Legendary punk rockers, the Circle Jerks kicked off their Canadian tour in Calgary, Alberta last week. Headlining The Palace Theatre in downtown Calgary; accompanied by fellow veterans, The Adolescents, and locals, No Brainer. No Brainer‘s high-adrenaline show was exactly what the audience needed to energize the evening; their melodic style made them the perfect opener. […]
Legendary punk rockers, the Circle Jerks kicked off their Canadian tour in Calgary, Alberta last week. Headlining The Palace Theatre in downtown Calgary; accompanied by fellow veterans, The Adolescents, and locals, No Brainer.
No Brainer‘s high-adrenaline show was exactly what the audience needed to energize the evening; their melodic style made them the perfect opener. Ripping through a vigorous set of their hits, they kept the crowd cheering while keeping the vibe old-school.
The Adolescents were up next. Announcing that this was their first time in Calgary, ignited the crowd. Opening their set with 1981’s No Way, only fueled the fire; it was the first of many tracks off their self-titled debut album, including fan favorite, “Amoeba”. The Adolescents killed it, they were an ideal choice to open for the Circle Jerks and Calgary was grateful for the opportunity to see them live.
It was a packed house when the Circle Jerks took the stage. After all, it had been 18 years since their last visit. Keith Morris had the honor of introducing the band and all of their many accomplishments; a punk rock history if you will, drenched in sweat and bands of punk’s past.
But enough of the chatter, it’s time for the show. Starting it all off with “Deny Everything”, from their 1980 debut album, Group Sex; one note was all it took for the crowd to lose their shit. With six albums under their belts; songs like, “Wild in the Streets” and “World Up My Ass” had the entire venue singing and chanting along. The Circle Jerks gave a stellar performance at the Palace Theatre. Then, after an hour-long set and an encore of four or five songs, they called it a night and thanked Calgarians for the evening.
If you don’t want to miss your chance to catch the Circle Jerks on one of their many stops across Canada and the US. Check out their tour schedule here.
Once upon a time, there was a relatively predictable template that bands would adhere to fairly strictly in the life cycle of an album. There were exceptions to the rule for sure, but it generally went something like: write, record, do press, play live; write, record, do press, play live; lather, rinse, repeat ad infinitum […]
Once upon a time, there was a relatively predictable template that bands would adhere to fairly strictly in the life cycle of an album. There were exceptions to the rule for sure, but it generally went something like: write, record, do press, play live; write, record, do press, play live; lather, rinse, repeat ad infinitum if you’re lucky. That cycle could span anywhere from, say, nine months (Ramones releasing S/T,Leave Home, Rocket To Russia and Road To Ruin between April ‘76 and September ‘78 for example) to, say, two years (Ramones releasing Halfway to Sanity, Brain Drain, Mondo Bizarro, Acid Eaters and Adios Amigos between September ‘87 and July ‘95 for example).
For myriad complex reasons including but certainly not limited to production delays, the changing habits of the music consumer, the proliferation of cell phone-carrying showgoers and their corresponding social media accounts, the cycle has become much more of a fluid situation. Case in point: The Gaslight Anthem toured the US fairly extensively during the Spring of 2023, essentially serving as a second leg of their reunion tour that kicked off the year prior. October 2023 brought with it History Books, the band’s first new studio album since 2014’s brilliant Get Hurt. That was followed, at least initially, by radio silence from a US touring perspective, until the official kickoff of the US History Books tour in Denver a couple of weeks ago. Tour kickoff coincided with a pair of uncommon moves in this day and age; the digital-only release of a remixed version of History Books, and Dying Scene catching up with Gaslight Anthem’s affable timekeeper Benny Horowitz.
Let’s start at the end and work backwards, specifically with the reissue of the band’s sixth studio album, History Books, officially referred to on digital platforms as History Books: Expanded Edition. The new version includes the four-song EP Short Stories that the band put out a few months back (which features a stellar version of Billie Eilish’s “Ocean Eyes”) and a new version of “Little Fires” that features the one-and-only Bully. But the real meat and potatoes is an entirely remixed version of the original album. If you’re like me, you saw the initial announcement about the Expanded Edition and thought “well, huh, that’s weird, I really like the original record, so I’m not sure why they’d remix it.” (Side note: based on Reddit comments, many of you are not, as it turns out, like me in that regard.) But if you’re still like me, you put the Expanded Edition on in your headphones and from the opening moments of “Spider Bites” on, you thought “ohhhhhh I get it now.” And that’s exactly by design.
“The only way it was going to come out,” Horowitz explains, “is if we heard it and kind of had the same reaction you did, which was like “oh okay, this sounds different and pretty good, and it’s kind of making certain things pop in a certain way, and things we weren’t hearing before kind of pop out.” That’s not to say the original mix – which still sounds great on vinyl – has fallen out of favor with the band. Far from it. “We were going for something. Us and Peter (Katis, producer) were going for something that I think we achieved, and I think it’s vibey as fuck and super cool.” Still, that doesn’t mean they couldn’t approach some of the feedback they heard with open ears. “People were like “I like these songs, but it just doesn’t sound like Gaslight,” says Horowitz. “The thing that I didn’t kind of realize – and even as a music fan I empathize with more now – it’s just like there’s a consistency in production and sound for a band. And it’s not just the songs but you kind of expect a band you like to sound a certain way to a point, you know?”
I suppose it’s worth reiterating that the album is not remastered, as is often the case with reissues, anniversary editions, etc. It is, in fact, entirely remixed and yes that’s an important distinction and if you’re a Luddite like me, Benny does a good job of explaining that distinction in the Q&A down below. The band decided to give the original stems to the History Books tracks to Chris Dugan for a fresh set of ears, though that still wasn’t a guarantee that the results would be different enough to release into the wild. It was a bit of a risky proposition. “I don’t like making decisions in this business without historical precedent, and there was not a lot of historical precedent for this. Not a lot of bands have done it,” he explains. “We didn’t know if it was going to be good or bad,” says Horowitz. “It wasn’t like a certainty that we were going to hear it and be like “this has to come out.” So I think on our level – on a creative level – it was fun hearing it like that…I think it sounds cool.”
