Unwritten Law was forced to cancel their show tonight in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, following the arrest of singer Scott Russo. The frontman of the veteran punk band was arrested by Tampa PD last night on a warrant for Violation of Probation: Possession of Marijuana. His bail is set at $50,000, which seems pretty fuckin’ heavy […]
Unwritten Law was forced to cancel their show tonight in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, following the arrest of singer Scott Russo. The frontman of the veteran punk band was arrested by Tampa PD last night on a warrant for Violation of Probation: Possession of Marijuana. His bail is set at $50,000, which seems pretty fuckin’ heavy handed for a weed charge but them’s the breaks.
Fans who attended the band’s show at Tampa’s Crowbar say they got someone to fill in on vocals for Russo. Obviously that won’t be happening again tonight, but it sounds like UL intends on resuming their tour with Authority Zero and Mercy Music, with shows this weekend in Orlando and Jacksonville planned to go on as scheduled. Stay tuned to the band’s Facebook page for updates.
Unwritten Law is touring in support of their comeback album The Hum, released last year on Cleopatra Records. It’s the SoCal punk band’s first new LP in over a decade, following 2011’s Swan.
Update: Ya boy Scott’s out on bail – the show goes on!
He wasn’t arrested for weed he was arrested for violation of probation. So he was given probation for marijuana possession which is a misdemeanour in Florida and he failed to comply with the conditions of his probation. That’s actually a lot worse than the charge itself. I guess “writing your own laws” hasn’t worked out so well for this guy….. I hear he has a lot of domestic violence charges as well. Keep him in there.
Melodic punk fans, listen up! Nuremberg, Germany’s Melonball will be releasing their debut album Breathe tomorrow, March 31st on Thousand Islands and Lockjaw Records. Your friends at Dying Scene are pleased to bring you this exclusive album premiere a day before it lands on all major streaming platforms. This thing’s fast and furious from front […]
Melodic punk fans, listen up! Nuremberg, Germany’s Melonball will be releasing their debut album Breathe tomorrow, March 31st on Thousand Islands and Lockjaw Records. Your friends at Dying Scene are pleased to bring you this exclusive album premiere a day before it lands on all major streaming platforms. This thing’s fast and furious from front to back; try to keep up!
Don’t just take our word for it: listen for yourself below, and peep the dates on Melonball’s impending European / UK tour while you’re down there. After you’re done doing that, grab Breathe on vinyl or CD (or both!). It’s available here (North America), here (UK), and here (Australia).
23/04/01 – “Breathe” Album release show @ Nuremberg, GER 23/04/02 – “Breathe”-Tour w/ Heathcliff, Drunktank @ Saarbrücken, GER 23/04/03 – “Breathe”-Tour w/ Heathcliff, Drunktank @ Antwerp Belgium 23/04/05 – “Breathe”-Tour w/ Heathcliff @ Brighton, UK 23/04/06 – “Breathe”-Tour w/ Heathcliff @ London, UK 23/04-07-09 – Manchester Punk Fest 23 @ Manchester, UK 23/04/12 – Dankeschatz, Melonball @ Munich, GER 23/04/14 – Melonball, Chris Magerl, The Bloodstrings @ Fürth, GER 23/05/01 – 1st of May Fest @ Regensburg, GER 23/05/15 – showcase @ Nuremberg ClubStereo 23/05/19 – @ Weiden Salute Rock Club 23/05/20 – @ Graz Musichouse 23/06/17 – Balarock Festival @ Bad Laasphe, GER 23/06/30 – Mission Ready Fest @ Giebelstadt, GER 23/08/07 – Der Krater Bebt Festival 23/08/08-11 – Punk Rock Holiday, SLO
SoCal melodic punkers, Moonraker just released a new video for “My First Rodeo” from their 2022 LP The Forest (released on Bearded Punk Records, Tiny Dragon Music, Bypolar Records and No Time Records) and they wanted DS readers to get a first peek! Soooooo, scroll on down, put that fucker on repeat and enjoy! *The […]
SoCal melodic punkers, Moonraker just released a new video for “My First Rodeo” from their 2022 LP The Forest (released on Bearded Punk Records, Tiny Dragon Music, Bypolar Records and No Time Records) and they wanted DS readers to get a first peek! Soooooo, scroll on down, put that fucker on repeat and enjoy!
*The lads are also playing a couple shows down in LA and LV (dates below). Check out their Facebook page for more details and if you’re in the area, go support your scene!
Friday, 3/31 – Los Angeles – The Last Call with Boss’ Daughter, Taken Days, Holyfangs and Enemyproof
Operation Ivy bandmates Tim Armstrong and Jesse Michaels have announced their first musical collaboration in over 30 years. The duo teamed up with drummer Joey Castillo (Queens of the Stone Age, Circle Jerks, The Bronx, etc.) and Trash Talk bassist Spencer Pollard for their new project ̶B̶a̶d̶ ̶O̶p̶t̶i̶x̶ (jk, sounds like they had some legal […]
Operation Ivy bandmates Tim Armstrong and Jesse Michaels have announced their first musical collaboration in over 30 years. The duo teamed up with drummer Joey Castillo (Queens of the Stone Age, Circle Jerks, The Bronx, etc.) and Trash Talk bassist Spencer Pollard for their new project ̶B̶a̶d̶ ̶O̶p̶t̶i̶x̶ (jk, sounds like they had some legal trouble and had to change the name to DOOM Regulator).
