Black Flag are continuing to tour the US and Canada with a show that begins with a full performance of their second studio album, My War. After an intermission, continues with a lengthy ‘Best Of’ set. We caught up with the tour at San Francisco’s DNA Lounge for our first show of the year! Check […]
Black Flag are continuing to tour the US and Canada with a show that begins with a full performance of their second studio album, My War. After an intermission, continues with a lengthy ‘Best Of’ set. We caught up with the tour at San Francisco’s DNA Lounge for our first show of the year!
Check out our gallery below!
“An Evening with Black Flag” – DNA Lounge, San Francisco, 1/5/24
“An Evening with Black Flag” – DNA Lounge, San Francisco, 1/5/24
“An Evening with Black Flag” – DNA Lounge, San Francisco, 1/5/24
“An Evening with Black Flag” – DNA Lounge, San Francisco, 1/5/24
“An Evening with Black Flag” – DNA Lounge, San Francisco, 1/5/24
“An Evening with Black Flag” – DNA Lounge, San Francisco, 1/5/24
“An Evening with Black Flag” – DNA Lounge, San Francisco, 1/5/24
“An Evening with Black Flag” – DNA Lounge, San Francisco, 1/5/24
“An Evening with Black Flag” – DNA Lounge, San Francisco, 1/5/24
“An Evening with Black Flag” – DNA Lounge, San Francisco, 1/5/24
“An Evening with Black Flag” – DNA Lounge, San Francisco, 1/5/24
“An Evening with Black Flag” – DNA Lounge, San Francisco, 1/5/24
“An Evening with Black Flag” – DNA Lounge, San Francisco, 1/5/24
“An Evening with Black Flag” – DNA Lounge, San Francisco, 1/5/24
“An Evening with Black Flag” – DNA Lounge, San Francisco, 1/5/24
“An Evening with Black Flag” – DNA Lounge, San Francisco, 1/5/24
“An Evening with Black Flag” – DNA Lounge, San Francisco, 1/5/24
“An Evening with Black Flag” – DNA Lounge, San Francisco, 1/5/24
“An Evening with Black Flag” – DNA Lounge, San Francisco, 1/5/24
“An Evening with Black Flag” – DNA Lounge, San Francisco, 1/5/24
The Eradicator squashed out the winter blues the night before the day before the New Year. In support at Reggie’s Music Joint, was Mulva, a band whose name, like The Eradicator, has its roots in U.S. television from decades prior. Distants and Royal Dog were also on hand and on stage to round out the […]
The Eradicator squashed out the winter blues the night before the day before the New Year. In support at Reggie’s Music Joint, was Mulva, a band whose name, like The Eradicator, has its roots in U.S. television from decades prior. Distants and Royal Dog were also on hand and on stage to round out the night.
Chicago’s The Eradicator returned to Reggie’s Music Joint on a chilly late December evening. As we have noted previously in DS, Andy Slania’s on-stage persona was inspired by a famous 1989 Kids In the Hall skit of the same name.
The Eradicator was clad in his standard punk rock uniform of tennis shorts with white tennis shoes. A pink polo shirt, topped off by a ski mask covering his entire face completed the outfit. Waving a squash racket, The Eradicator paced back and forth on the small stage. Growling out tunes such as “You Can’t Play Me,” “The End of The Line,” “Can’t Play Well With Others,” and “Squash Queen.” Of course, The Eradicator also played his classics, “I’m A Squash Man,” and “Eradicator Out.”
Punk rock is so often ultra-serious as musicians belt out songs addressing issues of the day and relationship woes. These subjects make for some of the best songs.
But every once in a while, we need a respite from the darkness, to counter it with light. The Eradicator serves (pun intended) that well. There’s no trickle boost at an Eradicator show, just straight drives to your funny bone.
Distants visited Chicago from its relatively not-so-distant hometown of Grand Rapids, MI (just 179.1 miles between the two cities). The rambunctious set included “12 St. Beach,” “Forfeiture,” “To Roost,” and “Odds and Ends.” Distants gave the crowd a terrific performance which perfectly complemented the band’s bill-mates on this evening.
Royal Dog, another Chicago crew was founded as a solo project in 2018. However, it grew into a full band just this past year. Royal Dog drove through a rowdy set, including,” “Pickle, “All Your Shit,” “Haha Fer Sher Fer Sher,” and “Crabbed.”
Royal Dog has both bark and bite. Hopefully, it will unleash more treats in the near future.
Mulva’s moniker was inspired by the infamous Seinfeld episode, “The Junior Mint” (but to be fair, can’t most of the show’s episodes be described as infamous?). The Milwaukee/Chicago group self-describes as “Indie-ish /Punk-ish DIY.” But whatever the name and labels, the band, first to hit the stage, performed a lively set, blasting out “Stay With Me (Forever),” “Believe,” “I Can’t Wake Up,” “Hypocrite,” and “I Keep Fucking Up.” The band certainly woke up the crowd whilst doing anything but fucking up.
