LA Fest FYF Fest is celebrating 10 years this year, and will take over Los Angeles State Historic Park on August 24 & 25. Check out the massive lineup in the poster above, and in alphabetical order below...

Continue reading "FYF Fest 2013 Lineup (My Bloody Valentine included)"

FLAG, comprised of former Black Flag-ers and Descendents Keith Morris, Chuck Dukowski, Dez Cadena, Bill Stevenson and Stephen Egerton, will play a series of precision strikes this summer and fall. Weekends shows and festivals will be the band's MO thus far, hitting Orion, Punk Rock Bowling, NXNE, FYF Fest and more, but do include a string of East Coast dates in September. Look for FLAG to hit NYC on September 19 at Irving Plaza. Tickets go on presale on Wednesday (5/15) at 10 AM with regular sale hitting on Friday (5/17) at 10 AM.

The band recently played a surprise show in Redondo Beach, CA where the band performed at a Moose Lodge. Video of that performance is below.

Greg Ginn is also on the road with Black Flag (they'll be here next month), and doesn't take kindly to the fact that FLAG exists.

All dates and that video are below.

Continue reading "FLAG announce tour dates, including NYC at Irving Plaza"

Invisible Oranges has the details on a song by Black Flag, the version featuring Greg Ginn and Ron Reyes, titled "Down in the Dirt" and will be on their forthcoming LP. They also fired a shot across the bow at that "other" band (meaning FLAG):

"not to be confused with the 'fake' Flag band currently covering the songs of BLACK FLAG in an embarrassingly weak "mailing it in" fashion*** We urge you to check out the real BLACK FLAG when they hit your area.

You can download the new Black Flag song "Down in the Dirt" for the price of your email address here. You can stream it, alongside updated tour schedule, below.

Continue reading "Black Flag releases new song (stream it), comment on FLAG"

Black Flag (aka Ginn/Reyes) have added ANOTHER show at Warsaw on June 15, one day after their previously discussed show at the same venue which is now sold-out. Tickets for the just-added show go on sale at 10AM tomorrow (3/2).

So far no word on that threatened "US tour," but we'll keep you posted. Meanhwile, FLAG, the other Black Flag lineup, was recently announced as part of Orion 2013 as well as Punk Rock Bowling.

Metallica at Orion 2012 (more by Dana (distortion) Yavin)

Metallica held their inaugural Orion Music & More festival in Atlantic City in 2012, and as mentioned, they'll be moving to Detroit for the 2013 installment. It happens from June 8 - 9 in Belle Isle and the lineup was just announced, including headliners Metallica joined by Japandroids, FLAG, Tomahawk, Gogol Bordello, Death Grips, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Deftones, The Dirtbombs, Death, Foals, The Bronx, The Orwells, Red Hot Chili Peppers, FIDLAR, and more. Full lineup below. The announcement includes no word on Metallica playing full albums like they did last year.

Tickets for the festival go on sale to the general public on Friday (3/1) at 10 AM EST with a Met Club presale starting Tuesday (2/26) at 10 AM and an Orion E-list member presale on Wednesday (2/27) at 10 AM.

Continue reading "Metallica announce line-up & tix for Orion Music & More 2013 (Japandroids, FLAG, Tomahawk, Death Grips, RHCP & more)"

Swans at Music Hall of Williamsburg, Feb 2013 (more by Fred Pessaro // BBG)

As mentioned earlier today, The Northside Festival will return in 2013, and have announced the initial lineup for the June 13 - 20th festival. The musical program will run from June 13-16 and besides the previously discussed Iceage and Son Volt, will also feature Black Flag (with Greg Ginn and Ron Reyes, not to be confused with FLAG) Swans (who are playing Bonnaroo), The Men, Rhys Chatham and Oneida (collaborating), Merchandise, Lambchop, Twin Sister, Lower, Milk Music, WHY?, Chelsea Wolfe, the Soft Moon, Destruction Unit, and more.

The festival will take place across venues in and around North Brooklyn, with free concerts in McCarren Park, portions of Williamsburg streets shut down and Pitchfork taking over Saint Vitus for three nights of shows. More details are on the way.

