…is(or at least should be) Winnipeg’s Sights & Sounds. Yes, singer Andrew Neufeld has a long history with Comeback Kid and Figure Four, but please, put those associations behind you, because S&S are colossus-sized melodic rock at its pinnacle. Rolling through Ottawa on tour with Misery Signals and Dead and Divine, a member of one of the other bands looked me straight in the eye and said, “They’re the best band on the tour. They should be playing with Foo Fighters.” Hard-pressed to disagree; the band’s first tour saw them still fleshing out a few songs from their debut EP in 2007 - that’s long gone now, leaving behind a wiry heaviness that drops jaws as well as jams. Go to their myspace and listen. Buy their album(s). Support one of the best things going.
In a sharp U-turn now, Darkest Hour’s new album The Eternal Return is streaming on their Myspace page. It will destroy you. How is it that to this day I’ve never seen them live?? [absolutepunk]
Another one of the best bands to walk the earth, Gasoline Heart, have put up almost all of the songs from their impending new album, Nostalgia Ain’t What It Used To Be. They’re releasing the new record digitally on Tuesday, with a CD release coming later this summer on P Is For Panda Records.
Gasoline Heart (Cornerstone Fest '07)
(photo: sweetdisaster)
One of the seminal bands of my youth, but I still can’t find myself caring: the Offspring are working on their next album.
Amazing as it still sounds, Alice In Chains(no joke), replete with new lead singer and driven as always by guitarist Jerry Cantrell, are releasing their first album in almost fifteen years, Black Gives Way to Blue. The record will come out at the end of September, and you can see a teaser video for the first single over here. Has it really been so long since Layne Staley died?
Evidently it’s for real - one of the worst offenders of the late-’90s Max Martin boy-band manufacturing line, LFO, are back together and touring. Wow.
One of the best -and briefest - tenured bands of the last ten years was Beloved, from North Carolaaahna. They only released one proper album(2003’s Failure On) and an early demo, but made a real impact during their short time touring. They broke up several years ago already, but vocalist Josh Moore has always made music on his own, and he’s a got a new project on iTunes, called Endlessly. Some guys just know how to write songs.Â
Mute Math evidently have had enough of recording their new album Armistice(due this summer), and they’re hitting the bricks for a huge number of shows. Took ‘em long enough! Let’s go, fellas!
I don’t really care much about most indie rock - or the labels that put it out(goes without saying, but I just said that). All kidding(and matters of personal taste) aside, Polyvinyl, a longstanding label out of the great state of Illinois, have run into a bit of a storage problem - namely, they’ve run out of space to store stuff. Their warehouse says they wanna put ten thousand albums to the torch to clear out some needed room, and understandably, the kids at Polyvinyl views this as a travesty second only to Susan Boyle being gypped on that television show(telly?) show two weeks ago. They’ve set up a multi-tiered get-way-more-than-you-pay-for scheme, and as of tonight over a hundred and forty customers have lined up to cash in on the sweet deals. [Paste]
One of the best live bands you will ever see, the greater Toronto area’s Moneen, are following up an EP they released earlier this year with a new album, called The World I Want to Leave Behind. Vagrant will put it out in September, and the band say they’ve over the ‘techy’ thing they were known for early on(crazy time signatures, crazy dynamics). “We have nothing to prove,” says a press release this week. “Now it comes down to writing a good, simple song. Still, we have trouble doing that sometimes. I don’t know how it happens, but the simplest song can turn into craziness once we start working on it.” If you’ve ever had the chance to hang out with Moneen, that last sentence makes a lot more sense. I once saw singer Kenny Bridges ride my friend Jon around the room like a horse during a Moneen set a decade or so ago. That is all. [punknews]
For you local(Ottawa) readers, there’s a bit of a rock show happening tomorrow night(Friday the 19th): Misery Signals will headline to devastate you with songs from their best album yet, Controller. Dead and Divine will slay us all. Openers Sights and Sounds, whose new album Monolith is getting absolute raves from everywhere, open the show to display for us all why Winnipeg is the best city anywhere ever. Babylon, 317 Bank Street downtown, all the info here. Plenty of tickets remain! C’mon out!