The Gaslight Anthem (L-R: Alex Rosamilia, Brian Fallon, Benny Horowitz, Alex Levine). Photo credit: Kelsey Ayres
So armed with a retooled version of History Books under their collective belts, the band partook on their first US album release tour in a decade. If you’re headed out to any of the shows – (like Boston – come say hi!) you’ll hear a high-voltage, two-hour set chock full of songs from across the six-plus album catalog. “We try not to harass the crowd by doing more than like three or four (new songs) in one set,” Horowitz laughs. “I’m not far off from being just a normal ass music fan, and I remember what it’s like going to shows of a band you really like. Maybe or maybe not you love the new record but you don’t want to hear like eight of them.” Who knows, you might even catch the band taking a hard left and opening a set with a cover of “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” as they did in Dallas a few nights back. “That’s either really funny and bold or just, like, stupid,” he exclaims. “It was the one time I was like “you know what? I don’t get to say this too often but I’ve been practicing my whole life for this moment!” I learned this song when I was like 12 fucking years old!”
It was a moment that, like so many others in a live setting circa 2024, was captured on an infinite number of smartphones and uploaded far and wide within minutes. Hell, it’s why I knew about it the night it happened despite living 1800 miles away, thanks to a certain Andy Diamond and his Church Street Choir. The times, they have a-changed. “That is an exact case of like out of nowhere faces turn into phones, you know what I mean?” he asks. “I look out and all I see is, like, a sea of flashlights and phones now instead of faces. I’m not saying it’s like bad or good, I’m not going to be the old Luddite on here, but it is different.” Gone are the days when a band could work out unfinished versions of new songs live on stage, sometimes resulting in tracks that either never appear in final form, or end up radically different than they started by the time there’s an “official” version.
Since they’re a band that was born in the age of cell phones, it’s a phenomenon that Gaslight haven’t dealt with extensively “I think by the time we really started gaining any like real interest in this industry, where people would actually like give a shit about us having a new song, it had already co-opted into “phone time.” Still, it’s not exactly a foreign concept to the New Jersey quartet. “I remember we kind of had a lesson actually in this where we played a song – the earliest version of the song “Biloxi Parish” – we played on an Australian tour before we put out Handwritten, and then the song wound up on YouTube and was up there for quite a while by the time we got around to actually doing the record. And a lot of people like you know the changes we decided to make on that song were resented by the people who had already listened to YouTube.”
While the shows have certainly grown in scale in all the possible ways since a young Benny Horowitz was booking shows in northern New Jersey Elks Lodges (editors note: there’s a sweet anecdote about young Benny at the end of the Q&A below, but you’ll have to keep reading to get to it) thirty years ago, but that doesn’t mean they don’t carry the same weight. It’s just most of us on our side of the barricade are all older, heavier, less limber, and sometimes have to work in the morning. “I’ve actually had to train myself to not judge a show’s quality on that inert physical quality of a show,” he laughs. “Because they’re not necessarily the same thing anymore. A good show – especially in the US or England – kind of used to be dictated by how many people are going nuts…if you happened to get into us when you were like 25, you’re in your mid-40s these days. You might have retired moshing and crowd-surfing by now!“
Check out where you can find Gaslight on the road in the States the rest of this year (including not one but two dates on their home turf in Asbury Park). And keep scrolling to check out History Books: Expanded Edition and our full Q&A with the great Benny Horowitz. Maybe check out his awesome podcast, Going Off Track, while you’re at it.
The Q & A below has been edited and condensed for the sake of content and clarity. We pick up our conversation partway through, after some trading of snack time and parenting style stories…
Jay Stone (Dying Scene): Anyway, so thanks for doing this. We have chatted a few times in passing at shows over the last 10 or 12 years, but never done the actual interview thing, so I appreciate this.
It always floors me when people say that. Because I like to live in a bubble and not pretend it’s as big a deal as some people think it is. So it always warms my heart when people say that they have actually read it before. It means we’re not doing it for nothing.
Oh yeah, as an underground heavy music fan, it’s one of the stops, for sure.
So long story short, the site crashed entirely for a few years. And so since having it rebuilt we’ve tried to do a lot less in the way of just regurgitating press releases and stuff like that. And more on focusing on original content and actually talking to people, taking pictures at shows, publicizing smaller bands, stuff like that. We’re trying.
That’s great. And it’s smart too. I mean just this day and age you gotta own some of your own content or else you’re fucked. (*both laugh*) Like all the photos and all that. That’s the only way to drive it at this point. AI is going to take the other job of regurgitating press releases. (*both laugh*) I’m pretty sure AI is actually writing press releases already! Press releases have always kind of sounded like AI in a way, right?
Yeah. I quite literally got one this morning…not to go off track…I quite literally got one this morning with the band’s name spelled wrong.
Noooo, really? Oh no!
I’ve seen it happen periodically but I quite literally saw it today. And it seemed like maybe somebody was dictating because it was a funky-spelled name. It seems like somebody was dictating and then didn’t check. And I went oh no. That’s horrible.
ANYWAY, we will talk a bit about History Books because I think that the album and the History Books tour were the prompt for this, but in sort of checking the calendar I realized that this week is anniversary week for both Get Hurt which was 10 years yesterday and I think 59 Sound is 16 years old this weekend. Which to me is amazing because I keep track of anniversaries like that. That’s how my brain works. Is that a thing that you guys are mindful of? Or the longer that you’ve been a band, does it become like every day at some point is an anniversary of something, so does that stuff does not mean the same thing as it used to?
Yes and yes honestly. We heard about Get Hurt being 10 years and that was one of those dates that was a little jarring to us. We’re like “wow really? 10???” But the ones like 59 Sound being 16, I have no idea because if we played that game…we have six records now, so, you know, at some point every year each record turns something and it does get a little much. I think it works the same way as birthdays now. It’s like if it’s not based on like 10, 15, 20, you know one of the major marker kind of things, then probably we don’t pay too much attention to it.
Like when something is like “oh it’s like eight years old”…Like I’m 43 now right? With kids. I don’t expect to get another real birthday party until I’m like 50. (*both laugh*) And I think records kind of work the same way. Like you hit 10, you hit 20, 25, you know, you start doing something.
I feel like with 59 Sound, I noticed because it’s one of those albums to me. But also like my kid was born in 2008 so my kid is 16. That record and that second Loved Ones record, Build & Burn, they both came out in 2008. And so to me like those lined up with when my kid was born.
So that one has always stuck with me because that album will always be as old as my kid was. Plus those two records, Get Hurt and 59 Sound are probably desert island records for me. Like if you only got to bring five records to the desert island, I think two of them are Gaslight Anthem and they’re those records.
And we also opened for The Loved Ones on the Build & Burn tour. It’s kinda funny.