Armstrong had this to say about reuniting with Michaels:
“I’ve been friends with Jesse since the early 1980s when we were teenagers. We formed Operation Ivy in 1987 and 2 years later we broke up. Jesse and I both continued down our own musical journeys through the years. I always felt a little sadness that Jesse and I stopped making music together. But we never lost touch. And then it happened. A few years ago we started writing songs again! A couple of the songs ended up on Grade 2’s record. Jesse and I just stared writing again a lot. It came back. Just like that. Like when we we were kids. There is a special chemistry between us and I don’t take it for granted.”
Check out the band’s first single “Raid” below, and stay tuned for more to come from ̶B̶a̶d̶ ̶O̶p̶t̶i̶x̶ DOOM Regulator. It sounds like they’ll be releasing a full-length album on Hellcat Records at some point.
Holy shit I love this record… Okay, so I suppose that’s maybe not the most professional way to kick off an album review, but whatever. This is a punk rock website and reviewing albums isn’t exactly my profession in the technical sense… Anyway, let’s start over. Back in September of 2011, just a day before […]
Holy shit I love this record…
Okay, so I suppose that’s maybe not the most professional way to kick off an album review, but whatever. This is a punk rock website and reviewing albums isn’t exactly my profession in the technical sense… Anyway, let’s start over.
Back in September of 2011, just a day before my 32nd birthday, I had the privilege of reviewing the then-brand-new and incredibly stellar Samiam album Trips. I loved it. I loved everything about it. It finished the year right near the top of my Best of 2011 albums list, and if I were to rerank that list a dozen years later, it’s probably the album that holds up the best. Sometime after Trips was released, I remember commenting on some social media platform – I think it was MySpace honestly rofl – that hopefully it wouldn’t be another five years before the next new Samiam record (Trips is preceded in the Samiam discography by 2006’s Whatever’s Got You Down) and the band’s lead guitarist and artistic force Sergie Loobkoff just responded “LOL” or something like that. At the time, I interpreted that as “LOL, don’t worry, we won’t wait that long next time.” Yet here we are, just about a dozen full years later, and we’ve finally got the follow up to Trips in our midst. It’s called Stowaway and it’s out this Friday (March 31st) on Pure Noise Records and saying that it was worth the wait is a bit of hyperbole because I wish we didn’t have to wait 11.5 years…but I’ll be damned if it wasn’t worth the wait.
Stowaway kicks off with “Lake Speed,” a track whose introductory air-raid siren dive bombs are soon met with a frenetic energy that shows that musically, Samiam have not only not lost a step but are in fact as charged-up as ever. It’s as tight and concise a post-hardcore-style ripper as you’ll find in the Samiam catalog complete with a pretty awesome guest spot from *SPOILER ALERT* none other than Hot Water Music’s Chris Wollard. It’s a damn-near perfect track, with Wollard and Samiam frontman Jason Beebout layering their unique voices over Loobkoff and Sean Kennerly’s dizzying guitar runs while the comparatively new rhythm section of Colin Brooks (drums) and Chad Darby (bass – more on that later) push a blistering pace. The whole thing is controlled chaos and creates the sense that it could careen off the rails at any moment, but then it’s over somehow just as quickly as it began. (Oh, and its lyrical tip of the cap to the longtime NASCAR driver with whom it shares its name is just the icing on the proverbial cake).
“Lake Speed” gives way to “Crystallized,” one of the three singles that was put out in the leadup to the album’s release. In many ways, it’s a perfect single: it’s got a big, classic Samiam sound that’s been charged up by Brooks and Darby the latter of whom you may recognize from his time in one of Chris Wollard’s other projects, Ship Thieves. If you’re an astute follower of Dying Scene, you’ll recall the time that he and Wollard joined us on the (*both laugh*) podcast, during which he may or may not have indicated that he was working with Samiam on new music and may have short-circuited my brain in the process…
“Lights Out, Little Hustler” follows and continues in the vein of charged-up, instant classic Samiam tunes. Oodles of vocal harmonies adorn the verses before frontman Jason Beebout’s inimitable voice powers through on the powerful, introspective singalong chorus. “Shoulda Stayed” would have been right at home on 120 Minutes or on a certain skateboard-inspired videogame series in a previous decade, as do the chunky guitar in the verses of “Shut Down.” “Scout Knife” features another appearance from Wollard, which makes sense given that some of the album’s components were recorded at Gainesville’s Black Bear Studios with frequent HWM/Ship Thieves collaborator Ryan Williams.
“Monterey Canyon” features probably the album’s best examples of the Loobkoff’s trademark single-note atmospheric divebomb melody lines. “Natural Disasters” is maybe the brightest sounding track on the album to this point, in some ways belying the songs vocals which, if taken literally, lament that the damage we’ve done to our home planet is probably irreparable at this point. “Stanley” is a fun song with a lot of different stylistic layers and sonic textures. “Highwire” starts somewhat down tempo for a Samiam song but turns itself into a a bombastic anthem with what are probably Beebout’s most soaring vocal performance. “Something” is a sneaky contender for my favorite track on the album that isn’t called “Lake Speed.” It’s a no-nonsense, four-on-the-floor, downstroke heavy punk rock ripper with Loobkoff and Kennerly again trading catchy guitar melodies over an even catchier shoutalong outro. The title track closes out the festivities in a way that probably best encapsulates all of the album’s different layers and textures and sonic directions in one four-minute package.
