Australian punk veterans Frenzal Rhomb are auctioning off a test pressing of their new album The Cup of Pestilence, with proceeds going to charitable causes in Minus18 and the Illawarra Shoalhaven Gender Alliance. Bidding on the eBay auction has already cleared $1,000 Australian Dollars, and there’s still 9 days to go! Here’s what guitarist Frenzal Rhomb […]
Here’s what guitarist Frenzal Rhomb guitarist Lindsay McDougal had to say about the auction, which also includes chord charts from the recording of the album as well as one of his guitar straps:
“Hi! Lindsay from Frenzal Rhomb here. Our new album The Cup Of Pestilence is out soon (or is out now), and you can own an official test pressing, cut at Zenith Records. I’ve only played it once, at work, to make sure it sounds right, and it sounds RIGHT!
And if you wanna play along to all the songs on your guitar or piano accordion, I’m also chucking in the cheat sheets I wrote out for recording the album. Every song (including a couple that didn’t make the cut) written out in my weird chords and notes format, that I was sneakily peeking at constantly at the Blasting Room. You’ll be smashing out those four and a half chords in no time!
I’ve also kept all the Dunlop Tortex .88mm guitar picks I used on this record. You can have them! Every note came outta these, every pickslide engraved into them. (warning: Some may have been used to play smooth 80s music also)
You can also have this torn guitar strap. I broke it playing a Steely Dan song, not any Frenzal, but it’ll make you look cool, and I don’t need it anymore.
ALSO – all the money from this auction is getting split between Minus 18 and Illawarra Shoalhaven Gender Alliance. Trans and gender-diverse people have been having a crap time lately, and these two organizations are doing excellent work to help good people who just wanna live their lives.”
If you’d like to bid on the eBay auction, you can do so here. If you’d like to donate directly to the charities, here are their respective donation pages: Minus18 / Illawarra Shoalhaven Gender Alliance.
Unwritten Law was forced to cancel their show tonight in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, following the arrest of singer Scott Russo. The frontman of the veteran punk band was arrested by Tampa PD last night on a warrant for Violation of Probation: Possession of Marijuana. His bail is set at $50,000, which seems pretty fuckin’ heavy […]
Unwritten Law was forced to cancel their show tonight in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, following the arrest of singer Scott Russo. The frontman of the veteran punk band was arrested by Tampa PD last night on a warrant for Violation of Probation: Possession of Marijuana. His bail is set at $50,000, which seems pretty fuckin’ heavy handed for a weed charge but them’s the breaks.
Fans who attended the band’s show at Tampa’s Crowbar say they got someone to fill in on vocals for Russo. Obviously that won’t be happening again tonight, but it sounds like UL intends on resuming their tour with Authority Zero and Mercy Music, with shows this weekend in Orlando and Jacksonville planned to go on as scheduled. Stay tuned to the band’s Facebook page for updates.
Unwritten Law is touring in support of their comeback album The Hum, released last year on Cleopatra Records. It’s the SoCal punk band’s first new LP in over a decade, following 2011’s Swan.
Update: Ya boy Scott’s out on bail – the show goes on!
He wasn’t arrested for weed he was arrested for violation of probation. So he was given probation for marijuana possession which is a misdemeanour in Florida and he failed to comply with the conditions of his probation. That’s actually a lot worse than the charge itself. I guess “writing your own laws” hasn’t worked out so well for this guy….. I hear he has a lot of domestic violence charges as well. Keep him in there.
Operation Ivy bandmates Tim Armstrong and Jesse Michaels have announced their first musical collaboration in over 30 years. The duo teamed up with drummer Joey Castillo (Queens of the Stone Age, Circle Jerks, The Bronx, etc.) and Trash Talk bassist Spencer Pollard for their new project ̶B̶a̶d̶ ̶O̶p̶t̶i̶x̶ (jk, sounds like they had some legal […]
Operation Ivy bandmates Tim Armstrong and Jesse Michaels have announced their first musical collaboration in over 30 years. The duo teamed up with drummer Joey Castillo (Queens of the Stone Age, Circle Jerks, The Bronx, etc.) and Trash Talk bassist Spencer Pollard for their new project ̶B̶a̶d̶ ̶O̶p̶t̶i̶x̶ (jk, sounds like they had some legal trouble and had to change the name to DOOM Regulator).
