Off With Their Heads are currently on their “Burn It Down” Tour 2026, which brought them to Miami, Florida, for a stop at Las Rosas, where they delivered a set packed with fan favorites, joined by Dikembe as one of the tour’s supporting bands. Dikembe is one of the bands joining Off With Their Heads […]
Off With Their Heads are currently on their “Burn It Down” Tour 2026, which brought them to Miami, Florida, for a stop at Las Rosas, where they delivered a set packed with fan favorites, joined by Dikembe as one of the tour’s supporting bands.
Dikembe is one of the bands joining Off With Their Heads as a supporting act on their current tour.
Off With Their Heads made a stop in Miami during their recent 2026 tour, delivering the best of their catalog with the raw energy that defines them.
Their hard-hitting, introspective, honest, and deeply emotional lyrics connected with fans from the very first song, pulling in the crowd and making everyone in attendance fully embrace and enjoy the powerful performance the band delivered that night.
It was a double-whammy night for the punkers of a certain age a week ago Thursday when a two-headed monster of beloved Midwestern-area bands – Smoking Popes and Off With Their Heads – brought their tour of full-album sets to the northeast for a stop in the metro Boston area. The tour marks the fifteenth […]
It was a double-whammy night for the punkers of a certain age a week ago Thursday when a two-headed monster of beloved Midwestern-area bands – Smoking Popes and Off With Their Heads – brought their tour of full-album sets to the northeast for a stop in the metro Boston area. The tour marks the fifteenth anniversary of the release of the OWTH staple In Desolation and the thirtieth (?!?) of the Popes’ classic Born To Quit, and so it was a perfect time to double up on the back pain medication and head out into the monsoon that spent a full day bludgeoning the area for some punk rocking good fun on a week night.
Located in the metro Boston suburb of Somerville, the venue – Arts At The Armory – is essentially exactly what it sounds like: the old drill shed of a 122-year-old armory that was an active National Guard outpost through the 1970s and now serves as a unique multi-purpose arts and education space in the vibrant community just a few miles from the center of Boston. It’s the kind of place that, depending on the day of the week and the time of day, hosts farmers markets and poetry slams and a regular Joe Strummer-inspired ukulele slam and speed-dating for the polyamory-curious (yes, really). Oh, and punk shows! In some ways, the building’s history and its utilization as a repurposed space for creating art and community might be perfectly symbolic of the community of Somerville as a whole, tightly packed and tightly-knit and ever-changing, from old multicultural blue-collar urban factory center to newer multicultural hub of education and art and innovation. Maybe that’s a not-fully-formed think-piece for another time… In any event, it really is a great spot for a show. Sure, parking sucks (especially in the driving rain), but it’s a big open room with great sightlines and much-better-than-expected sound and lighting and a full video screen behind the stage. It was yours truly’s first time, and it certainly won’t be the last.
ANYWAY, the two-band bill meant that OWTH took the stage at the old punker-friendly time of 7:30pm (seriously!). The three-piece – the inimitable Ryan Young on guitars and vocals, Kevin Rotter on bass, and the return of longtime drummer Ryan Fischer on, well, on drums – ripped into “Jackie Lee” from 2006’s Hospitals to kick things off. The band chose to forgo the traditional band-logo artwork backdrop and instead utilized the video screen to advertise a pretty sweet deal on twin lobster rolls from D’Angelo for the duration of their set, albeit a deal from seven years ago. (Side note – Romaine lettuce doesn’t belong on a lobster roll, but I suppose if you’re in New England and you’ve opted to get your lobster rolls from D’Angelo, you’ve long since thrown caution to the wind.) After a few more crowd favorites, it was into the business at hand, celebrating In Desolation cover-to-cover. Ryan made a few comments about how In Desolation is the album nobody actually likes, which may have just been Young taking the piss as he is wont to do. In fact I hope it was him taking the piss, in no small part because In Desolation is probably my favorite OWTH record. Its raw emotion holds up extraordinarily well after a decade-and-a-half, “Just Breathe” and “Old Man” and obviously “Clear The Air” especially. Young has obviously had time and distance between the events that went into the album’s writing, but from a performance standpoint, the material is as haunting as ever and Young channels every bit of the same visceral reaction night in and night out. It’s a lesson in startling intensity, balanced with plenty of inter-song banter (and lobster rolls) to keep things from overdosing on bleakness.
