Life of Agony brought their alternative metal vibes to Chicago’s Cobra Lounge. Sick Of It All delivered a set full of angst and energy. Hold My Own brought their A game and set the mood for a great night. All three bands put on an excellent show with their best songs and stage moves. It […]
Life of Agony brought their alternative metal vibes to Chicago’s Cobra Lounge. Sick Of It All delivered a set full of angst and energy. Hold My Own brought their A game and set the mood for a great night. All three bands put on an excellent show with their best songs and stage moves.
It has been thirty years since the release of Life of Agony’s critically acclaimed debut album,River Runs Red, and this legendary band is celebrating this mile-marker with a world tour accompanied by Sick Of It All. LoA’s lineup comprised of vocalist Mina Caputo, guitarist Joey Z, bassist Alan Robert, and drummer Veronica Bellino. Be sure to check them out when they come to your town here.
Sick Of It All brought their New York hardcore charms to Cobra Lounge. The band’s lineup consists of Lou Koller vocalist and Pete Koller guitarist, drummer Armand Majidi, and bassist Craig Setari. There were plenty of songs to dance and sing along to. Find them coming to your city here.
Hold My Own is a band from Illinois and New Jersey formed in 2021. The band members consist of vocalist Greg Falchetto, guitarist Anchit Chhabra, bassist Kashish Chhabra, and drummer Serg Mendoza. Check them out here.
It’s been a long time coming, but Washington DC-based melodic punks American Television are juuuuust about to release a new album called Scars, and Dying Scene are fired up to bring you the latest video from that very release! Today’s DS Exclusive is the video for the brand-new track, “Bittersweet.” The clip was shot and […]
It’s been a long time coming, but Washington DC-based melodic punks American Television are juuuuust about to release a new album called Scars, and Dying Scene are fired up to bring you the latest video from that very release!
Today’s DS Exclusive is the video for the brand-new track, “Bittersweet.” The clip was shot and edited by Mike Watkins of Matched Set Productions, and while we presume that it was filmed in and around the DC suburbs, it really could have taken place in any office park anywhere (including the one I used to work in!).
Here’s what the crew had to say about the track and the accompanying video:
“Bittersweet” is a song about the one-sided relationship that is working for a corporation. You give and give and give, and then are just chewed up and spit out. But of course you always show back up on Monday morning. When we were brainstorming video concepts for this song, we wanted to avoid having the band be central to the storyline. It was incredible that almost everyone we know with skills and talents that go well beyond our abilities wanted to be part of this shoot. Everyone gave 100% and because of that, we were able to create a great narrative inspired by 90s music video nostalgia. It’s exactly what we had hoped for.”
Scars is the follow-up to American Television’s 2020 debut full-length, Watch It Burn. It’s out September 22nd on SmartPunk Records. Pre-orders are still available. Check out the video for “Bittersweet” below!
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:
I’ll acknowledge I’m late to the party on this one but I can’t just not mention it. Green Day is releasing a 30th Anniversary Dookie box set, with bonus tracks, demos, live recordings, etc. spread across 6 LPs. If you don’t need all that, they’re reissuing just the LP on baby blue colored vinyl as well. Our friends at 1-2-3-4 Go! Records have the best prices I’ve seen on these, so head over to their webstore if you wanna grab ’em.
The Wonder Years frontman Dan “Soupy” Campbell’s side project Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties are reissuing their two studio albums. We Don’t Have Each Other and Routine Maintenance are back in print on some cool pinwheel color variants. Get them both here.
It’s been a while since the Parasites put out some new music, but the wait is over. We’ll, kinda sorta. Their new 7″ EP-onymous features 5 songs they supposedly wrote for Sweet Baby 30+ years ago. So they’re old, but new to you. Anyway, the Parasites rule, get the 7″ here.
Continuing to play catch up on all the shit I missed last week, The Menzingers announced a new record. It’s called Some of it Was True and it’s coming out October 13th on Epitaph Records. Check out the first single below and pre-order the album here.
Good Charlotte’s The Young and the Hopeless gets its 2nd repress of the year. The last one was “limited” to 10,000 (still in stock here btw) while this one is limited to 500 though, so I suppose that’s notable. The black w/ lime green splatter LP comes with a copy of Alternative Press Magazine which somehow makes it worth $50. Buy it here if you’d like.