Oh, I remember. And it’s wild to think that was that long ago and the arcs you’ve taken since
So anyway, back on track. Where are you today? You’re in Atlanta, yeah?
Yeah, I’m in the back of our truck right now in Atlanta, Georgia. The only quiet place, because there’s a soundcheck going on inside.
These are the first real US dates since History Books came out right? Because there was the tour before the album came out, but I feel like in my brain – which is half mush at this point – but that there wasn’t an awful lot of touring here after the album came out. So is this really kind of the first run that a lot of these songs have had for US audiences anyway?
Yeah for the most part it is. You know it was kind of a bizarre thing the way the album rolled out and the fact that we didn’t have a tour when it did come out. You know that seems like kind of music industry 101. So it wasn’t the best way to do this. But yeah technically this is. We’ve been to Europe twice since it’s been out. But haven’t done a proper US run yet.
I’m assuming that most of the songs translate pretty well? What’s the sort of feedback you get now that people have had a chance to sort of hear them live or check them out on YouTube if they haven’t gone on to shows or whatever yet? How do the new songs translate live? What gets the kids sort of as excited as the old days?
Well to say “as excited as the old days” you know…Speaking of all these dates, you know, if you happened to get into us when you were like 25, you’re in your mid-40s these days…
Yeah, I’m 44.
Yeah, you might have retired moshing and crowd-surfing by now. (*both laugh*) So by default I’ve actually had to train myself to not judge a show’s quality on that like inert physical quality of a show. Because they’re not necessarily the same thing anymore. Like, a good show – especially in the US or England – kind of used to be dictated by how many people are going nuts. You know as time goes on and maybe even songs like start taking on some new shapes, it’s not necessarily the way to gauge it anymore. I mean it’s always an interesting thing playing songs off a new record, because you know you write them you play them together and then you record them and certain things flush out in certain ways. When you start playing them live again, it is literally the first time you’re playing these versions of these songs. And when you start translating it to live some stuff works some stuff doesn’t work, and you kind of have to adapt some things. It takes a little time sometimes to settle in and know what that’s like.
We’ve been actively (playing) “Positive Charge” most nights, “Weatherman” most nights, “Michigan 1975” most nights. And then you know “History Books” and “Spider Bites” and “Live in the Room Above” are all peppered in. We try not to harass the crowd by doing more than like three or four in one set. (*both laugh*) You know like I’m not far off from being just a normal ass music fan, and I remember what it’s like going to shows of a band you really like. Maybe or maybe not you love the new record but you don’t want to hear like eight of them. That’s just crazy. So we do try to limit it and still kind of represent every record too in each setlist.
Did you play any of the History Books songs live on that US tour before the album came out, whenever it was, like a year ago I guess?
I think we had like the ones… you know the way this weird industry works now, they like start rolling out songs in the record much prior to the record coming out and all that stuff. So I do believe we were definitely playing “Positive Charge” I think, because that was definitely out. And maybe “History Books” too. So you know those songs that were actually released as like singles we could play. But we couldn’t play any of the album tracks yet.
Is that different? Do you miss the days of being able to play things before people had sort of heard it? Or has YouTube and TikTok or however people consume music nowadays has that sort of ruined that “we’re going to test music out live” thing? I mean thinking back to the music of when I was growing up. That was the way that you found out about new music is you heard like maybe a bootleg. Like, I was a big Pearl Jam fan as a kid, so you would hear all the working versions of like random songs that would end up coming out two or three albums later sometimes. Do you miss sort of like being able to do that? Or is that not really even a thing anymore?
I do miss it. I mean I think by the time we really started gaining any real interest in this industry, where people would actually like give a shit about us having a new song, it had already co-opted into “phone time.” I remember we kind of had a lesson actually in this where we played a song – the earliest version of the song “Biloxi Parish” – we played on an Australian tour before we put out Handwritten, and then the song wound up on YouTube and was up there for quite a while by the time we got around to actually doing the record. And a lot of people like you know the changes we decided to make on that song were resented by the people who had already listened to YouTube a lot. And fans can fall victim to the same thing that artists can. Like, demo-itis is an extremely real thing, and once you just get used to hearing something a certain way, anything else is going to fall short. You know like you just fall in love with some weird version of it for whatever reason, and any other version of it is going to be lesser, you know?
So yeah I think it is totally taken out of the pantheon now essentially, unless you have a song that’s just like so worked out already, that you know 100,000% there’s not going to be any changes or anything. But I think that’s the whole point of testing it out live and doing the thing is like seeing how it sounds and seeing how it goes. So yeah I think the long-winded answer to that is yes, I think that concept is basically totally dead now.
I feel like and I can’t remember specific Gaslight examples, but I know that like Tim Barry for example, there’s a few Tim Barry songs like “Walk 500 Miles.” There’s like a live bootleg that came out, I don’t know seven or eight years ago now, that because of the way that song got performed on that bootleg, that’s the way people started to hear it and then do that call and response thing that isn’t in the original song. So that now the live version is different than it used to be just based on like a one-off live recording that happened to circulate at the right time. It’s really sort of interesting when that works.
I know it’s kind of cool. I also think someone would probably start giving you shit too for, like, you know…it is something that after that “Biloxi” experience, it’s not something we tinker around with anymore. For now! It’ll be a cool way to do it again, I hope.
Yeah, and EVERYBODY does have their phones out.
So it’s just a matter of the second we do anything even remotely like that…I see it, you know? I look out in the crowd a lot when I play I kind of see what’s going on. And if we play a song we haven’t played in a long time or a cover or something like that that people weren’t expecting, I mean…
Exactly! And that is an exact case of like out of nowhere faces turn into fucking phones, you know what I mean? I look out and all I see is, like, a sea of flashlights and phones now instead of faces. I’m not saying it’s bad or good, I’m not going to be the old Luddite on here, but it is different.
There’s probably multiple videos of that going around from wherever, I guess it was Dallas the other night, and I watched one and I sent it to my wife. I was like “holy shit look what they opened the set with! That’s wild!” And she said “yeah look, once you can see that that’s what’s happening, you can see from the audience perspective all the phones going up too.” So it’s interesting to hear you say like that’s obviously what you see because you can see it on the video too.
Well I realized too…that version in Dallas was literally the third time we’d ever played that song as a unit. Like, we just thought about doing it, we ran it a couple of times in soundcheck and we’re like “fuck it let’s play it!” We were like “yo, it would be funny to open with it!”
