Bremerton, WA pop-punk veterans MxPx have officially announced their new album Find A Way Home will be released on August 25th, 2023. Pre-orders go live on the band’s website Friday, July 21st. Check out the teaser video for Find A Way Home below and stay tuned for more details! This will be MxPx’s 14th studio album, […]
Bremerton, WA pop-punk veterans MxPx have officially announced their new album Find A Way Home will be released on August 25th, 2023. Pre-orders go live on the band’s website Friday, July 21st.
Check out the teaser video for Find A Way Home below and stay tuned for more details! This will be MxPx’s 14th studio album, following their 2018 self-titled LP.
The air was thick, but not yet due to the smokey skies from Canadian wildfires, which would eventually blanket over parts of the Midwest. Instead, this was your run-of-the-mill summer day-related weather condition. But sizzling could also describe the day’s musical acts. Vang!, The Beat Creeps, and Labretta Suede & The Motel 6 had the […]
The air was thick, but not yet due to the smokey skies from Canadian wildfires, which would eventually blanket over parts of the Midwest. Instead, this was your run-of-the-mill summer day-related weather condition. But sizzling could also describe the day’s musical acts. Vang!, The Beat Creeps, and Labretta Suede & The Motel 6 had the crowd sweating. The Crombies, brought its cool to provide a respite at the 10th annual Motoblot, a motorcycle rally and music fest.
Lucy DeKay of Aweful and Mystery Actions has formed yet another band. DeKay, along with Jay Howarth, Meg McDuff, and Elyse Dequina, introduced Vang! to Chicago with an explosive afternoon slot as its first-ever show. A Vang! bang you might say. The fiery set included “Bad Girl,” “Push,” “Demona 666,” and “Mannequins.” Vang! ended the set with “Let’s Ride.” DeKay said of that last song,
“It’s about bikers! Haha perfect for Motoblot!“
DeKay described the debut performance to me several days after Motoblot 2023 closed out,
“I was so excited. Tiny bit of butterflies at the beginning and in between playing the songs, because Meg and I are shy talking on the mic believe it or not, was awkward but fun as fuck overall.”
For her part, McDuff,
“I was nervous because me my guitar strings were loose, and I thought I was out of tune and my voice sounded like crap and it was so hot on stage I thought was going to pass out, lol.”
However, McDuff needn’t have worried,
“But after hearing clips of what it sounded like from the audience perspective, it sounded good, and felt relieved.”
Vang! will continue providing opportunities for Chicago area punk fans to discover it with a pair of shows at Liar’s Club, on July 22, and August 4. You can also check out Vang! on the 5th of August at Jefferson Park Festival.
Labretta Suede & The Motel 6 arrived in its adopted hometown of New York City via New Zealand. But it made a stop in Dallas, TX on its way to The Big Apple. With its full-throttle approach to its set, the band seemed right at home performing among motorcycles from around the world.
While the entire band was a tight formation, the dynamic chemistry between lead singer Labretta Suede and guitar player Johnny Moondog, really stood out every time they shared the microphone.
Labretta Suede & The Motel 6 motored through a set list including, “Etiquette For Suckers,” “Teenagers Gettin’ High,” “Mean Mouthed Momma,” “Bait,” and “Crying Shame.”
Labretta Suede revealed to me, some of the band’s history in the States, and mix behind the magic:
“A few singles have come out on USA labels but I (labretta) am the driving force that drives the band. It’s the most juju strange & dangerous mom & pop/cottage industry brands around.“
Check into the Motel 6 next chance you have, you may never want to check out.
The Beat Creeps brought the theatrics, with a bit of camp. Motoblot attendees were all there for it. As was I.
The band, comprised of Nic Roulette, Leilani Killgore, Ariel Dornbush, and Elliot Tanner, pummeled through its set, which included, “The Phantom,” “Something Wicked This Way Comes,” “Valley of Broken Hearts,” “I Don’t Want To Die,” and a rollicking cover of Nancy Sinatra’s “How Does That Grab Ya Darling?”
Lead singer Roulette utilized various items around the stage as props including a neon orange construction cone atop his skull. Several times he threw the mic stand and the mic itself into the photo pit. Of course, it is always a good idea to keep one eye looking through the lens and one eye on your surrounding whilst shooting a show, so I should note that those of us documenting the antics were never in danger of being struck such items. I also have little doubt that Roulette was at aware of his aim, to ensure no injuries, as well.