Then, around about 8:30pm, it was time for the headliners to take the stage (accompanied by an actual Smoking Popes backdrop). The foursome – frontman Josh Caterer and longtime drummer Mike Felumlee accompanied by touring bandmates Reuben Baird on bass and Jack Sibilski on guitar at stage right and stage left respectively – ripped into “Golden Moment” to kick off their portion of the festivities. The lead single from their latest album, last month’s Lovely Things, is a perfect, uptempo shredder that sets a pitch-perfect tone for what’s to come. Then it was on to the matter at hand, Born To Quit start-to-finish. The band released an updated and recorded live-in-studio version of Born To Quit last year – here’s our interview with Josh about it – and it’s fair to say that both that version (which included lifelong Popes Matt and Eli Caterer on their traditional bass and guitar duties) and this version demonstrate that the album itself has legs. It’s songs of falling in and out of love (sometimes in back-to-back songs, a la “Mrs. You & Me” and “Just Broke Up”) performed with such sincerity and earnestness that they belie the sometimes juvenile nature of many of the similarly themed albums written by the Popes pop-punk scenemates of the early and mid 1990s.
When Caterer and I chatted about the new album a month or so ago, I made an off-hand comment about how for some of us for whom organized religion had fallen out of favor, we replaced that sort of connection and worship for lack of a better word with live music. I don’t necessarily mean to suggest that seeing the Smoking Popes live circa 2025 is a religious experience…but it’s not far off. The band is tight as a drum live, anchored by the lockstep connection between the rhythm section. The stretched out length of the headlining set (compared to the last time we shot the Popes, on their opening slot supporting Get Up Kids last year) gave Caterer and Sibilski the space to constantly take turns trading lead guitar licks, with Sibilski maintaining a sense of constant motion on his half of the stage, endlessly jumping, head-banging, and perfecting his Townshend-esque windmill. We’ve spoken before on these pages about Caterer’s ability to write songs of love and heartbreak in a way that still holds up over the decades without turning sappy (at best) or overly cringey (at worst). That’s certainly true on record, but it’s especially on display in a live setting whether on classics like “Need You Around” and “Megan” or on more recent jams like “Madison” and the post-Lovely Stuff anthem “Allegiance.” The Popes brought the evening to a close with a full-crowd singalong version of their 1997 classic “I Know You Love Me” that found Caterer shedding himself of his gorgeous sunburst Coronado II (which somehow sounds even better than it looks, which is a high bar) and singing with the crowd from the front of the stage. It felt perfect; a cathartic, revivalist moment acknowledging that we’re all in this fight together and that if we stay pulling in the same direction in the face of all the bullshit and focus on love and community, we just might be alright.
Flip through our IG galleries for more shots from the evening below!
It is often forgotten that activism is an essential element of punk culture. While, yes, we enjoy complaining about the system and bringing awareness to personal and social injustices, actively doing something to address them is what this is all about. On the second Sunday of December, Chicago’s legendary Liar’s Club hosted a sold-out show […]
It is often forgotten that activism is an essential element of punk culture. While, yes, we enjoy complaining about the system and bringing awareness to personal and social injustices, actively doing something to address them is what this is all about.
On the second Sunday of December, Chicago’s legendary Liar’s Club hosted a sold-out show to raise funds for KT’s Kids, a Chicago non-profit that specializes in providing kids and youths with disabilities with fun and enriching activities such as field trips, camps, and holiday parties throughout the year. You can learn more about how to support KT’s Kids by checking out their website.
During this particularly warm(ish) winter evening, people were waiting outside before the sold-out event even started. Some had their tickets ready, others were waiting in case a spot opened up to get in.
The first band opening that evening was Lost Legion. These guys were not playing around; they were loud, aggressive, and put on one hell of a show. The lead singer kept the crowd engaged and fired up, while the rest of the band had us all headbanging to some great tunes. Had it not been early, you would have thought they were a headliner band.
The next band needed no introduction as everyone at the venue seemed to either know them personally or at the very least of them. The Bollweevils made their way onto the stage and the crowd immediately knew it was time to party. In between the in-band bickering over the set list order and friendly banter with the spectators, The Bollweevils delivered a performance that proved that these experienced punks still got it.
