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.
It seems like Philadelphia ska band, Catbite is everywhere these days. This past year has seen them on tour with the likes of Streetlight Manifesto, Jeff Rosenstock, Mustard Plug, Anti-Flag, and Screaming Females to name a few. And topping it all off with a cherry on top, they embarked on their first ever mini headlining […]
It seems like Philadelphia ska band, Catbite is everywhere these days. This past year has seen them on tour with the likes of Streetlight Manifesto, Jeff Rosenstock, Mustard Plug, Anti-Flag, and Screaming Females to name a few. And topping it all off with a cherry on top, they embarked on their first ever mini headlining tour a week or so ago which has had them playing in hometown Philadelphia, St. Louis, Milwaukee, and the show which I was able to catch in Brooklyn at Saint Vitus. (Oh yeah, remember last month when Brittany Luna guest appeared at Gaslight Anthem?)
Saint Vitus was the first time they’d played NYC as a headliner and Brit, Tim Hildebrand, Ben Parry, Esteban Flores, and Chris Pires were beyond stoked as they opened up the set with fan favorite, “Creepin” from last year’s spectacular LP, Nice One. This fast-paced “on the upbeat” ripper is one of that classic kind of ska songs that wouldn’t at all be out of place if it were slipped into a mix with songs off the first The Specials album. Its frenetic pace had the packed room at Saint Vitus in full-blown skankin’ mode right off the bat. From here the band rolled right into their cover version of Neon Trees’ “Everyone Talks” which the band released earlier this year as part of a 4 song split with Mike Park of Asian Man Records (to name just one of his countless accomplishments). Obviously where the Trees start off their original with a sort of late 50’s R&B crooner style before they kick into its indie rock sing-along chorus, tonight Catbite started off with a slow rock steady beat before literally kicking into the chorus which they re-imagined into a total ska romp.
With barely any time between songs to catch their breath, the band stomped from one song to the next, culling a set list comprising the most upbeat and raucous of their material from their two full-length LPs (Nice One as well as their eponymous debut). Needless to say, the crowd at Saint Vitus which had come to skank, pogo and mosh like their lives depended on it were handed the perfect soundtrack to do just that. Things would get seriously crazed throughout the hot and sweaty room for all-out R-O-C-K-E-R-S like “Asinine Aesthetic” and “Amphetamine Delight”.
But who would have guessed that things could get even hotter as the crew kicked off the encore with “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom” and “Excuse Me Miss” from Nice One. By this time the band had the crowd full-blown out of control dancing and singing maniacally. All in all, it was truly something to behold. Fortunately, Catbite has no intentions of slowing down in the near future and I know that I’ll be skanking along to them in a couple of weeks when they’re scheduled to open for Bouncing Souls in both Brooklyn at Brooklyn Made as well as everyone’s favorite New Jersey joint, Crossroads in Garwood, NJ. (Both shows at Crossroads are sold out but there are still tickets available for the Brooklyn Made gig).
I would be remiss if I didn’t at least mention the night’s two opening bands. Starting off the evening was a band out of Philadelphia that I was not at all familiar with prior to this evening called Riverby. I’m not sure what they’re putting in the water down in the City of Brotherly Love but damn, Philly keeps spitting out really interesting new bands almost as fast as they produce ill-behaved sports fans (sorry, I just couldn’t resist). Lead singer, August Greenberg, possesses quite an engaging stage presence as they led the band through a breakneck-paced set which at times reminded me of the band Heart on amphetamines. All in all, I did enjoy their rough and ragged set and do think that they could be a band to keep your eyes on in the future.
Next up was the band Bacchae out of Washington DC. I’d seen Bacchae a couple of months ago opening for The Linda Lindas and to be honest wasn’t all that impressed. Friday night at Saint Vitus however, changed my mind. The growth shown by the band in a few short months was truly inspiring. With a sound that brings to mind early B-52s crossed with the No Wave sound of downtown NYC circa early 80’s with bands like Bush Tetras, Liquid Liquid and quite noticeably early Sonic Youth was quite invigorating. Both Katie McD (lead vocals and keyboard) as well as Rena Hagins (bass and backup vocals) have grown tremendously in their stage presence and ultimately put on a fantastic set.
Check out full photo galleries from each of the bands below!
Hey! There are only people with they/them pronouns and he/him pronouns in Riverby. I’m glad you liked them because I do too, just please make it more of a practice to find out people’s pronouns like you do their names. Often it’s as easy as checking their bios, like in their case. Thanks!
