by Andrew Sacher

Bad Religion at Irving Plaza in 2010 (more by Keith Marlowe)

Melodic punks Bad Religion will release their sixteenth album, True North, on January 22 via Epitaph, but have just revealed an advance stream of the entire thing which you can listen to below. It doesn't sound too different from the other records they've done since reuniting with Brett Gurewitz (everything from 2002's The Process of Belief on) which is probably a good thing if you're a Bad Religion fan, and it's pretty impressive for any band to be doing 30+ years into their career.

Bad Religion will support the album on a tour with Against Me! and Polar Bear Club this March and April. That tour hits NYC at Terminal 5 on March 26. Tickets for the NYC show go on sale Friday (1/18) at noon. UPDATE: They also play a NYC area show on March 23 at Wellmont Theatre and tickets for that show go on sale Friday (1/18) at noon.

Against Me! are also planning a new album this year, called Transgender Dysphoria Blues, which is still without an exact release date. You can watch a video of Laura Jane Grace performing the title track at a solo show below.

That video, a list of all currently known dates and the album stream below...

Continue reading "Bad Religion streaming new LP, announce tour w/ Against Me! (dates, stream)"

Video below...

Continue reading "Watch MTV interview Against Me!'s Laura Jane Grace (formerly Tom Gabel) about style"

Please welcome the third annual Rock Lottery to Knitting Factory on December 1st:

The premise is simple, but effective. Twenty-five hand picked musicians meet at 10:00AM at the evenings performance venue. These volunteers are organized into five groups through a lottery-based chance selection. The five separate groups are then released to practice at different locations. The musicians have twelve hours to create a band name and three to five songs (with a one cover-song limit). The groups will then perform what they have created that evening in front of a waiting audience.

2012 lineup for Rock Lottery and video from previous events are below.

Continue reading "Members of My Morning Jacket, Against Me!, Hospitality and more participating in third-annual "Rock Lottery""

Baroness at Terminal 5 in May (more by Joe McCabe)

Earlier this week, we posted an update from Baroness showing that things were looking upwards for the band. Unfortunately though, with two members having broken vertebrae and frontman John Baizely having a broken arm and leg, it doesn't come as much of a surprise that Baroness have in fact cancelled some of their upcoming North American tour dates, including their NYC show at House of Vans and LA's FYF Fest. They will not be replaced on the House of Vans lineup, which happens on August 29 and now just includes Turbonegro, Doomriders, and Nightbirds. This is a bummer but it makes sense that the band takes the time they need to recover, and we wish them a speedy and successful recovery!

Meanwhile, FYF Fest, which Wild Flag also dropped off of, recently expanded its lineup. It now features The Faint (who just announced they'll be reissuing Danse Macabre and touring the album), Glass Candy, King Tuff, and newcomers The Orwells. Tickets for FYF Fest are still available. The updated lineup and flier are below.

Continue reading "Baroness dropped off House of Vans and FYF Fest, who added bands (updated lineup)"

After teasing folks with a few names here and there -- like Run DMC most recently -- Austin's annual Fun Fun Fun Fest (Nov 2 - 4) has revealed it's full line-up, including Public Image Ltd, De La Soul, Superchunk, Santigold, Refused, X peforming Los Angeles, and lots, lots more. 3-day passes go on sale at 10AM CST.

Full FFF Fest lineup is below.

Continue reading "Fun Fun Fun Fest full lineup (De La Soul, Refused, Fucked Up, Public Image Ltd, Santigold, Sharon Van Etten, Rakim, X, Converge, Japandroids & more)"

FYF Fest. September 1st and 2nd, 2012
At the LA State Historic Park, Los Angeles, CA
Tickets are $77 and go on sale Friday June 22nd.

Quicksand recently reunited at Revelation Records' 25th Anniversary on the West Coast, and I would't be surprised if they do the same at Irving Plaza in October.

American Nightmare has two shows coming up at Webster Hall.

Full FYF lineup, in alphabetical order, below...

Continue reading "FYF Fest 2012 lineup: Quicksand, Refused, American Nightmare, Desaparecidos, M83, Hot Snakes & MUCH more"

Following in the footsteps of Life of Agony's Keith Caputo (who now goes by Mina), Against Me! frontman Tom Gabel is coming out as transgender. Rolling Stone reports:

Against Me! singer Tom Gabel reveals plans to begin living as a woman in the new issue of Rolling Stone. Gabel, who has dealt privately with gender dysphoria for years, will soon begin the process of transition, by taking hormones and undergoing electrolysis treatments.