As part of it, Swans play Warsaw on June 13 with Chelsea Wolfe. Tickets for that show go on sale Friday (2/22) at noon.

Tickets for the Black Flag show, which happens at Warsaw on June 14, go on sale Friday (2/20) at noon, featuring appearances from Good For You, The Men, and Netherlands. The show is one of two scheduled for The Men, with the band also scheduled to headline Bowery Ballroom in March.

Badges for Northside 2013 go on sale Friday (2/22) at noon. A full listing of today's announcement of Northside bands is below.

Continue reading "Northside Festival announces initial 2013 line-up (Black Flag [Ginn/Reyes]), Swans, Merchandise, Lambchop + more"

Devo in Austin in 2012 (more by Tim Griffin)

Punk Rock Bowling is returning to downtown Las Vegas for its 15th year from May 25 - 27 with a lineup of Devo, FLAG (one of two Black Flag reunions taking place this year), Bad Religion (who are touring soon), The Damned, Turbonegro, DRI, Bouncing Souls, The Casualties, Subhumans, Swingin' Utters, US Bombs, The Weirdos, and more. Three-day passes are on sale now and single day tickets go on sale Monday, February 11.

Flyer and full lineup below...

Continue reading "Punk Rock Bowling 2013 lineup & tickets (Devo, FLAG, Bad Religion, The Damned, Turbonegro, Bouncing Souls, more)"

by Fred Pessaro // BBG

No heroes.

BLACK FLAG has reformed and is in the process of putting finishing touches on a new album with founder Greg Ginn on guitar, Ron Reyes on vocals, Gregory Moore on drums and Dale Nixon on bass.

While Dale has lent his skills to the new album, he is currently contractually obligated for a stint on Celebrity Rehab. Still, as he has always done in the past, he will continue to provide insight and spiritual guidance to the current bass player.

Ugh.

Make sure not to confuse Black Flag with Flag.

by Fred Pessaro // BBG

Just when things couldnt get any weirder regarding Black Flag...

Black Flag original members Keith Morris, Chuck Dukowski, and Bill Stevenson, along with guitarist Stephen Egerton (who played along Bill Stevenson in Descendents and ALL), spurred by crowd reaction to a surprise set at Goldenvoice's 30th anniversary show in 2011, have formed FLAG as a vehicle to continue performing the hardcore progentiors' repertoire.

Catch the Morris version on the road in Europe and at Punk Rock Bowling in Vegas over Memorial Day Weekend (May 24 - 27) where they'll join names like The Damned (who are also playing Chaos), DRI, Lagwagon, Subhumans, The Bouncing Souls, Swingin Utters, Lower Class Brats and more. Tickets for Punk Rock Bowling go on sale Tuesday (1/29) at 1PM PST.

Continue reading "and then there was FLAG, another Black Flag band emerges (dates)"

The impossible has happened. Black Flag will reunite with their second vocalist Ron Reyes (Keith Morris was the first) for a show at Hevy Fest in the UK, roping in Greg Ginn as part of the lineup. The show will be the first official Black Flag show in many years, and the first outside of the US in more than 30.

UPDATE:Neither Chuck Dukowski nor Robo are part of this lineup. Enter FLAG.

So far the remainder of the Hevy Fest lineup, which goes down on August 2-4 at Port Lympne Wild Animal Park in Kent, has yet to be announced. Expect an additional 80 bands to round out the lineup.

Head below for some Black Flag videos featuring Ron on vocals, including a video from Ron Reyes's 50th birthday party, where he joined Greg Ginn on stage for Black Flag covers.

Continue reading "Black Flag's 1979 lineup reuniting for a UK festival UPDATED"

Akron/Family at LPR in 2010 (more by Anna Scialli)

Freaky folkies Akron/Family released Akron/Family II: The Cosmic Birth and Journey of Shinju TNT in 2011, and they've announced that they're planning on releasing a followup in 2013. To help fund the new record, the band meanwhile released a limited edition (1,000 pressings) live double CD which comprises a recording from their show at the Drunken Unicorn in Atlanta from January 2012 and some experimental pieces recorded in El Paso later in the year. You can purchase that CD at the Akron/Family webstore for $20. Each copy was handmade and hand-stamped by the band.