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:
Have you heard about Strung Out‘s new record? It’s called Dead Rebellion and it’s due out on April 5th. Naturally, Fat Wreck‘s US store has already sold through its mysterious color variant. However! You can still get that variant (whatever it ends up being) from their European and Aussie stores. The band also has an exclusive (not-so-mysterious) white color variant available on their own webstore. The first single “Cages” is pretty fuckin bad ass – it reminds me a lot of Agents of the Underground, which I thought was also a bad ass record. Perhaps this is a return to form for Strung Out? We shall see.
Last week we hosted the exclusive premiere of The Carmines‘ new record Work Harder Not Smarter. Who are The Carmines? I’m glad you asked! The Carmines are a Ramonescore band featuring Slick Shoes‘ Joe Nixon on drums and Greg Togawa (also from Slick Shoes) on guitar. The singer’s name is Nate Roberts – I’m not sure if he’s in any other bands of note; sorry Nate! Anyway, this record’s pretty sweet. You should listen to it & buy it sweet blue colored vinyl from Memorable But Not Honorable if you’re in the US and I Buy Records if you’re in Europe. Fuck yeah!
Rufio’s last record, 2010’s Anybody Out There, is getting released on vinyl for the first time ever thanks to Take This To Heart Records. There are three different color variants up for pre-order here. One of those fuckers already sold out so you might wanna act fast if this one’s on your bucket list!
The very pleasantly named Puke N Vomit Records has a bunch of GBH reissues up for pre-order; three, to be precise. They’ve got snazzy new variants of Leather, Bristles, No Survivors and Sick Boys…, City Baby Attacked By Rats, and City Baby’s Revenge. Each comes in a deluxe gatefold jacket with added liner notes, posters and a bunch of other shit. They also have a 3xLP box set with all three records on red wax with a shirt and stuff. Very cool!
We’re on a hot streak here with reissues and Ten Foot Pole’s gonna keep it going with a new pressing of Unleashed, which surprisingly is the first since its original release in 1997. La Agonia De Vivir (yes I copy + pasted that) is reissuing the record with 200 copies on transparent yellow wax & 300 copies on black wax. Get it here!
Codefendants continue their reign as kings of the $20 2-song 10″ with not one, but two new $20 2-song 10″s. Well, one of these technically has 3 songs kinda sorta, and that one’s only $18. Anyway! Here’s Living Las Vegas and Prison Camp. Eat it up.
Eccentric Pop Records comes comes out swinging with their first release of 2024, a new Groovie Ghoulies 7″ featuring never-before-released recordings from the World Contact Day era. They pressed 500 copies on “marbled burgundy” colored vinyl, which you can purchase with fungible currency here.
And because I’m a smartass, lets compare the economics of this release vs the Codefendants 10″: The Ghoulies 2-song 7″ is $8.00, or $1.14 per inch / $4.00 per song. The Codefendants 2-song 10″ is $20.00, or $2.00 per inch / $10.00 per song. The numbers don’t lie, folks!
And here comes Red Scare with the most economical 7″ of them all! A brand new 4-song 7″ from Broadway Calls, and it’s only $6? How will they ever financially recover from this? I thought it cost like 700 bagillion dollars to press records now! Grab the 7″ here and catch Broadway Calls on tour with Teenage Bottlerocket next month.
It seems Rad Girlfriend Records is gonna keep doing what they’ve been doing in the year of our lord 2024, and that’s putting out an assload of records. Up first is a new album from Chicago’s Heavy Seas. Distortion Days is due out on January 26th and you can pre-order it on translucent yellow, opaque maroon, or black vinyl here. Can’t decide which variant you want? Just buy all three you fucking dumbass.
Rad Girlfriend’s 2nd new release is from Acumen, a new band featuring The Copyrights frontman Adam Fletcher. Their debut album Mark VII consists of a bunch of covers of obscure 60’s rock songs which I will not attempt to pretend I know. Get it on “seaglass”, translucent blue, or black vinyl here. Or just buy all three variants of this one, too.
Jon Snodgrass is releasing a new album called Barge At Will, which features Bill Stevenson on drums and bass. This is being released on colorful polyvinyl chloride music discs by SBAM Records in March. They’ve got white and yellow color variants available on all their webstores. The friendly canucks at Thousand Islands Records have the album on blue vinyl and black wax. Here’s a live recording of one of the songs:
And because it just wouldn’t be the Record Radar without a new variant of Green Day’s new record Saviors, here’s a new variant of Green Day’s new record Saviors. Well, this isn’t really a new variant, but it also kinda is.