Please see more photos from the show below. Thanks and Cheers!
Having recently hopped aboard the Punkerton Records roster, Detroit pop-punk trio Middle-Out is gearing up to release their self-titled debut LP in 2024. Dying Scene is stoked to bring you this exclusive premiere of the band’s brand new single “Ballerinas”. Check out the music video below! “Ballerinas” has a familiar story to tell; being so […]
Having recently hopped aboard the Punkerton Records roster, Detroit pop-punk trio Middle-Out is gearing up to release their self-titled debut LP in 2024. Dying Scene is stoked to bring you this exclusive premiere of the band’s brand new single “Ballerinas”. Check out the music video below!
“Ballerinas” has a familiar story to tell; being so set in your ways, that you’re in EVERYONE’S way. When your friends and loved ones grow tired of your stubbornness and blunt nature, to the point that they must modify themselves around you, tip-toeing on the eggshells.
The video, filmed at a local ballet studio and featuring mostly non-experienced performers, provides the allegory for this attitude. Your friends and family walking so daintily to avoid upsetting you, but that facade can only be kept up so long until they burst in anger, leaving you alone – the last ghost in a ghost town.
Dying Scene caught up with Diskount Vodka in Pueblo, Colorado for a short interview and visited them at the practice space that they share with The Dead End. We also visited Land of Ozz and Bishop Castle for all of the cool happenings in the Pueblo area. This interview has been edited for length and […]
Dying Scene caught up with Diskount Vodka in Pueblo, Colorado for a short interview and visited them at the practice space that they share with The Dead End. We also visited Land of Ozz and Bishop Castle for all of the cool happenings in the Pueblo area.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Dying Scene: Tell me about Diskount Vodka. Who’s in the band and what kind of music do you play?
Diskount Vodka: I’m Pickle, I play the drums. I’m Ellie Blackbird, I play guitar and sing. And I’m Cuauhtli Gome, I play bass guitar.
Ellie Blackbird: We formed a bit over a year ago.
Cuauhtli Gomez: We’re a punk rock and roll band.
DS: Tell me, how did you guys come up with the name Discount Vodka?
Pickle: We were in Center, Texas at David Gardner’s (the Coffin Boys, Trash Idols, Horror Movie) house and David started talking about Discount Vodka somewhere and Ellie liked the name. We formed a band and we took the name. That’s how that name came about.
DS: Are any of you in any other bands? What is your connection to The Dead End?
P: I play the drums in The Dead End, a psychobilly band. We’ve done it for eight years. We have new material coming out next year sometime. We’ve been a working band this whole time doing big things. We did a bunch of stuff with Three Bad Jacks. We just got done doing another tour out to Californiia and back.
CG: Carlos, the singer and guitarist, is my older brother and L.J., the bassist, is my cousin.
EB: Cuauhtli and I aren’t in any other bands. This is our thing, our main thing.
DS: How would you describe your music to someone?
EB: It’s more old-school punk sounding. And, it’s not strictly one thing. I think there’s more…you can tell there’s influences of, you know, like rock and roll and hardcore but it’s just punk, you know, it’s just punk rock.
DS: Who are your biggest influences or inspirations?
P: I don’t know. I have all kinds of influences. I started off being influenced by the Ramones. Before that, it was like Gorilla Biscuits and Youth of Today and all those bands from my friend, Burt (…And We All Die). And, actually, he’s the one that got me into punk rock all those years ago. Him and those records, like Fearless Iranians From Hell and all that stuff. Angry Samoans. That stuff’s still good to this day. I like a little bit of everything. I like Rancid. I like The Casualties. I like Hank Williams but, then again, I like psychobilly stuff like Mad Sin, The Brains, and Rezurex. I could go off in millions of directions.
CG: The Pretenders inspired me to want to play in a band.
DS: Are you guys working with a record label? If so, who?
EB: Nope, we’re all by ourselves.
P: Well, we have a split seven-inch coming out on a record label, which is Split Personality Records, in mid-January 2024. It’s a split seven-inch with Tv Tragedy from Phoenix. They’re a good punk rock band. They’ve been around for 10 years. But other than that we’re not on a label but we are looking.
DS: Perfect. I was just about to ask if you have recorded anything. So tell me about it.
P: Well, right now there’s one song called “Time is Now” we just released on November 11th. We (released) another single called “Victim” on December 1st, then a cover song called “Gacked on Anger” (by Amyl and the Sniffers) on December 30th, and then we’ll have that split seven-inch that’s coming out on January 13th. And then in February we’ll put a full-length album.
EB: Currently, we’re working on releasing that first album called Punk Salad. That should be out by February.
DS: Will it be with the same record label?
P: No, the full length will just be us putting it out independently. So, if somebody wants to pick us up, they can. We’re going to play a seven-inch release show in Las Vegas on January 13th.