We also spoke to Akron/Family member Miles Seaton about his top albums of 2012. Miles recently moved from NYC to LA, had to get a car, and ended up getting one with a cassette player. So rather than listing his top 10 albums that were released in 2012, he listed the top 10 cassettes he acquired this year to play in his car stereo. His full list with some commentary is below.

Continue reading "Akron/Family released a live album ahead of new studio LP; Miles Seaton tells us his top cassettes played in his new car"

by Fred Pessaro // BBG

High on Fire are on tour and played two NYC shows this weekend, the first of which was at Bowery Ballroom on 11/30 with tourmates Goatwhore, Primate and Lo-Pan. The shows marked not only a triumphant return for guitar god Matt Pike following his stint with rehab, but also a chance to document his return for all posterity: both Bowery Ballroom and the following night's show at Music Hall of Williamsburg were recorded for a live album. Pictures from Bowery are in this post (and pics and a review from Music Hall are on the way). More, and a video of Primate performing Black Flag covers at the after-party at Saint Vitus, below...

Continue reading "High on Fire recorded a live album at Bowery Ballroom with Goatwhore, Primate & Lo Pan (pics & vid of Primate's Black Flag afterparty set)"

Via Buzzfeed & Laughing Squid, comes this handwritten list Kurt Cobain made, as published in Journals in 2002. Read the whole thing typed, below...

Continue reading "Kurt Cobain's 50 favorite albums"

Jello Biafra as the president of the United States in Lovedolls Superstar, occupying an empty office adjacent to SST/Global, 1985 (photo by Jordan Schwartz)

Fanzine We Got Power! was created in 1981, born out of a love for hardcore music between two friends, David Markey and Jordan Schwartz. The zine compiled photos and text that documented the early LA hardcore scene including legends like Black Flag, the Minutemen, Social Distortion, Red Cross/Redd Kross, Suicidal Tendencies, the Descendents, M.D.C., Big Boys, and so many others who would change the face of music as we knew it.

We Got Power! has now been compiled into a book due on 10/5 via Bazillion Points (order it), and it's chockful of photographs and pieces that document this crucial time in punk rock music. In celebration, Markey and Schwartz dropped off a few of their photographs that appear in the book along with some details behind each. Check out those photos below.

Continue reading "'We Got Power!' book out next week, check out a gallery of classic early hardcore photos"

Cheetah Chrome w/ RFTT at Maxwell's in 2011 (more by Greg Cristman)

The CBGB Festival kicks off on Thursday (7/5) and continues through Sunday (7/8). We've mentioned a bunch of the festival's shows like the free Central Park show with Guided by Voices, The Pains of Being Pure At Heart, Cloud Nothings, and the War on Drugs, the Webster Hall show with Agnostic Front, Madball, and Murphy's Law (who also play a Rocks Off Cruise), Fishbone at Brooklyn Bowl, the Webster Hall show with Cro-Mags and Sick of it All, and many others. However, if you're looking for others artists that helped define punk and/or make CBGB the legendary venue it is, there are plenty of options for that too.

On Thursday (7/5), The Bowery Electric is hosting a huge show with Tommy Ramone (who drummed on and co-produced the first three Ramones albums), Cheetah Chrome (of Dead Boys/Rocket from the Tombs), The Waldos (ft. Walter Lure of Johnny Thunders' Heartbreakers), Bear 54 (ft. Ernie Brooks of The Modern Lovers), Andy Shernoff (of The Dictators), Richard Lloyd (of Television), The Miamis, The Sic Fucks, and many more. Tickets for that show are available.

That same day (7/5), David Johansen (of New York Dolls) will be playing Sullivan Hall with Daddy Long Legs, Liza Colby & The Sound Machine, Andy & the Rattles, and a late night set by Strawberry Jam. Tickets for that show are available.

Also on Thursday (7/5), you can catch Glen Matlock (of The Sex Pistols) at, wait for it... singer-songwrter mainstay The Living Room with California, Jaymay, Lou-is, and Aurical.

