In addition to being a full-time member of The Vandals, Devo and Weezer and session drummer for the likes of The Offspring, Mike Ness, Social Distortion, Viva Death and a couple hundred more, Josh Freese somehow finds time to release solo albums of his own. His latest offering, “My New Friends,” was released yesterday and features some pretty awesome purchase options.

Ever wanted a copy of Josh’s fifth grade report card? Or to get a mani/pedi with Josh and Twiggy Ramirez before having Josh write a song about you? Or have Dexter from the Offspring fly you to San Luis Obispo for lunch? Or hit up Build-A-Bear with Josh and Johnny Knoxville? Maybe you want your copy of the album to come with Josh’s Volvo station wagon. If so, head here to check out your options.

Josh Freese’s last release was his 2009 full-length “Since 1972.”

Ted Leo was scheduled to do a solo tour of the U.S. earlier this year, but most of those dates were canceled for reasons unknown. Well, the tour is on again, with almost all of the original dates rescheduled. He’ll be hitting the East Coast, Midwest, and the South, without his band The Pharmacists. However, the band will still be joining him for their European tour in April. For a full list of dates, check the band’s tour page.

At Ted’s last solo show of the tour, in New York City on May 14th, he will be playing a Minor Threat set.

The band released their latest album, The Brutalist Bricks, in March 2010.

Disclaimer: This is not a new album (it was released a little over a year ago) However, I’m writing this because it’s a great album and deserves a little promotion.

The first Ted Leo and the Pharmacists (who I will refer to as TL/rx) song I listened to made me skeptical. My regular playlist consisted of NOFX, Bad Religion, and the Dead Kennedys. I was never one for this indie-mod-rock sort of thing. But the more I listened, the more I found that this band had something to offer that drew me in.

Maybe it’s the fact that TL/rx isn’t your average indie band. Ted(vocals/guitar) has a diverse background that includes punk, hardcore, and a touch of dub. Drummer James Canty brings a colorful mix of rock genres to the table as well. The group finds a way to blend their individual sounds together in a way that, well, in a way that just sounds good. This album, “The Brutalist Bricks,” is a perfect example of that blend.

The album pumps a subtle current of punk rock under the lighter stuff throughout the album, starting right from the get-go with “The Mighty Sparrow.” It’s a solid opener that sets the tone for the rest of the album.

Tempos change, guitars go acoustic, and the volume fluctuates, but there’s still a certain energy that holds throughout the entire album. From start to finish, you can tell that these dudes are really into what they are playing. And in the sometimes repetitive indie rock genre, that’s something rare and refreshing.

Personally, my favorite tracks are “The Mighty Sparrow” and “Bottled In Cork.” The latter has a pretty funny music video, too, featuring comedians Paul Tompkins and John Hodgman (of The Daily Show). The whole thing is a not-too-subtle jab at Green Day, and I enjoyed it.

I still listen to NOFX, Bad Religion, and the Dead Kennedys, and I doubt there will be a day when that stuff gets old for me. But, thanks to “The Brutalist Bricks,” I’ve adopted Ted Leo and the boys to my playlist.

**The Album Reviews published on Dying Scene are written and submitted by fans of punk music, just like you. If you disagree with an album’s rating, feel free to voice your opinion and give it your own rating in the comments. If you’d like to submit your own review do it here.

Singer/song-writer Frank Turner recently took part in the Relentless Short Stories competition. It’s an annual contest for film makers who have to make a short film on a certain theme.  A filmmaker by the name of James Henry decided he wanted to make a film about Turner.  They filmed a couple of shows and did some interviewing, and it actually came out pretty cool.

Check it out here.

Turner’s upcoming album, England Keep My Bones, comes out in the UK June 6 and everywhere else June 7.

NJ pop-punk outfit I Call Fives have released a new song entitled “For The Best,” and it can be streamed here (you gotta “like” it to hear it).

The song will appear on the band’s upcoming split with New York’s Rust Belt Lights, which will be released on April 5th via Broken Rim Records.

UK punks Lower Than Atlantis are streaming a new song tilted “Uni 9MM” right here.  It will appear on their upcoming album “World Record,” due out April 19th on Sumerian Records.

You check out the tracklist and a music video off the album here.

Kind Of Like Records is teaming up with Bermuda Mohawk Productions and Big Purple Records to release The Fucking Cops‘ new EP – “Fuck You Up With Some Truth.” The EP will be available as a CD and on 12″ vinyl, both coming with a full-size 16 page booklet featuring illustrations for every song. Artists contributing to the project include Jason Lubrano (of Iron Chic), Lauren Denitzio (of The Measure [SA], Worrier), John G, Asbestos Breath and the band’s own Shannon Sullivan, who drew up comics for “Gloria Pt I” and “Gloria Pt II.” Preview of the pages will be available shortly, but in the meantime, you can check out 2 songs from the record on the band’s Bandcamp page.

The band has also released a video for “Sweating Or Freezing” that you can watch here. The song features Ian Graham (of Cheap Girls) on guest vocals, lending not only his voice, but his knowledge of tough times on the road.

The record is due out May 3rd, but you can pre-order a copy now through Kind Of Like Records, Big Purple Records and Bermuda Mohawk Productions.

Margate has released a new video for their cover of “Dammit” by Blink 182 in their latest installment of their “Live From Room 57″ series. Check it out right here.

Each Friday for 30 weeks the band will post a new video that features a live performance by the band with “no overdubs, auto-tune or studio trickery” involved.

Margate’s last album “On The Other Side” came out in August of 2009, and you can download it–as well as the audio for all of the Room 57 Sessions–on their site for the punk rock price of “Pay what you want”. NICE!

The band is also accepting pre-orders for their upcoming EP “Rock ‘n Roll Reserve” via Kickstarter.

[Read more…]

Kansas City’s The Get Up Kids and New Jersey Emo / Pop-punkers Saves The Day will co-headline ten dates this summer in the midwest and on the east coast. Click here for the details.

The Get Up Kids will be supporting their new album There Are Rules, while Saves The Day’s new LP Daybreak is finally slated to be released later this year.

[Read more…]

The Horrible Crowes, the side project of The Gaslight Anthem frontman Brian Fallon and longtime Gaslight guitar tech Ian Perkins, have announced plans to enter the studio to record their debut full-length. Fallon writes,

“We now have what we call a record. There’s 15 songs written, of which 11 or 12 will be on the record. As of right now we have no title for the album, but we know Mr. Ted Hutt will be producing. We’re all flying in from all over the world to meet in my hometown in New Jersey around the last week in April to start pre-production, and we’ll actually start recording May 2nd, Lord willing. For once I’m not flying all over the place to work. There’s gonna be some very exciting, well dressed gentlemen inside this studio.”

There’s no word on a release date, nor which label will be releasing it. The Gaslight Anthem most recently released American Slang last year on SideOneDummy.