Oh, it was amazing!
And we’re like, you know people are going to think we’re just doing like the intro for fun, we got to do just the whole fucking thing. But there was actually a bit of a backstory to that because one time we played a very, very ridiculously corny radio festival in Dallas, I believe at the MLS stadium. It was just one of those really strange, awkward radio events with other bands that you would never play with and stuff. And in order to have some fun and not hate our lives that day we played a cover set. We just played like six cover songs we knew in the 25 minutes we had. So there was kind of like a ‘spirit of Dallas’ thing going on, where if we’re going to do that, we’re going to do it in Dallas I guess.
Yeah and I think that’s still a way to hold on to like the old-school punk rock sort of sentimentality too. I think that’s fun.
Yeah I mean that’s it. That’s the conversation I had with Brian beforehand. I’m like “well, is it fun to play?” We’re like “yeah.” And I’m like “well let’s have fun and play it!” It wasn’t about “let’s try to cook the audience” or something like that, it was just kind of a whim. I had another funny element of that too. I do get some general anxiety and jitters before I play shows. I still get it. And I had a bunch that night because I was like “Jesus we’ve played this song fucking twice, and we’re coming out with one of the greatest songs in rock and roll history. That’s either really funny and bold or just, like, stupid.” And then it was the one time I was like “you know what? I don’t get to say this too often but I’ve been practicing my whole life for this moment!” (*both laugh*) I learned this song when I was like 12 fucking years old. I’ve known it and periodically played it from then till now. So it’s like if there’s any song I could walk up and actually get through and know all the changes and the parts, that’s one of them for sure.
That’s what I was going to say, between the I guess five of you including Ian, you’ve probably played that song 7,000 times over the last 30 years. Maybe not together.
Yeah, just with someone or on your own or something.
I’ve probably played it a thousand times on my couch just for the hell of it.
But that can be dangerous too because sometimes when you play a song a million times, you completely lose sense of the fact that you’re playing it wrong. You’re just like doing something like close to it, and like you said in this fucking internet age, I’m not trying to fuck up “Smells Like Teen Spirit” drum parts. (*both laugh*) That’ll get called out. It’s like “oh he’s not doing the double hits in this thing” or something.
Especially to open a set too, because I feel like you would know if you got a part wrong or if you flipped something around or whatever, and I feel like that would just like rent space if you let it. \
Yeah, yeah! I mean that’s why it’s bold, because it can definitely go wrong. Pretty easily!
Well good on you guys for doing it. That made my day or week or whatever. (*both laugh*) So, History Books, now that you’re on the road for it, it did just get sort of are we calling it a reissue or extended-release or whatever. But the newly remastered version is out now. And that feels like a thing that I didn’t realize…like I’ve liked the album from first listen, I thought it was great (and I reviewed it here) and I was super glad that you guys are back and made it. And I said oh I don’t really feel like they need to remaster that album, it seems fine. And then I listened to (the new version) once, and I was like “oh, I get it!” Granted I’m a complete Luddite when it comes to like music technology and barely know what mastering is, particularly as compared to mixing and whatever. But where did that idea come from? And was that something you talked about doing before?
No, no. And to be clear, it’s not a remaster, it is remixed.
Oh okay. See, I told you I don’t understand the difference!
Yeah, so mastering is what happens at the very end of a record. Like, a record is mixed, and mastering kind of puts an overall compression on it. It like takes all the instruments essentially and is supposed to put them together into one thing in a relatable package while keeping everything separate but compressing it into an audio-friendly type of thing. It also works with sequencing. Like mastering will be, okay “two seconds between each song” and things like that. But the actual mixing mixing is done prior to that. So when you see the old reissues and stuff that are remastered, they’re kind of just tweaking sounds but they’re probably not changing volumes and stuff on the original mixes. So we actually gave the original stems of the songs and the mixes to a different mixing engineer, and we didn’t know if it was going to be good or bad. Like, it wasn’t like a certainty that we were going to hear it and be like “this has to come out.” The only way it was going to come out is if we heard it and kind of had the same reaction you did, which was like “oh okay, this sounds different and pretty good, and it’s kind of making certain things pop in a certain way, and things we weren’t hearing before kind of pop out.” So I think on our level – on a creative level – it was fun hearing it like that. And then you know I think, you know, one of the things was like the original way it was mixed was not a mistake, you know? Like we were going for something. Us and Peter (Katis, producer of History Books) were going for something that I think we achieved, and I think it’s vibey as fuck and super cool. The thing that I didn’t kind of realize, and even as a music fan I empathize with more now, it’s just like there’s a consistency in production and sound for a band. And it’s not just the songs but you kind of expect a band you like to sound a certain way to a point, you know? And I think that’s where it kind of really was bumming out fans. People were like “I like these songs but it just doesn’t sound like Gaslight.” That seemed to be kind of the effect of it. And when we had somebody awesome take a look at it and heard it, it was like “all right like let’s put this out.”
You know, we won’t change the vinyl; we’ll keep that like that nice, original thing we were going for, but now there’s this kind of polished digital version. It was crucial to me that people who already bought the record didn’t have to buy it again. You know, like some of the logistical stuff. And then also just like adding some elements to it just to make it worth people’s time, like you know adding the like the EP at the end of it and the thing we did with Bully. You know just so it’s like “oh okay, there’s something different here to listen to.” And then we just went for it. It was a strange thing because I had a hard time finding like…I don’t like making decisions in this business without historical precedent, and there was not a lot of historical precedent for this. Not a lot of bands have done it, so I was like “I don’t know if this is gonna be a terrible idea or a good idea.” But I think it sounds cool. You know let’s go for it. And I don’t read too much of the Internet but it seems fairly positive.
Yeah the people on Reddit and whatever seem to like it. Not that I am a big Reddit person but I tend to follow along and they tend to like it.
I read everything from Reddit. I check it every day and I base my mental well-being on whatever I read. (*both laugh*)
That’s a terrible decision. (*both laugh*) Yeah the people seem to like it. And you’re right, there aren’t I don’t think of many examples of bands doing it this early, or this close to the release of an album. We were talking about before like a “20th anniversary, we remixed a record.” Like Pearl Jam did with Ten and a couple other records.
Yeah, we try to not be afraid you know?