Check the CBGB Festival site for more.

Hilly Kristal entering CBGB on its final night (more)

The CBGB Festival isn't the only place to catch CBGB legends though. Like they've done in the past, Bowery Electric (a venue very close to where CBGB was) will host Johnny Thunders Birthday Bash, a celebration of the late musician, on July 15, when he would have turned 60 (he passed away in 1991). That show features Walter Lure, Alison Gordy, Andy Shernoff, and many more. Tickets are on sale.

Patti Smith will be touring with Neil Young later this year, which hits NYC for two shows (MSG on 11/27 and Barclays Center on 12/3). Patti also plays a sold out show at the Met, on September 28 (a tribute to Andy Warhol).

Blondie will be touring with Devo later this year. Unfortunately, that tour does not come to NYC.

But enough about NYC punks -- California's late 70s/early 80s hardcore scene is getting some pretty solid representation in NYC this summer too. The current version of Dead Kennedys (who no longer count frontman Jello Biafra as a member) will be playing a show at Santos Party House on July 31 with Cerebral Ballzy. Tickets for that show are on sale now.

Cali punks Agent Orange will be heading out on an east coast tour with The Queers, which comes to NYC for a Rocks Off Cruise on August 18. Tickets for that show are available. All dates on this tour are listed below.

Greg Ginn at Issue Project Room in 2010 (more by Lori Bally)

Black Flag founder/guitarist and SST Records founder Greg Ginn will be in NYC for two shows (early and late) with his new project Greg Ginn and the Royal We at The Iridium on July 29, and two more shows at the venue the next night (7/30) with the Les Paul Trio. Tickets for all four Iridium shows are on sale now.

Long-running Black Flag frontman Henry Rollins is heading out on a spoken word tour which hits the capitals of all 50 states. That means the NY show is in Albany and not too close to NYC, but you might have better luck checking out the Trenton, NJ show. The Trenton show is at the Jersey State Museum Auditorium and unfortunately not City Gardens, which is now closed, but during its existence had seen tons of great tours come through including multiple Henry Rollins appearances. A City Gardens documentary is in the works and due in 2013. The other tri-state area date on Henry's tour is Hartford, CT's Webster Theater.

Meanwhile, Keith Morris, who was a Black Flag frontman before Rollins joined, will be in NYC with his band OFF!, when their tour with Refused comes to Williamsburg Park on July 18. Tickets for that show are still available.

While we're on the topic of punk shows in Williamsburg Park, as mentioned, Riot Fest Brooklyn goes down at the outdoor venue on September 8 with Descendents, Hot Water Music, Gogol Bordello, The Bronx, Screaming Females, The Menzingers, and Larry and His Flask. Tickets for Riot Fest Brooklyn are still available.

Speaking of The Menzingers, they have a new live acoustic video for "Ava House" off their 2012 LP, On the Impossible Past, which you can check out below. You can catch them on their tour with The Bouncing Souls, which hits NYC for a show at Brooklyn Bowl on August 5. Tickets for that show are still available.

In other punk news, as mentioned, H2O, 7 Seconds, and Tournament play House of Vans on July 12. 7 Seconds frontman Kevin Seconds is working on a new album which is due out this year. You can check out the album's closing track, "Oh, Rhonda," at the bottom of this post. The entire 2012 House of Vans schedule was also just announced, Turbonegro included. UPDATE: you can also now RSVP for the 7 Seconds show.

Street Dogs will be in NYC for a show at Highline Ballroom on September 15 with Koffin Kats and special guests. Tickets for that show are on sale now.

As mentioned, the Fat Wreck/Rocks Off CMJ showcase happens on October 19 at Music Hall of Williamsburg with Lagwagon, Dead To Me, Flatliners, and Useless ID. Tickets for that show are still available. That same lineup also plays a Rocks Off Cruise the next day (10/20). Tickets for the boat show are available. And Lagwagon are also one of the bands currently announced for this year's Fun Fun Fun Fest.