Misery Signals
(photo: sweetdisaster)
I happened to catch Street Sweeper Social Club on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon last night - pretty badass, as anything associated with Rage Against the Machine guitar whiz Tom Morello tends to be(minus Audioslave, who were a blip, a mistake, c’mon, give the guy a mulligan). It’s Tom, MC Boots Riley from The Coup and their band - and they tore it up on national TV last night. Check out the performance:
Toronto rapper K-os recently did something interesting: a pay-what-you-will tour. People showed up and either before, during or after the show, paid what they felt the show was worth. Well, the numbers are in - the average admission paid by the willing masses? Six bucks, according to Billboard and K-os’ manager Terry McBride. That’s pretty lousy, even in a tough economy.
K-os, Capital Music Hall(Ottawa) - 2007
(photo: sweetdisaster)
Before you complain about how busy your life, consider a guy we mentioned yesterday: Jack White. This guy, aside from being in a new documentary, is also working on a new White Stripes record, prepping for a summer tour with his new band Dead Weather, and getting ready to release a Stripes’ doc about their Canadian tour last year(they played a gig in every last province - not a trivial undertaking). I don’t think Jack White sleeps.
Any excuse to mention the masterful Weakerthans is a valid one: the band are heading out west for a tour with Broken Social Scenester Jason Collett, and in advance of that putting out an iTunes EP containing five tunes(three from Reunion Tour, two from Fallow) that they recorded at Metalworks down in the Toronto area. It’ll be released June 30th.
Good interview with Warped majordomo Kevin Lyman by punknews, touching on a number of issues, but mostly whether or not Lyman is a sellout. I personally do not think he is.
I have to admit it - when I first read that Against Me! drummer Warren Oakes was quitting to focus on his Mexican restaurant, I thought it might be a belated April Fool’s gag or something. Nope, it’s for real - and AM!’s new beater of objects is none other than…well, a kindred spirit: Hot Water Music’s George Rebelo has joined Against Me!. I predict only smashing success!
The Glasshouse in Pomona, California is the place to be in August - the 14th and 15th, respectively, will see reunion shows from seminal Christian hardcore bands the Crucified and Focused. Nothing more really needs to be said, so here are some pictures from waaaay back in the day…oh wait, there are no pictures - not easily found on the Goggle anyway. [theprp]
Speaking of seminal Christian bands, Living Sacrifice will eventually get around to releasing that long-awaited first album in years; they’re getting it mixed and mastered this summer by some high-powered dudes, and getting it to the unwashed masses this fall. I still can’t wait, though the wait has almost lessened my interest. Enough’s enough - let’s have it already!
Good news for fans of a great band that inspired a lot of really lousy ones: some recent Tweets from Glassjaw singer Daryl Palumbo would indicate that a new EP from the band is done - like this one: “Beck and I are sitting in his car listening to the new Glassjaw EP that we’ve just completed. Sh*t SLAMS.” Good enough proof for me.
I was strolling through the mall yesterday and happened to see a massive Jonas Brothers posted in the sole remaining nationwide music retailer in Canada(hint: it starts with H), and next to it an equally-massive poster for Alexisonfire’s new record. It brought me back to 2002, when AoF were in Ottawa for the first time in a divey quasi-club downtown, and Dallas Green(I think it was Dallas) kicked a hole in the wall, incurring the wrath of the guy running the show. They were peddling a two-song sampler, black with pink font, and all of us were wondering who the hell this ‘Alex Is On Fire’ band was. Ah, memories. Anyway, the band’s newest, Old Crows/Young Cardinals, can be streamed(the whole thing!) over here. Signup required, but a small price to pay, I daresay.
One of the bands that has best done(not to say ‘cashed in on’)Â the current hot thing - metalcore - have a new album coming in July; August Burns Red(farm kids from rural Pennsylvania) will release their third album Constellations on the 14th of next month, and a new tune called ‘Thirty And Seven’ is on their myspace.