Gabel will eventually take the name Laura Jane Grace, and will remain married to her wife Heather. "For me, the most terrifying thing about this was how she would accept the news," says Gabel. "But she's been super-amazing and understanding."

Tom recently played two shows in NYC as part of the Revival Tour with Chuck Ragan and others.

Chuck Ragan's band Hot Water Music has some shows coming up and a new album.

The Cult @ Waterloo Records, SXSW 2012 (photo by onetonaden)

The Cult, who made their return with a few shows at SXSW in March (complete with guest bongo player Matthew McConaughy), and who have a new album called Choice of Weapon being released on on May 22, have announced a tour with youngsters Against Me! and The Icarus Line as support. That tour will visit Terminal 5 on June 8th. Tickets for the NYC show are going on AmEx presale now, with general sale beginning Thursday at noon.

All dates are listed, along with a stream of the new LP's first single, below...

Continue reading "The Cult announce tour w/ Against Me! & the Icarus Line, played SXSW, releasing new LP (dates & song stream)"

Revival Tour-mates (photo by daveysaurusrex)

At some point the Chuck Ragan-led Revival Tour added a 2nd NYC show, which still has tickets available, happening after the sold out first one tonight (3/30). Playing the late show is: Chuck Ragan (of Hot Water Music), Dan Andriano (of Alkaline Trio), Tommy Gabel (of Against Me!), Cory Branan, and Jenny Owen Youngs who plays Mercury Lounge earlier in the evening.

by Andrew Sacher

Hot Water Music

Chuck Ragan (of Hot Water Music) is taking The Revival Tour 2012 across the US and Canada this March and April. Like past Revival Tours, the shows feature a number of singers (usually of the punk scene) and their acoustic instruments collaborating on stage in a traditional folk music fashion. This year's tour hits NYC on March 30 at Bowery Ballroom, and in addition to Chuck Ragan, features Dan Andriano (of Alkaline Trio), Tommy Gabel (of Against Me!), and Lucero-associate Cory Branan. Tickets go on sale Saturday (2/4) at noon. The Revival tour also has ticket bundle options available with tour samplers, vinyls, posters, and more.

Nathaniel Rateliff, who released his debut album back in 2010, is on a number of the dates too, but unfortunately will not play at the Bowery Ballroom show. However, he will play in NYC one day before that show as part of the Communion-presented "Austin to Boston" tour, which kicks off at this year's SXSW in Austin. That tour hits Mercury Lounge on March 29 and also includes Ben Howard, The Staves, and Bear's Den. Tickets are on sale now.

Chuck Ragan's band Hot Water Music, who have been reunited since 2008, have announced that they're working on their first new album since the reunion and since 2004's The New What Next. They've been recording the album with Bill Stevenson (Descendents) and it should see the light of day this May on Rise Records, the label they signed to over the summer. Hot Water Music released the single "The Fire, The Steel, The Tread," b/w "Up to Nothing" in September of 2011. There's no word of whether or not these songs will appear on the new album, but you can stream them both below.

Hot Water Music have a few shows scheduled in 2012 including Bamboozle in Asbury Park, NJ and SXSW. Single day passes for 5/19 when HWM plays Bamboozle, along with The Promise Ring, A$AP Rocky, Action Bronson, and others, are on sale now. HWM doesn't have many other shows announced at the moment but maybe they'll schedule a NYC show when they're in the area for Bamboozle like The Promise Ring did.

All dates, streams, and tour fliers below...

Continue reading "Revival Tour announced w/ Chuck Ragan, Tom Gabel, Dan Andriano & Nathaniel Rateliff (who has his own dates too)"

photos by Chris Boarts Larson, words by BBG

7 Seconds

After a crazy Friday, the Saturday of Best Friends Day 2011 included a 10AM set at a grocery store with Night Birds (who recently played Public Assembly), a show at Hadad's lake with Against Me! (who recently played House of Vans), Baroness, 7 Seconds, Big Freedia (who also played House of Vans), The Dopamines, No BS Brass Band, New Creases, Tubers, and The Haverchucks, and acoustic sets by Kevin Seconds and Mikey Erg on buses that they picked at random on the way to Hadad's Lake.

7 Seconds, Baroness, and Against Me! pictures are in this post and continue below. More from Sunday are on the way.

Continue reading "Best Friends Day 2011 w/ 7 Seconds, Baroness & Against Me! (pics)"

photos by Chris La Putt

The lineups have been (almost) completely revealed for the three remaining free House of Vans House Parties. The series continues this Thursday (8/4) with the previously revealed lineup of Man Man, Glass Candy, and Crystal Antlers.