As mentioned, Leftover Crack plays Warsaw on Sunday (7/8) with Crackbox and more TBA. That show appears to now be sold out (though we are waiting on confirmation of that). UPDATE: this is CANCELLED.

Another anarcho-punk option for Williamsburg this weekend is NYHC band Reagan Youth who are playing The Grand Victory (245 Grand St.) on Friday (7/6) with Dust Angel (ft. Reagan Youth guitarist Paul Cripple), Geek Skull, Lords of Death, and Empty Vessel.

As mentioned, crossover thrashers D.R.I. and Mucky Pup are teaming up for a tour which hits NYC on December 8 at The Studio at Webster Hall with support from No Redeeming Social Value, Undivided, and Blackout Shoppers. TIckets for that show are still available.

There's also a number of punk shows at Acheron this week.

Before we wrap this up, a bit more about classic UK punk making its way to NYC this summer/early fall. In addition to Sex Pistol Glen Matlock, who's here this week for CBGB Fest, The Vibrators will be in NYC for a show at The Bowery Electric on September 29. Tickets for that are on sale now.

Wreckless Eric, who veers a bit more on the new wave/power pop side of punk, will play Bowery Electric on September 7 as part of a duo with his wife Amy Rigby. They also play September 13 at The Saint in Asbury Park, NJ. If the name doesn't ring a bell, his song "(I'd Go) The Whole Wide World" probably does. It's seen some revived popularity in recent years due to Will Ferrell singing it in Stranger than Fiction. Tickets for both NYC area shows are on sale now.

Did we miss anything good?

Videos and lists of tour dates below...

Continue reading "punk roundup: CBGB Fest, Greg Ginn, Rollins, Off!, Dead Kennedys, Menzingers, Vibrators, Wreckless Eric & more"

by BBG

Beer & Cable at Acheron (more by BBG)

The Meatmen are going on tour in October, and it will be a full night of snotty punk in Brooklyn right after CMJ, at Europa on October 23rd. The NYC show features support from the one and only Black Fag (the absolutely fabulous tribute to Black Flag in their first NYC appearance!), Runny, and the always obnoxious Beer & Cable (thats a compliment). Tickets for the show are on sale. All daes are listed below.

Beer & Cable will also play a beer-soaked Acheron benefit show TONIGHT (9/16) for a mere $5 (or more if you want). Help keep this important metal/punk space alive.

Meatmen dates and a whole bunch of videos so attendees know what they're getting into, below...

Continue reading "The Meatmen playing shows (dates), 1 in Brooklyn w/ Beer & Cable (who play Acheron tonight)"

No Flag

No Age, who in 2009 backed Bob Mould to play Husker Du songs at ATP, covered Black Flag's "Six Pack" and The Misfits' "Hybrid Moments" at Pitchfork Festival this past weekend. Original Black Flag frontman Keith Morris, who was there with his band OFF!, didn't join No Age on the covers like he did when Superchunk covered Black Flag and The Misfits at House of Vans. However, last night at Levitt Pavilion in LA, No Age and Ceremony played a FYF-presented free show with special guest No Flag, aka No Age, Keith Morris, and fellow founding Black Flag member Chuck Dukowski! Picture taken by Lance Bangs above. Video of No Flag playing "Wasted" and videos of No Age at Pitchfork Fest below...

Continue reading "No Flag (No Age + Black Flag) played a show in LA"

Mac & Keith (photo by Andrew St. Clair)

We have a full post with pictures and review of last night's show at House of Vans coming, but meanwhile check out a video of 2/3 of Superchunk's encore, aka the part where (Off!'s) Keith Morris came out and performed Gimme Gimme Gimme (Black Flag) and Where Eagles Dare (Misfits) with Mac and band. It was pretty amazing (especially the Misfits part, no offense Keith). Video below...

Continue reading "Superchunk played Black Flag & Misfits w/ Keith Morris (video)"

by BBG

Wolvserpent at Acheron (more by BBG)

Let it be known that strength doesn't always lie in numbers. Wolserpent, the Idaho duo that absolutely floored me in their last outing at Acheron, will hit the road with A Story of Rats to play Acheron again on June 4th with a another show TBA. More details forthcoming, but if you aren't in NYC, make sure and catch this magnetic two piece on the road. They practice in ritualistic doom, and will rule that space in Bushwick that is turning 1 year old. All tour dates below.