ABR at Babylon Nightclub in Ottawa, 2006
(photo: sweetdisaster)
Thrice are either super-prolific, or just good at creating that impression - because it seems like every month they’re doing something new, and I for one am not complaining. They’ll release Beggars, their new album, this October. Dustin Kensrue said recently, “I think we are at most times deluded in thinking that we are totally responsible for our circumstances, but in the end almost everything is beyond our control to a high degree, and we can’t even be sure we will wake up. Whether you believe that God created you for a purpose, or that the world is governed by blind chance, everything in life is a gift at its core; we are beggars all.” I can’t wait.
Does anyone still get excited for a new record from Poison the Well? I remember when Opposite of December and Tear From the Red were some of the biggest shizzles going…anyway, The Tropic Rot, PtW’s newest, comes out July 7th on Ferret(great label - hi Carl!), and ‘Cinema’ can be checked out aurally on their myspace page.
Brad PtW - Warped tour, 2007
 (photo: sweetdisaster)
Know who’s friggin’ ridiculous? A Textbook Tragedy - not one of the higher-profile bands going(especially being Canadian), but their skill level is very high. I quite enjoy them. Anyway, they’ve got a new EP coming soon, and a new song online. You’d do well to investigate.
It had to have been done deliberately: a new documentary is making the film-fest rounds, called It Might Get Loud, and featuring(steady now) Jimmy Page, The Edge and Jack White, three of the best guitar players of the last three generations. Check out the trailer:
Ben Harper, besides being one of my favourite artists, is also something of a philanthropist! He was interviewed recently by Ottawa Citizen music journo Lynn Saxberg, and during the course of the conversation, it came up that Harper’s family has owned a music store in his hometown in California for over fifty years.  Mrs. Saxberg mentioned having a couple of children in elementary school, one thing led to another, and Harper wound up shipping forty ukeleles(forty!) to Manordale Public here in Ottawa for the kids to use. That is just fantastic. Harper and his new band, Relentless7, are playing the Ottawa Bluesfest this summer.
Ben Harper
Everyone alive who does not live under a rock in the Amazon basin has heard ‘Lucy In the Sky with Diamonds,’ one of the Beatles‘ biggest hits off the Sgt. Pepper album, and though there’s been much speculation about the origins of the tune(most suspect heavy LSD use), the titular Lucy is a very real person - and struggling. Lucy Vodden, now 46, was a childhood friend of John Lennon’s son Julian, who is now a musician in his father’s footsteps. Vodden was diagnosed with lupus five years ago, and Julian got wind of her ordeal and got back in touch. He sent Lucy certificates for a local garden centre, since gardening is one of the few things she loves to do that she’s also well enough for. And get this - she’s not really a fan of her song! Love it.
                                   Mastodon over here
                                   Dead and Divinehere (signup required)
Wow, some dudes have no soul at all: Nuclear Blast and Metal Blade, two of the most widely-respected record labels in the underground, are issuing a warning about some guys - in several different US states - approaching unsigned bands outside venues claiming to represent one of the above record companies, and offering all kinds of promises(ranging from record deals to studio time to OzzFest slots). It’s a scam, kids - so check out what the two labels had to say right here. [lambgoat]
It’s funny - until it happens to you. Quebec’s Kataklysm, fresh off two kickass shows in Russia(the band’s first time there), had some excitement upon their return to north America, involving a case of mistaken identity. Poor J-F - read singer Mauricio’s account of their travails here.
Soul Embraced released a new album(Dead Alive) last year, their first since well before guitarist Rocky Gray was booted out of/left Evanescence a few years ago, and now another obstacle will have to be overcome: guitarist Devin Castle has left the band - but on good terms. We’re allll friends here. Soul E will find another guitarist and make more music next year.