Yeah right! Okay, one more! So I’m gonna steal one of your own questions. I happened to be listening back to a Going Off Track episode that you did with Dave Hause because Dave’s been a buddy of mine forever, and you asked him something about – I’m paraphrasing a little – but would 15-year-old you like 45-year-old you. And talking about the sort of ethos and the mentality and where he ended up (in his career). And I was sort of thinking about that in the context of like 15-year-old Benny booking shows in basements in Jersey and whatever, and now like – I’m in the Boston area and this weekend you’re at MGM and you get to play like essentially the back door of Fenway Park. And so would 15-year-old Benny think that stuff like that, or playing the Winter Classic and whatever is cool, or would 15-year-old Benny be like “fuck that guy”?.
You know it’s one of those things, I think, that’s almost like hard to come to terms with.
And I’m kind of thinking about it as you ask it. And it’s hard to frame now, because of the fact that like I’m an adult who tries to be easy on myself, you know, especially if there’s space in the game. But if I’m completely honest with who I remember that 15-year-old to be, he was a pretty sweet kid. He had a good heart. He was nice to people. But he hated fucking bands that got too big. (*both laugh*) So, I don’t know man. I think the 15-year-old version of me would have probably had a “fuck Gaslight” period. Especially if I started on like Sink Or Swim or something. I probably would have had, you know, almost just that punk rock way of like. “Oh everyone likes The 59 Sound, I’m going to go like something else. Because too many people like this fucking record. Too many people are hyping it up for me to like this.” And that’s kind of the way I was if I’m honest.
Sure! Like a lot of us!
So yeah, I think 15-year-old me probably would have thought I was a bit of a fucking herb.
But it’s also got to be pretty cool. I mean maybe Fenway isn’t Yankee Stadium to you...
Yeah, see I do also remember that kid as reasonable and sweet, so I think if I like got his ear for about half an hour, I’d be able to explain it in a way that he’d be like “Oh all right, I got you.” But right off the bat? Yeah no totally “fuck Gaslight”. (*both laugh*)
I appreciate your honesty. I do.
Yeah. No problem…just having a stark look at my own childhood. (*both laugh*)
Right! I’ve looked in that mirror many a time.
I was doing fucking Elks Lodge shows. I mean the kind of shit I thought was corporate then, was literally like baseline industry standard.
Punk rock supergroup OFF! have released their movie, Free LSD. Guitarist Dimitri Coats’ directorial debut is a rock n roll movie in the vein of Hard Days Night and The Wall, but spiritually feels closer to the Monkees’ film, Head. Given the crazy plot and the indie-ness of it, one would want to immediately classify […]
Punk rock supergroup OFF! have released their movie, Free LSD. Guitarist Dimitri Coats’ directorial debut is a rock n roll movie in the vein of Hard Days Night and The Wall, but spiritually feels closer to the Monkees’ film, Head. Given the crazy plot and the indie-ness of it, one would want to immediately classify this as a cult classic or midnight movie for the wrong reasons, but the band has created something truly special and the time and care put into it shows.
In an alternate dimension, a gray-haired and bearded Keith Morris works in a sex shop in Los Angeles by day and has a podcast about aliens at night. Keith meets a new resident to Los Angeles, Cici, when she comes into his shop. Later that night, he’s followed to the gas station by a man with all black eyes who speeds off after throwing a cigarette at him. The next day Keith and Cici hook up in the back of his shop, but Keith isn’t able to perform. Disappointed in himself, Keith decides to go see the Boner Doctor (David Yow of the Jesus Lizard). The Boner Doctor gives Keith a vial of white liquid known as the antidote.
After Keith drinks the antidote he has a vivid recollection of being the lead singer of a punk rock band in a different dimension. However, he is snapped back to his reality when he is kidnapped and shot in the back of the head after the show by the man with black eyes who was following him previously. The Boner Doctor tells Keith he is the lead singer of OFF! needs to collect the rest of the band in this dimension to change their fate in order to save the universe.
This was one of the strangest movies I’ve seen in a while, but it was also a lot of fun. Coats has written a script that is mostly sci-fi, but also dabbles in comedy and horror. Writing is about figuring out how to repurpose cliches, but it’s what you do with them that matters. Coats’ script mostly hits well and moves at a good pace. The movie does spin its wheels a bit towards the end, but the ride is fun. There are a slew of cameos in the movies from punk rockers to comedians, but it doesn’t feel overstuffed with them.
It was great seeing Keith Morris and the rest OFF! hold their own as actors. Watching Keith’s chops in this film makes one wish he would have done more than just lipsync a lounge version of “When The Shit Hits The Fan” in Repo Man. Each band member portrays themselves and their alternate version from the other dimension with Keith and Dimitri’s alternates having the most significant change in appearance.
Dimitri Coats’s script went through many changes in the eight years it took for the movie to be made, including a title change, failed Kickstarters, and multiple rewrites as the band’s lineup changed throughout the years. The film is dedicated to drummer, D.H. Peligro, who stepped in when OFF! drummer Justin Brown had to bow out of the movie at the last minute. His involvement saved the production from being scrapped altogether.
The sun is setting on stories with multiverses and alternate dimensions. They have been hammered into us a lot in the last couple of years, but this is a special entry almost on the level of Everything, Everywhere, All At Once. A lot of people won’t take this movie seriously, but Free LSD is the best kind of art and does nothing to hide its ridiculous concept. It treats the stakes as serious as a heart attack and the laughs accordingly. The care that was put into this film gushes through the screen. I went in thinking I was going to get some silly punk rock movie, but left seeing something much more.
I, like most of you, was absolutely devastated by the news of Love Equals Death frontman Chon Travis’ passing this morning. It goes without saying that everyone at Dying Scene’s thoughts are with Chon’s family, friends, and bandmates. Love Equals Death is currently on tour in Europe and released the following statement this morning: “It’s […]
I, like most of you, was absolutely devastated by the news of Love Equals Death frontman Chon Travis’ passing this morning. It goes without saying that everyone at Dying Scene’s thoughts are with Chon’s family, friends, and bandmates. Love Equals Death is currently on tour in Europe and released the following statement this morning:
“It’s with heavy hearts we tell the world this news: Yesterday at around 5pm, England time, we were getting ready to leave our hotel for our show in Stafford. We hadn’t heard from Chon in about an hour or so.
He wasn’t answering his phone and we knocked on his door for 10 minutes before the hotel staff let us in.
When we opened the door we found him on his bed with his guitar and unresponsive. We administered CPR for about 15 minutes before paramedics arrived. They continued to attempt to revive him. After another 45 minutes or so they let us know that Chon had passed.