Rad Girlfriend Records‘ latest release comes from Pale Angels, a band with members in the US and UK. Their new record Plastic Legacy releases on September 8th. Check out the first single below and pre-order the LP here.
The pride of Australia, The Living End’s debut album turns 25 this year, and it’s getting reissued to mark the occasion. There’s a standard LP reissue available on red or white vinyl, and a 2xLP deluxe edition with a full live set on the second record. Jeffrey Bezos’ Amazon.com is the cheapest place to get both. There’s a black & red splatter variant of the Double LP available from Bullmoose as well; not sure if that’s the same as the one on Amazon or not.
Useless ID‘s Yotam Ben Horin and Old Man Markley’s John Edward Carey Jr. released their first album as Tommy and June in 2019. Now they’re back with a new 5-song EP called Monfalcone, produced by Fat Mike and out now on Fat Wreck imprint Bottles To The Ground. Check out one of the tracks below and get the record here.
Well, that’s all, folks. Another Record Radar in the books. As always, thank you for tuning in. If there’s anything we missed (highly likely), or if you want to let everyone know about a new/upcoming vinyl release you’re excited about, leave us a comment below, or send us a message on Facebook or Instagram, and we’ll look into it. Enjoy your weekend, and don’t blow too much money on spinny discs (or do, I’m not your father). See ya next week!
Wanna catch up on all of our Record Radar posts? Click here and you’ll be taken to a page with all the past entries in the column. Magic!
Suppose you haven’t heard of flinch. before, you’ve seriously missed out. flinch. is an all-female badass Scottish alternative band. And we are lucky to premiere their newest video, “Escape From Rapture Farm” “We made this video ’cause our beloved van – that Lorn and I both have tattooed on our legs! – died, and we wanted […]
Suppose you haven’t heard of flinch. before, you’ve seriously missed out. flinch. is an all-female badass Scottish alternative band. And we are lucky to premiere their newest video, “Escape From Rapture Farm”
“We made this video ’cause our beloved van – that Lorn and I both have tattooed on our legs! – died, and we wanted to honour it with the funeral it deserved. So, of course, we smashed it up! The song is “Escape from Rupture Farms.”, the first flinch. single that I recorded and released during lockdown. Long before flinch. was the full band we are now. Now that we’re getting ready to record the second album, which will be bigger, better, and louder than the first, this video feels a bit like a funeral to the old songs too.” Beth shared with us about the new single.
London (England, not Canada) punks Modern Shakes have a new record coming soon on Cat’s Claw Records and Punk Rock Radar, and we’re enthused to premiere the music video for their brand new single! “Ask the Dust” is an insanely catchy song with one of the ear-wormiest choruses I’ve heard in a long time. Check […]
London (England, not Canada) punks Modern Shakes have a new record coming soon on Cat’s Claw Records and Punk Rock Radar, and we’re enthused to premiere the music video for their brand new single! “Ask the Dust” is an insanely catchy song with one of the ear-wormiest choruses I’ve heard in a long time. Check it out below and stay tuned for more to come from these guys!
See Modern Shakes play live music at the following dates and locations:
Aug 26 The Ostrich – Peterborough, UK Sep 03 THE MUSEUM VAULTS – Sunderland, UK Oct 06 New Cross Inn – New Cross, UK
Listen up, skate punk fans! Bogota, Colombia’s One Reason To Rise have a new EP called City Lights coming soon and we’re bringing you the exclusive premiere of their brand new single. The eponymous “One Reason To Rise” is an absolute banger that’s sure to please fans of fast, melodic punk – Satanic Surfers, Millencolin, Cigar, […]
Listen up, skate punk fans! Bogota, Colombia’s One Reason To Rise have a new EP called City Lights coming soon and we’re bringing you the exclusive premiere of their brand new single. The eponymous “One Reason To Rise” is an absolute banger that’s sure to please fans of fast, melodic punk – Satanic Surfers, Millencolin, Cigar, etc. Check it out below!
Catch up on One Reason To Rise’s back catalog on Bandcamp and stay tuned for their new EP City Lights, coming October 27th.