Frontman and birthday boy of the evening, Daryl ‘The Doc’, showed us that you do not need to be in your twenties to jump around and keep up with punk music’s fast tempo. Showing off some strong knees, Daryl kept the crowd entertained by jumping off the stage into the pit to give the chance to the fans to join him singing some of their classic songs. The rest of the band kept up as well, delivering a great and memorable performance.
The Bollweevils have been nominated for “Best Punk Band of Chicago” as well as “Best Local Album Of The Year” by The Chicago Reader. If you enjoy their music, you can support them (as well as other artists and venues) by voting in the poll.
The last band of the evening, Off With Their Heads, swiftly took over the venue and made it their own for the rest of the evening. The gruff-punk trio originally from Minnesota truly put on a great show; no wonder they have been able to do this for over two decades.
Lead singer and guitarist Ryan Young as well as the rest of the punk power trio put on a solid performance going through songs from their extensive repertoire including songs from their album Home, which is one of those punk albums everyone should give a listen through at least once in their lives.
Head below to check out the full gallery of the evening, and do not forget to support KT’s Kids.
Liar’s Club rocked in September 2023 with hard and fast punk rock on the first two days of the month. Headliners for Friday and Saturday were Negative Approach and Zero Boys respectively. With strong support by a combination of local and out-of-town bands such as Criminal Kids, Off With Their Heads, Fast Eddy, Bad Sons, […]
Liar’s Club rocked in September 2023 with hard and fast punk rock on the first two days of the month. Headliners for Friday and Saturday were Negative Approach and Zero Boys respectively. With strong support by a combination of local and out-of-town bands such as Criminal Kids, Off With Their Heads, Fast Eddy, Bad Sons, Shitizen, Man-Eaters, and Fighting For Scraps, the sold-out weekend was a blast to cover.
Night 1
Negative Approach closed out the first night of Punk-O-Rama with a hard-driving set. One of the Motor City Hardcore pioneers, the group still delivers Detroit sound and fury four decades on from its founding. That signifies a lot.
When it comes to Off With Their Heads, on this particular weekend, drummer Kyle Manning’s hair was not the only thing shorter than in the past. Ryan Young informed the crowd they had a 15-minute set. Young, Manning, and Zack Gontard managed to crank out the entire track listing from the band’s very first record in that time. Actually faster than that, as from start to finish the clock time was roughly 12.5 minutes long. Doing the short thing the right way.
Man-Eaters, out of Chicago, chewed up the stage with a wild performance. Microphone and cord-swinging around like a lasso until it made contact with the floor or stage, breaking off the top of said microphone. That pretty much represents how the band’s set went.
Chicago’s Fighting For Scraps always provides its fans an intense performance. Members of the Windy City Southside punk scene, the band is well-versed in why they have the solid following they have. Another sturdy set from Fighting For Scraps.
Night 2
Zero Boys closed out the weekend with a set that demonstrated that while civilization may be dying the band is not. The Indianapolis quartet’s powerful performance left the crowd sated.
Criminal Kids are rarely, if never less than fully, fun to watch and listen to. It was a smoking performance, literally and figuratively.
Fast Eddy sped through a rip-roaring set. The zooming pace never wavered and it was a blast to behold.
Bad Sons make for good punks, resulting in rambunctious performances. The energy level was high, and the low stage allowed for an amazing connection with the attendees. Of course, the low stage also makes for many bruises to the photographers and attendees at the front during crowded shows. But those are the types of bruises I’m ok with getting, as long as my gear and my glasses remain intact.
Shitizen thrills. Not sure what else I can added that I have not said about this group many times over. Thrilled it and killed it.
Please see more photos from the show. Thanks and Cheers!
Liar’s Club played host to two Minneapolis-based bands, Sparrowhawk and Petty Larcenists on April 23, 2023. The Arrivals‘ “Little Dave” Merriman, opened up with a solo set and his fellow Chicagoans, Off With Their Heads‘ Ryan Young and Kyle Manning, jumped on the Saturday night bill to provide closing local support for their friends from […]
Liar’s Club played host to two Minneapolis-based bands, Sparrowhawk and Petty Larcenists on April 23, 2023. The Arrivals‘ “Little Dave” Merriman, opened up with a solo set and his fellow Chicagoans, Off With Their Heads‘ Ryan Young and Kyle Manning, jumped on the Saturday night bill to provide closing local support for their friends from the Twin Cities.
Sparrowhawk, out of the Twin Cities (Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN), gave a soaring performance. The band flew through its set which included, “Take A Bow,” “Colony Song,” “Blackberry Brandy,” Queen & Country,” and “Fool’s Mercy.” Ok, no third bird pun, I promise but it was a terrific showing.