As mentioned Tokyo Police Club are playing August 18 and Big Freedia is in fact on the bill along with Against Me!, Japanther, and Team Robespierre.

As predicted, Converge and All Pigs Must Die are the bands that play August 25, though there's also a secret guest on that show too ("xxxx xxxx").

RSVP is open for all of them.

Though Crystal Antlers and Team Robsepierre play separate House Parties, they'll share a bill at Glasslands on August 6 with Balkans. Tickets are still available for that.

Cro-Mags, Fucked Up, Screaming Females & Pissed Jeans played the last show. A second set of Fucked Up pics from that show continue below...

Continue reading "House of Vans announce more bands --- almost-final lineup (and more Fucked Up pics from last time)"

DOWNLOAD: Screaming Females - Wild (MP3)

Screaming Females at BV Day Party during SXSW (more by Tim Griffin)

Against Me!, Screaming Females & Lemuria are going on tour this summer, and that tour just got a little bit bigger. The three bands will play Music Hall of Williamsburg on June 5th, two days before they hit Webster Hall. Tickets are still available for the Webster show, and tickets for the new Brooklyn show go on AmEx presale today at noon, and general sale on Friday at noon.

Screaming Females recently tried play a show in New Brunswick, but they wrote...

So we didn't get to play the New Brunswick, NJ show the other night because the cops showed up. Luckily all the amazing touring bands did have a chance to play and see how rad the NJ DIY community can be. Screaming Females haven't played a proper New Brunswick show since 5/12/2010. It breaks my heart! Check out the bands if you haven't.
Broken Water (Olympia, WA)
Songs for Moms (Oakland, CA)
Grass Widow (San Francisco, CA)

In other news, Screaming Females palyed Carson Daly again (their 2nd or 3rd time) on Thursday night (video below), and you can hear them on WFMU soon:

We recorded a set at the world famous NJ based radio station WFMU yesterday. It will air on the show "Beastin' The Airwaves! with Keili " on Sunday May 15 at 6am eastern USA time. Early!!! You can also listen to the set at the archives after it airs. We debuted a new song during the session. I think it is a hit!

Continue reading "Screaming Females played Carson Daly again, add 2 NJ shows & a Brooklyn one w/ Against Me! (updated dates & video)"

DOWNLOAD Laura Stevenson & the Cans - Master of Art (MP3)

Screaming Females at Barbarella (more by Tim Griffin)

Screaming Females, who just completed a run of shows that brought them to Santos Party and Maxwell's, and who will be playing Culture Shock up at SUNY Purchase in April, will head out on tour in June with Lemuria and headliner Against Me!. The tour actually kicks off May 31 in Millvale, PA, though Lemuria and Against Me! both also play Krazy Fest in Louisville on May 21. The tour hits NYC at Webster Hall on June 7th. Tickets go on AmEx presale today at noon (4/6) and regular sale on Friday. All tour dates are below.

Against Me!'s last NYC shows were two opening slots at Roseland and a last minute, headlining matinee at the intimate Mercury Lounge.

Meanwhile, Lemuria is heading out on tour with Joyce Manor & White Wives. That tour hits The Studio at Webster Hall on April 27th. Tickets are on sale for the show that also includes Banquets. All dates are listed below.

The last time that Lemuria and Screaming Females crossed paths in NYC was at the Don Giovanni showcase at Music Hall of Williamsburg in February. There the bands were joined by Laura Stevenson & The Cans who also just announced a big tour including a run with Fake Problems, Pomegranates and Into It. Over It that hits Brooklyn's Knitting Factory on May 10th (tickets) and Manhattan's Mercury Lounge on May 13th (tickets).

Laura Stevenson & the Cans meanwhile are hitting road in April after a public show at Baruch College on April 8th (tickets are on sale). The band's sophmore album is out via Don Giovanni on April 26th. An MP3 from that record is at the top of this post.

All dates and stuff below...

Continue reading "Against Me! touring w/ Screaming Females & Lemuria ++ Laura Stevenson & The Cans tour w/ Fake Problems (dates)"

Against Me! are currently in NYC to play two shows with Dropkick Murphys over at the recently-burned Roseland Ballroom (3/10 and 3/11), and while they're here they'll stop by the very small Mercury Lounge to play a Saturday afternoon show. Tickets are on sale now. All tour dates below...