There has been talk at times over the years since Trips that part of the reason that there wasn’t new Samiam music was due to concern over whether or not Beebout still wanted to sing and to write new lyrics; there’s a quote out there somewhere about “maybe people over the age of 50 should admit they’re probably too old to be in the music business” I think. To state it emphatically and for the record, I’m really glad he decided to keep at it. Beebout’s voice has long been one of the most powerful and unique in the game and that’s just as true a statement now on Stowaway as it was at any other point in the band’s thirty-five year tenure. There’s a feeling and an urgency and an introspection and a devilish humor in both his vocals and his lyrics that are unmatched and that have the ability to provoke both goosebumps and long, honest looks in the mirror, sometimes within the same song. See “Shut Down” or “Monterrey Canyon” on this one, for example. When added to Loobkoff and Kennerly’s urgent guitars and, lately, Brooks and Darby’s punishing grooves, it’s part and parcel to what makes Samiam Samiam after all this time. It’s fair to say that Stowaway will be tough to dislodge from the #1 spot on this year’s end-of best-of list, and it’s fair to say that if I revisit this album in another dozen years, when I’m in my mid-50s (woof…) it’ll still feel as vital and compelling as ever.
Samiam has been critically underrated and ignored almost shamefully, one of the best bands that never got better recognition, but anyone who is a true fan of the genre and knows them knows they deliver some of the best “no filler” albums that would give even someone in a vegetative state goosebumps. Right on, this is a perfect review. I was introduced to them via the album Billy back in the day and some of my fondest memories are hitting the pavement with a Walkman and skating to what would inevitably be the sandtrack to my life.
Matt Goud, better known as Northcote, has a new full-length out now, done in true DIY fashion. Inspired by Indian devotional music and a renewed spirituality through nature, this record gives the listener a more stripped-down, raw sound than what may have been encountered in previous Northcote releases. As described by Goud in our interview, […]
Matt Goud, better known as Northcote, has a new full-length out now, done in true DIY fashion. Inspired by Indian devotional music and a renewed spirituality through nature, this record gives the listener a more stripped-down, raw sound than what may have been encountered in previous Northcote releases. As described by Goud in our interview, “there’s less of like guys playing a band, it’s more of almost like I performed the song live and then everyone jammed on top of it.”
You can almost feel the sporadic nature of the record, and can appreciate that even more than something so methodical and planned out. It plays right into the folk narrative of authenticity and simplicity. Although this record comes off less methodical than ones previous, the music in no way suffers. I found myself enjoying these tracks in a different way than I had previously when listening to full-band songs such as “Bitter End” or “How Can You Turn Around”.
Interviews like this are the reason I enjoy writing for Dying Scene so much. Matt Goud’s distinct blend of Americana and folk, paired with truthfully sincere lyrics that are almost therapeutic in nature have had probably the largest influence on both my songwriting and obsession with Americana music (I credit Northcote with leading me down a path to the likes of Tim Barry, Seth Anderson, Dan Andriano, and many others). Pairing this interview with the one I just did with Roger Harvey gives you a pretty solid look at how my music taste has started evolving as of late. What made this interview even cooler were a couple of the coincidences that emerged right as we started talking. I noticed we were both wearing the same Bouncing Souls hoodie that I got down at Fest in October. I then mentioned having seen Northcote play with Dave Hause in Nashville at the historic Bluebird Cafe, Northcote’s only time playing here. He then held up a Bluebird Cafe mug from his trip here. Just a couple little coincidences that got our conversation rolling and assured me that this was going to be a good one.
Keep scrolling for a link to the brand-spanking-new record, a list of tour dates, and my super awesome chat with Matt about the new release, influences, hockey, and a whole bunch more cool shit. As always, thanks for making it this far. Cheers!
(Editor’s note: The following has been edited and condensed for clarity’s sakebecause a good chunk of this interview was just two guys shooting the shit.)
Dying Scene (Nathan Kernell NastyNate): Hey man, thanks so much for sitting down with me. Before we get started man, I just want to say it’s really an honor getting to talk with you. You’ve been probably the most influential songwriter for me over the years and your music has helped me through a lot, specifically Hope is Made of Steel. I saw you back in, I wanna say 2018, it was that tour you did with Dave Hause where you came down to Nashville. You weren’t playing the date, it was at Bluebird Café, but you still got up and played a couple songs and that’s what first introduced me to your music. I’ve kind of followed along ever since.
Matt Goud (Northcote): Right on well that’s cool to hear. Weird coincidences right with the mug, I had no idea where you were based out of.
Actually I took my brother to that show, that was his first concert ever and we were sitting right side stage, had a great view. It was awesome. That’s still today one of my favorite shows ever. That was such a cool show.
That was a good trip, that was 2018 or 2019. I came down there, just maybe did a week or two. Sometimes he invites me to do that, where else did we play on that? One I remember going to is Richmond and maybe Boston was on that one too. That was fun, those are special times going to hang with Dave.
Oh yeah, that was the first time I got to see him, now I’ve seen him three or four times since. I actually just saw him a couple months ago across town at a different venue. So let’s go ahead and get started man, I really wanted to talk about the new record, out March 17. What was the meaning behind calling it Wholeheart?
The idea of the album art kind of came to me in a dream almost. I had a dream where I was sitting at kind of a campfire with a friend and there was a big scene around the dream where there were kids there, police officers and the president of the United States, my dad was there, and my grandparents who have passed away were there. And there was like a feel and we’re looking at the campfire, me and my friend, and the campfire was kind of like an atom or like a ball, like the earth almost. And just that oneness, the feeling I had of looking at that campfire made me think of whole heart. This also comes from the devotion I feel over the years from singing, it’s kind of what I’m trying to do in my music, the devotion to singing and practicing, meeting people, to give it your all.
