement on social media: “Dear fans and friends, With deep and profound sadness, we inform you of the untimely passing of our beloved friend and drummer Akira Tsuneoka of Hi-STANDARD. His music and […]
Japanese punks Hi-Standard have announced their drummer Akira Tsuneoka has passed away at the age of 51. The band posted the following statement on social media:
“Dear fans and friends,
With deep and profound sadness, we inform you of the untimely passing of our beloved friend and drummer Akira Tsuneoka of Hi-STANDARD.
His music and spirit will live on in our hearts. We ask that you respect the privacy of his family and the members of Hi-STANDARD during this difficult time.”
Tsuneoka was a founding member of Hi-Standard in 1991 and he remained with the band until his untimely passing. The three-piece rose to prominence in the late 90’s after signing to Fat Wreck Chords. The label has released their own statement in response to the news:
“Today, we mourn the untimely death of Akira Tsuneoka, a beloved member of the band Hi-STANDARD, and a treasured member of the FAT family. Tsune will be remembered for his incredible talent, infectious enthusiasm, and genial spirit. As a founding member of Hi-STANDARD, he was a driving force behind the band’s success. He captivated live audiences with his passion and perfection on stage. He will be dearly missed by family, friends, and fans. Our hearts go out to all those touched by his life and music.”
We’ll be keeping Akira’s family, friends, and bandmates in our thoughts.
Japanese punk veterans Hi-Standard announced the passing of founding member, drummer Akira Tsuneoka, in February. Today, the band released “I’m A Rat”, their final song recorded with Tsuneoka on drums. They don’t make any mention of it, but Fat Mike of NOFX is credited as the songwriter on Spotify and YouTube Music. They have also been added […]
Japanese punk veterans Hi-Standard announced the passing of founding member, drummer Akira Tsuneoka, in February. Today, the band released “I’m A Rat”, their final song recorded with Tsuneoka on drums. They don’t make any mention of it, but Fat Mike of NOFX is credited as the songwriter on Spotify and YouTube Music.
They have also been added to the lineup for Japanese music festival Satanic Carnival 2023. They won’t have a new drummer manning the throne, but will instead “have friends fill in and have them play a few songs each” on drums for this show.
Check out Hi-Standard’s absolutely killer new song “I’m A Rat” below, alongside a statement from the band on the track and their future plans.
“Hi Everyone
This may come as a surprise, but we are releasing a new song. It’s only one song, but we will be releasing it. The song is “I’m a Rat”.
This is Tsune’s last recording with Hi-STANDARD.
We recorded this song in December of 2022. This isn’t an unreleased song or a B-side, this is a new song. The song will be released digitally and will be available through various streaming services starting April 19th along with a lyric video on YouTube.
Tsune was having a blast and was on top of his game during the session. He was extremely happy with how the song turned out, so we are releasing “I’m a Rat” without hesitation.
As announced, we will be performing at Satanic Carnival 2023 as Hi-STANDARD.
We will have our friends fill in and have them play a few songs each. We thought about how this show should be presented, whether it would be a tribute show or a memorial show, but those formats did not make sense to us. In the end we decided that it would best to perform as Hi-STANDARD. We won’t be announcing the drummers, they will be introduced when they hit the stage.
We were supposed to play the show with Tsune, and we had planned on playing “I’m a Rat”. When we were asked to play Satanic Carnival, Tsune said couldn’t find a reason not to play the festival. For that reason, we will be performing as Hi-STANDARD.
The three of us had discussed the future of Hi-STANDARD and we had a vision. We had projects in the works, releasing “I’m a Rat”, and playing Satanic Carnival 2023. These were the first steps we were taking to move forward as a band.
As we were taking this first step, we lost Tsune.
Nothing would make us happier if you could listen to the song, watch the video, and remember that there was Akira Tsuneoka, the eternal drummer.
We are back to square one with our “projects in the works” after the passing of Tsune. We may not be able accomplish everything we had planned, but we will do our best to bring to life what we had envisioned.
First, we would love for you to see Hi-STANDARD at Satanic Carnival 2023.