DS: Have you been playing any local shows? Where have you been performing lately?
EB: Mainly we like to play at a little DIY venue here called The Bombshelter. It’s an all ages venue. It’s cool. A lot of people come out. We’ve also played in Colorado Springs at the Triple Nickel a few times. We also hit Denver. Lately we’ve been playing at Bar Bar.
P: We’ve played at The Crypt up there, too. We’ve also played at The Black Sheep in Colorado Springs.
DS: What is the music scene like in Pueblo, Colorado?
EB: It’s growing. Mainly it’s been mostly metal and that kind of stuff but, as of recent years, it’s been like growing into more like…people are interested in punk and…
CG: It’s more diverse now than it was at one time.
P: Goths. There’s a bunch of gothic kids now.
EB: Goth uprising.
P: The punk rock scene. You’re looking at it. But there’s like, there’s high school kids that do come and there’s old school people like around my age who do come to shows too that are like old punk rockers. But we’re the only punk rock band in Pueblo besides The Dead End. The Springs (Colorado Springs) is weird. It has punk rock bands but they’re all younger. They’re fun to play with. They dance the whole time. It’s fun playing places where people just dance all the time.
DS: Have you achieved what you sought out to?
P: We have over-achieved and become more than what we even expected, to be honest with you. So, we’re just gonna keep going that direction.
EB: Yep.
P: Some people must like it I guess.
DS: So, what’s next for Diskount Vodka?
P: More songs and bigger shows. Maybe some bigger festivals. Maybe a tour.
DS: If you were to play a festival, which one would you like to play?
P: Any of them.
EB: Any of them, honestly. I love it.
P: Yeah, there are fests all over the place. That C.Y. Fest looks like it’d be fun. And then there’s 40 Fest in Georgia.
P: I watched a video with Rancid playing the other day. Tried to get some inspiration off of it. Sometimes, I don’t listen to anything…I just listen to the radio, like oldies.
DS: So, do you have anything else you’d like to share?
EB: Check us out. Hope you like our stuff. Get us traveling, you know.
P: Bring us to your city.
EB: Yes. Bring us to you.
CG: Take me to your leader.
It was great catching up with Diskount Vodka. It looks like 2024 is going to be a really exciting year for them! If you are in Las Vegas on January 13th check out Tv Tragedy and Diskount Vodka for the Split Record Release Show.
A pre-New Year’s Eve rock’n’roll night at San Francisco’s best dive bar…Benders! The BPMs are so new that the paint is still drying on their logo. We believe that this was their 2nd show. However Eric, Atom and Mic are all veterans of the Bay Area music scene, and bring tight poppy punk. Flexx Bronco […]
A pre-New Year’s Eve rock’n’roll night at San Francisco’s best dive bar…Benders!
The BPMs are so new that the paint is still drying on their logo. We believe that this was their 2nd show. However Eric, Atom and Mic are all veterans of the Bay Area music scene, and bring tight poppy punk.
Flexx Bronco don’t play so often anymore, as one of the members moved to Southern California. They’ve been around since 2001, and consistently bring driving hard rock, so we catch them when we can.
See a gallery of all photos from the show below:
The BPMs at Bender’s Bar & Grill, San Francisco, 12/30/23
The BPMs at Bender’s Bar & Grill, San Francisco, 12/30/23
The BPMs at Bender’s Bar & Grill, San Francisco, 12/30/23
The BPMs at Bender’s Bar & Grill, San Francisco, 12/30/23
The BPMs at Bender’s Bar & Grill, San Francisco, 12/30/23
The BPMs at Bender’s Bar & Grill, San Francisco, 12/30/23
The BPMs at Bender’s Bar & Grill, San Francisco, 12/30/23
The BPMs at Bender’s Bar & Grill, San Francisco, 12/30/23
The BPMs at Bender’s Bar & Grill, San Francisco, 12/30/23
The BPMs at Bender’s Bar & Grill, San Francisco, 12/30/23
The BPMs at Bender’s Bar & Grill, San Francisco, 12/30/23
Flexx Bronco at Bender’s Bar & Grill, San Francisco, 12/30/23
Flexx Bronco at Bender’s Bar & Grill, San Francisco, 12/30/23
Flexx Bronco at Bender’s Bar & Grill, San Francisco, 12/30/23
Flexx Bronco at Bender’s Bar & Grill, San Francisco, 12/30/23
Flexx Bronco at Bender’s Bar & Grill, San Francisco, 12/30/23
Flexx Bronco at Bender’s Bar & Grill, San Francisco, 12/30/23
Flexx Bronco at Bender’s Bar & Grill, San Francisco, 12/30/23
Flexx Bronco at Bender’s Bar & Grill, San Francisco, 12/30/23
Flexx Bronco at Bender’s Bar & Grill, San Francisco, 12/30/23
Flexx Bronco at Bender’s Bar & Grill, San Francisco, 12/30/23
Flexx Bronco at Bender’s Bar & Grill, San Francisco, 12/30/23
Flexx Bronco at Bender’s Bar & Grill, San Francisco, 12/30/23
Flexx Bronco at Bender’s Bar & Grill, San Francisco, 12/30/23
Flexx Bronco at Bender’s Bar & Grill, San Francisco, 12/30/23
Flexx Bronco at Bender’s Bar & Grill, San Francisco, 12/30/23
Flexx Bronco at Bender’s Bar & Grill, San Francisco, 12/30/23
California Ramonescore veterans The Carmines will be releasing their comeback album Work Harder Not Smarter this Thursday. You don’t have to wait any longer to listen to the record though, because we’re hooking you up with this exclusive premiere! Check it out below. Featuring Slick Shoes drummer Joe Nixon and guitarist Greg Togawa, Work Harder […]
California Ramonescore veterans The Carmines will be releasing their comeback album Work Harder Not Smarter this Thursday. You don’t have to wait any longer to listen to the record though, because we’re hooking you up with this exclusive premiere! Check it out below.