You mentioned the artwork, do you do all your artwork for your singles and your full lengths?
Over the years my friend John Gerard has done the majority of the artwork: Hope is Made of Steel, the self-titled, Gather No Dust, Let Me Roar. This one though, a friend from town named Alex Murray was available. John just put out a book and said he was kind of busy at the time I was looking for a piece. Alex Murray did the artwork, we were on a recreation soccer team together.
Were these recorded near you in British Columbia?
The material was written in ‘21, recorded May 2022 and will be released March 2023. So a long process. It was made here in Vancouver Island with Colin Stewart at a place called the Hive, and they’re pretty famous for kind of fuzzy indie rock, they’re kind of the most well-known studio out here for that. Colin’s partner did Japandroids in the same studio, so there’s that West Coast kind of indie rock thing. That’s what he’s all about, he had never recorded a scream, like I have a guest vocalist from my favorite hardcore band on track 2, it’s called “Man Inside the Glass” and he had never recorded a hardcore scream. He had been making records for 20 years, that’s kind of funny, that was a fun day.
So on your website you talked about exploring Indian devotional and chant music with this new record. Can you kind of elaborate on that a little bit because I know nothing about Indian devotional music.
Me neither *laughs*. Well I set out to write these songs and I was writing in a similar way that I had always done, go with the verses and the chorus and try to come up with something catchy. Meanwhile, during the pandemic I had a bunch of changes in my life. I had found some spirituality that I had been missing for a few years and that was helping me feel a bit more relaxed and I just had a sense of calmness and easiness. Some of what I found was, I went to a cloud meditation class and the teacher gave one verse from the Bhagavad Gita, which is an Indian spiritual text, and she was teaching this verse and I was sitting there, this is my first time I’ve ever tried anything like that, and it was just word by word learning this chant. And I kind of got the hang of it and I would say it to myself and I noticed that when I’m going to play my guitar, I was doing more chanting than songwriting. And so it just kind of started to take over my jam time and so then it just blended together.
So you mentioned exploring Indian devotional chants, but you also mentioned this record bringing you back to your days of playing with Means.
Well this record is gonna be DIY for me, what I mean by that is just putting it out with help of friends and family, like no record label or booking agent or anything, and because of that, I’m not as concerned with the business of the album. I need to make some money to pay off the album, but other than that I don’t have my eye on a single or radio campaign you know. This is the first interview I’ve done about it actually. So I knew that going into the record because I was exploring some spiritual things and there’s some screaming on the record. It reminds me of a Means record called Sending You Strength. We had that whole record planned out before we went to the studio, I had the track listing planned out, the artwork, I had the transitions, there was a spoken word song I had, all the riffs, but I couldn’t really visualize it. With WholeHeart I really could visualize what I wanted to feel, what I wanted the vibe of the record to be. Before, I was more collaborative like with the drums, guitar solos, making it more Americana or something, which is great, I’m glad I got to try on that. But there’s no songs that are gonna be big in Nashville on this record.
I mean I’m not too fond of a lot of songs that are big in Nashville anyways *laughs*.
The dream I had to be a songwriter is kind of over, I’m really trying to be a singer you know. The chanting music has really brought a new facet to my singing which I could not see coming, it reminds me of hardcore screaming kind of too. The way it feels and my body, it’s like I’m tired after I do it.
That actually kind of relates to my next question, what do you think is the biggest difference with this new record? I mean your last record came out during COVID, there are several artists I’ve talked to where it’s kind of the same thing, where their new releases are post COVID and they talk about it being such a drastic difference because COVID was such a dark time and now it’s kind of back to normal. So would you say that that’s kind of the biggest difference between Let Me Roar and Wholeheart?
I think with Let Me Roar, we had a tour with the whole band like we had full drums, there was a full bass, we wanted to go and play in theaters and with the band. But we didn’t tour, so we made a concert movie with the band. This record, there isn’t really a band on the record you know all of the Northcote people helped me make it, everyone. It’s not DIY because everyone helped me out with it, but like Mike never played a snare drum or high hat, he played like a concert bass drum, a standup bass drum you know. A lot of the bass guitar was done on a Wurlitzer. So there’s less of like guys playing a band, it’s more of almost like I performed the song live and then everyone jammed on top of it. It’s kind of like if we were hanging out at your basement there and I was like ‘hey guys here’s the new song “Can’t Stay the Same”‘ and Mike grabbed the bass drum, and Steven grabbed the guitar, and Eric sat at the piano, it’s more like that.
You can almost appreciate music like that more sometimes because sometimes you hear that everything’s so planned and everything’s so methodical. You can sometimes appreciate being sporadic and just jamming over top of something. That’s awesome. So with your first two singles for this record, is there a type of theme? It seems the outdoors is kind of a main focus with the first two.
Oh cool, I’m just putting this together in my head because I’m not sure what I would say in an interview yet. But I will say that I live in Vancouver Island, and we had this thing during the pandemic here, it was a big protest about the logging industry. And there was like the police, and the protesters, and the logging industry, and the government. There was this big protest essentially about it. I went to one of the rallies and listened to an Indigenous speaker and he was saying something to encourage the crowd to kind of find their side of themselves which connects to nature. It wasn’t about the money or the cops or any of the politics, he encouraged the crowd to think about who you are, like where do you come, where were you born, and how would you fit in with nature and water and trees. I thought that was so profound because, as a white guy, I don’t always think of myself as like coming from nature. Indigenous people become one with the land almost, it’s really important to them. But me, I’m a farm kid from Saskatchewan, I don’t have that connection, I don’t feel like I know where I come from in that deep way. So I think a lot of the poetry on the record will have nature as an influence.