Greetings, and welcome to the Dying Scene Record Radar. If it’s your first time here, thank you for joining us! This is the weekly column where we cover all things punk rock vinyl; new releases, reissues… you name it, we’ve probably got it. Kick off your shoes, pull up a chair, crack open a cold […]
Greetings, and welcome to the Dying Scene Record Radar. If it’s your first time here, thank you for joining us! This is the weekly column where we cover all things punk rock vinyl; new releases, reissues… you name it, we’ve probably got it. Kick off your shoes, pull up a chair, crack open a cold one, and break out those wallets, because it’s go time. Let’s get into it!
Check out the video edition of this week’s Record Radar, presented by our friends at Punk Rock Radar:
By now you’ve probably heard that Rancid‘s got a new record coming out. But did you know there are like 20 color variants? Here‘s where you can get all of them (the ones that haven’t already sold out, at least). Check out the lead single from Tomorrow Never Comes while you wait for your record to show up in the mail:
Japanese punk legends Hi-Standard recently surprised fans with a new single called “I’m A Rat”. This is the last song they recorded with drummer Akira Tsuneoka before his untimely passing earlier this year. Fat Wreck Chords is releasing the song as a 7″ picture disc.
Listen to the track below and pre-order the 7″ here. And here’s some more info on the release from the label:
“The physical release is a picture disc featuring the “I’m a Rat” cover art on side A, and a photograph of beloved founding member Akira Tsuneoka on side B. The picture disc is a small tribute to Tsune’s immortal spirit, and all profits will be donated to his family.”
Authority Zero‘s 2002 debut album A Passage In Time is getting its first-ever vinyl release, with Music On Vinyl pressing 1,000 copies on 180g silver colored wax. This is due out in June and only seems to be available from European retailers at the moment. If you want to import a copy to the US, JPC.de is probably your cheapest option.
The Offspring‘s Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace is back in print for the first time since 2008. This 15th Anniversary reissue comes with a bonus 7″ with live recordings from Hellfest 2022 and some other goodies. More importantly, you won’t have to fork over $200 for it like original pressings on Discogs. Get your copy here.
1-2-3-4 Go! Records latest exclusive pressing is this purdy variant of Tiger Army‘s 1999 self-titled debut, limited to 1,000 copies on orange and black “tiger stripe” colored vinyl. Available now on the Oakland record store’s webstore.
Highly regarded for their cassette releases, the friendly people at Memorable But Not Honorable have announced their first foray into the world of vinyl with Saturday Morning Lineup. The 19-song compilation features covers of Saturday Morning cartoon themes from awesome pop-punk bands like The Putz, Goin’ Places, Pinoles, Atomic Treehouse & more. Check out the teaser below and bookmark this product page; pre-orders go live Friday, May 26th. They pressed 250 copies on white colored vinyl.
Asbestos Records has opened enrollment for its 2023 Subscription Club. The label says they “have some insane releases coming out including a good mix of reissues from amazing ska/punk/hardcore bands, a couple reprints we’ve been working on for years, some new releases from great bands, and some completely off the wall surprises.” Sign up and fork over your cash here.
It wouldn’t be the Record Radar without even more Alkaline Trio represses from Newbury Comics, would it? Anyway, for $45.99(!) you can get this new 2×10″ pressing of Good Mourning on red and black marble colored vinyl. 1,000 copies, available here.
Newbury’s other Alkaline Trio reissue is Crimson, on the same color variant and, once again, spread across two 10″ discs. Buy it here. It’s also worth noting that Vagrant Records has their own webstore exclusive variant of this one, and surprise surprise, it’s somehow $10 less than Newbury’s. Both of these records go for over $100 on the resale market though, so I suppose I can’t complain too much.
SoCal melodic punks Strike Twelve have signed to Thousand Islands Records for the release of their new album Last Band Standing. Check out the music video for the awesome lead single “Smart Phones, Stupid People” below and pre-order the record here. Due out June 30th.
Well, that’s all, folks. Another Record Radar in the books. As always, thank you for tuning in. If there’s anything we missed (highly likely), or if you want to let everyone know about a new/upcoming vinyl release you’re excited about, leave us a comment below, or send us a message on Facebook or Instagram, and we’ll look into it. Enjoy your weekend, and don’t blow too much money on spinny discs (or do, I’m not your father). See ya next week!