Armstrong had this to say about reuniting with Michaels:
“I’ve been friends with Jesse since the early 1980s when we were teenagers. We formed Operation Ivy in 1987 and 2 years later we broke up. Jesse and I both continued down our own musical journeys through the years. I always felt a little sadness that Jesse and I stopped making music together. But we never lost touch. And then it happened. A few years ago we started writing songs again! A couple of the songs ended up on Grade 2’s record. Jesse and I just stared writing again a lot. It came back. Just like that. Like when we we were kids. There is a special chemistry between us and I don’t take it for granted.”
Check out the band’s first single “Raid” below, and stay tuned for more to come from ̶B̶a̶d̶ ̶O̶p̶t̶i̶x̶ DOOM Regulator. It sounds like they’ll be releasing a full-length album on Hellcat Records at some point.
It’s a special day over here at Dying Scene HQ as we get the distinct honor of being the first to announce and congratulate the newest members of the Jump Start Records team: Wes Hoffman and Friends! Joining the catalog of punk rock heavy-hitters such as A Wilhelm Scream, MxPx, Off With Their Heads, among […]
It’s a special day over here at Dying Scene HQ as we get the distinct honor of being the first to announce and congratulate the newest members of the Jump Start Records team: Wes Hoffman and Friends! Joining the catalog of punk rock heavy-hitters such as A Wilhelm Scream, MxPx, Off With Their Heads, among many, many others, Wes Hoffman and Friends’ distinct blend of pop and skate punk make them a perfect fit for the lengthy resume Jump Start has already built.
“We seemed to have a similar mindset and perspective on things. We recently went on tour with Bad Planning who has been on Jump Start for a while, and they had nothing but good things to say. It all came together pretty organically and naturally”, wrote Hoffman. “After talking with the owner, Jeremy, and learning about the label’s ethos, I thought it would be a great fit for us.”
Not only is the St. Louis-based quintet signing to a label with a catalog full of “household names” around the punk community, but they’ll become labelmates with some of the bands’ largest influences who have put out some of their favorite releases. “Jump Start released MxPx’s ‘Plans Within Plans’ on vinyl in 2012. I listened to that album on repeat when it came out. I’ve been an MxPx fan for over 25 years, so they’ve been a huge influence on me as well as everyone else in the band”, wrote Hoffman. “A Wilhelm Scream has also released several albums on vinyl with Jump Start. I’ve always been a big fan of them, and we actually got to play with them last year. Belvedere is also one that played that brand of fast, technical skate punk.”
This signing comes just ahead of their debut full-length set to release in November. “How It Should Be” has everything a pop-punk or skate-punk fan could want, with elements familiar to fans of Belvedere and MxPx.
I couldn’t be happier seeing the hard work these guys have put in finally pay off. Although I’ve only been familiar with them for maybe 6 months, it’s been so cool following along with the shows they’ve been playing and the music they’ll soon be releasing. I made the short drive from Nashville up to Indianapolis last month to catch these guys live and, all I have to say is the only thing that outdid their live performance was how cool and friendly these dudes were.
Great things are sure to come as this should serve as both a healthy confidence booster and a great platform to expand their reach. Each member was able to share their own unique insight into what this personally meant, as well as how this benefits the continuing emergence of the group:
Johnny Wehner (Guitar) – “I never thought I’d play a show outside of St. Louis, so signing to a label means a lot to me. I am very excited to play more shows and to expose our music to a broader audience with the help of Jump Start!”
Hes Retnu (Drums) – “Partnerships are everything. I’m extremely excited to partner with Jump Start and earn the chance to amplify alongside the amazing roster of talent.”
Stephen Fee (Guitar) – “We love to write and play music and having Jump Start in our corner enables us to do more of what we love with a different level of support and focus. Turn it to 11!”