That kind of really intrigues me because that’s kind of the type of journey I’ve had the past 2-3 years. I was living in and going to school in a small town in East Tennessee, a lot of nature around, and I kind of started finding that spirituality in nature. So I wanted to kind of talk about your upbringing a little bit. With you growing up in a small town, what music were you introduced that kind of led to you being in Means and ultimately brought you to where you are now with your unique blend of kind of Americana folk music?
I’m the oldest sibling, but I did have older friends who introduced me to punk rock and hardcore, that was probably grade 8, grade 7. You know the first time I heard Nirvana and NOFX, I remember I was in grade 6 and I rode in a car with some older kids, we were going to a hockey school, that’s the first time I heard NOFX and Nirvana and the fast drumming of NOFX that blew my mind. So it kind of went from there I mean I always liked kinda pissed off political punk quite a bit, but I like Christian hardcore stuff too. Christian rock, I like that. I mean I grew up in that culture and I would say when Means got going, we were all pretty devout, we were all from devout families of faith, but we all wanted to play music with everybody and being from Canada there wasn’t a big Christian hardcore scene. So we just grew up playing with everybody, my favorite tours were with Shai Hulud and Misery Signals. Then when Means broke up, going into country music or Americana music, it was kind of a hard transition because a lot of my influences were indie rock, but my simple, more folky songs seemed to get a better response. So I think as I went along my songs got a bit more simple.
I was interested to hear your answer because it’s kind of a weird transition, going from Christian hardcore to what you’re doing now.
Yeah what else can I tell you about that … well I mean coming out of the hardcore scene, I knew that Means did well, like I was happy and I loved that band so much. But when the band was over, I wanted to see what it was like in different genres, like we never played in the bar, we never played with indie rock bands, we were way too heavy. So it was a challenge at first and it was a novelty too to play in coffee shops and bars. Then once I got a few tours, then I started having fun, like meeting people and drinking and getting into the bar scene, then I started getting to travel around the world and it kind of got rolling. And now I’m back at the start.
Currently, I think I read in your bio you work as a mental health worker?
Yeah!
The reason I ask that is because, for me your music is very therapeutic. Hope is Made of Steel, that record helped me through a really rough time right after I discovered your music, after seeing you live. With your music, is that kind of a goal, is it kind of therapeutic to help people or is it more of a reflection of personal experience, is it maybe a mix of both?
I think it’s therapeutic to help. I mean I don’t know what it’s like on the other side of my music, like sometimes when my songs come on in the car, like if my wife is playing it or something, I feel embarrassed and I switch the track. But making the songs, the process of writing them or whatever, I think it’s helping me, this is what I like to do to and it’s a part of my identity. This is how I spend my time. I’m not trying to be any therapy thing, I was trying to get a hit song so I could buy a condo *laughs*. So somewhere in between that yeah.
Are you still currently a hockey broadcaster now?
This is the first year I’ve got to do that and it’s hilarious, it’s for the University of Victoria.
Gotcha, so do you have an NHL team you root for, are you a Canucks guy?
I cheer for Edmonton, because I grew up in Saskatchewan so I grew up pretty close to Minot, North Dakota. So that’s the zone right that I’m from, or Bismarck, that’s like 3 hours, 4 hours away. So you could cheer for Winnipeg, Calgary, or Edmonton, those were the close teams.
I’m happy hearing that because I’m a Blues guy, I’m from Saint Louis, so Winnipeg is no good and then Vancouver knocked us out a couple years ago, one of my buddies is a big Vancouver guy so he was rubbing in my face and everything.
So we’re kind of winding down here, something I always like to ask with songwriting in general, for you do lyrics come first or does music come first? Something I kind of always struggle with in my own songwriting is finding what’s gonna come first.
I think the answer for me is kind of like music with one line. Oftentimes when I journal, what I journal won’t make it into the song, but it’ll give me a start. Like “Can’t Stay the Same,” that was kind of just like a thing I would just write down, I just had it in my head. And so it took me a while to find the right music, but once I found that, the chorus opened up and the song opened up. So I would say music usually with one word or a line.
That’s a new one, I haven’t heard that one yet. So you said you weren’t able to tour at all for Let Me Roar, I mean it was during the height of COVID. Do you have a bunch of dates scheduled to do some support for the record, or do you have something in the works for that?
I do, yeah. I’m self-booking shows in Western Canada, so I’m just gonna run out from Vancouver Island back home to Saskatchewan, turn around and then come back. So it’s just 14 days, then from there I don’t know what’s gonna happen. I would love to go overseas again maybe, but I’m just trying to get one tour under my belt because of booking it myself. Once I get that going then maybe I will see how it goes.
Well I can’t wait to see what happens. That about covers everything I think. Lastly, I guess I’ll ask where does the name Northcote come from?
It kind of means the North shelter. At the time I was living in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, which is an Arctic town. It kind of was inspired by a poem about just a shelter, like a birdhouse, inspired by that. I have a lot of birdhouse and I just like the Northcote thing. Of course, now I like it because of an actual coat, like now when I think about the name, sometimes write it C-O-A-T because I’ve been made fun of enough times. Some of my friends called me Cote. And then I met the singer Craig from The Hold Steady and he told me I should lower a giant coat from the ceiling when I go on stage *laughs*. Like lower a giant coat and just put it on before I do my Americana classics. So it was inspired by where I was living at the time and I liked shelter part.