Continue reading "Against Me! playing Mercury Lounge matinee & other dates (on tour now w/ Dropkick Murphys, tickets on sale)"

Big names and regulars aside, there are a few bands I want to highlight on the just-announced Sasquatch lineup: Wolf Parade ("indefinite hiatus" rumors be damned), The Flaming Lips (performing "The Soft Bulletin"), Death From Above 1979 (now three reunion shows total), Guided By Voices (they're not done yet), and... Archers of Loaf (!). The full lineup of the fest that goes down in Gorge, Washington in May (Memorial Day Weekend), is below...

Continue reading "Sasquatch 2011 lineup announced (Archers of Loaf, Guided By Voices, Wolf Parade, DFA 1979 & "The Soft Bulletin" included)"

Say Hi headlines Bowery Ballroom on March 7th. Tickets go on sale at noon.

Noah & the Whale headlines Bowery Ballroom on March 22nd. Tickets go on sale at noon.

Tickets to both upcoming Jayhawks shows at Webster Hall are on AmEx presale now. General sale begins Friday at noon.

Tickets are on AmEx presale for the Royksopp show at Webster Hall. General sale begins Friday at noon.

The recently added (3rd) Decemberists show at Beacon Theater is now on AmEx presale.

The Decemberists play the Beacon on January 24th, 25th and 26th. BRYAN ADAMS plays there on the 27th and 28th. Have you ever really loved a woman? Tickets are on sale.

Speaking of sexy, Michael McDonald, Boz Scaggs and Donald Fagen are touring as "The Dukes of September Rhythm Revue." They play the Beacon on 12/6 and 12/7... one night after Hall & Oates who play one night after Hot Tuna finishes a two-night run.

Back to January, Robert Plant and the Band of Joy play the Beacon on January 29th and January 30th. Tickets are on sale.

Move over Banana Schpeel, tickets, still on presale, go on general sale Saturday at 11am for the many shows the Allman Brothers are playing at the Beacon in March.

Moving away from the Beacon, a show we know Bruce Springsteen would enjoy, Dropkick Murphys and Against Me! play Roseland Ballroom on March 10th - tickets are on sale.

Irish week continues at Terminal- 5 on March 15th, 16th and 17th with the Pogues. Tickets for all three shows are still on sale.

Radio City shows currently on sale or presale include Robyn, Interpol, Bright Eyes, Cold War Kids... and John Mellencamp.

Continue reading "Decemberists, Jayhawks, Noah & the Whale, Say Hi, Rokysopp, Dropkick Murphys, Michael Mcdonald & other tickets"

I wonder what he thinks of Wavves. Listen to him say it in the Sirius XM clip below...

Continue reading "Bruce Springsteen likes Best Coast... "

It's Lollapalooza 2010 this weekend and you can watch the webcast HERE.

photos by Toby Tenenbaum

"The show last night was great. It was at the Brooklyn Waterfront in Williamsburg. I swear Brooklyn is looking more like Manhattan every day. I miss the old Brooklyn. Ken and I used to go to raves in the factory buildings in Williamsburg - the Cat's Head was one I particularly remember - wild. I had friends who lived there in 89 and the early 90's, it was definitely the fringes - think Johnny Suede, yeah that's the Williamsburg I know.

But they made a nice open space on the water. The stage faced the city so the musicians kept commenting how how awesome it was to play in varying stages of sunset looking over Manhattan. It was beautiful...

...The [second] band was Against Me. I'd only heard "I was a teenage anarchist" on the radio and of course loved the song. They were a really tight bar punk band. Matt said they reminded him of a lighter version of The Drop Kick Murphys. The thing that bugs me is this 'woah-oh-oh' chorus thing all these bands like Cold Play, Kings of Leon are doing. They did that and it annoyed me because it was unnecessary. It was tight and a bit raucous. I liked them a lot." [Semper Fido]

Continue reading "Silversun Pickups & Against Me! played Williamsburg Waterfront - pics, video & setlist"

Silversun Pickups are set to announce a summer tour today. While we wait for the full dates, we can say that one of those shows will happen Friday, June 25th at Williamsburg Waterfront. Also on the bill are Florida punks with a new album on the way Against Me! and L.A.'s The Henry Clay People (who also have a new disc, Somewhere on the Golden Coast, due in June on TBD Records). Tickets go on sale Saturday at noon.

UPDATE: All dates announced. They include Wellmont Theater. Check them out below.

Silversun Pickups join Modest Mouse, Faith No More and Nas & Damian Marley, all of whom also have shows scheduled at the Waterfront this summer.

Against Me! are on tour now. They play Asbury Park on April 29th.