Much like The Fall of Troy, it’s hard to believe Wrench In the Works make so much technical, structured noise with just three dudes playing, but it’s true - check out their debut album Lost Art of Heaping Coal for proof. However, now they’re down to a duo for a time, as guitarist vocalist Justin has left the band on hiatus to deal with some personal matters. Wrench will continue on, working in part with Life In Your Way(man I miss them)’s Dave Swanson towards a new record on Facedown this fall.
Some bands are just more. You know what I mean? Bands like Rise Against advocating for veganism, Jars of Clay creating the Blood:Water Mission for clean water in Africa(now supported by Thrice, among others), Strike Anywhere’s tireless work for animal-rights causes and inner-city renewal - and Christian-contemporary-music castoffs Mae are putting helping others first too. They’re without a label, barely employ a publicist and are determined to learn the best of the old system while creating a new one to get their name and work out there. Great interview with singer Dave Elkin right here - worth the read.
It’s a red-letter day…okay the pun is over: Get Up Kids have announced a bunch of US and European tour dates! Aside from Matt Pryor’s New Amsterdams, I’m not quite sure what the other GUKs have been up to lately, but it’s all in for the ’90s emo legends now, baby. Here be the dates. [buzzgrinder]
In another piece of crap-your-pants-holy-wow possible-reunion news, well, here.
I’ll leave you tonight with…well, I just have to. Limp Bizkit’s first north American show in eight years? It goes July 10th at Mandalay Bay Beach, as part of…UFC 100. Aaaaahahahahaha *uproarious, vomiting laughter ensues* They sure know how to pick their spots/demographics. Hope for their sake backwards ballcaps are still in fashion…wonder if Fred Durst knows how to pop his collar?
…for my beloved Toronto Blue Jays, losers of nine straight heading into tonight’s series opener with the division-leading Boston Red Sox. ‘Course, they weren’t leading the division on Victoria Day here in Canada, two weeks ago, before Toronto completely forgot how to execute the hitting game. Argh.
Better news - at least for the shoegazers out there. Starflyer 59, by far one of the most prolific and stable rock bands existing(who else has been with the same label since their inception fifteen years ago?), are putting out a double-CD album this summer, called Ghosts of the Past. As you can probably infer from the title, it’s a best-of, sorta, consisting of b-sides, demos, songs that didn’t make albums, etc etc. It will be out July 28th. [IVM]
I had no idea - and I still wonder if maybe it’s a put-on - but apparently Josh Kindle of The Chariot was at one point the mascot for the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs! Not that it helped on the field at all - KC’s been awful for several years now. But still! Read all about it. [TE]
A great tour is going on this summer(I know, stunning - tours in the summertime? NO WAY!): Set Your Goals and Polar Bear Club are hitting the brix alongside newcomers Fireworks and Four Year Strong. You can see if they’re coming to your town over here.
The Dillinger Escape Plan have jumped ship from Relapse Records, their longtime label home, choosing to partner now with Seasons of Mist. [lambgoat] And now, a picture of guitarist Ben Weinman with puppies.
Awwww
 Not that I’m a huge fan of Weezer, but this funny enough that I feel compelled to mention it: you’re all familiar with Weezer, and you’re all hopefully equally familiar with Snuggies - the little onesies babies wear? Well, the two have combined for - you guessed - Wuggies. “A Wuggie is basically exactly like a Snuggie, except it says Weezer on it,” says Rivers Cuomo. “The people at Snuggie are doing it with us and promoting it with us. It’s a totally legit Snuggie.” Proof:
…and nothing says summer like the RVA: Richmond, Virginia’s Strike Anywhere - one of the best - have signed with Boston’s Bridge Nine Records, putting an end to their one-album stint with Fat Wreck(2006’s Dead FM). By the way, if you get a chance to see Strike A live, do it(see pic below for proof of why). [decoy]
Strike A singer Thomas Barnett
We’ve waited a while for new music from Billy Talent - and finally they’ve obliged: check out a new joint called ‘Rusted From the Rain.’
Not because I’ve heard much of their recent material aside from the radio singles, but because I respect the hell out of them after all these years: check out the new Rise Againstvideo.