Featuring Slick Shoes drummer Joe Nixon and guitarist Greg Togawa, Work Harder Not Smarter sees the Carmines ripping through 10 (very obviously Ramones influenced) new tracks. It’ll keep you pogoing for the entirety of its slightly-less-than-30 minute runtime.
Sweetie is a Chicago-based lipstick-punk band with a femme fatale ferocity and a French influence. Voted a Top 5 Punk Band in the Chicago Reader two years in a row, Sweetie has found a niche in playing shows in the punk scene and drag shows alike, including venues such as the Metro, Green Mill, The […]
Meet Sweetie.
Joe
Bass
Birdy Vee
Guitar and vocals
Ryan
Drums
Sweetie is a Chicago-based lipstick-punk band with a femme fatale ferocity and a French influence. Voted a Top 5 Punk Band in the Chicago Reader two years in a row, Sweetie has found a niche in playing shows in the punk scene and drag shows alike, including venues such as the Metro, Green Mill, The Egyptian Theatre, Reggie’s, Cobra Lounge, Last Rites and Liar’s Club.
Dying Scene is thrilled to interview this local band and talk about drag queens, the queer community, new music releases and some hard-hitting questions that you do not want to miss.
What do you love most about being in Sweetie?
Joe: Honestly, I enjoy the spectacle of our live show. The band is always pushing ourselves to perform our very best and engage with our audience. So many rock songs are pretty simple 3 or 4-chord progressions, but it’s all about the raw power that you play those chords. And raw power is something that Sweetie brings to the table in spades!
Ryan: All the fantastic folks! Making friends with all these incredible bands, venues, and not to mention Birdy and Joe has been an absolute pleasure.
Birdy: I love the wide variety of opportunities to express myself creatively. Writing music is one of my favorite creative outlets, and it is an even bigger high when you take that song you wrote and perform it with your bandmates for the first time. The feeling of that tiny idea turning into such a big sound gives me goosebumps! Also, I ADORE performing. I really love being on stage and interacting with the crowd.
I also love finding new and creative ways for Sweetie to perform. We often perform in spaces that can be considered atypical for a punk band. We’re the house band for the Rocky Horror Picture Show in Dekalb and have performed at countless drag shows. I really like to find ways to take the idea of the typical punk show and elevate it: collaborating with a different variety of artists and performers and giving it that variety show feel.
I also love the connections I have made with people in the scene! I have made some really wonderful friendships with other musicians and performers in the scene, many of whom have been so supportive in so many ways. Sweetie would not exist today without the care and support of these people. AND I LOVE connecting with new people at our shows. I am a huge people-person and love to meet new folks.
How would you describe the music you typically create?
B: If Edith Piaf was reborn as a punk musician, that would be Sweetie. Our music is hyper-emotive, almost to a fault, and is often about love and longing through a female lens, with nods to subculture, queer culture, and the underworld nightlife. All just completely smeared in red lipstick.
Ryan, you were a music major with a heavy background in jazz music…did you ever picture you’d be playing in a glam lipstick punk band?
R: Well, I knew some type of rock band was inevitable, as that’s what came first in my life. I’ve been a jazz guy since high school, and I think that’s really influenced the way I play all styles of music in terms of style, phrasing, improvisation, etc.; so as far as the punk aspect goes, I see the jazz background as an asset to my playing. As far as the “glam lipstick” aspect goes, that’s a new one for me but I’m diggin’ it!
Birdy, you spearheaded the amazing local music fest Hands Off Our Fest (H.O.O.F.), can you tell me more about it, and will we expect it to come back in 2024?