He did not use drugs and was in very good spirits for this entire tour. We are obviously in a complete state of shock and trying to figure things out right now. We will have more to say in coming days but right now we are asking for privacy as we process this and try to navigate our way back home.
Please keep Chon’s family in your prayers.”
Chon Travis performs with Love Equals Death live at Brakrock Festival 2024
Chon formed Love Equals Death in 2003 and the band would go on to sign with Fat Wreck Chords for the release of their stellar debut album Nightmerica in 2006, followed by their 2022 comeback LP Gravity and Grace on SBAM Records. Bay Area locals will remember his original band Loose Change (featuring future AFI guitarist Jade Puget), who released a split 7″ with AFI in 1993 along with two full-length albums. He also released a solo album called Life Atop the Trees during Love Equals Death’s 10 year hiatus.
Chon Travis’ 2009 solo album Life Atop the Trees
Outside of his storied career as a punk musician, Chon was a father and husband. His bandmates have set up a GoFundMe campaign in support of his wife and daughter. If you’d like to donate, you can do so here.
A Wilhelm Scream was scheduled to play a show with Love Equals Death in Kassel, Germany tomorrow night. They’ll be going forward with the show, and will be donating all proceeds from the show to Love Equals Death:
“We are deeply saddened by the sudden loss of Chon, a beloved member of Love Equals Death. His infectious energy, undeniable talent, and unwavering passion for music made him a true inspiration. Fat Mike was captivated by their live show and quickly signed them to FAT, resulting in the iconic 2006 album, Nightmerica. We were fortunate to share a part of his journey, and our hearts go out to his family, friends, and bandmates.” –Fat Wreck Chords
“We’ve just received the very sad news that Chon Travis (Love Equals Death) has passed away. We’re deeply shocked and lost of words. Chon was one of the nicest people we’ve ever met and we never thought that our last conversation a few days ago would be the last. Life is short and precious. So hug your loved ones and make the most of it. Our love and condolences go out to his family and friends!” –SBAM Records
“Rest in Peace to my friend Chon Travis. We grew up like brothers and some of my earliest musical experiences were shared with you. You were funny, smart, and talented and you will be missed.” -Jade Puget
I grew up (teenager)with Chon and his brothers. He was a dream that I shared with the 95482. If anyone was going to bust though it would be Chon. I remember going the the Wilson’s brothers half pipe being super self-conscious.
Those boys were so amazing. When Ben pasaway… Was awful and Chon being his soul brother makes this so difficult..
After about three decades since the last time they put out new music, Sludgeworth makes their way back into the scene with their new EP Together Not Together. Backed by the Chicago-based record label Red Scare Industries and the beloved suburban punks The Bollweevils, friends, fans and family showed up to celebrate the much anticipated […]
After about three decades since the last time they put out new music, Sludgeworth makes their way back into the scene with their new EP Together Not Together. Backed by the Chicago-based record label Red Scare Industries and the beloved suburban punks The Bollweevils, friends, fans and family showed up to celebrate the much anticipated EP.
From the get-go, everyone at the Beat Kitchen felt cheerful and friendly. It seemed like everybody knew each other despite the fact that it was a sold-out show. Though the venue was packed to the brim, the atmosphere was reminiscent to a house party or a basement show, but with better lighting and sound quality.
Very few bands in the Chicagoland area are better openers than The Bollweevils. They do a terrific job getting everyone in the audience engaged, they truly make every single person feel like they are not just spectating, but also a part of the show. Their live performances are a masterclass for anybody wanting to learn how to keep the crowd active and energized.
After seeing The Bollweevils live a few times, some of the faces in the crowd start becoming familiar, it is as if the biggest fans of the band are also their friends, which speaks volumes about the synergy the band creates with the audience, it is a celebration, a party every single time.
Their frontman, Daryl Wilson, with an intimidating build towering over most at the venue, could not be more inviting and friendly. He’s jumping up and kicking all throughout the show and even jumped into the moshpit so the crowd could join in and sing with him. The rest of the musicians, Ken, Pete and Joe, complement Daryl’s style best; they’re laser-focused, keeping the show grounded and allowing the punk rock doc to jump around the stage.
What a fun treat it is to see The Bollweevils perform live. From their classic suburban punk rock songs, to the way they engage with the crowd, and the banter amongst themselves, it is always a riot. This is without a doubt one of the Chicago punk bands that everyone must see perform, at least once.
In a swift and seamless transition, Sludgeworth took over the stage and even though they had been performing for the past couple of years, the excitement about sharing their new music with their fans and friends was palpable. After thirty years, the excitement of both the crowd and the musicians is just expected.
The performance was everything you would want from a punk band of the caliber of Sludgeworth. The music was fast, it was loud, and felt quite fresh and relevant, which goes to show how good music really does not have an expiration date.
Dan Schafer, also known as Dan Vapid, who has been previously involved with punk household names such as The Queers, Riverdales, and Screeching Weasel truly showcased his skills as a vocalist. From the moment he got on stage to the moment the show ended, it was a full-force, all-gas-no-brakes show. This is the reason it was a sold-out show, that kind of performance is worth every penny.
This show felt like a celebration of the Chicago punk scene. Two beloved bands got together under the incredible production work of the label Red Scare Industries to bring together friends, family, fans, and other members of the scene. It was a special thing to witness, most everyone there singing the lyrics of every song and watching the band-audience barrier disappear.
It was like a trip back in time to simpler days going to a basement show to see a friend of a friend’s band, where everyone was a stranger but with a deep sense of familiarity. Shows like this one are a fantastic opportunity to experience both the nostalgia of what shows were like, and celebrating that these bands are still around putting out new music and incredible live performances.
EXTRA EXTRA! Phoenix’ Ashes releases their first new single after five years! With the single ‘Oceans’, post-hardcore formation Phoenix Ashes officially ends a period of silence. With this, the band from Southern Netherlands wants to put themself back on the musical map. The band was hard at work before the global pandemic threw its veil […]
EXTRA EXTRA! Phoenix’ Ashes releases their first new single after five years! With the single ‘Oceans’, post-hardcore formation Phoenix Ashes officially ends a period of silence. With this, the band from Southern Netherlands wants to put themself back on the musical map.
The band was hard at work before the global pandemic threw its veil over the world. They opened for their musical heroes Funeral For A Friend (UK) and played at festivals such as Jera on Air and the Liberation Festival Limburg. In addition, tours were done through Southern Europe, Russia and Indonesia. Along with their release of their live album. Due to burnout, of several members of the band ended up in a hiatus from the music scene.