Instead, The Beat Creeps served an entertaining audio and visual feast to the crowd which heartily digested it. I look forward to a second helping sooner than later. It shouldn’t be too long a wait as the band plans to release a full-length album in 2024. Until then, the band, which self-describes, as, “Unapologetic garage rock and roll with a punk feel appeal to it.” That’s a pretty on-target description of The Beat Creeps.
Chicago’s very own two-tone outfit The Crombies, a staple of Motoblot, has always been a reliably fun band to see live. However, please know I am not at all suggesting its act has become monotonous. While there is a thread of consistency in the band members’ moves on stage, they possess the abilities to, nevertheless, make them seem fresh. The friendships amongst this band of brothers-from-other-mothers is obvious and results in a propulsive spark to The Crombies’ sets. Several play in other bands with each other, most especially Chicago’s legendary rock steady collective Deal’s Gone Bad (DGB). This day was no exception. Singer Mike Park, guitar players Vee Sonnets and Dave Simon, drummer Matt Meuzelaar, bass player Kevin Lustrup Anthony Abbinanti of the Drastics and who played with Sonnets and Simon in DGB (Park was the original singer as well) filled in for Karl Gustafson on keys.
Saturday’s set included a few The Crombies originals, “Unsavory Types,” “Sneaky Pete,” and “Putting On Airs.” The band also took the crowd through a tour of two-tone, ska, and reggae history with some classic covers. These included “Click, Click” by The English, “Little Bitch” by The Specials, Toots and the Maytals’ “Monkey Man,” and a mashup of two songs, “Chase the Devil” by Max Romeo and “English Civil War” by The Clash.
Abbinanti subbing for Gustafson was not the only different aspect to this year’s set. Unlike pretty much every other The Crombies Motoblot set I’ve witnessed, Simon did not ride the shoulders of a friend in the crowd. The fact that Simon was playing at all is a testament to his grit and stubbornness, as several weeks earlier, he broke his left clavicle when attending a punk show as a fan, not a performer. Even though Simon had very recently had surgery for the injury, with some visible black medical tape, he was able to tough it out. Surely it was not easy, as evidenced by the sight of him grimacing, and holding tight his injured wing post-set. So, from us at DS to D.S., we give him serious praise if not also a bit of concern. Ardent fans of The Crombies, and of Simon himself, need him back whole and I look forward to Simon once again playing atop shoulders at Motoblot 2024. Taking place again in this, per Carl Sandburg, City of the Big Shoulders.
Please check out more photos from the show. Also, stay tuned for coverage Sunday’s sets, by my colleague ManVsFriction, coming soon.
The Bomboras return to the Bay Area after 23 years and rock the East Bay Electric Machine Gun Tits opened the show. They are a two-piece punk and roll band based in the Bay Area since 2015 consisting of Naoko Nozawa on vocals and synth and Tora Fujimoto on guitar and vocals. Ridiculously entertaining, intensely […]
The Bomboras return to the Bay Area after 23 years and rock the East Bay
Electric Machine Gun Tits opened the show. They are a two-piece punk and roll band based in the Bay Area since 2015 consisting of Naoko Nozawa on vocals and synth and Tora Fujimoto on guitar and vocals. Ridiculously entertaining, intensely funny, and Naoko finished the set by flinging ramen at the audience.
San Francisco’s Frankie and the Pool Boys were up next. Much more mellow, straight-up instrumental surf rock, they have 3 CDs and 2 singles available on their bandcamp.
The Bomboras formed in Los Angeles in 1994 achieving a bunch of success in the ’90s garage rock revival with their high-energy mix of garage rock and surf. They broke up at San Francisco’s Bottom of The Hill in 2000, it was 21 years later that they reformed, and not until last Wednesday that they returned to the Bay Area. Led by Jake Cavaliere on organ/vocals and bass player/vocalist Shane Van Dyke, they still put on one hell of a show, setting Jake’s organ on fire at the end. They have a new release on MuSick Recordings, “Songs from The Beyond!”
As I am exceedingly old, I was at The Bomboras breakup show in San Francisco in 2000, and several members of their subsequent bands, The Legendary Invisible Mean and The Lords of Altamont became friends. So it was fantastic to see them in action again. Also, Electric Machine Gun Tits are the funniest damn band in the Bay Area. See all my photos below.