That’s awesome. Well we’re about out of time on this call, this really was so awesome getting to chat with you. Have a good one and we’ll talk soon.
It’s a special day over here at Dying Scene HQ as we get the distinct honor of being the first to announce and congratulate the newest members of the Jump Start Records team: Wes Hoffman and Friends! Joining the catalog of punk rock heavy-hitters such as A Wilhelm Scream, MxPx, Off With Their Heads, among […]
It’s a special day over here at Dying Scene HQ as we get the distinct honor of being the first to announce and congratulate the newest members of the Jump Start Records team: Wes Hoffman and Friends! Joining the catalog of punk rock heavy-hitters such as A Wilhelm Scream, MxPx, Off With Their Heads, among many, many others, Wes Hoffman and Friends’ distinct blend of pop and skate punk make them a perfect fit for the lengthy resume Jump Start has already built.
“We seemed to have a similar mindset and perspective on things. We recently went on tour with Bad Planning who has been on Jump Start for a while, and they had nothing but good things to say. It all came together pretty organically and naturally”, wrote Hoffman. “After talking with the owner, Jeremy, and learning about the label’s ethos, I thought it would be a great fit for us.”
Not only is the St. Louis-based quintet signing to a label with a catalog full of “household names” around the punk community, but they’ll become labelmates with some of the bands’ largest influences who have put out some of their favorite releases. “Jump Start released MxPx’s ‘Plans Within Plans’ on vinyl in 2012. I listened to that album on repeat when it came out. I’ve been an MxPx fan for over 25 years, so they’ve been a huge influence on me as well as everyone else in the band”, wrote Hoffman. “A Wilhelm Scream has also released several albums on vinyl with Jump Start. I’ve always been a big fan of them, and we actually got to play with them last year. Belvedere is also one that played that brand of fast, technical skate punk.”
This signing comes just ahead of their debut full-length set to release in November. “How It Should Be” has everything a pop-punk or skate-punk fan could want, with elements familiar to fans of Belvedere and MxPx.
I couldn’t be happier seeing the hard work these guys have put in finally pay off. Although I’ve only been familiar with them for maybe 6 months, it’s been so cool following along with the shows they’ve been playing and the music they’ll soon be releasing. I made the short drive from Nashville up to Indianapolis last month to catch these guys live and, all I have to say is the only thing that outdid their live performance was how cool and friendly these dudes were.
Great things are sure to come as this should serve as both a healthy confidence booster and a great platform to expand their reach. Each member was able to share their own unique insight into what this personally meant, as well as how this benefits the continuing emergence of the group:
Johnny Wehner (Guitar) – “I never thought I’d play a show outside of St. Louis, so signing to a label means a lot to me. I am very excited to play more shows and to expose our music to a broader audience with the help of Jump Start!”
Hes Retnu (Drums) – “Partnerships are everything. I’m extremely excited to partner with Jump Start and earn the chance to amplify alongside the amazing roster of talent.”
Stephen Fee (Guitar) – “We love to write and play music and having Jump Start in our corner enables us to do more of what we love with a different level of support and focus. Turn it to 11!”
Jacob Boyd (Bass) – “Having Jump Start in our corner is incredibly validating and will definitely help our music reach an even bigger audience. I’m stoked for what the future holds.”
These guys have a ton in store for the coming months leading up to their release. If you aren’t familiar with Wes Hoffman and Friends, there’s all kinds of great stuff here to get the two of you acquainted: click here for the interview I had with Wes and bassist Jacob Boyd a few months back, catch WH&F at one of their Midwest dates listed below, or keep scrolling for the short email interview I had with the guys that details the journey leading up to their signing. As always, thanks for checking out the site, Cheers!
Shows!!!
3/31 – Kansas City, MO – miniBar*
4/1 – Lincoln, NE – 1867 Bar*
4/2 – Columbia, MO – The Social Room (early show, 5pm)*
4/28 – Cape Girardeau, MO – Blue Diamond#
4/29 – Springfield, MO – Rock Bottom#
5/19 – St. Louis, MO – The Heavy Anchor^
5/20 – St. Joseph, MO – Sk8bar (early show, 5pm) ^
What does it mean to you as a band to be asked to sign with this label?
We’re extremely excited to be a Jump Start band. For us, this is the start of a new era for our band. We still have a lot of work to do, but it’s truly an honor to be a part of the Jump Start roster and have our album be a part of their catalog. They’ve been around for over 25 years and done over 100 releases, so they’re a well-established label. We’re going to keep working hard: writing, touring, making connections, and adding more and more energy to our live show. The biggest change is that we now have support of an established label which we’re very thankful for.
Why do you feel Jump Start is a good fit for you guys?
Jump Start has had some awesome releases and bands that seem to fit well with our sound. I absolutely loved the You Vandal album “Pretend I Don’t Exist” that came out last year. It was one of my most-listened to albums of 2022. After talking with the owner, Jeremy, and learning about the label’s ethos, I thought it would be a great fit for us. We seemed to have a similar mindset and perspective on things. We recently went on tour with Bad Planning who has been on Jump Start for a while, and they had nothing but good things to say as well. It all came together pretty organically and naturally which was also a sign to me that it would be a good fit.