Five years after the release of ‘Live & Unplugged’, plans were made and the group dove into the studio to record an EP. Together with producer Erwin Hermsen from Toneshed Recording Studio, they worked on Oceans to make a statement to the world of their return to the music life and into the spotlight.
Phoenix Ashes already made their live appearance at metal festival The Rock Circus last autumn, and their single Oceans will be the final proof that they are back, and ready to take the world by storm.
Onto the review! These guys have been near and dear to my heart since I started shooting concert photography back in 2017. Arnout Lie (guitarist and backing vocals) and I have been friends for years and keep in touch so I can attempt to get them over to the US (specifically to my home state of Alaska) for a tour! When he reached out to tell me they were releasing a NEW song, I just about died. I eagerly waited for him to send me the press release for it so I could put it on repeat. These guys have NEVER missed their mark with a song, lyrically or instrumentally.
In the press release, they mention “The lyrics describe the feeling of drowning on one hand and the encouragement to find your steady ground on the other. This is a metaphor for the mental problems that various band members suffered during that period. With this track the band wants to draw more attention to the subject in a broader sense.” This was done BEAUTIFULLY by some of my favorite lines in the song. “Am I to drown in the deep // Or do I find the shores to steady my feet”. The instrumentals behind this line and the haunting intro and vocals to start this had me HOOKED. Easily one of my favorite lines due to its intense relatability. Having experienced single motherhood and drowning in the responsibility of keeping other humans alive while simultaneously trying to provide everything they need is seemingly never ending in that moment.
Leading into the first verse of being torn apart, the instrumentals get an electronic beat to break up that haunting feel and give you this anticipated buildup into a drop that had me head banging and hair swinging. “Collapsing under the weight // The weight that I was supposed to hold”, another relatable line for a cornucopia of situations, not just single motherhood. We all may feel some sort of crushing obligation to hold everything for everyone, to push our own well-being and health aside to make sure those we love around us are cared for, happy and healthy first. In the reality of it all, you can’t help others if you’re too sick to get out of bed. The heaviness is almost transformed into the energy of a mosh-pit (at least for me) and instead of putting me in my head, it gives me a much more uplifting and energetic feel. Also, the intense feeling of hope I feel when “You’ll find a way // Break out // Rise and be free” hits your ears. The song’s lyrics almost talk to each other, too, if you listen closely. There’s the side of them that’s drowning, struggling to break free from depression’s grip, and the other side that’s encouraging them to see they will break free and can be who they want to be (and be happy) they just have to fight for it. The fight won’t be easy, but “Change // Shifting winds on the horizon” tells us, the work is in how you move with the winds. Choose your own fate, before you’re convinced it’s too late to change. Heaviness aside, this song is written beautifully and the instrumentals are incredible.
Even if I’m partially biased with these guys having been friends with them, it’s undeniable that their music is good and everyone needs to RUN to streaming platforms to listen to Phoenix’ Ashes’ newest single in 5 YEARS, “Oceans, which dropped on June 21st.
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:
Green Day‘s American Idiot celebrates its 20th birthday this year and is getting the same box set treatment its older brother Dookie received last year. This 8 LP set features plenty of B-Sides, bonus tracks, and previously unreleased demos and live recordings. And as if that wasn’t enough, you also get two Blu-Rays (one of which includes a brand new American Idiot 20th Anniversary documentary), a 36-page book, and a flag. 1-2-3-4 Go! Records has the best deal I’ve seen on this box set, at $189.99 with free shipping, and if you buy it through the Shop app you’ll get an extra 5% off your order.
But wait, there’s more! If box sets aren’t your thing, or if you need to collect every variant, there’s also a standalone 20th Anniversary American Idiot double LP on red and black splatter vinyl (sans demos, bonus tracks, etc.). Honestly this looks cooler than the 50/50 split color variants in the box set. If you’re gonna get this and the box set, you may as well get both from 1-2-3-4 Go! since shipping over $75 is free. If you’re just getting the 2xLP and don’t qualify for free shipping, Amazon will be cheaper.
But wait, there’s still more! And this one’s for all you fart huffing audiophiles. Because Sound Matters‘ One-Step Edition of American Idiot costs nearly as much as the box set, coming in at $119.99 for the double LP alone (if you buy from 1-2-3-4 Go! Records) ($124.98 elsewhere)). Here’s some words from the fart huffers at Because Sound Matters:
“American Idiot was recorded in the digital domain and mixed to analog tape. Those original flat master tapes were then carefully transferred to 192/24 wav files that ended up being our audio source for the One-Step pressing.
We used Neotech VR900-D2 180g vinyl compound which is the same as what is known as Super Vinyl or Clarity Vinyl – the best in the world.
Levi Seitz at Blackbelt Mastering (Linkin Park,Metallica, Pearl Jam, Beyonce etc) cut the multiple sets of lacquers required. Being a massive Green Day fan himself – Levi already knew every little sound on this iconic album.
Dorin Sauerbier at Record Technology, Inc (R.T.I.) has been plating records for decades and is considered the best in the world – he also has done more One-Step processing than anybody. This is a vital step in the process to ultimately delivering the absolute best sounding version of American Idiot ever.”
I think that’s enough American Idiot for now; let’s move on to something else. A little ska perhaps? Keep Flying has released a live version of their latest EP Daylight, simply titled Daylight Live. This is very limited and 1/3 of the variants has already sold out, so head over to Smartpunk Records and grab the record while you still can. And if you get a chance to, catch these guys live! Check out their upcoming tour dates here.
The Groovie Ghoulies’ 2001 Freaks on Parade EP is being reissued as an LP with 6 bonus tracks and brand new cover art by Tom Neely. You can get this on Godzilla Green colored vinyl from Eccentric Pop (US) and Stardumb Records (EU), and Fiery Orange colored vinyl from 1-2-3-4 Go! Records (I swear they’re not paying me – maybe they should be!).
German Ramonescore powerhouses, Germany’s Haermorrhoids and Italy’s Proton Packs, have joined forces for a bad ass new split 7″ out now on Mom’s Basement Records in the US and Striped Music in Europe. Both of these bands are sick as fuck; don’t sleep on this!
A new(?) clear variant of Blink 182’s Enema of the State has popped up on their webstore. I’m not 100% sure if this is a brand new pressing because Discogs lists a clear variant released in Europe last year, but at the very least it’s the first time this has been available in the US. On a related note, it looks like a good chunk of Blink’s back catalog – including Dude Ranch, Cheshire Cat, the self-titled album, TOYPAJ, and Neighborhoods, is back in print and available on their online store, all sharing the same August 14th street date.