Happy Friday, comrades! We’re fired up to bring you a super great track to kick off your ultra-long holiday weekend today! The song is called “Waves,” and it’s from everyone’s favorite new band of Ocean State punks, Structure Sounds. You may remember them from when we premiered their “Break Me” video at the end of […]
Happy Friday, comrades! We’re fired up to bring you a super great track to kick off your ultra-long holiday weekend today!
The song is called “Waves,” and it’s from everyone’s favorite new band of Ocean State punks, Structure Sounds. You may remember them from when we premiered their “Break Me” video at the end of last year. (Editor’s Note: Wait, that was almost seven months ago? Time flies when you’re having fun, I guess.) In case you missed that, check it out here. Then, make sure you check out the Bad Religion-irific “Waves” down below! Ya hey!
SoCal melodic punks Strike Twelve release their new album Last Band Standing tomorrow, June 30th on Thousand Islands Records. You don’t have to wait another second to listen to it, though, because your pals at Dying Scene got the hookup with this exclusive premiere! Listen to Last Band Standing right now, down below, and head over […]
SoCal melodic punks Strike Twelve release their new album Last Band Standing tomorrow, June 30th on Thousand Islands Records. You don’t have to wait another second to listen to it, though, because your pals at Dying Scene got the hookup with this exclusive premiere!
Listen to Last Band Standing right now, down below, and head over to Thousand Islands’ webstore to grab the album on vinyl and/or CD (or both!). Strike Twelve’s got some shows coming up, too – their record release show is tomorrow night at Solaris Beer in Murrieta, CA.
Upcoming Strike Twelve shows:
June 30th at Solaris Beer in Murrieta, CA
August 17 at Oil City Beer Co in Casper, WY w/ System Restore
August 18 at Vultures in Colorado Springs, CO
August 19 at Herman’s Hideaway in Denver, CO w/ Red Stinger
One of the very best things about helping to run a super cool music website like Dying Scene is that we get to help spread the word about music that we love and think should be celebrated. Being a Boston-area native, Rebuilder were one of the first local bands that I “discovered” after I started […]
One of the very best things about helping to run a super cool music website like Dying Scene is that we get to help spread the word about music that we love and think should be celebrated. Being a Boston-area native, Rebuilder were one of the first local bands that I “discovered” after I started writing for Dying Scene and so a decade later, it’s been awesome to see them continue to grow and push creative boundaries.
So if every day that we get to share new Rebuilder news is a good day, that makes today double good! First up, the band debuted the second single from their upcoming album, Local Support. The song is called “Another Round,” and while lead single “Hold On” was a Sal Ellington-fronted track, this one finds his tag team frontman partner Craig Stanton at the helm. Check it out below via Bandcamp or find it wherever you stream your favorite music!
Also, the foursome launched pre-orders for Local Support, their A-F Records debut, today! As you might expect, there are some pretty sweet color variations for you vinyl enthusiasts. The album is officially out August 11th, but you can secure your very own copy right here! Also, if you haven’t checked out the video for “Hold On” yet, watch it below and see if you can spot the Dying Scene Contributor who makes a cameo (hint: it’s not me)!
There is something especially fun about a DIY show. Abnormal House, in the Bridgeport neighborhood of the Second City hosted a Friday night version which was no exception. Chicago vets Voice of Addiction were joined by the young gents of Billy Batts & The Made Men out of Atlanta. Wrex, also from Chicago, kicked off […]
There is something especially fun about a DIY show. Abnormal House, in the Bridgeport neighborhood of the Second City hosted a Friday night version which was no exception. Chicago vets Voice of Addiction were joined by the young gents of Billy Batts & The Made Men out of Atlanta. Wrex, also from Chicago, kicked off the party. I’m going to let the images do most of the work for this show.
Voice of Addiction once again were the speed demons of the bill, zooming through a tight set in even tighter confines. It got so wild in the tiny performance area, at one point Leea Tomele stretched her arms out as far as possible and set her legs hard in place on the concrete floor to act as a one-person barricade against the much larger attendees thrashing about. A few others joined in holding the line so Tomele’s husband, VOA founding bass player Ian Tomele, and his bandmates, guitarist Tyler Miller, and drummer Kevin Amaro could continue playing. Yeah, it got a bit nuts. But that energy is what draws people to these more informal events (note: all safety precautions were in place).