Wanna catch up on all of our Record Radar posts? Click here and you’ll be taken to a page with all the past entries in the column. Magic!
Hello, and welcome to the April, 2023 edition of Dylan’s Favorite Punk Albums, EPs & Things! This is the column where I, Dylan aka Screeching Bottlerocket, tell you what new punk rock albums, EPs and singles I enjoyed the most this month. This is a collaborative effort with our friends at Punk Rock Radar, with whom I’ll […]
Hello, and welcome to the April, 2023 edition of Dylan’s Favorite Punk Albums, EPs & Things! This is the column where I, Dylan aka Screeching Bottlerocket, tell you what new punk rock albums, EPs and singles I enjoyed the most this month.
This is a collaborative effort with our friends at Punk Rock Radar, with whom I’ll be doing a video version of this Best Of wrap-up each month. If you like discovering awesome new bands as much as I do, be sure to follow Punk Rock Radar on Instagram and YouTube, and keep tabs on their Upcoming Release Calendar.
Here’s our video for April (let us know what your favorite releases of the month were in the YouTube comments):
Australia’s finest Frenzal Rhomb pick up right where they left off on Hi-Vis High Tea and Smoko At the Pet Food Factory. I had this penciled in as one of my most anticipated releases of the year, and unsurprisingly, it did not disappoint. Read my album review here.
Here’s another one you’ve probably seen a lot of hype for on the pages of Dying Scene (and elsewhere) over the last few months. NOT is a new ALL / Descendents inspired project featuring members of Mercy Music, Sharp/Shock & others. This record is excellent and reminds me most of Chad Price-era ALL albums like Mass Nerder and Problematic, while still sounding fresh and original.
Manchester, UK’s Clayface made a great first impression with their debut album Ailments. Some of the songs have a cool Lawrence Arms-meets-Dead To Me kinda feel, but I’d place the overarching sound into the “orgcore” category. Fast and loose, rough-around-the-edges punk. Listen below and get it on vinyl here (US) / here (UK).
If you like basically anything Epitaph or Fat Wreck Chords released in the 90’s, you’ll wanna check out this new record from Italian skate punks Wasei. Vulgar Misplay of Burkett aces that classic Epifat feel without feeling stale or unoriginal in the slightest. Listen to the album below and get it on vinyl / CD here.
Here’s another one for the orgcore enjoyers (ya know, that used to be a dirty word around these parts, but I’m using it quite liberally now!). It’s another debut album, this time from Texas punks Debunker. Misfortunes reminds me a lot of early Banner Pilot, especially the Pass the Poison EP. Super fast, great hooks, cool guitar parts. I like these guys and I think you will, too! Listen below; buy on Bandcamp.
I’m not usually a big Oi! / street punk guy, but I’ll make an exception for this record from Las Vegas’ Fool’s Errand. Songs like the album opener “It’s a Problem” are slower and bordering on pub rock; others like “Know What I Mean” and “That’s Yer Lot” are fast as fuck and closer to a mix of Rancid and Bombshell Rocks. The whole record’s awesome, though. Get it on limited colored vinyl here.
Anyone who knows me knows I’m a huge old school pop-punk fan. If you like any band that was on Lookout! in the 90’s (Screeching Weasel, The Queers, Squirtgun, MTX, etc.), I have no doubt you’ll like this debut album from Corpus Christi, Texas’ Öldie Häwn. Nothing revolutionary going on here, but this is an extremely solid Ramonescore record.
DS Band Spotlight alumni, Oslo, Norway’s Fights showcase their signature “boogiecore” (hardcore punk mixed with boogie rock) sound on their debut album Scampirock. It’s hard to explain what that sounds like, so I’ll just advise you to listen to it. This is a bad ass record.
I’mma be honest, folks. I wasn’t that stoked on the last Teenage Bottlerocket album; it wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t anything special either. So when I found out all four songs on their new 7″ So Dumb / So Stoked were tracks that didn’t make the cut for that album, I wasn’t too stoked on it either. Surprisingly, though, I like these songs more than most of that record. I think “It Wasn’t Enough” is the best of the bunch. Listen below; get the 7″ here.