Are there any bands on this label that are particularly influential?
Jump Start released MxPx’s “Plans Within Plans” on vinyl in 2012. I listened to that album on repeat when it came out. I was training for a half-marathon at the time, and would just let it play front to back. I’ve been an MxPx fan for over 25 years, so they’ve been a huge influence on me as well as everyone else in the band. A Wilhelm Scream has also released several albums on vinyl with Jump Start. I’ve always been a big fan of them, and we actually got to play with them last year. Belvedere is also one that played that brand of fast, technical skate punk. They’ve partnered with Jump Start on several releases too. Oddly enough, we have a show with them later this year too. It will be super cool to be a part of a label that’s worked with some of our favorite bands.
How would you summarize this achievement based on the amount of hard work you guys put in to get to this point?
Over the last year, up until now, we’ve worked very hard. I’m at a point in my life where I really want to put 100% into my songs, our shows, our releases, etc. We spent a lot of time on the road last year, and I spent a lot of time in the studio working on songs for our new album. We really put everything we had into this upcoming album and did multiple sessions to add little touches like tambourine, gang vocals, and have some friends play keys and sing on it. When we started talking to labels, I felt like we had put in the right amount of work to land on a good label, and that’s exactly what happened. It’s very cool to see the late nights in the studio and long drives pay off.
I’d also love to hear about the process of how this occurred from start to finish, how long you’ve been talking with the label, stuff like that.
I had reached out to Jeremy from Jump Start in August 2022 after we had released our single and video for “Where Summer Never Ends.” That was the first single released from the new album, so I sent it to several labels and industry contacts. He had replied, said he liked the song, and we continued to talk about what a band-label relationship might look like. We checked in from time to time, but after I got the masters for the upcoming album, I sent them to him, we had a call, and decided to move forward in working with them.
Music is a very relationship-based industry. It takes a while to build those relationships and see how you vibe with people. I’m very thankful that this all came together very organically and naturally. It did feel like somewhat of a long process and at times, it was hard to be patient, but the patience eventually paid off. As I mentioned previously, I want to do everything right, and be as strategic and intentional with our goals as band as we possibly can.
I want to thank Jeremy at Jump Start for taking a chance on us, and giving us the opportunity to put this record out. And thanks to all the people who have supported us, been to a show, bought merch, or told people about our band. It means more to us than you can imagine!! There’s more to come. The album should see a release in November of this year.
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. So kick off your shoes, pull up a chair, crack open a […]
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. So 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!
If you don’t feel like reading, check out the video edition of this week’s Record Radar, presented by our friends at Punk Rock Radar:
Another week, another NOFX repress. S&M Airlines is back in print on colored vinyl once again. Epitaph pressed 2,000 copies on this slick orange w/ neon green splatter color variant. Available here in the US / here in Australia.
Did you know the new Bouncing Souls record came out this week? Anyway, Pure Noise Records just put this bundle up on their webstore: it includes alternate cover art and a slipmat. Limited to 100 hand numbered copies. Here’s our review of Ten Stories High in case ya missed it!
New Junk City‘s 2022 LP Beg a Promise is getting a second pressing on three new color variants: Clear w/ Pink Splatter (200), Cream (200), and Powder Blue (100). You can get ’em all here.
Chicago punk veterans The Bollweevils have announced their first new album in 14(!) years. Essential is due out May 5th on Red Scare. Check out one of the tracks below and pre-order the record here.
Public Serpents‘ new album is out now on SBÄM Records. If you like crusty ska-core, pick this record up. The band is fronted by former Choking Victim drummer Skwert; this is their first new album in 15 years. The Bully Puppet is available on two color variants, limited to 250 copies each. Get yours here (US) or here (EU).
Another awesome release from our friends at SBÄM is Vegas punks Mercy Music‘s upcoming album What You Stand to Lose. Check out the music video for lead single “Love you/Need you” below and pre-order the record here. Recommended if you like The Flatliners.
I already mentioned this one in a previous Record Radar, but I wanna circle back to it real quick: Bridge The Gap‘s debut LP Secret Kombinations was released this week on People of Punk Rock Records. This is a great record, and they now have copies available on their US webstore! Only like 22 bucks after shipping, pick that shit up. Read my review here.
The first pressing of Santa Cruz hardcore band DRAIN‘s new album Living Proof is moving pretty quick, so Epitaph threw up two more color variants. Each is limited to 700 copies. Buy it here.
Last but not least, we have French melodic punks Burning Heads who are reissuing not one, but two of their records: 1994’s Dive and 1996’s Super Modern World. Our friends at Melodic Punk Style have a limited number of copies on their Bandcamp. Get the bundle with both LPs and save $11! And be sure to check out all the other awesome records while you’re over there.
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!
Distance Defined. Their name perfectly describes their band dynamic. All the members live in different Alaskan cities. From Homer to Anchorage, these guys produce music that puts even the toughest of dudes into their feelings. These guys ignore the distance and (if you ask me) make it look effortless. These dudes hold a very special […]
Distance Defined. Their name perfectly describes their band dynamic. All the members live in different Alaskan cities. From Homer to Anchorage, these guys produce music that puts even the toughest of dudes into their feelings. These guys ignore the distance and (if you ask me) make it look effortless. These dudes hold a very special place in my heart as they were the band to bring me out for my very first live show as a photographer. If it weren’t for these guys, I would have never found my passion for concert photography! In the years I’ve known these guys, they’ve all been put through the wringer in some way, shape or form. Their perseverance and drive to take those emotions and create works of art never ceases to amaze me and I’m honored to know them and call them friends and will forever be grateful for the love, support, and opportunities they continue to show and give me as I continue my passion for concert photography.