I have regularly covered the terrific annual Blue Island event, Beer Can’d Fest. However, the Rise Against Residency at Metro kept me away from the Southside soiree. Many of my friends who were on Blue Island excitedly told me of this young band in the lineup. Looking at their photos from the event I saw a group of teens and just out of teens, one posing in a Pegboy shirt and became curious. Luckily, the band, Billy Batts & The Made Men out of Atlanta, GA made a quick return to Chicago.
I do not want to say too much about the band here as I will be writing more about it later. With the band’s name a wink and a nod to one my favorite films, Goodfellas, and the members’ collective deep-cut knowledge of Chicago punk rock history and an infectious curiosity, Brody Wilson, 21, this time in a Naked Raygun t-shirt, on vocals and guitar, his brother Andy Wilson, 16 on drums and Slade Shirah, 20, filling in on bass, were a charming centerpiece to the show as they absolutely transformed a garage band style venue into almost literally shaking shack. They might be considered kids, but these Made Men play with composure and talent befitting more experienced musicians. Jason Wilson, father of the Wilson brothers, was on site as tour manager and merch guy. His pride shone through, along with his easy, affectionate manner, as he let the young men take it all in.
When I first started taking photos of Wrex I wasn’t sure exactly how many people were in the band. Again, the space was tiny, and hanging from the rafter were glittery strands of plastic and an incredibly wide variety of signs, dolls, and other assorted Tchotchkes from creepy to cute. A few songs in I realized there was a keyboard player tucked up high against a wall and another singer I thought was a crowd member. But when you can sit on the floor and capture all band members, once you have spotted them, you know this is likely to be a rowdy fun time. And indeed it was.
DIY Shows, House Shows or the like are not for everyone. Had it not been for my camera, I might have felt far more claustrophobic. But they feel far more organic and relaxed than large events. They provide an opportunity for newer and/or lesser-known bands to take the spotlight and it’s not unusual to find bigger bands at these shows. Being a house shows makes me feel like I am inside one of the iconic late 1970’s, early 1980’s images many of us are pretty familiar with by this point. Crawl inside more images from this night. Thanks & Cheers!
Hailing from Nagoya, Japan, Five State Drive may appear to be fresh faced greenhorns, but don’t be fooled: these guys have been cranking out breakneck paced skacore-infused skate punk for a decade now. The band’s new self-titled album is, however, their first full-length release. I’m not bullshitting you when I say penciled this into my […]
Hailing from Nagoya, Japan, Five State Drive may appear to be fresh faced greenhorns, but don’t be fooled: these guys have been cranking out breakneck paced skacore-infused skate punk for a decade now. The band’s new self-titled album is, however, their first full-length release. I’m not bullshitting you when I say penciled this into my Top 10 of 2023 halfway through my first listen. This thing is fucking killer! Think Hi-Standard meets Kemuri with hints of influence from Less Than Jake, Operation Ivy, and 90’s west coast punk. Don’t sleep on these guys.
Five State Drive has CDs, vinyl & merch available here
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. Sorry if you’ve missed us the last few weeks, with Father’s Day […]
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. Sorry if you’ve missed us the last few weeks, with Father’s Day and all that fun stuff going on the Record Radar went on the backburner, but we’re back now and that’s all that matters, isn’t 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:
Green Day‘s debut LP 39/Smooth gets its first new pressing since 2015 and Oakland’s own 1-2-3-4 Go! Records is the only place to get it. They’ve got an exclusive hand-numbered silver colored LP with the bonus 7″s on colored wax as well. Not sure how many copies were pressed, but they’re apparently almost sold out. Get it here now or pay more on Discogs later.
1-2-3-4 Go! also has an exclusive new variant of Alkaline Trio‘s self-titled compilation LP. As always, these are hand-numbered, but like the Green Day record I have no clue how many copies were pressed on this red/grey split colored wax. Get it here.
Like most other weeks, a new Bad Religion repress was announced this week (a few weeks ago actually, but nevermind that). This time It’s Recipe for Hate, which turns 30 this year. As always, there’s no shortage of color variants. Links to where you can get all of them are here.
Just shy of its 20th birthday Tiger Army’s III: Ghost Tigers Rise has gotten its first repressing since 2004. The yellow w/ gold splatter LP is limited to 300 copies and is a Zia Records exclusive. Get it here.