Jacob Boyd (Bass) – “Having Jump Start in our corner is incredibly validating and will definitely help our music reach an even bigger audience. I’m stoked for what the future holds.”
These guys have a ton in store for the coming months leading up to their release. If you aren’t familiar with Wes Hoffman and Friends, there’s all kinds of great stuff here to get the two of you acquainted: click here for the interview I had with Wes and bassist Jacob Boyd a few months back, catch WH&F at one of their Midwest dates listed below, or keep scrolling for the short email interview I had with the guys that details the journey leading up to their signing. As always, thanks for checking out the site, Cheers!
Shows!!!
3/31 – Kansas City, MO – miniBar*
4/1 – Lincoln, NE – 1867 Bar*
4/2 – Columbia, MO – The Social Room (early show, 5pm)*
4/28 – Cape Girardeau, MO – Blue Diamond#
4/29 – Springfield, MO – Rock Bottom#
5/19 – St. Louis, MO – The Heavy Anchor^
5/20 – St. Joseph, MO – Sk8bar (early show, 5pm) ^
What does it mean to you as a band to be asked to sign with this label?
We’re extremely excited to be a Jump Start band. For us, this is the start of a new era for our band. We still have a lot of work to do, but it’s truly an honor to be a part of the Jump Start roster and have our album be a part of their catalog. They’ve been around for over 25 years and done over 100 releases, so they’re a well-established label. We’re going to keep working hard: writing, touring, making connections, and adding more and more energy to our live show. The biggest change is that we now have support of an established label which we’re very thankful for.
Why do you feel Jump Start is a good fit for you guys?
Jump Start has had some awesome releases and bands that seem to fit well with our sound. I absolutely loved the You Vandal album “Pretend I Don’t Exist” that came out last year. It was one of my most-listened to albums of 2022. After talking with the owner, Jeremy, and learning about the label’s ethos, I thought it would be a great fit for us. We seemed to have a similar mindset and perspective on things. We recently went on tour with Bad Planning who has been on Jump Start for a while, and they had nothing but good things to say as well. It all came together pretty organically and naturally which was also a sign to me that it would be a good fit.
Are there any bands on this label that are particularly influential?
Jump Start released MxPx’s “Plans Within Plans” on vinyl in 2012. I listened to that album on repeat when it came out. I was training for a half-marathon at the time, and would just let it play front to back. I’ve been an MxPx fan for over 25 years, so they’ve been a huge influence on me as well as everyone else in the band. A Wilhelm Scream has also released several albums on vinyl with Jump Start. I’ve always been a big fan of them, and we actually got to play with them last year. Belvedere is also one that played that brand of fast, technical skate punk. They’ve partnered with Jump Start on several releases too. Oddly enough, we have a show with them later this year too. It will be super cool to be a part of a label that’s worked with some of our favorite bands.
How would you summarize this achievement based on the amount of hard work you guys put in to get to this point?
Over the last year, up until now, we’ve worked very hard. I’m at a point in my life where I really want to put 100% into my songs, our shows, our releases, etc. We spent a lot of time on the road last year, and I spent a lot of time in the studio working on songs for our new album. We really put everything we had into this upcoming album and did multiple sessions to add little touches like tambourine, gang vocals, and have some friends play keys and sing on it. When we started talking to labels, I felt like we had put in the right amount of work to land on a good label, and that’s exactly what happened. It’s very cool to see the late nights in the studio and long drives pay off.
I’d also love to hear about the process of how this occurred from start to finish, how long you’ve been talking with the label, stuff like that.
I had reached out to Jeremy from Jump Start in August 2022 after we had released our single and video for “Where Summer Never Ends.” That was the first single released from the new album, so I sent it to several labels and industry contacts. He had replied, said he liked the song, and we continued to talk about what a band-label relationship might look like. We checked in from time to time, but after I got the masters for the upcoming album, I sent them to him, we had a call, and decided to move forward in working with them.
Music is a very relationship-based industry. It takes a while to build those relationships and see how you vibe with people. I’m very thankful that this all came together very organically and naturally. It did feel like somewhat of a long process and at times, it was hard to be patient, but the patience eventually paid off. As I mentioned previously, I want to do everything right, and be as strategic and intentional with our goals as band as we possibly can.