Australian pop-punks The Malphs‘ debut EP Sometimes I Think About You delivers six tracks of Ramonescore perfection. Check it out below, get the 7″ here (US) or here (AUS) and download the EP on Bandcamp.
Look, another debut EP from an Australian pop-punk band! Newcastle’s Long Distance plays a very different kind of pop-punk from The Malphs, though. The band cites influences like Blink-182, Sum 41, New Found Glory, etc. and that’s evident in the sound on their four song debut EP Left for Dead.
“Bridges” is the second single from SoCal skate punk veterans Jughead’s Revenge‘s comeback EP Vultures, which is is due out May 5th on SBÄM Records. Pre-order the 12″ EP here (US) / here (EU), and check out the last single “I’ll Be Seeing You” if you haven’t already done so.
Rancid caught everyone by surprise with the announcement of their new album Tomorrow Never Comes, and I’ve seen a lot of people lauding the album’s lead single (and title track) as a return to form for the band. I agree – this song is better than anything on their last two records – and I’m excited to see if the album makes the grade when it releases on June 2nd through Hellcat Records.
We hosted the exclusive premiere(!) for Dutch punks Ink Bomb‘s music video for their new single “Theme Song”. The video’s awesome, the song’s great. Can’t wait to hear the new album these guys (and girl) are working on.
I’ve been waiting for some new music from Barcelona’s Acid Snot since their debut album Attitudes was released in 2016, so I was really excited when I saw the band signed to Thousand Islands and Lockjaw Records. “Biopsy” is their first new song in 7 years, and it’s a real ripper. This is a big step up from that debut album. Looking forward to more to come from Acid Snot!
REHASHER “Rabbit Hole”
Roger Lima simply does not miss, folks. The Less Than Jake bassist / co-frontman’s melodic punk side project Rehasher has long been one of my favorite bands. Their new single “Rabbit Hole” is the latest in a long line of bangers. I honestly can’t name a single bad Rehasher song.
“Fenix” is the latest single from Barcelona skate punks Flying Frogs‘ upcoming album WTF Is Going On, due out later this year on 20 Chords Records and Melodic Punk Style. It’s been 7 years since their last record Playing Again came out, but they haven’t missed a beat. Check out the music video for “Fenix” below.
Another recent pickup by our friends at Thousand Islands Records, SoCal melodic punks Strike Twelve are gearing up to release their new album new album Last Band Standing on June 30th. Check out the music video for the lead single “Smart Phones, Stupid People” below and pre-order the record here.
“I’m A Rat” is the final song Japanese punk veterans Hi-Standard recorded with drummer Akira Tsuneoka before his untimely passing in February. It’s a super fast skate punk song (supposedly written by Fat Mike) that recaptures the raw energy of albums like Angry Fist and Making the Road. Fat Wreck Chords is releasing a 7″ picture disc for the song and donating profits to Tsune’s family.
That concludes the April installment of the column. Thanks for checking it out! Keep your eyes glued to Dying Scene for all things punk rock and follow our friends Punk Rock Radar on Instagram, YouTube, etc. Join us again next month!
Here’s a Spotify playlist with songs from all the releases featured in Dying Scene & Punk Rock Radar’s Best of 2023 series so far:
Akira Tsuneoka, founding member of and drummer for Japanese punk band Hi-STANDARD, has passed away. He was 51 years old. The band announced his passing in a statement on Facebook which reads, ”Dear fans and friends, With deep and profound sadness, we inform you of the untimely passing of our beloved friend and drummer Akria Tsuneoka of Hi-STANDARD. His music and spirit will live on in our hearts. We ask that you respect the privacy of his family and the members of Hi-STANDARD during this difficult time.” Akira Tsuneoka formed the band in 1991 along with Akihiro Nanba and Ken Yokoyama. Hi-STANDARD released five albums during their run, the last of which was The Gift. In 2017. We send our condolences to Akira Tsuneoka’s family, friends, and fans.