Sparrowhawk is prepping to release its self-titled debut album this summer. Looking forward to it for sure.
Petty Larcenists, also from the City of Lakes, were rowdy and loud, and in the midst, pilfered the hearts of the crowd (hey, not bird related). Tunes included “The Last Time,” “Loud and Ugly,” “The Kids Back Home,” and “I Can’t Get High,” from its 2019 release “Stolen Chords and Lifted Riffs.” Oh, and the group has an of amusing set of “stolen” band logos too, including homages to the TV show, Law and Order, and the English Premier League among others. Check them, and the band, out now.
“Little Dave” Merriman, of The Arrivals, played a terrific solo set to kick off the evening. Armed with just his guitar, the set was both fun and tender. That latter adjective because Merriman has written several tunes for his just- turned-one-year-old daughter, including her theme song, “J.E.M.”
“Who’s that girl? / Right over there / What’s her name again? / It’s Josephine / Elisabeth / Merrrriiiiimaaaaan“
In another of the “Jo Songs,” “President of Space,” the proud papa lets his little girl know that the sky’s the limit,
“You don’t have to be the President of Space / But I know you have it in you / You could if you wanted and I think that you’d do great.”
Getting verklempt at a punk show isn’t the most common expectation. However, it happened here and there isn’t really a need to discuss this in a “Coffee Talk” format. Merriman gave a very moving set while standing very still. But this Lullaby punk was neither syrupy nor cloying in the slightest. Just pure sweetness. Such a treat.
Merriman also performed “I’m Going Up Again,” and “You Know,” from his 2014 solo record, “Odd Bird,” on which he wrote all songs and played all instruments.
Merriman is working on a new album, or maybe two.
“I’m going to do another one [solo record] and it will have children’s songs on it. Or I’ll do two separate releases.”
Whichever way he decides to release the new material, Dying Scene will be there for it. I know I will be.
Ryan Young and Kyle Manning, from Off With Their Heads (OWTH), played a freewheeling closing set. In a Facebook post, OWTH described the show this way,
“Oh yeah! We caught word our friends from Minneapolis were playing our friends’ bar in Chicago and didn’t have a local band. Sounds perfect to jump on.“
There was a physical set list on the stage, though the musicians didn’t really follow it in any organized manner. No matter, because everyone seemed to be having a good, laid-back time as Young and Manning closed out the night among pals.
Just days after this show, OWTH kicked off the first leg (USA/Canada) of the “HOME Ten Year Anniversary” tour in Detroit, MI. Several stops have already been sold out. Make sure to grab tickets as soon as you can.
Please see more photos from the show below. Thanks & Cheers!
Greetings, and welcome to the Dying Scene Record Radar. If it’s your first time here, thank you for joining us! This is a 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 a 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!
Asian Man Records is starting this week’s column with a bang 💥 The Chinkees‘ three full-length albums are getting their first new pressings in over 20 years! Or, in the case of 2001’s Searching For A Brighter Future, the first vinyl release ever. The Chinkees are coming! Pre-order these ska masterpieces here.
In case you somehow missed the news earlier this week, Samiam announced their first new album in over a decade. Stowaway is due out March 31st on Pure Noise Records. On the vinyl side of things, there are a ton of color variants. Our friends at 1-2-3-4 Go! Records have an exclusive (ltd. to 300 copies), which you can get here. Pure Noise has one variant left in stock on their US store and UK store. If you’re fine with plain jane black vinyl, Amazon‘s the cheapest place to grab a copy.
About a month ago Striped Music launched pre-orders for their first pressing of Screeching Weasel‘s 30th anniversary Anthem For A New Tomorrow reissue. It was limited to 500 copies on pink vinyl and it sold out in a few hours, with Striped promising a second pressing will be coming. Good news! You don’t have to wait for that second pressing because some more copies have popped up here. I’m sure shipping to the US is horrendous, but this is good for our European friends who missed out initially. Recess Records should be putting up pre-orders for their variants at some point.
Check out my review of the fully remixed / remastered 30th anniversary Anthem For A New Tomorrow!