B: Hands Off Our Fest is a music festival celebrating the women, femmes, and thems of the Chicago punk scene, featuring a drag show consisting of some of the area’s finest drag queens, kings, and things. I created this festival to help the women, femmes, thems, and queer folks in the local punk scene to bond with one another, network, and to create space. I have often felt stifled and uncomfortable as a woman in the punk scene, and the feeling can be very isolating. Also, there are so many local femme and queer acts locally that so often get overlooked and replaced with these cis-male fronted bands. I wanted to create a fest to celebrate these amazing talents and voices, while also just having as much fun as possible. The festival was such a success and every time I bump into a fellow HOOF performer when out and about, it’s always such a treat! I’ve definitely made many new friends as a result, and I ABSOLUTELY want to keep this festival going in the years to come. You can DEFINITELY expect HOOF to return in 2024.
Joe, you use an electric bass for your other bands but an upright bass for Sweetie. Any reason why?
J: One of the most important things that I have learned as a hired-gun/studio musician is that you should always serve the song. While there is definitely a level of flash to showing up to a rock gig with an instrument almost matching the size of the drum set, my intention is not to draw away from the songs and compliment them the best I can. I originally joined the group as a “fill in” for a few gigs for the band. When I was sent over demos and videos to learn the songs for these upcoming shows, Birdy was playing a 335/semi-hollow style guitar. This sound instantly brought me back to the classic rockabilly and Elvis records that I loved as a kid, while still being punk rock!
Of course, I showed up to the first band rehearsal/audition with all the songs learned on the electric bass, but I asked about what Birdy thought about me playing upright the next time we got together. I’m pretty sure that her response was, “I’ve never thought about how that would sound, but sure”. I fully believe that she was thinking that I was planning this only for the upcoming show to make it a large surprise spectacle, not that I was dead serious about taking the bass role on this instrument. I also don’t think this instrumental change took too much convincing after hearing it in application and has absolutely shaped some of our own Sweetie sound (even if Birdy changed over to her Flying V guitar).
At your show at The Metro with The Lawrence Arms, you brought out a drag performer (who was fantastic!) and I’ve noticed Sweetie does a lot of stuff related with drag performers. Any reason why?
B: That was my drag mother, Sindy Vicious! Since really early on, Sweetie has been collaborating with drag performers as often as we can. It all started out when we had a residency at a queer comedy variety show called T-Time at the Comedy Shrine (Rest in Peace Comedy Shrine). This was run by Penelope Torres and was a quarterly variety show that featured queer stand-up comedy, drag performances, and music by Sweetie, the resident band for this event. At our very first show, we met drag performer Sindy Vicious, who later approached me with an idea for a music video for our song ‘Devil Girl’. Her and I immediately began working together and this formed a creative collaboration and friendship that has persisted ever since. I am actually in the Haus of Vicious now (a Haus being a drag family in the community) and Vicious is where the Vee in Birdy Vee originates! She directed and edited the video for Devil Girl, Mamma, as well as the music video for our new single, Showgirl. The video also features drag performer and my dear pal, Kai Valentine. I love performing and collaborating with the drag community and hope to continue to do so in the years to come!
You are about to release a new single! What’s the inspiration behind the song?
B: The new single is called ‘Showgirl’, and there is so much inspiration behind this song. Firstly, the title is a nod to the movie Showgirls (1995) which is one of my favorite cult films of all time (after the Rocky Horror Picture Show, of course). At the time that I wrote the song, I was starting to feel the isolation and frustration that can come with being a performer. You are putting your whole heart and all of your energy into this thing, pouring your guts out on stage, and then when it’s all over, what’s left? The song also parallels a relationship that is in the same vein- something that you are pouring your heart into and from which you are getting very little back. But in the song, there’s also that tone of resilience, with a focus on women in the music industry. The stress that women in the music industry are under, and well as the constant criticism that they face can be shattering. The statement of ‘this will not break me’, which a lot of times is easier said than done, helps the song end on a high note. Ultimately, ‘Showgirl’ makes it through and comes out stronger in the end.
When can we expect the next album?
B: The new album is called La Vie en Rouge (which means Life in Red), which is a reference to Edith Piaf’s ‘La Vie en Rose’. The song La Vie en Rose is about being in love and seeing ‘life in pink’. The idea of La Vie en Rouge takes that idea but intensifies it. When you’re seeing life in red, there is passion, there is rage, there is fire. That is what I’m trying to channel in this album. Also, Sweetie’s most recognizable color is red, so the album title is a nod to that as well. We are so proud of this album and it is projected to come out in June 2024.
Now for the hard-hitting questions…would you rather fight one horse-sized duck or 100 duck-sized horses?
J: While I would ideally not like to cause any harm to these proposed majestical creatures. My gut instinct would be to choose the 100 duck-sized horses to see if we may be able to reach some sort of diplomatic resolution without violence. But on the other hand, a horse-sized duck head would look pretty sweet mounted over a fireplace mantle…
R: Horse-sized duck is out of the question. I’m already afraid of geese and they’re not much larger than ducks. On the other hand, what’s a duck-sized horse gonna do? Kick me? Okay.