The UK Indie color variant was supposed to be the same as the US Indie color variant (pink/black split), but I guess record stores started receiving their shipments and they were completely different. So here ya have it, variant #23 – pink / black marble. Banquet Records has it up on their store, I’m sure if you live in the UK you can get this from pretty much any record store within spitting distance.
I’d also like to take this opportunity to remind you all we’re keeping track of all the variants of this record on this article here. Bookmark that page and stay tuned for variant #s 24, 25 & 26 coming soon!
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 in the new year!
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!
Hello, and welcome to the July, 2023 edition of Dylan’s Favorite Punk Albums, EPs & Things! This is the column where I, Dylan aka Screeching Bottlerocket, tell you what new punk rock albums, EPs and singles I enjoyed the most this month. This is a collaborative effort with our friends at Punk Rock Radar, with whom I’ll […]
Hello, and welcome to the July, 2023 edition of Dylan’s Favorite Punk Albums, EPs & Things! This is the column where I, Dylan aka Screeching Bottlerocket, tell you what new punk rock albums, EPs and singles I enjoyed the most this month.
This is a collaborative effort with our friends at Punk Rock Radar, with whom I’ll be doing a video version of this Best Of wrap-up each month. If you like discovering awesome new bands as much as I do, be sure to follow Punk Rock Radar on Instagram and YouTube, and keep tabs on their Upcoming Release Calendar.
Here’s our video for July (let us know what your favorite releases of the month were in the YouTube comments):
DIESEL BOY Gets Old
Comeback album of the year? Diesel Boy returns with their first new record in over 20 years! Gets Old is on brand with nothing but fun, sarcastic, melodic punk songs. Standout tracks include “Dirty Dishes”, “The Finnish Line”, and the closing track “Two Stones”, which is a beautiful tribute to the late Tony Sly.
BORDERLINES Keep Pretending
Portland, Maine’s Borderlines release their debut album 10 years after the band started. Keep Pretending is a laid back pop-punk record for fans of The Methadones, The Copyrights, The Gamits, etc. It kinda reminds me of Warning era Green Day a bit, but less depressing. Good driving music.
PAPERBACK TRAGEDY 8!
Dying Scene Band Spotlight alumni / Baltimore melodic punks Paperback Tragedy return with their second new record in as many years. 8! continues where Threeshe! left off with another masterclass in Epifat style rapid-fire skate punk.
THE HAERMORRHOIDS At the Earth’s Core
Listen up, Ramonescore fans! This is the subgenre’s best album of the year. Hamburg, Germany’s Haermorrhoids rip through 16 songs in 28 minutes. No frills, no bullshit, these guys aren’t fucking around. The whole record is killer but my favorite songs are “Time Warp Incest”, “Captain Isolation”, and the title track. For fans of Screeching Weasel, The Lillingtons, Chixdiggit, The Queers, etc.
BEAT THE SMART KIDS Hot Death
Hailing from the windy city, Chicago ska-punks Beat the Smart Kids buck the genre’s recent trends and stick to their more traditional third wave sound. Check out their new record Hot Death if you like Mustard Plug, MU330, or Skankin’ Pickle. Standout tracks include “Twist the Knife”, “Counterfeit”, and “Into the Galaxy”.
WRONG LIFE / PAPER TIGERS Last Words of an Optimist
Wrong Life is one of The Murderburgers’ frontman Fraser Murderburger’s current projects. The band just released a new record a few months ago, so I was surprised when I saw this split with fellow Edinburgh, Scotland residents Paper Rifles pop up on Spotify. The two new Wrong Life songs on here are great, and this is my first time hearing Paper Rifles – their songs are great, too – I’ll have to check out their back catalog.
DUCKBOY tragic love songs to study to (vol. 5)
Duckboy is kinda mysterious, I can’t find anything about them song social media, and I think it’s probably a one man band. Anyway, there are seven tracks on their debut EP but most of them are these bullshit little interludes. The three that are actual songs are pretty fucking good. I’m not a fan of this kind of “Defend Pop-Punk” style pop-punk but this is really listenable. “XXL hadron collider” is a bad ass song.
Making Friends – “Heroes Die”
“Heroes Die” is the latest single from Brighton, UK skate punks Making Friends’ upcoming album Fine Dying. This is quintessential skate punk for fans of Lagwagon, No Use For A Name, NOFX, and all the other usual suspects.