SP's last record, Swoon, came out in April 2009. A video of the band playing their song "Panic Switch" from that on Jimmy Kimmel in January is posted below with all tour dates...

Continue reading "Silversun Pickups playing Williamsburg Waterfront & other dates w/ with Against Me! & the Henry Clay People"

by Andrew Frisicano

Ex-Hold Steady troubadour Franz Nicolay is currently on the West Coast prepping for a short tour that kicks off from there next week, but that won't (hopefully) stop him from joining in via Skype on this month's Bushwick Book Club at Goodbye Blue Monday on Tuesday, April 6th (tonight).

His other upcoming dates include NYC-area shows on April 23rd show at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, May 11th show at Asbury Lanes in Asbury Park with Bomb The Music Industry, and a May 14th performance at the release party for Kate Rockland's debut novel Falling Is Like This, at Word Bookstore in Greenpoint, along with music writer Rob Sheffield.

He's also set to play a May 21st edition of the weekly Small Beast series gone big at the Angel Orensanz Foundation. Ticket info for that is forthcoming, and the lineup should include Botanica, Barbez, Bee & Flower, Little Annie, Spottiswoode, Blasco and others.

This May and June Franz heads to Europe as a touring member of Florida punk rockers Against Me, who have a new album, White Crosses, out June 8th on Sire Records. Franz says, "Gonna be a touring Against Me for the summer. I have already prepared my beard and promise to give at least the recommended 35 percent." For whatever reason, the band isn't using Franz in the US though. They kick off a North American tour without him in April and play Asbury Park's Stone Pony on April 29th. Tickets are on sale (Sweden's Moneybrother is also on that bill and part of the tour). Against Me!'s new video for the song "Rapid Decompression" off the new record is below with all dates. The LP will be their second on Sire and their first since the departure of drummer Warren Oakes (replaced by Hot Water Music's George Rebelo).

Meanwhile, Franz's Hold Steady compatriots have been putting up tracks from their new album, Heaven Is Whenever, set to come out May 4th. The record's piano and keyboard parts (which are right up front on some of the new tracks) are played by guitarist Tad Kubler. Three of those new ones are streaming on their Myspace.

As for Franz, he's also released a book & other assorted projects, and soon, a new CD.

[After my tour], I'm starting work on my new full-length with producer Jim Keller, who's worked with everyone from Franz Ferdinand to Willie Nelson to Mastodon. Unlike "Major General," it's all new songs, nothing from the vaults - and in case you're curious what that means, I've posted demos for two of the songs, "Felix & Adelita" and "This Is Not A Pipe," at myspace.com/franznicolay. Hope you like.

Continue reading "Hold Steady streaming new songs, Franz Nicolay keeping busy, playing in Against Me! (but not for their upcoming US tour) "

After a hectic day of updating the constantly updating Bonnaroo lineup page, the entire thing has been announced. Gwar, Norah Jones, and the rest of the lineup below...

Continue reading "the complete 2010 Bonnaroo lineup (Stevie Wonder, The Melvins, Kings of Leon, Isis, Local Natives & many more) "

Blake Schwarzenbach of Jawbreaker debuted a new band, Thorns of Life with Aaron Cometbus and Daniela Sea, late last year. That band has broken up and Schwarzenbach's new trio, forgetters (who may continue playing Thorns of Life songs), with bassist Caroline Paquita and Kevin Mahon (the first drummer for Against Me!) is already slated to play a string of shows. The first of those will be this Friday, September 18th at Lit Lounge with Golden City (Eric Richter of Christie Front Drive), Solar Powered Sun Destroyer and Thought & Memory. All tour dates are below...

Continue reading "Blake of Jawbreaker - Thorns of Life broke up. The new band is forgetters & they are playing some shows (dates) "

DOWNLOAD: Lucero - What Else Would You Have Me Be (MP3)

The Pogues have cancelled their March 12th show at Roseland Ballroom in NYC.

Due to unforeseen circumstances we regret to announce the cancellation of the New York show on the Thursday 12th March at Roseland Ballroom. All tickets bought for the Thursday show will be honoured for the Saturday 14th March show at the same venue. We are sorry for any inconvenienced caused.

Franz Nicolay of the Hold Steady (solo) is opening March 13th. Lucero is opening March 14th. Other tour openers include Tom Gabel of Against Me! on both Boston shows, and Ben Nichols from Lucero (solo) on two of the three shows in Washington DC.

The Pogues and Lucero were also scheduled to play Langerado in Florida, which was scheduled to happen this coming weekend.

After Roseland, Lucero will continue on a tour that now also includes a stop in Austin for SXSW.