Some of the nicest dudes alive - and their new record title is as long and similarly-constructed as the Chariot’s debut! You can stream the entire new mewithoutYou record right here.
I don’t care who says what to me on facebook - I thought Blink-182 were not that good on Leno last week. Obviously, Rolling Stone fawned in their quickie review, saying among other things that Tom DeLonge’s voice has become better, a ‘mature croon.’ No thanks.
Four Year Strong’s new record, Explains It All, will feature guest appearances from folks associated with Gym Class Heroes, Less Than Jake and Every Time I Die. The album comes out in stores July 21st, but I’m sure everyone’s already ripped it off from Soulseek.
Speaking of new records - for the first time in many years, I purchased a new Green Day album this week. 21st Century Breakdown is pretty damn good, I have to say. Worth a listen, regardless of whether you’re a radio kid or someone who(like me) was introduced to punk by Dookie in 1994.
Alkaline Trio - who have got time to waste! - have left Epic Records after two albums. The next recording will be a true-blue “punk” record.
True to form, I paid no attention whatsoever to the latest season of American Idol, but I know that Kris Allen’s win over Adam Lambert was apparently some sort of world-shattering travesty - but Lambert can take heart: one of the biggest rock bands of thirty years ago may be looking to recruit him. [Billboard]
A huge congratulations to the loyal readership of our friends over at Paste mag, who have so far kicked in over $150,000 after an editorial saying the magazine would have to shut its doors without help from the masses. That is huge. Handshakes all around!
Due no doubt to his(monstrous) new deal with the monolithic LiveNation, Jay-Z has officially severed ties with his longtime label, Def Jam. Over eleven years, the partnership yielded one of hip-hop’s most impressive and consistent discographies — including the  2001 classic The Blueprint.
I have seen A Walk to Remember, and I do remember her earliest sugar-coated musical offerings, but say what you will: Mandy Moore is still hot.
It’s barely a week away now! Conan O’Brien makes his return to late-night TV(and my heart!) June 1st, and it’s come out that comedian and longtime friend Will Ferrell will join him to begin his tenue on The Tonight Show, as well as Pearl Jam, who will play some new stuff. Red-letter day!
Giants Stadium in Jersey is scheduled for demolition later this year to make room for the New York Football Giants’ brand-new home, but not before a local hero officially bids the joint adieu. Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band will say goodbye, with three shows beginning September 30th and running through October 2nd. Who better, really? [RS]
It was only a matter of time before someone made a movie about this, um, unsavoury topic. One of the biggest movies of 2008 was Twilight, the second(third?) in Stephanie Meyer’s vampire trilogy(or not a trilogy?). As you can perhaps tell, I’ve never read the books nor seen the movies - but Jackson Rathbone, a previous unknown who shot to fame in Twilight, is going to appear in Lords of Chaos, a film in which he’ll play Varg Vikernes, former frontman for Norwegian black-metal band Burzum. Vikernes(the real one) was just recently released from prison in his homeland, after serving over a decade for the 1993 murder of Mayhem guitarist Oystein Aarseth (a.k.a. Euronymous), as well as the torching of three churches. Unsurprisingly, he torched(no pun intended) the book upon its release several years ago.
My beloved Toronto Blue Jays as of this writing are sitting pretty at 27-14, leading the American League East division, and about to being a huge three-game set tomorrow night versus the Boston Red Sox. By the end of Thursday, we’ll know how legit the Jays actually are in 2009. I hope for big things! And miraculously, our television provider has picked up TSN2, the network’s secondary feed - so I can watch the games! Woo!
A while ago, we mentioned a legal fracas brewing between Ticketmaster and various pissed-off plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit(among them, The Boss and other high-profile types) that has now spread into Canada. Three provinces(Ontario, Alberta and Manitoba) have outlawed ticket-reselling, but that hasn’t stopped TM and it’s ’sister company TicketsNow from straight-up ripping off a number of folks for extraordinary amounts of money. My local daily had a solid story on the ongoing saga in today’s paper. It becomes increasingly clear why Pearl Jam boycotted Ticketmaster years ago, and why my boss calls the company Ticketbastard.