Epitaph Records repressed a bunch of stuff this week, so we’re filing all this under Epitaph Stuff. The first piece of Epitaph Stuff is a Choking Victim‘s No Gods / No Managers, back in print on clear vinyl, limited to 500 copies. Like the other Epitaph Stuff we’ll be covering, the only place to get this is the label’s Kings Road Merch store.
Our next piece of Epitaph Stuff is a long awaited repressing of Alkaline Trio‘s This Addiction. This bad boy’s back in print for the first time since its 2010 release (can you believe that was 13 fucking years ago?! 🤯). It’s limited to 1,000 copies on “Toxic Green” colored vinyl and you can buy it with money here.
Off With Their Heads‘ Home turns 10 this year (time sure does fly), and it’s getting repressed for the first time since its initial release. They’re also playing the album in its entirety on their upcoming tour. Get the new black w/ gold swirl color variant (limited to 500 copies) here.
And our last piece of Epitaph Stuff is actually a new release! Santa Cruz hardcore punx DRAIN announced their new album Living Proof. It’s due out on May 5th. Check out a few tracks below and go here for links to buy all the different color variants. Or save some money and grab the black wax on Amazon.
Alright, now that Epitaph’s finished hogging the spotlight, here’s an awesome new record we told you about earlier this week, but we’re circling back to because maybe you missed it. It’s a brand spankin’ new LP from UK ska-punks Faintest Idea, due out March 31st on TNS Records and Jump Start Records. Check out the first single “Nose Dive” below and pre-order the record here (US) or here (UK).
Newbury Comics has a colored vinyl reissue of the Groovie Ghoulies‘ 1999 LP Fun in the Dark (limited to 300 copies) up on their store. Our European friends can grab an ever-so-slightly different color variant on Stardumb Records‘ webstore. Shit, with how much Newbury charges for records, it might even make sense for my fellow Americans to order from Stardumb (shipping might kill it idk, it’s worth looking into though). This Lookout! Records classic is another record that’s been out of print for 20+ years.
Bringing up the rear on this week’s Record Radar is a brand new release from our friends at Punk Rock Radar. They’re putting out British punk band Clayface‘s debut LP Ailments with a bunch of other awesome labels like Cat’s Claw Records and White Russian Records. Check out the music video for the killer lead single below and lookout for pre-orders launching March 10th.
And 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. 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!
Smoking Popes and Off With Their Heads drew a sizable and enthusiastic hometown area crowd at The Bottom Lounge for the Midwest Simmerfest on November 12, 2022. It was a weekend jam-packed with shows and mini-fests at nearly every, if not every, punk rock venue in the city of Chicago and probably quite a few […]
Smoking Popes and Off With Their Heads drew a sizable and enthusiastic hometown area crowd at The Bottom Lounge for the Midwest Simmerfest on November 12, 2022. It was a weekend jam-packed with shows and mini-fests at nearly every, if not every, punk rock venue in the city of Chicago and probably quite a few in the suburbs.
Smoking Popes, comprised of the brothers Caterer: Josh, Matt and Eli, along with Mike Felumlee, headlined the show with a reliably robust performance. The band jammed through a set list that included, “Simmer Down,” “Midnight Moon,” “No More Smiles,” “Rubella,” “Megan,” “Need You Around,” and “I Know You Love Me.” Picking a show for this Saturday night entertainment might have understandably been hard for more than a few in the local punk community. However, it appeared those at the Bottom Lounge were quite satisfied with their choice.
Off With Their Heads, made up of Ryan Young, Kevin Rotter, and Kyle Manning, played with intensity during the night’s penultimate set. The trio tore through an angsty set list leaving some in the crowd looking emotionally exhausted, in the very best way.
Limbeck is a group out of Laguna Niguel, CA. The band – Robb MacLean, Patrick Carrie, Justin Entsminger, and Jon Phillip – gave a boisterous performance as it ran through a set list including, “Honk + Wave,” “Home (Is Where the Van Is),” “Kooks,” “Everyone’s in the Parking Lot,” and “In Ohio on Some Steps.” This crowd gave the guys from the Golden State a very warm welcome.
The Color Fred, made up of Fred Mascherino, Stephen Angello, Keith Gibbons, and Monte Holt kicked off the festivities. The West Chester, PA, group elicited smiles from the crowd as its members marveled with delight at the fog machine. I don’t know if fog machines have been a regular part of their shows or not but I would hazard a guess they might be in the future. And though the band members were, at times, obscured by the fog, the music easily cut through to the attendees’ ears during a very fun set.