B: Do I get some sort of weapon? I’m pretty sure I could fight off 100 duck-sized horses with a broom or a hammer or something. But one horse-sized duck? They’ve got all those little teeth and they can fly and hunt you down… But then the 100 duck-horses could kick you to death with their little hooves. If I get a weapon, I’ll choose the little duck-sized horses.
Lastly, if you went on a national tour, how many pairs of pants would you bring with you?
J: My serious answer would probably be 3 to have a solid rotation, but I would be an advocate for shorts (weather dependent) to require less fabric to dirty up and for a higher level of comfort.
R: We don’t believe in that sort of thing.
B: No.
Anything else you want us to know?
B: Women, femmes, thems, and queer folks in the punk and alternative communities need to take up more space in our scene. Keep punk rock queer.
Check out the gallery below for more live photos of Sweetie and be on the look out for their new song release and album!
Another brilliant day, another bad-ass premiere coming your way! Cincinnati-based punkers GET WRECKED’s debut single ”Get Shreked or Die Tryin’” is out right now, along with a lyric video. “Get Shreked or Die Tryin’” comes off of GET WRECKED’s debut EP Day of Wreckoning, out January 23rd. Scroll down to check out the brand new […]
Another brilliant day, another bad-ass premiere coming your way! Cincinnati-based punkers GET WRECKED’s debut single ”Get Shreked or Die Tryin’” is out right now, along with a lyric video.
“Get Shreked or Die Tryin’” comes off of GET WRECKED’s debut EP Day of Wreckoning, out January 23rd.
Scroll down to check out the brand new tune or stop by Southgate House Revival in Newport, KY on January 27th for their official EP release show with Daywalker, Trash Knight, Misunderstood, and Alex Kasznel & the Board of Directors.
Greetings, and welcome to the first Dying Scene Record Radar of 2024! 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 […]
Greetings, and welcome to the first Dying Scene Record Radar of 2024! 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:
Kicking off this week’s Record Radar is my least favorite category: shit that’s already sold out! Up first is this 30th Anniversary repress of Lagwagon’s Trashed. This is a new pressing of the 2xLP deluxe reissue from a while back with all the bonus tracks. It sold out in like 24 hours and is long gone, but sometimes people cancel orders, the label finds a box with some extra copies, etc. So if you missed out, there’s still hope. Keep an eye on fatwreck.com to see if any more of these pop back up. btw this is the best song on this album:
Here’s another one that sold out – it’s the very long awaited reissue of Common Rider’s Last Wave Rockers. Back in print for the first time since its original release in 1999, the debut album from the Jesse Michaels x Squirtgun crossover has been remastered by Mass Giorgini and features new cover art. Asian Man pressed 1,000 copies and sold out in a few days but fear not, a second pressing is on the way.
Teenage Bottlerocket’s Tales from Wyoming has been repressed on 300 copies of hot pink vinyl. I’m not sure what the occasion is (the album came out in 2015), but I’m here for it. Go here if you wanna grab a copy of this one.
Prolific punk (and Foo Fighters) drummer Josh Freese’s solo album The Notorious One Man Orgy is getting its first repress in 24 years; they just couldn’t wait another year for it to be a proper anniversary, could they? This will be released on an undisclosed number of blue LPs in March. Get your copy here – looks like they have some copies of the original picture disc release in stock as well, but you can get those for much less on discogs.
Bay Area punk band Hickey has been immortalized with a 3xLP live album box set There’s the Right Way & There’s the Hickey Way. Dead Broke Rekerds has some copies of this in stock, get yours before they’re gone.
Let’s talk about some new releases, shall we? Here’s a brand new Split LP from two up-and-coming UK punk bands Old Chase and The Upshot. Limited to 100 copies on Toxic Pink colored vinyl, you can check out a few tracks from Showtime Split below and grab your copy from Punk Rock Radar (US), Cat’s Claw Records (UK), Fast Decade (EU), or High End Denim (CA).
Montreal melodic punk band The Speakeasy has a brand new record coming very soon. Their self titled debut LP will be released on January 19th through the almighty Thousand Islands Records. Check out one of the singles below and pre-order the record on translucent yellow colored vinyl here – these will start shipping in March.
Last but not least on this week’s installment of the Record Radar, we have the moment you’ve all been waiting for. It’s the highly anticipated 21st variant of the new Green Day album! Limited(!!!) to a paltry 3,350 copies, this one may bear the longest variant name so far – tricolor segmented hot pink, black and white vinyl. That’s 50 characters, folks! Anyway, buy it here, I don’t give a shit.
Oh wait… what’s that? Oh fuck. There’s another one. Green Day – Saviors variant #22! You’d be a damn fool if you didn’t pick up this smokin’ hot, ultra-limited “iHeart Exclusive” white vinyl color variant. I mean, it’s limited to just 1,000 copies – that’s practically nothing! Get it here, sucka.
Did you know Dying Scene is home to the most comprehensive list on the internet of color variants of the new Green Day record Saviors? Well, now you do! Check it out:
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).