I want to thank Jeremy at Jump Start for taking a chance on us, and giving us the opportunity to put this record out. And thanks to all the people who have supported us, been to a show, bought merch, or told people about our band. It means more to us than you can imagine!! There’s more to come. The album should see a release in November of this year.
Australian punk veterans Frenzal Rhomb have released another single from their upcoming album The Cup of Pestilence. Check out the music video for the new song “Thought It Was Yoga But It Was Ketamine” below. The Cup of Pestilence is set to release on April 7th through Fat Wreck Chords; pre-order the record here (US), here (EU), or here […]
Australian punk veterans Frenzal Rhomb have released another single from their upcoming album The Cup of Pestilence. Check out the music video for the new song “Thought It Was Yoga But It Was Ketamine” below.
The Cup of Pestilence is set to release on April 7th through Fat Wreck Chords; pre-order the record here (US), here (EU), or here (AUS). This will be the band’s 10th full-length album. It follows 2017’s Hi Vis High Tea.
If you missed the album’s first single “Where Drug Dealers Take Their Kids”, you can check that out here.
Gainesville ska-punk veterans Less Than Jake have announced a US tour celebrating the 25th anniversary of their 1997 album Hello Rockview. The Welcome to Rockview Tour runs from early July through the end of August and features support from Voodoo Glow Skulls, The Toasters, Spring Heeled Jack and the Venomous Pinks, among others. LTJ will […]
Gainesville ska-punk veterans Less Than Jake have announced a US tour celebrating the 25th anniversary of their 1997 album Hello Rockview. The Welcome to Rockview Tour runs from early July through the end of August and features support from Voodoo Glow Skulls, The Toasters, Spring Heeled Jack and the Venomous Pinks, among others. LTJ will be playing Hello Rockview in its entirety every night.
General admission tickets go on sale to the public Thursday, March 23rd. VIP packages are available right now. Check out the tour dates below and go here for tickets.
Before the Welcome to Rockview Tour kicks off, Less Than Jake will be touring Europe and the UK. More info on that here.
Tour dates:
7/6 Nashville, TN @ Brooklyn Bowl *! 7/7 Louisville, KY @ Mercury Ballroom *! 7/8 Chicago, IL @ Concord Music Hall *! 7/9 Detroit, MI @ St Andrews *! 7/11 Cleveland, OH @ House Of Blues Cleveland *! 7/12 Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Smalls Theatre *! 7/13 Buffalo, NY @ Town Ballroom *# 7/14 Philadelphia, PA @ TLA *# 7/15 New York, NY @ Irving Plaza *# 7/16 Asbury Park, NJ @ House of Independents *# 7/18 Baltimore, MD @ Rams Head Live *^ 7/19 Virginia Beach, VA @ Elevation 27 *^ 7/20 Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle *^ 7/21 Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade *^ 7/22 Orlando, FL @ House Of Blues Orlando *^ 8/11 St. Louis, MO @ Delmar Hall $^ 8/12 Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave $^ 8/13 Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theatre $^ 8/15 Lincoln, NE @ Bourbon Theatre $^ 8/16 Oklahoma City, OK @ Tower Theatre $^ 8/18 Denver, CO @ The Summit $^ 8/19 Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot $^ 8/21 Seattle, WA @ Showbox $~ 8/22 Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall $~ 8/24 San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall $~ 8/25 Los Angeles, CA @ Echoplex $~ 8/26 Santa Ana, CA @ Observatory OC $~ 8/27 Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theatre $~ 8/29 Dallas, TX @ Granada Theatre $~ 8/30 Austin, TX @ Mohawk $~
* = with Voodoo Glow Skulls ! = with Pink Spiders # = with Spring Heeled Jack ^ = with Devon Kay & The Solutions $ = with The Toasters ~ = with Venomous Pinks
Eric Melvin of NOFX has announced the debut album from his solo project Melvinator. The LP titled The Rise of the Melvinator was produced by Fat Mike and features EDM infused re-recordings of NOFX songs. If that sounds interesting to you (or you’re having a hard time imagining exactly what that sounds like), check out […]
Eric Melvin of NOFX has announced the debut album from his solo project Melvinator. The LP titled The Rise of the Melvinator was produced by Fat Mike and features EDM infused re-recordings of NOFX songs.