Rosetta will team with Tidal Arms, Drummers, East of the Wall, and Don't Give a Fuck for a show at The Charleston on June 11th. The show is one of two dates on the band's calendar in the US. All dates are below.

Clouds are back in action, and will team with Disappearer to play new Brooklyn bar Saint Vitus on June 3rd. The show is one of two dates for the reactivated (?) band, with the second going down in their home base of Boston. All dates are below.

Coliseum are on tour in NYC for two shows this weekend. Enter to win a pair of tickets to either Public Assembly or Union Pool on the BrooklynVegan Facebook.

A rare and unmissable Black Flag tour documentary from 1986(!) was recently put on the Internet...

20 years ago I completed a one hour Super-8 sound film called "Reality 86'd". This film documented the last Black Flag tour in 1986, which I was a part of (I drummed and sang in Painted Willie). Greg Ginn signed us to his SST Records label and brought us on the road for six months that year, which turned out to be Black Flag's swan song. The tour and subsequent documentary also included Greg Ginn's Gone (who opened the show.) For reasons I will never really understand, SST Records owner / Black Flag guitarist and sole original member, Greg Ginn refused the film's release. Furthermore, he has held this film prisoner ever since.

So many years since I completed the documentary I continue to get messages from fans the world over asking me about the film. It's only music, and music needs to be shared, and it's for everybody. If you agree, feel free to share and pass this along.
-David Markey

Continue reading "Evillive (Wolvserpent, Rosetta, Clouds, a 1986 Black Flag tour documentary & more)"

by BBG

The Dwarves at Fun Fun Fun Fest (more by Tim Griffin)

"THE DWARVES were kicked off tour with Motorhead for sleeping with the girls the aging metalheads had hired to hang out backstage. They were banned from venerable punk dive CBGBs for breaking a table and bleeding on the floor, making the venue cleaner and improving its décor." [25 THINGS YOU DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE DWARVES]

That's right folks, the Dwarves magnum opus is done and set to drop May 10, 2011 on vinyl and cd, both including a free dvd! 25 years in the making the Dwarves Are Born Again features heroes from throughout the Dwarves saga. Blag the Ripper, HeWhoCanNotBeNamed, Rex Everything, the Fresh Prince of Darkness and a cast of thousands including Vadge Moore and Sgt. Saltpeter from the notorious Blood, Guts and Pussy record return to crush the ears of a desperate public.

The Dwarves have a few dates on the way including an appearance at Punk Rock Bowling in Las Vegas and two NYC dates: July 15th at Knitting Factory and July 16th at The Studio at Webster Hall. Tickets for both the Knitting Factory date and the Studio date go on sale Friday at 10AM. All other Dwarves dates are below.

--
Steve Ignorant rehearsing earlier this month

In other news, after a stutter a few weeks ago, TONIGHT (4/20) marks the return of Steve Ignorant to the U.S. to play Crass songs at Europa. Dog That Bites Everyone Thulsa Doom,A.P.P.L.E., and Goldblade open the Brooklyn show... though there is a rumor that Goldblade, who are supporting on the whole tour, may not get here in time for tonight's show due to visa issues (update: rumour confirmed as true) (maybe you caught them at Southpaw in 2003). if not, they will hopefully make it soon though, and definitely in time for the sold-out Santos Party House 'Crass songs' show on 5/8. Tickets for tonight's Europa show are still available, and a full list of Steve Ignorant tour openers is below (Santos has Goldblade, Cult Of Youth and Primitive Weapons).

Also tonight (4/20), strangely, ex-Black Flag/current-Misfits-er Dez Cadena will hit Park Slope venue Union Hall with his band Dez Cadena & The Broken Down Bitches, as well as The Slants and Lunic. Tickets are still available.