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!
Congrats on making it through 2023 and inching one year closer to the grave. 2023 was another year in which the ever-growing and developing genre of punk grew and developed just a little bit more. Several punk rock veterans proved why they’re still more relevant than ever, while a good variety of young bucks helped […]
Congrats on making it through 2023 and inching one year closer to the grave. 2023 was another year in which the ever-growing and developing genre of punk grew and developed just a little bit more. Several punk rock veterans proved why they’re still more relevant than ever, while a good variety of young bucks helped fuel the flame of the greatest fuckin’ music genre this world’s ever seen.
My hope is that this isn’t the thousandth “end of the year Top 10” list that comes across your screen. Try not to get too offended by this either if we’re in disagreement; these are merely my favorites from the whole year. Check them out below and see what you think (or check out the playlist at the bottom for my picks of the best songs from the best records).
Hopefully Borrowed Sparks’ name and likeness have become a bit familiar around here. We were lucky enough to debut both the record’s first single “Run ’til You’re Dust” over the Summer, and the full-length itself before its October release date. All I can say is this thing is fuckin’ immaculate; I love every part of Mike Bay’s songwriting and I’m proud that something this rad is coming from right out of my backyard here in Nashville.
Let A Little Light In is the exact opposite of a sophomore slump. Equal parts Gaslight Anthem, Tom Petty, and Bruce Springsteen, Mike Bay has perfected the Americana-punk sound that many Dying Scene readers and writers have fallen in love with.
Being that the Souls very well may be my favorite band of all time, there was no way Ten Stories High was being left off of my top 10 list, even if I don’t rank it up there with How I Spent My Summer Vacation and The Gold Record. This record didn’t stray too far from the signature Souls sound, but just enough to make it unique and fresh. I feared that they may take the same experimental direction as Green Day’s new material, of which I am not fond of in the least.
But my fears were quickly put to rest, the title track opens the record and may be my favorite from the whole thing. Other tracks like “True Believer Radio” and “Vin and Casey” (ft. Kevin Seconds) would have fit in perfectly with their early catalog.
Thankfully, I was reacquainted with Decent Criminal’s music as I was preparing for an interview with founding members and brothers Tristan and Hunter Martinez. My last encounter with the band was in 2017 while they were on the road with Dwarves and the Queers in support of their debut record Bloom, an incredible display of Southern California skate punk. But the band’s sound has evolved enormously, a perfect example being There’s More To It Than Climbing.
The record has been described by both brothers as a journey, each track being able to stand alone, but also guiding to the next. “Blind” and “Driving” both stuck out as what I remembered as Decent Criminal. But outside of those two, many other genres and sounds were explored that reminded me of influences such as Bradley Nowell (and even some Long Beach Dub All Stars), making this an extremely intriguing record to keep coming back to.
In a scenario much like that with the Bouncing Souls, my second favorite band of all time also happened to release a full-length this year. Although this record came as a reemergence from an extensive hiatus, it has the sound and feel of still being well within their prime.
For me, this record is a return to the “Gaslight Anthem sound”, a quality that seemed a bit lacking with Get Hurt. “Positive Charge” and “History Books” were two brand new tracks that really got me in the mood to catch these guys at the historic Ryman Auditorium back on Mother’s Day. And the fact that The Boss is featured on “History Books” sold me on the record immediately.
I hope I’ve made it blatantly obvious by this point how much I admire, applaud, idolize, adore, fuckin’ cherish these dudes. Daikaiju is a national treasure, comprised of the most masterful performing I’ve ever witnessed. I’m trying to consider live performance more for this year’s list and, in including Phase 3 at the number 6 spot, the record itself only tells half the story…
Secret-man, the band’s fearless leader, is the very definition of a shredder. It’s one thing to play fast and flawlessly, but Secret-man’s soloing has occurred while crowd surfing, on the shoulders of fans, and even while their instruments are set ablaze. I still hold strong in saying these dudes are my favorite live show on Earth, and Phase 3 presented a whole new catalog of tunes for their cult-like following to lose their minds to.
This was undoubtedly my most anticipated 2023 full-length. I’ve adored Northcote ever since an intimate Dave Hause performance at the Bluebird Cafe in which Matt Goud was summoned up on stage and proceeded to serenade the fuck out of me with a couple of tracks from Hope is Made of Steel. It was an absolute treat for me to be able to pick Goud’s brain about the meaning and process behind Wholeheart.
Done in true DIY fashion, a quality that made me even more of a fan of this thing, this record is more of a raw, stripped-down release than those previous. Inspired by Indian devotional music and a renewed spirituality through nature, I truly appreciated how meaningful and sincere Goud approached this release.
Tomorrow Never Comes was the main release I was referencing with the statement “punk rock veterans proving why they’re still more relevant than ever”. This has become my favorite Rancid full-length in recent years, even topping ’09’s Let the Dominoes Fall.