Ahead of Bradley Riot’s upcoming full-length titled Dark Side of the Road, Dying Scene is pleased to bring you the second single titled “Port to Port”, an introspective tale of a great journey, not across seas to new lands, but of finding one’s self through first giving in to, then later abandoning, self-destructive behavior. “‘Port […]
Ahead of Bradley Riot’s upcoming full-length titled Dark Side of the Road, Dying Scene is pleased to bring you the second single titled “Port to Port”, an introspective tale of a great journey, not across seas to new lands, but of finding one’s self through first giving in to, then later abandoning, self-destructive behavior.
“‘Port to Port” is a song about being stuck in a loop of repeating the same negative habits, specifically when it comes to love. It’s about seeking external solutions for internal problems,” wrote Bradley. “I’d say one of my favorite lyrics in the song is: ‘I’m setting course for blacking out.’ It equates to me completely giving up and leaning into defeat, setting the intention of ignoring the issue instead of trying to solve it.”
One thing that’s become much more apparent since the Covid shutdown, at least in my own musical bubble, is the introspective nature of music both written and recorded during that time. Although as a concept this is nothing new, especially in the realm of punk-rock, when the world is forced into solitude, music lacking outward-looking themes is almost inevitable. I’ve found myself paying far closer attention to this idea, and usually try to question any artist I’m lucky enough to interview (Adrienne Rae of Plasma Canvas, Matt Goud of Northcote). Bradley was no different, and offered some unique insights that most likely resonate with much of what the punk-rock world was struggling with at that same point.
“Covid was definitely a major hurdle,” wrote Bradley. “I’ve lost count of how many times we’ve had to postpone recording sessions in order for someone to get well or test negative. It was a massive time killer.”
He then explains some of the other hurdles that were faced in writing and recording Dark Side of the Road, while also dealing with the overarching headache that was and still is Covid. Writing while simultaneously recording was highlighted, something that since talking with Sam King of Get Dead and Codefendants has become a trait I greatly admire. But the third struggle Bradley listed, that of sobriety, was what really amped me up and got me excited to hear the portrayed journey throughout this new record.
“Many of the vocals were sang between swigs of Jameson or after a night of heavy cocaine usage. Sometimes, that made for a fun vocal texture, but, more often than not, it was just problematic. After I decided to get clean, we revisited the album as a whole, took it back to square one, and I re-sang almost every line. Approaching the songs with a different mindset really opened them up and I’m grateful for (co-producer) Kevin Besignano’s compassion towards the process.”
In the short back-and-forth I’ve had with Bradley, “Port to Port” seems like a much more focused, direct version of what the full-length hopes to portray: “the idea of being a victim to oneself”.
Check out the brand new single below, and keep your eyes peeled October 13 for the full-length release of Dark Side of the Road.
Punk and Folk Legend Jon Langford Calls Bingo at the Hideout in Chicago. On August 9, 2023, punk and folk music legend Jon Langford (Mekons, The Three Johns, Waco Brothers) demonstrated his unique stage banter calling out Veggie Bingo at the Hideout in Chicago. Jon was joined by fellow bingo caller, Martin Billheimer (The Devil Bell Hippies), who often joins Jon […]
Punk and Folk Legend Jon Langford Calls Bingo at the Hideout in Chicago.
On August 9, 2023, punk and folk music legend Jon Langford (Mekons, The Three Johns, Waco Brothers) demonstrated his unique stage banter calling out Veggie Bingo at the Hideout in Chicago. Jon was joined by fellow bingo caller, Martin Billheimer (The Devil Bell Hippies), who often joins Jon on stage as fellow musician. Jon and Martin led the large crowd through politically charged and equally humorous rounds of bingo. Known for their working-class songs and support for community, Jon and Martin led the event to raise proceeds in support of Chicago Community Gardens. Bingo winners received prizes ranging from a head of greens to a bouquet of flowers, a pepper to jar of salsa, a huge jar of pickles, coffee, and books. It was great mid-week fun at the Hideout!
It’s been a good while since Spanish Love Songs released new music. Sure, they did release the EP Doom & Gloom, four songs they covered on their Patreon, during the pandemic. But now they are back with a follow-up – maybe a strong word to use, but to 2020’s Brave Faces Everyone, which, let’s be […]
It’s been a good while since Spanish Love Songs released new music. Sure, they did release the EP Doom & Gloom, four songs they covered on their Patreon, during the pandemic. But now they are back with a follow-up – maybe a strong word to use, but to 2020’s Brave Faces Everyone, which, let’s be honest, left us all as emotional wrecks from having it on repeat for an entire year.