Speaking Black Flag, two Black Flag vocalists (Henry Rollins & Keith Morris with his band Off!) will share one stage (Terminal 5) as part of a show/tour with Dinosaur Jr. Since that show was announced, Off! also announced even more tour dates which are listed below.

And while we're on the subject, former Misfits vocalist Glenn Danzig heads out on a tour that hits Starland Ballroom in his birth state next month. The current version of the Misfits play Festival For Humanity in Vernon, NJ on May 27th.

In more modern punk news (and other "Off" news), Off With Their Heads will team with Dead To Me for a string of US dates surrounding their appearance at Best Friends Day, including Knitting Factory on August 4th with The Holy Mess and Brian Bruner. Tickets are on sale.

And last and probably least, CJ Ramone will play The Studio at Webster Hall on July 9th, performing "an all Ramones set with Ramones producer Daniel Rey on guitar". Tickets are on sale. Joey Ramone died a little more than 10 years ago, and his birthday will again be celebrated at Irving Plaza in May.

All tour dates and that Dwarves stream is below.

Continue reading "new Dwarves LP & dates, Steve Ignorant is here, Dez Cadena too ++ CJ Ramone, updated Off! dates, Off With Their Heads"

Following J Mascis's current solo tour, Dinosaur Jr will hit the road for a select group of East Coast dates in June. These won't be your average Dinosaur Jr. shows though, because.... like they're doing for ATP in London in June, the band will perform Bug in its entirety. PLUS, Off! will open every show AND Henry Rollins will interview Dinosaur Jr. live at every show (Keith Morris and Henry Rollins both on the bill), AND at the NYC show which is happening June 23rd at Terminal 5, Fucked Up will also play an opening set.

Tickets for the four dates Off! are playing are currently on fan presale, and tickets go on regular sale on 4/8. Oh, and the short tour kicks off on June 21st at Calvin Theatre in Northampton, MA where Thurston Moore is also playing (but Off! is not). Proceeds from that first show will benefit Whole Children.

In related news, J Mascis recenly played a BV Day Party at Swan Dive followed by two NYC shows (he was also interviewed by Ted Leo), and Mike Hill of Tombs interviewed Henry Rollins for this website. Off! was just in town with Trash Talk and played Santos Party House.

All dates below...

Continue reading "Dinosaur Jr. performing 'Bug' live on tour w/ Off! & Henry Rollins (who will be speaking) (Fucked Up in NYC too!)"

Nat Baldwin, David Longstreth and Brian McOmber play Black Flag
Delicate Steve plays the Minutemen
Ted Leo plays Minor Threat
Titus Andronicus plays the Replacements
Tune-Yards plays Sonic Youth
Dan Deacon plays the Butthole Surfers
St. Vincent plays Big Black
Wye Oak plays Dinosaur Jr
Buke & Gass plays Fugazi

To quote show co-presenter Tiger Mountain Presents, "some of the best bands in contemporary indie music will play songs by each of the 13 bands in the book."

"For years, all kinds of people -- musicians, people who run labels, concert promoters, journalists, whatever -- have told me that they've been very inspired by Our Band Could Be Your Life and the bands it profiles, which is incredibly gratifying and totally unexpected," says Azerrad. "The tenth anniversary of the book was a great occasion for the current generation of bands to celebrate these pioneers."

Meanwhile the book will also be the topic of a panel discussion at SXSW that Merrill Garbus aka tUnE-yArDs (who is also playing the festival) will speak on.

Ted Leo is headed to Austin too, an appearance at the BrooklynVegan official SXSW showcase included.

Delicate Steve and Wye Oak are going to SXSW too. Wye Oak can be found at the BV/KF/Partisan day party at Swan Dive on Friday, 3/18. Wye Oak will also play Bowery Ballroom as part of a tour in April.

St. Vincent plays Big Black. I just felt like saying it again!

Continue reading "'Our Band Could Be Your Life' 10th anniversary show lineup (Big Black, Black Flag & Fugazi songs will be played)"

Henry Rollins, whose only upcoming 2010 show is a sort of live radio-but-not-radio KCRW show at the Echoplex in LA on December 9th, is turning 50 on February 13th, 2011. And to celebrate he'll be going out on spoken word tour entitled "50". All dates aren't announced yet, but they will include a special 50th birthday event in Henry's native Washington, DC on February 13, sandwiched between multiple-night runs at Joe's Pub in New York (February 8-12) and Largo in Los Angeles (February 16-19).