Did you know NBC news anchor and general man-about-town Brian Williams is a huge indie-rock nerd? I never would have guessed, though he is tight with Conan O’Brien - a huge White Stripes fan, so much so that he had them perform at his last taping of Late Night in February. Anyway, Williams - and another prominent news anchor on another network - both have new gigs as music bloggers. Hooray for multitasking! [USA Today]
They call Brian Williams 'America's secret boyfriend'
The much-anticipated collaboration between producer Danger Mouse, filmmaker David Lynch and indie-rockers Sparklehorse has been canned due to legal issues. It’s called Dark Night of the Soul, featuring contributions from members of the Shins, the Strokes, Flaming Lips, Iggy Pop and tons more - but EMI Music, which has threatened to sue the pants off of DM(real name Brian Burton), has intervened. Instead of music, buyers will now get a blank CD-R with their purchase with instructions to use it as they will. A statement from Danger Mouse’s people says, “Due to an ongoing dispute with EMI, Danger Mouse is unable to release the recorded music for Dark Night Of The Soul without fear of being sued by EMI.” This almost certainly goes back to The Grey Album, a brilliant mashup record Danger Mouse did in 2004, when he combined Jay-Z’s Black Album with the Beatles‘ seminal White Album - the rights for which are controlled by? You guessed it - EMI.
From Gnarls Barkley to MF Doom to everyone else - it's Danger Mouse
Stumbled across a fascinating article today about anAmerican Idol knockoff - for Islamic believers. A media guy in Egypt recently staged a competition much like the world-beating U.S. version, but for obvious reasons, there’s a lot of resistance towards the idea, even though the creator of the show insists he just wants to try and ‘modernize’ Muslim thinking. There are a few aspects to the story that are very reminiscent of the fight to legitimize Christian music and Christian rock over the last three decades or so, both in the eyes of the world and the ever-judgmental church. The full account can be read here.Â
Say what you will about their old stuff versus their newer material, but Copeland have proved two things: firstly, they don’t really give a crap what the kids think, preferring instead to follow their own muse and secondly, they are increasingly proficient musicians, as their latest album, You Are My Sunshine, suggests. And the band are gonna showcase it this summer, touring the States with Sherwood and Anchor & Braille in July. For once, Anberlin aren’t on the Warped tour, meaning singer Stephen and his A&B side project can spread its touring wings. Check the interwebz for tourdates. [AP]
One of the absolute best tours of the summer - and no Ottawa date(yet). Bummer. The Ten For $10 Tour, designed with the rough economy in mind and aiming to enlarge the waning crowds at hardcore shows the last few years, features a few different legendary headliners on various legs of the journey, including Poison the Well(who will do the entire thing), Madball, Bane and Vision of Disorder. Also on the bill in various placesa? Oh man - Death Before Dishonor, War Of Ages, Crime In Stereo, Trapped Under Ice, The Ghost Inside, This Is Hell and more. The dates:
7/9 Philadelphia, PA @ The Trocadero
7/10 New York, NY @ Terminal 5
7/11 Baltimore, MD @ Sonar
7/12 Jacksonville, NC @ Hooligans
7/13 Knoxville, TN @ Valarium
7/14 Louisville, KY @ Headliners Music Hall
7/15 Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade
7/16 New Orleans, LA @ The Hanger
7/17 Houston, TX @ Java Jazz
7/18 San Antonio, TX @ White Rabbit
7/19 Dallas, TX @ The Max
7/21 Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theater
7/22 Pomona, CA @ Glasshouse
7/23 San Francisco, CA @ The Grand Ballroom
7/24 Los Angeles, CA @ House Of Blues
7/25 Chico, CA @ Senator Theater
7/26 Seattle, WA @ King Cat Theater
7/28 Edmonton, AB @ Starlite
7/29 Calgary, AB @ Warehouse
7/31 St. Paul, MN @ Station 4
8/1 Kansas City, MO @ Midland Theater
8/2 Denver, CO @ Gothic Theater
8/4 Chicago, IL @ Metro
8/5 Grand Rapids, MI @ Intersection
8/7 Clifton Park, NY @ Northern Lights
8/8 Sayreville, NJ @ Starland Ballroom
8/9 Worcester, MA @ Palladium 8/10 Montreal, QC @ Fou Founes
8/11 Toronto, ON @ Opera House 8/12 Detroit, MI @ The Majestic
8/13 Cleveland, OH @ Peabody’s
8/14 Buffalo, NY @ Xtreme Wheels
If you have a chance to see Boston straight-edge favourites Have Heart on their current tour with Shipwreck A.D., make sure you catch them - because after that (long) tour ends, H2 are done. “Once the fall rolls around, we can’t really do this band the way we would prefer to anymore,” a statement from the band says. “Knowing this deadline of ours, and having a whole world tour already booked, we’d like to take advantage of the chance to say goodbye to all the people we have met around the world over the years. So, please come check us out in the remaining months on our little trip around the globe.” Find the tourdates online(they’re going everywhere).