So, the lingering question that still stands… What about No Joy? Is it as heartbreaking as we’ve experienced with the other albums? Well, read on.
“Do you remember the look on my face when you told me you wanted to die?”Dylan Slocum sombrely sings during the bridge in “Middle of Nine”, one of the songs that Slocum wrote to his grandma. The sad and soft guitars accompany Slocum’s gentle deliverance until we hit the song’s bridge. A few lines in this song make it genuinely outstanding yet a different kind of heartbreaking.
Here’s a sweet video before you dive into the rest of the review.
“What other song was written for Slocum’s grandma?” – Well, my dears. None other than “Pendulum”– we’ve all heard it. A song that has managed to blend synths and guitar riffs in perfect harmony with unforgettable lyrics.
I mean, there will always be some hits and misses on any album, and for me, the miss was “Rapture Chaser.” Before you all come at me in the comment section…IT’S A GREAT SONG. It has some moments where it shines with catchy bars and beautifully written lyrics, such as, and I can’t believe how relatable this line “Your heart will never be full, so don’t waste your grief on fools” was until I heard the song. Yes, I may have read the lyrics before listening to the album.
“Mutable” – something about the song makes me like it; it’s sweet and straightforward. And there’s nothing wrong with that, in my opinion. It’s what gives its charm. “Here You Are” has this excellent acoustic guitar opening before the drums come in, and for some reason, I consider it a love song, but only because of one specific line that piqued my interest. Which is “Wish I could live my life until I got it right.”, something most of us might relate to. The fear of not living our truths, whatever that means to each of us. But indeed, we will always go out with a few regrets.
So, back to the question I started us off with. Is it as heartbreaking as we’ve experienced with the other albums? Yes and no. Despite the album being called No Joy, there are glimmers of hope, but there’s also the realization that people can’t do everything. And you hear that realization in “I’m Gonna Miss Everything”and that’s life. But the truly heartbreaking moment comes when Slocum delivers a throwback to “Middle of Nine” with the following lyrics “I can’t remember the look on your face when I told you that I might want to die.”
The vulnerable and, once again, honest lyrics Slocum brings to the table are only here because of the rest of the band. Meredith Van Woert on keyboards, Kyle McAulay on guitar, Trevor Dietrich on bass, and Ruben Duarte on drums set each song’s atmosphere and overall vibe. But I don’t know about you, dear reader, but after they released ‘Haunted’ in May, I hoped that this new sound with synths and, in some ways, a bit more upbeat guitars would continue. Also, if you get the vibes of The Killers in the music, embrace it.
Recommended songs: Middle of Nine, Exit Bags, Lifers
If you’re one of those people who prefers your punk to be a little more of the “post” variety, the Punk Rock Museum has something pretty cool cooked up for you next weekend. On Sunday, August 27th, they’re hosting a book signing event centered around Michael Grecco’s best-selling “Punk, Post Punk and New Wave: Onstage, […]
If you’re one of those people who prefers your punk to be a little more of the “post” variety, the Punk Rock Museum has something pretty cool cooked up for you next weekend.
On Sunday, August 27th, they’re hosting a book signing event centered around Michael Grecco’s best-selling “Punk, Post Punk and New Wave: Onstage, Backstage, In Your Face 1978-1991“. Grecco was a long-time scene staple in both NYC and Boston (and eventually worked for powerhouse Boston rock radio station WBCN – rest in peace) and took many iconic images of those formative scene days.
The B-52s, as shot by Michael Grecco
Some of those pics featured none other than Fred Schneider and his legendary band, the B-52s. Schneider wrote the forward to Grecco’s book, and as fate would have it, they’ll both be on hand to sign books and tell stories. Plus, if you buy the book on-site, you get admission to the whole museum! Also…maybe just maybe…you’ll get to meet one of your favorite Dying Scene contributors! If you’re in Vegas next Sunday, head over to the Punk Rock Museum from 5pm – 7pm and check it out!