$35 tickets for the five NYC shows go on sale Friday, December 3rd, at noon - online and at the box office (or at 212-967-7555). "Hipster elite" beware.

In related stuff, check out part one of our interview w/ Keith Morris & Dimitri Coats. Part two is on the way.

by Michael Hill

"The guys that we were working with before just had this mental thing where we can just write whatever we want and people are gonna like it. It's like what the fuck is up with that? Are you kidding?" - Keith Morris

OFF! (photo by Dan Monick)

Keith Morris was the original front man for Black Flag and later the Circle Jerks, two bands that defined the sound, ethic and attitude of American Hardcore Punk. For that, he achieves legendary status, at least in my eyes, so when I was offered the opportunity to talk to him about his new band Off!, I was blown away to say the least. If you were basketball fan, it would be like meeting Michael Jordan, Larry Bird or Magic Johnson.

The easy way out would be to label Off! a "supergroup" but that's not accurate. The reality is that the band is made up of a group of friends that happened to all have been in great bands. That's apparent when you listen to the 16 (18 minutes long!) tracks on The First Four E.P.s and see the live show. The core of the band is Morris and Dimitri Coats, the guitarist/vocalist for Burning Brides. The rhythm section consists of Steve McDonald (Redd Kross) on bass and Mario Rubalcaba (Hot Snakes, Black Heart Procession, Clikatat Ikatowi) on drums. The music is raw, to the point and vicious, it's everything you want a hardcore punk band to sound like but after talking to Morris and Coats, it was made clear to me that Off! is a band that sounds like a punk band but doesn't carry the baggage of being a punk band. You won't see any Mohawks or leather jackets, there won't be any whining about "The Scene" or any posturing going on. You just go to the show, get your mind blown then go home taking with you a true, honest experience.

I showed up to the interview [on 10/21 in NYC] about 30 minutes early, got a cup of coffee and kicked it in the lobby of the office where the whole thing was going to take place. I had questions prepared...I was trying to be a "pro" as possible but when I heard Keith Morris's unmistakable voice emanating from the other room, I became like the 16 year old fan boy that wrote the words "Damaged" on a plain white t shirt with a black sharpie and pounded 1 litre bottles of Jolt! Cola. I also learned that you don't actually interview Keith, you sort of capture his vibe and maybe steer him towards the subjects you want to talk about.

Read part one of our talk below...

Continue reading "an interview w/ Keith Morris & Dimitri Coats of OFF! (part 1)"

I can now say with 99,99% confidence that legendary drummer Chuck Biscuits is in fact alive and well! So what the hell happened yesterday? How did the rumor that he died of throat cancer start? Why did everyone believe it? Well, before the chain reaction of irresponsible blog posts and news stories (guilty), it all began with one James Greene Jr. James, according to the Boston Herald (one of the sources I read before posting myself) (and whose story credits Blabbermouth), is "a freelance music writer from Brooklyn, New York".

Though I didn't completely realize it at the time of my own hasty posting, James's Chuck Biscuits obituary was THE source of it all. Before I re-posted his words I had read about Chuck's death - in addition to at the sources mentioned above, in the BrooklynVegan comments, and was told about it via an IM, and saw that someone had updated Wikipedia with his death info (reliable, I know), and noticed via Google that Punk News had even put a "-2009" after his name and date of birth. The news was spreading fast. By the end of the day, at least 50 websites had reported that Chuck was dead.

At first glance James's blog post seemed super legit too. First of all, who would make something up about Chuck Biscuits? (Lars Ulrich maybe, but Chuck Biscuits????). It was a well thought out obituary which even sourced Chuck's family members (a "mass email" even), and (ironically) the post was tagged "Shit That Can't Be Real Yet Somehow Is"!

continued below...

Continue reading "the great Chuck Biscuits death hoax of 2009 (he's alive!)"