One of my favorite Floridian ska bands, Osceola County’s own Supervillains, have announced a vinyl reissue of their 2008 album Massive. These guys have been around over 25 years, but this will be their first-ever vinyl release. Get it here.
Speaking of Floridian ska bands… if you’ve got $50 burning a hole in your pocket (yes, that’s just about how much this will run ya after shipping), Less Than Jake‘s Greetings and Salutations has been repressed on 500 copies of “Greenyl”. Apparently it’s a “100% eco-friendly, PVC-free vinyl” material. Get it here.
The Swingin’ Utters‘ Five Lessons Learned is the latest record in Fat Wreck Chords‘ back catalog to receive the 25th Anniversary treatment. Get your copy here (US) or here (EU).
On vinyl for the first time ever, it’s The Hippos’ 1999 LP Heads Are Gonna Roll! This cult classic third wave ska record was previously only released on CD, but that changes now thanks to Asbestos Records. Limited to 1,000 copies across two color variants; get yours here.
Music on Vinyl has been dropping a lot of punk (and punk adjacent) reissues lately. The latest round includes Unwritten Law‘s Here’s to the Mourning (on vinyl for the first time ever!), limited to 1,000 copies on translucent green 180g wax. This isn’t exclusive to any retailer, so you can probably find it in your local record store. Here‘s one place I found to get it online.
And another reissue / first-time vinyl release coming from Music on Vinyl is Authority Zero‘s sophomore album Andiamo. 1,000 copies on gold wax, same deal as the UL record. Here‘s one place I found selling it online.
Chris Cresswell has announced a new solo album! The Stubbornness of the Young is the Flatliners‘ frontman’s second solo effort, following 2014’s One Week Record. Check out the lead single “Behind the Crow” below and pre-order the LP here (NA), here (EU), or here (UK).
Absolute Melt, one of many side projects from Murderburgers frontman Fraser Murderburger, has a new EP out now. The 3-song ripper simply titled EP2 is being released as a lathe cut 7-inch. All profits from the release will be donated to Scottish Women’s Aid. Listen below and pre-order here.
Pirates Press Records is always up to something! Their latest release is a split 7″ from The Drowns and The Last Gang. Head over to their webstore to grab a copy on one of three color variants (or buy all three!).
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!
Happy Friday, comrades! We’ve got a super fun and, I think, different sort of EP that we’re debuting for you on this very page today. It comes from Brooklyn four-piece Le Big Zero. That’s them right down there! Say “hi” gang! If you’re not familiar with Le Big Zero, they’re self-described as “Angular indie rock. […]
Happy Friday, comrades! We’ve got a super fun and, I think, different sort of EP that we’re debuting for you on this very page today. It comes from Brooklyn four-piece Le Big Zero. That’s them right down there! Say “hi” gang!
If you’re not familiar with Le Big Zero, they’re self-described as “Angular indie rock. Post-punk. Pop melodies. Off-kilter timing. Boy-girl harmonies. Dissonance.” although in hindsight, maybe all of that is redundant given that I already mentioned that they’re from Brooklyn. ANYWAY, the foursome are putting out their brand-spankin’-new EP, At Arm’s Length today via Mint 400 Records. Here’s what the band had to say about the record:
Sometimes change is inevitable. Although our previous album was released in spring 2022, those songs were largely finished before the pandemic hit. When band life was ready to resume, we had a new drummer in Lukas and a new singer/guitarist with Katie. On top of this, we were all processing a new normal. The question became how do we evolve but keep the fabric of the band intact? The songs on At Arm’s Length were developed live in the room while continuing to learn each other’s styles, and by extension what the band now was. We workshopped what clicked and built the album around the ideas that came from those jams. The result ended up being a bit more driving and more emotionally intense, without losing those flourishes of musicianship, syncopation, and angularity that defined the first two albums. Lyrically, it’s a bit more direct. Almost as if the frustrations that could previously be masked in abstraction were now boiling over. Something like “Heavy Handed” takes a look at how there’s no middle ground anymore, just extreme opinions while “Spin Cycle” is a more introspective exploration about the time we all lost and how to view what a year, a month, or a day means now.
At Arm’s Length is available at all of the usual digital outlets of course, so make sure you pick up your own copy…but you can also listen to it here! Also, keep scrolling to check out the video for “Toy” below!