A similarly suspect “new” translucent yellow color variant of MxPx’s Panic has popped up on Amazon. Earlier this year, the same thing happened with an opaque yellow variant of the same record popping up, unannounced, on Amazon and shipping in April. It was real, I got it, and it showed up with the center label for a Casualties record on the A Side (lol). That one’s still in stock at a few record stores. Maybe this one’s the same, maybe it’s different, only one way to find out!
Well, that’s all, folks. Another Record Radar in the books. Short one this week! 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 time!
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!
Attention fellow discerning punk rock record collector nerds! Indiana pop-punk favorites The Putz are releasing their new record Too Little, Too Late this coming Friday, August 16th on the venerable Mom’s Basement Records. And this special edition of the Dying Scene Record Radar is all about it! Let’s review the facts, shall we? Too Little, […]
Attention fellow discerning punk rock record collector nerds! Indiana pop-punk favorites The Putz are releasing their new record Too Little, Too Late this coming Friday, August 16th on the venerable Mom’s Basement Records. And this special edition of the Dying Scene Record Radar is all about it!
Let’s review the facts, shall we? Too Little, Too Late boasts 16 brand new songs! You’ll have three colors too choose from when the record goes up for pre-order on Friday, including classic black, white, and black w/ white splatter. Mom’s Basement will have bundles with t-shirts, slipmats, and pint glasses! And if you have no self control you can get the Putz Nutz bundle with one of everything! Also! Everyone who pre-orders will get a free sticker and button.
Your homework: Listen to the album’s first two singles “Sleeping In” and “Elise Called the Police” down below. After you’ve completed that assignment, set alarm for Noon Eastern on Friday, August 16th, at which time you’ll visit the Mom’s Basement Webstore and purchase this bad ass new Putz record! Class dismissed.
This premiere is brought to you in part by Punk Rock Radar. If you’d like your band’s music video to be premiered by Dying Scene and Punk Rock Radar, go here and follow these instructions. You’ll be on your way to previously unimagined levels of fame and fortune in no time!
Paul “H.R.” Hudson played the Observatory in Santa Ana to a small crowd in the Constellation Room, the small offshoot from the main club. The room holds about 250 people, but was sadly only half full. The crowd seemed split in their expectation of what type of set H.R. would be performing. After seeing the […]
Paul “H.R.” Hudson played the Observatory in Santa Ana to a small crowd in the Constellation Room, the small offshoot from the main club. The room holds about 250 people, but was sadly only half full. The crowd seemed split in their expectation of what type of set H.R. would be performing. After seeing the opening bands, it was clear, this was going to be a mellow night.
First band on stage was Ganda, a five-piece from Huntington Beach, California. They played dirty reggae in a style similar to Sublime, but their message seemed much more positive. Ganda rides the line of being a jam band, but are smart enough to not let their songs go on too long. The inclusion of a trumpet player gives the band the little extra most of the bands like this don’t have. A couple of the songs feature one of guitar players on keys, but it would be nice to see what they could do with a full-time keyboardist. While Ganda doesn’t do much to forward the genre, they do a great job holding it up.
Swinging Johnny, led by John Griffin, was up next. Their original songs were a little all over the place. They were dark, surfy, mod, ska, and even a little old country. The band powered through some covers, including the Specials “Concrete Jungle”, Peter Tosh’s song “Stepping Razor”, and Bad Brains “Stay Close To Me”. They could’ve had the set of the night, but technical issues plagued their time on stage. They also seemed a little too focused on how they looked rather than how the songs sounded. It’s unclear if it was an off night for the band, but it’s been a minute since I’ve seen a band start a song then stop thirty seconds in to see how much time they had left in the set.
It’s good to see H.R. touring after not being able because of health reasons. His participation with Bad Brains has been on and off throughout the years. In that time away from the band his solo material has mostly focused on reggae. This set highlights those songs. Gone is the lead singer once described as “James Brown gone berserk,” who had spent years doing back flips and dives off stages. It’s not to say this wasn’t good. It was a career-spanning set with songs from his solo albums released thru SST and the music he’s released in the last few years. We did get some Bad Brains as “I + I Survive” and “I Luv I Jah,” but it was clear most of the people were expecting a much more intense set.
His backing band was pretty solid. H.R.’s vocals sound good after years of screaming. The frantic impatience that was once present has been replaced with a calm demeanor. He was very thankful to perform and said so multiple times. Those looking for the old H.R. may be disappointed, but if you like Bad Brains reggae songs, give the show a chance.
Australian melodic punk band All Hope Remains are gearing up to release their new record Finding My Way; it’s due out September 20th on Pee Records (AUS), Double Helix Records (US), and Disconnect Disconnect Records (UK). We’re fanning the flames with this exclusive premiere of the music video for their brand new single “Standing By”. […]
Australian melodic punk band All Hope Remains are gearing up to release their new record Finding My Way; it’s due out September 20th on Pee Records (AUS), Double Helix Records (US), and Disconnect Disconnect Records (UK). We’re fanning the flames with this exclusive premiere of the music video for their brand new single “Standing By”. Check it out below!
“Standing By” is a song that nearly never happened and yet it inspired its own existence. A piece of music buried away, and overlooked for years. Eventually a phrase landed which inspired review, rearrangement and eventual completion with the chorus proclaiming itself as (the) “best kept secret, hidden away from the world.” Ironically enough, the track finds itself as a feature single on the forthcoming album and we couldn’t be happier with it.” -All Hope Remains frontman Mark Gilmore
Go here to pre-save “Standing By” on Spotify, Apple Music, etc. and keep your eyes glued to the labels’ webstores for Finding My Way colored vinyl pre-orders coming very soon.
This premiere is brought to you in part by Punk Rock Radar. If you’d like your band’s music video to be premiered by Dying Scene and Punk Rock Radar, go here and follow these instructions. You’ll be on your way to previously unimagined levels of fame and fortune in no time!
Brent Johnson
I grew up (teenager)with Chon and his brothers. He was a dream that I shared with the 95482. If anyone was going to bust though it would be Chon. I remember going the the Wilson’s brothers half pipe being super self-conscious.
Those boys were so amazing. When Ben pasaway… Was awful and Chon being his soul brother makes this so difficult..
We love you beautiful people …