If that sounds interesting to you (or you’re having a hard time imagining exactly what that sounds like), check out the music video for Melvinator’s revamped take on “Regaining Unconsciousness” below.
1. American Errorist 2. Suits and Ladders 3. Bottles to the Ground 4. Drop the World (Melissa’s Version) 5. I Believe in Goddess 6. Regaining Unconsciousness 7. Reeko 8. American Errorist (BAZ Remix)
Punk legends Cock Sparrer have revealed they are in the studio working on a new record. They are recording with James Bragg at his Propagation House recording studio in North Cornwall, England. Bragg also produced their 2017 album Forever. The band released the following statement on their Facebook page: “Drums recorded on 11 new Cock […]
Punk legends Cock Sparrer have revealed they are in the studio working on a new record. They are recording with James Bragg at his Propagation House recording studio in North Cornwall, England. Bragg also produced their 2017 album Forever. The band released the following statement on their Facebook page:
“Drums recorded on 11 new Cock Sparrer songs. Steve Bruce smashed it out the park this weekend. No idea if these songs will see the light of day – depends what they all sound like when they’re finished but there’s a good chance that there could be a new release this year if all goes well. Exciting to still be putting out new material in our 51st year.”
Check out a video of Steve Bruce tracking drums below, and follow Cock Sparrer on Instagram for more updates from the recording studio. Stay tuned for more info on the new record; we’ll keep you posted.
On a related note, Cock Sparrer recently celebrated their 50th Anniversary, and Pirates Press Records marked the occasion by reissuing their seven full-length albums on vinyl. You can get your grubby little hands on them here.
French ska-punk veterans P.O. Box‘s fifth full-length album spaceavailable. is due out May 26th on Guerilla Asso. The 14-song LP blends punk, ska, reggae and rocksteady, with guest appearances from Bad Cop / Bad Cop‘s Stacey Dee and Matt Carson of The JB Conspiracy, among others. Check out the music video for the new single […]
French ska-punk veterans P.O. Box‘s fifth full-length album spaceavailable. is due out May 26th on Guerilla Asso. The 14-song LP blends punk, ska, reggae and rocksteady, with guest appearances from Bad Cop / Bad Cop‘s Stacey Dee and Matt Carson of The JB Conspiracy, among others. Check out the music video for the new single “Safe or Sorry” below and pre-order spaceavailable. on vinyl here.
It’s been a while since we updated you on the DIY festival happening in Copenhagen, Denmark, from May 18th to May 21st. But now we’re backing and focusing on the punk scene across the ocean! Last time we updated you, Nasty Cut Records announced the following bands to play at the festival: Forever Unclean, Burnt […]
It’s been a while since we updated you on the DIY festival happening in Copenhagen, Denmark, from May 18th to May 21st. But now we’re backing and focusing on the punk scene across the ocean!
Last time we updated you, Nasty Cut Records announced the following bands to play at the festival: Forever Unclean, Burnt Tapes, Hippie Trim, and Omsorg. In the meantime, they’ve packed on an impressive 20-band lineup to show that this festival will be one big party. Added to the lineup, we are happy to announce the following bands and announce that we will be there to support the DIY scene in Copenhagen.
Here’s the official Facebook event for the festival, and they even released a playlist for the festival, so you can listen to the different artists and get in the mood for May. Check it out below!
Mark Hoppus
He wasn’t arrested for weed he was arrested for violation of probation. So he was given probation for marijuana possession which is a misdemeanour in Florida and he failed to comply with the conditions of his probation. That’s actually a lot worse than the charge itself. I guess “writing your own laws” hasn’t worked out so well for this guy….. I hear he has a lot of domestic violence charges as well. Keep him in there.
Gina
Mark, I agree with your comment 10000%
Gina
???? I find this hilarious, you AHOLE!!