This track is the first single released off their new album (release date TBD) called “Agony and the Weight It Bears”, and it’s going to be a heavy one. I obtained the song before release by their guitarist, Trevyn Days, and when asked about the story behind the song, here’s the beautiful snippet behind it; “…this song is all about the struggles of Sara and I trying to start a family and the happiness we felt once she was pregnant with the girls. The whole album is going to be our story, so it’s going to be intense.” This song’s sentimental background doesn’t mean Distance won’t still be giving you the heavy vocals and screams the fans all know and love, but if anything, it adds dimension and feeling to each song they bring to the table. A unique thing they also show in their songs, that I’ve heard only a few bands do, is they drop the tempo and almost cease instrumentals, leaving an ethereal, echo-like feel while voices of the guitarist and his wife overlap in a beautiful overlapping manner. It’s incredibly hard to do it justice with a description of words, you’ll just have to go listen to experience it for yourself!
Enough sappiness! These guys always bring 110% to the table when it comes to their music and I couldn’t be more honored to be their “spokesperson” so to speak, and bring them into this site. I’m so proud of these boys and so honored to call them friends. Keep bringing us to tears and giving us music to mosh to!
“Happiness and the Light It Sheds” dropped on all streaming platforms last July! Stay tuned for more from Distance Defined soon!
Volores has come to the surface fronted by Flogging Molly’s bassist Nathen Maxwell and his wife, Shelby. They have been creating hauntingly beautiful music for our souls to soak in which they lightheartedly call, “Mountain Goth” and it’s a perfect description for the genre that they should fall into. This debut album AGES is a […]
Volores has come to the surface fronted by Flogging Molly’s bassist Nathen Maxwell and his wife, Shelby. They have been creating hauntingly beautiful music for our souls to soak in which they lightheartedly call, “Mountain Goth” and it’s a perfect description for the genre that they should fall into. This debut album AGES is a beautiful blend of upbeat and somber, fittingly so with the album being about universal themes of love, life, and death. Not to mention the “mortal condition,” as their site described it, which includes the mental health struggles they’ve not only experienced separately, but together. This is a tribute to their shared musical passion that brought these two souls to one another. Shelby consistently keeps that haunting and smooth vocal sound that I can only describe as a perfect mixture of KT Tunstall and Fleetwood Mac.
The album starts us off with the song “All That We Could Need”, and the sound gives me heavy R.E.M “The One I Love” vibes. Although the R.E.M song I have in mind is a bit more upbeat and “happier” so to speak, it’s the number one song that comes to mind when I try to think of a song to compare it to. Shelby’s voice is silky smooth as she lets the lyrics glide off her lips to deliver emotional songs. Looking into the lyrics of the songs as you listen will show you just how passionate these two are about their music. The analogies used to help get the messages of the songs across are unique as well. I haven’t seen very many artists who use the kind of comparisons they do in theirs! The title song to AGES is probably my favorite on the album, being all about growth and how changes can seem subtle or large, but we still just keep going through the ages doing the best we can with smiles on our faces through it all. “Built to love but not built to last” is my favorite line, seeming to say that our purpose is to simply love and be compassionate because we weren’t truly built for anything else. Experiencing life should be with love and joy. Moving further in the album “The Meadow and the Moon” moves to having a circle of life feel to the lyrics. “Like most prey/ we’ll meet our end of days” is a line that resonates with me simply as a human. It’s a subtle reminder that we are all finite. We all have a day we will meet our end, it’s just a matter of how are you going to spend the time, stuck where you are or are you going to try to climb the ladder and live life to the fullest? The song kept it’s haunting, yet soothing, vocals to pair beautifully with the acoustic accompaniment.
One of the heavier songs I found on here is “Vindicated Kid.” It gives me the feeling of being in a relationship where one was manipulated and vindictive, and then their mask and facade are seen through finally. They smile as you walk away broken, knowing you know the truth, yet everyone else still sees what they want them to. I could be way off, but that’s the interpretation I got personally! “Vindicated Kid” is fittingly followed by a song with the acronym “L.I.O.E.E.” which stands for “Love Is Only Ever Earned.” The song stresses the importance of communication to be understood to receive love. Love is only ever earned with communication, vulnerability, and honesty. If you can’t speak the words on your mind, then it will be hard to reach the full potential of love. Finishing off this album is “Glass.” This beautiful acoustic track is describing the realization of the cycle someone could get stuck in; realizing you’re not yourself and knowing things need to change. If that means going back home where your feet know to take you, or just moving forward to better your life, find yourself, and you have nothing left to lose.
Shelby and Nathen did a phenomenal job on this debut album and I genuinely cannot wait to hear what else they have ready and waiting for us up their sleeves. Their beautiful debut album “AGES” can be streamed on any streaming platform as of February 24th, 2023, thanks for reading!!
Mark Hoppus
He wasn’t arrested for weed he was arrested for violation of probation. So he was given probation for marijuana possession which is a misdemeanour in Florida and he failed to comply with the conditions of his probation. That’s actually a lot worse than the charge itself. I guess “writing your own laws” hasn’t worked out so well for this guy….. I hear he has a lot of domestic violence charges as well. Keep him in there.
Gina
Mark, I agree with your comment 10000%
Gina
???? I find this hilarious, you AHOLE!!