Produced by Brett Gurewitz, I was ecstatic to hear a full-length that was, not mimicking the past, but embracing the developed Rancid sound in a record that’s about as close to perfection as you can get. It’s loud, it’s fast, it’s short and to the point; this record is what punk rock should strive to be.
Up until just before the release of Dusk, I would have called myself a casual fan of Plasma Canvas. But when I received an early link for the record prior to interviewing Adrienne Rae Ash, man was I blown the fuck away for so many different reasons (my first paragraph of that write-up even featured a spoiler that this would rank well at the end of the year).
Ash’s goal for the release was a cyclical record, one that ends right where it begins. This was very much achieved with “Hymn”, the piano-led banger of a lead track, and “Empyrean”, the closing track to a record I listen to almost daily. The band’s debut release as a four-piece brought about a whole new sound featuring Ash’s unmatched vocals and songwriting, creating what I’ll call a “Plasma Canvas sandwich”: soft and melodic bread on each end with a fusion of punk rock mayhem ingredients in between.
If it weren’t for Jay Stone, I may have entirely forgotten that this came out in 2023 (it’s been a long year, alright). In all honesty, up until Fest 20, I hadn’t given these dudes a fair shot, and little did I know I was missing out big-fuckin’-time. But luckily I’ve come around just in time for Samiam’s first release in over a decade.
Thanks in large part to the four Samiam live shows I’ve seen dating back to just before this release, I was well-prepared to rank Stowaway in the top spot this year. “Lights Out Little Hustler” and “Crystallized” were two live tracks that left me awestruck and questioning what kind of punk-rock-lowlife I’ve been by not getting on board with these guys sooner. But it took a truly special release, at least in my eyes, to dethrone Stowaway from its rightful place atop my 2023 list…
But first… a few honorable mentions. 2023 had way too many releases (365 days worth to be exact) to not show some love to some of my other favorites from the past year.
An interview with the Brokedowns way back in January presented me the perfect chance to really dive into what Chicago’s funniest band had to offer. Maximum Khaki, the band’s first full-length in 5 years, quickly gave me the dose of fast, humorous, raw punk explosiveness that I was craving. Maximum Khaki is the very epitome of punk rock done the right way.
If we’re going off of technicality here, the much-anticipated Wes Hoffman and Friends debut isn’t “officially” released yet. But my vinyl copy showed up at the door a couple of weeks ago, and since we make the rules around here, this eclectic piece of pop-punk shreddery is getting an honorable mention (until next year when it very well may crack the official top 10 list).
I picked a pretty damn good year to attend my first Lucero live show. Should’ve Learned By Now added another handful of catchy tracks to what I’d call the strongest catalog in the game, with this batch being more rock-forward than what some fans may have expected; and I absolutely loved it.
An intimate live show at Music City’s greatest punk bar earlier this year turned me onto these dudes, and I’ve fallen in love. J. Navarro and the Traitors‘ new record All of Us, or None emerged as my favorite ska record of the year, displaying the very same two-tone ska-punk that drew me as a fan of the Pietasters.
Jason Cruz has proven that he can do no wrong. Jason Cruz and Howl‘s Wolves gave me an entirely new appreciation for the musicianship of Cruz and the rest of Strung Out. I’ll even go out on a limb and say that Cruz’s voice may be the most malleable in all of punk.
Thanks for making it this far. Now, for the moment we’ve all been waiting for. Nasty Nate’s pick for 2023 record of the year is…
No. 1: Codefendants – This is Crime Wave
This is Crime Wave appealed to me for so many special reasons.
It’s equal parts punk rock and hip hop, something that, on paper, seems extremely difficult to execute successfully. All expectations were exceeded, with nothing seeming forced on this record. These songs are about as raw and natural as possible (revealed by both King and Cechi in our interview. My number one New Year’s resolution is to have that posted ASAP).
The emotion is insane. Tracks like “Coda-Fendants” and “Disaster Scenes” gave me chills and nearly brought me to tears. Vulnerability and honesty are at the forefront of every song on this release.
Not only was I opened to an entirely new genre in hip-hop, but my appreciation for the songwriting of Sam King, Ceschi Ramos, Fat Mike, Stacey Dee, and many others grew immensely. Hearing the D.O.C.’s triumphant return after 20 years quiet, paired Onry Ozzborne’s contributions, were far more than I needed to justify dipping my toes into what I’ve been missing in the realm of hip hop.
But most convincing of all was seeing all of these qualities portrayed ten-fold on the live stage by the King-Ceschi duo, backed by Zeta. I can confidently say the Codefendants’ show was the most powerful I’ve seen in the last ten years.
So there you have it, Nasty Nate’s favorite new tunes of 2023. Check out the sick playlist down below with all of my favorite songs of all of my favorite records this year. If we’re in disagreement and you think I’ve got it all wrong, make sure you talk all kinds of shit down in the comments. As always, thanks for checking out the site, Cheers!