Have Heart
New Junk Aesthetic is the title of the new Every Time I Die record, due out this fall on their new label, Epitaph Records.
Someone did some digging for this: with all the hoopla surrounding 21st Century Breakdown, Green Day’s brand-new record(hit the world last week), their website now features their very first interview.
What’s old is new again - officially. Blink-182 will headline a tour this summer with openers and fellow geezers Weezer(that rhymes!) and the next generation in Fall Out Boy. Blink’s Mark Hoppus told the press, “We’re being as ambitious as possible.” Rumour has it All-American Rejects will also be part of the package. [MTV]
From pop-punk - to real punk(and post-hardcore, and grunge, and yeah): check out Aversion.com’s great feature on the 10 best punk albums of the 1990s! Highlights include Fugazi, Nirvana and more.
This sounds like a hell of a festival going on in Kitchener this summer: the Cutting Edge music festival goes August 1st-2nd, with headliners Protest the Hero and the Roots(as well as a surprise headliner on day 2). Other acts include - in part - Ten Second Epic(whose new album Homecoming is solid), Moneen, The Bronx, Lady Sovereign, Kingdoms and Beastie Boys‘ DJ Mixmaster Mike - I LOVE eclectic lineups! There’s no website just yet(they’re relaunching), but watch for that soon. [chartattack]
One thing I’m always asked about when I’m traveling in the United States and people discover I’m a Canadian: “Do you like Degrassi??” The long-running Canadian-made series has gotten a foothold south of the border, thanks in part no doubt to high-profile fans like filmmaker Kevin Smith…and Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz, who will actually appear in the new Degrassi movie, filmed in Toronto and Lost Angels last fall and set to appear on CTV this summer. It’s called Degrassi Goes Hollywood, following the kids as they seek fame and fortune in California. I probably won’t watch, but y’know.
Exciting news! Wilco: The Album is streaming on the band’s website! The CD comes out June 30th, but if you can’t wait, their Ashes of American Flags DVD came out last month, so you can go find that.
I work casually for these clowns (just kidding, Shawn and Dave), but one show I didn’t have to work was several years ago when Ministry rolled through Ottawa with tractor-trailers’ worth of sound and light equipment. I’ve heard stories over the years of how miserable that was for my colleagues…but it’s all forgiven, because Al Jourgensen is a huge hockey fan! His young Blackhawks are, by the way, gonna fight for the NHL’s western-conference title and a trip the Stanley Cup finals.
With the new X-Men flick out - I believe it’s something to do with a wolverine - Relevant mag did a Q&A with the film’s director, Ralph Winter(a Christian filmmaker - who knew?); check it out.
sweetdisaster chief Manic Mike rules your FM dial 7-11 (EST) Mon. - Thurs., bringing you the punk/metal/hXc from 7 to midnight on Friday nights and spinning four hours of hip-hop/urban/dance Saturdays from 7-11 - listen live online!
