Charlotte Rockers My Epic are streaming Lower Still on their MySpace Page, the second song release off of their upcoming sophomore release YET.

My Epic last released I Am Undone in 2008 on Facedown Records.

Vancouver’s old school sounding pop-punk act The Split Ups are releasing their debut EP June 1st on When’s Lunch Records and you can preview the track Action Man right now on the label’s MySpace page.

Check out the latest webisode update from Epitaph punkers, Off With Their Heads.  Not a whole lot of substance, but it’s apparent that they’re in one of 20 US states that has no law against bestiality!  Find out why here.

Off With Their Heads will be touring soon in support of their upcoming 8 June 2010 Epitaph Records release, In Desolation (which can be pre-ordered here).  Joining them on tour will be Negative Approach, Paint It Black, In Defense, and more. [Read more…]

Below are a couple albums that hit stores today. Listen to a few of their tracks – if you like what you hear support the bands and go buy an album.

All Time Low: Straight To DVD (Hopeless)

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Blacklist Royals: Semper Liberi (Paper+Plastick)

Listen to 3 album tracks on the band’s MySpace.
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Dirty Tactics: It Is What It Is (Say-10)

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Guana Batz: The Very Best Of (Anagram)

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I Call Fives: Bad Advice (No Sleep)

Listen to 2 album tracks on the band’s MySpace.
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Legend: Valediction (Rise)

Listen to 2 album tracks on the band’s MySpace.
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Veara: What We Left Behind (Epitaph)

Listen to 2 album tracks on the band’s MySpace.
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Define: Semper liberi. Answer: “Always Free.” It’s a good motto to have, it’s something that can mean many things to many people. Whether it’s free from worries or free from the shackles of life, there’s no doubt that you should always be free to do whatever you want to do. But what does it mean to Blacklist Royals? Aside from being the title of their debut album for Paper + Plastick Records, I’m going to go out on a limb here and say “always free to rock your ass off.” That’s exactly what this album does and it does so with a little bit of Southern charm.

Known as the Blacklist Royals since 2006, this 5-piece “punk-n-roll” band from Nashville play country tinged punk rock songs that are as perfect for a road trip cross-country as they are for a night of sharing brews with your buddies.

It’s hard to deny that these guys are hard working individuals, it shows throughout the album. There’s a noticeable country tinge to the music but it’s not overbearing. Rather, it’s something that allows them to create a sound that’s totally their own. Gathering inspiration from 60’s music, punk, and country, each individual genre shines through in Semper Liberi. While you’d probably think that a punk album can’t include piano, these guys show you that you’re dead wrong.

The album starts off at a high tempo and doesn’t let up. Whether it’s Nat’s rough vocals or the melodies emanating from the guitars & piano, the music hooks you. From the opening track of No Looking Back, the band lays out the blueprint for what this album is about. Taking a queue from the name of the album, Nat ends the song with “Maybe we can find a way to be free.” For the next 35 minutes, they will sing songs about life. From songs about touring, come out to California, being away from home and not wanting to come back, to girls and just enjoying life, the Blacklist Royals let you know exactly what you’re getting yourself into and you wouldn’t want it any other way.

One of the things that impressed me the most about this band is their instrumentation. A lot of bands tend to use keyboards as a gimmick. Whether it’s to create some far-out synth sound, or to do something that [they think] other bands aren’t doing, Blacklist Royals use the keys in the way they’re meant to be used and in some songs, it completely steals the show.

The stand out track Tennessee Blues is a great example of how the keys are used perfectly. It’s a song about not wanting to go home after tour and instead just keep driving. The piano comes in, sort of honkey tonk-like, and adds a completely different dimension to the song. As they name off each state that they pass through and the verse gets closer to the chorus, the piano builds and then it explodes as Nat belts out the chorus. It’s my favorite track and, in my opinion, the best song on the album and allows the guys to show you their musicianship.

Semper Liberi is an album that will make you feel like you should always be on a road trip, or on the road. Having recently completed one myself, I was blasting this album at least once through each state I passed by. It’s just that good, no matter where you’re from or what your preference of music is. When you pay closer attention to the lyrics, you can’t help but want to sing along to the choruses. If you want to hear a style of music that you’ve never heard before, give these guys a listen and I guarantee you’ll become a fan of Blacklist Royals and their brand of Southern, country infused punk-n-roll.

Mathcore juggernauts The Dillinger Escape Plan have campaigned with Peta2 to help spread the word about an event that promotes the massacre of seals, known as the annual “Canadian seal slaughter”. On a much lighter note, you can enter their contest to win a “limited-edition digipak and two Dillinger Escape Plan option cubes, not sold in stores.”  To enter the contest, click here.

To read more about The Dillinger Escape Plan’s stance on seal slaughter, click here.

Portland hip-hop punker, Rafael Vigilantics, has recorded a couple of acoustic tunes and offered them as a free download.  Hit up his site at SoundCloud to download Roll The Dice along with Shot You Down.

RV’s latest LP, Bury Me Standing, came out last May on Horns Up Records.

It was announced a couple of weeks ago that Florida dudes, Underoath, had found ex-Norma Jean drummer, Daniel Davison, as the replacement for original drummer, Aaron Gillespie (who was, actually, the band’s only remaining original member).  Well, yesterday, the band informed us via Twitter that they have begun recording with Daniel for the first Underoath album sans Mr. Gillespie.  Production duties are being left up to Matt Goldman (who produced their last two albums) along with Jeremy S.H. Griffith (Saosin, Cool Hand Luke).  The band hopes to release the yet-untitled album before the end of 2010.

Underoath’s last release, Lost In The Sound Of Separation, came out last September on Tooth & Nail Records.

The clown that we all love to hate, Cokie The Clown, has just uploaded a video concerning the SXSW set where he urinated into a Patron bottle and then proceeded to hand out shots from said bottle to unknowing audience members. If you’ve been under a rock for the past couple months, read this to catch up.

I don’t want to give anything away, but this is a must-watch video, you will see Cokie at his finest, and your opinion of him may change, it may not. Watch it here.

[Read more…]

So, it’s kind of one of those good news, bad news situations. Which one do you want first? Ok, the bad news is that, despite a scheduled release date of April 27, Reignition‘s upcoming 7″ The Epitome of Free Will has been delayed in distribution . Think Fast! had this to say about the whole ordeal,

Reignition’s new 7″ single “The Epitome Of Free Will” was supposed to hit stores today, but unfortunately we haven’t even received the records from the plant, let alone given our distributor the time they require to get the records into stores. We’re expecting the records any day, although the plant has been telling us the same story for several weeks now. We’re going to keep the pre-orders going until we receive the records, so if you didn’t already get your pre-order in, you still have time and we still have a few copies of the limited vinyl leftover.

Ready for the good news? The digital versions are still available at all your normal online stores, so no fear.

Reignition has several tour dates scheduled over the next couple of months. Head to their Dying Scene Shows page for more details.