7 Years Bad Luck – “Another Life”
Austrian punks 7 Years Bad Luck return with their first new album in six years! 2017’s Great, Big, Nothing is a hard act to follow but these guys are up to the task. “Another Life” is the second single from No Shame (that’s their new record – we’ll talk about it next month!). This song reminds me a lot of Pulley’s “Hooray for Me” – I dare you to listen to it and tell me you disagree.
MxPx – “Stay Up All Night”
MxPx is one of my favorite bands of all time, so even though the leadoff single from their upcoming album Find A Way Home is a bit lackluster, I’ve gotta include it on my best of July list. “Stay Up All Night” is a serviceable, radio ready song, which is why it’s kinda confusing they chose it as the first single. Regardless, I’m excited for the new record – I think the best is yet to come.
Mustard Plug – “Fall Apart”
Mustard Plug’s got a new record on the way, too! Where Did All My Friends Go? is due out September 8th on Bad Time Records. The lead single “Fall Apart” reminds me a lot of the band’s 2007 album In Black and White. I’m looking forward to hearing more!
Judo CHOP! – “Conquer”
Death, taxes, People of Punk Rock Records putting out killer melodic punk. Judo CHOP!’s new single “Conquer” is an absolute banger. Lookout for the Aussie melodic punks’ new record coming later this year on People of Punk Rock.
Swill – “Delicate Subject”
What’s that? You thought the People of Punk Rock fellating was done? Of course not! They also went and signed a band from my home state, Jacksonville, FL’s Swill. This is the lead single from their new record Delicate Subjects, which comes out on August 18th. These guys simply do not miss.
Marked Out – “Distance”
Bakersfield, CA’s Marked Out plays early 2000’s inspired pop-punk. “Distance” is the first single from their new EP Never Enough. Recommended if you like Allister, The Movielife, Slick Shoes, etc.
The Subjunctives – “Goodbye I Will Not Miss You, You Dicks”
The Subjunctives are an old school pop-punk band from Seattle, fronted by Ean Hernandez from Sicko. This is the lead single from their sophomore album Let’s Try This Again, which is due out on September 16th. For fans of 90’s pop-punk.
Anywho, that concludes the July installment of the column. Thanks for checking it out! Keep your eyes glued to Dying Scene for all things punk rock and follow our friends Punk Rock Radar on Instagram, YouTube, etc. Join us again next month!
Legendary UK Street Punks, GBH are preparing for a US Tour and they’re kicking things off at PRB 2023 followed promptly by a show at the historic Fonda Theatre in LA before heading further South/East across the Colonies! Now, that’s class, innit, blokes?!? Get out an see these gaffers before they become pensioners and move […]
Legendary UK Street Punks, GBH are preparing for a US Tour and they’re kicking things off at PRB 2023 followed promptly by a show at the historic Fonda Theatre in LA before heading further South/East across the Colonies! Now, that’s class, innit, blokes?!? Get out an see these gaffers before they become pensioners and move to Spain (that’s about it for our British slang/knowledge). Dates below!
May 28 – Punk Rock Bowling – Las Vegas, NV May 31 – Fonda Theater – Los Angeles, CA Jun 1 – House of Blues – San Diego, CA Jun 3 – Crescent Ballroom – Phoenix, AZ Jun 6 – The Rock Box – San Antonio, TX Jun 7 – Trees – Dallas, TX Jun 8 – Empire Control Room – Austin, TX Jun 11 – The Masquerade – Atlanta, GA Jun 12 – Music Farm – Charleston, SC
GBH will re-release their first three records- Leather, Bristles, No Survivors And Sick Boys…, City Baby Attacked by Rats and City Bay's Revenge. The new versions include redesigned heavy gatefold sleeves, liner notes, extensive period photos and poster. Those are out via PNV records, the label associated with California's Radiation Records, at the end of this month.
The Exploited are a Scottish punk rock band from Edinburgh, formed in 1978. They have been known for their lyrics about anarchy, politics and anti-authority.
GBH have announced fall tour dates for the US and Canada. Niis will be joining them on all dates. Tickets go on sale Friday, July 28. GBH released Momentum in 2017. Check out the dates below.
GBH have announced tour dates for the US to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their album City Baby’s Revenge. The Chisel and Niis will be joining them on the majority of dates. GBH released Momentum in 2017. Check out the dates below.
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!!