While Bonnaroo is happening in Tennessee and Northside is going down here in Brooklyn, up in Toronto, ON it's time again for NXNE. Much like SXSW, the festival spans film, interactive, comedy and art, but the music portion runs tonight (6/12) and runs through Sunday (6/16) at various venues all over city. The centerpieces are the free big concerts thrown at Younge Dundas Square. This year's Social Distortion on Thursday (6/13), The National on Friday (6/14), Billy Talent on Saturday (6/15), and Ludacris with Joey Bada$$, Deniro Farrar, The Underachievers, Fat Tony, and more on Sunday (6/16).

Our friends at M for Montreal are throwing two parties at NXNE. The first is at Sneaky Dee's on Friday with with Mauves, Webster, UN, Brazos, plus Julian Lynch and The Luyas who are on a collaborative tour (that plays Northside too). There's also a "special guest" at 2 AM and for the real partiers, Psyche Tounge at 3 AM.

Then on Saturday (6/15) its the Panache Booking and M for Montreal Bruise Cruise (which they did last year too) with Mikal Cronin, We are Wolves, Odonis Odonis and Fat Tony... on a boat! Flyer for both parties is below.

There are over 1000 acts playing NXNE this year, including Fucked Up, Dan Deacon, Villagers, Still Corners, FLAG, Mikal Cronin, Calexico, Why?, Merchandise, just to name a new -- check out the full NXNE schedule. BV photographer David Andrako will be there covering the action so look for pictures in the coming days.

Sloan, who moved from Halifax, NS to Toronto a long time ago, are celebrating the 21st anniversary of their label, murderecords, with a party at Great Hall on Friday June 14. Sloan will perform the entirety of their first EP, Peppermint, which was the label's innagural release, The Super Friendz (which at times included Sloan's Chris Murphy) and and Mike O'Neill who some of you may remember from his '90s band The Inbreds. There's also a limited-edition box set of murderecords 12 7" singles they released in the '90s that will come with a commemorative book. Only 500 of these are being made and will go on sale next week via Sloan's Website. Sloan, you may remember, also recently released a hardcore tribute 7". You can check out a video about the murderecords box set, along with a flyer for the NXNE party, below.

In addition to those free shows (and the other ones we mentioned above), there's a bunch of other shows we're looking forward to at NXNE. Take a look at what those are, and where/when you can see them, below...

Continue reading "NXNE is kicking off in Toronto this week: The National, Bruise Cruise, Sloan 'murderecords' party & more"

photos by Keith Marlowe and Harriet Roberts

Flag / The Damned / the pit @ Punk Rock Bowling 2013

Under the blazing Nevada sun, Punk Rock Bowling festival went down in Las Vegas last week (May 24 - 27) featuring headlining appearances from names like The Damned, Devo, Bad Religion, Turbonegro, Flag, DRI, Subhumans and more. BV photographers Harriet Roberts and Keith Marlowe were there, the latter of whom commented on his experience:

The crowds were pretty sparse in the beginning of the days because lots of people were bowling, and the people that were there wisely took shelter under the tents in the back. Once night fell the place reached it's sold-out capacity. The headliners of the first night were Devo and the Damned. The Damned sounded great, but Devo really stole the show. They had an incredible video/light show and several costume changes.

Bad Religion and Turbonegro headlined the second night.  There was a ton of Turbojugend there, and they made their presence known with their jackets and sailor hats, and it seemed like the whole crowd was singing along when singer Tony Sylvester directed them on 'oh.oh.oh.....I Got Erection' to close out their set. A surprising amount of people left during Bad Religion's set, I think they were worried about the capacity of the clubs for the after shows, which we missed for just that reason.

The last night closed out with the Subhumans, DRI, and Flag. People seem to have an opinion about the various Flag reunions, but i decided hold off on mine until i saw how they were live, and those dudes came to play. People went craaaaaaaaazy. Holy shit. There were bodies everywhere. I hope the Black Flag band is this intense when I see them.

Continue reading "Punk Rock Bowling 2013 in pics: Flag, Devo, The Damned, Turbonegro, DRI, Subhumans & more"

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"

As mentioned, Still Corners' new album, Strange Pleasures, is out next month (5/4) on Sub Pop. Reduced to a duo of core members Greg Hughes and Tessa Murray, the band embrace synthesizers which gives their sound an Air-y feel. The band are playing Toronto's NXNE Festival in June and will stop in NYC on their way there, playing Glasslands on June 12. Tickets to that show go on sale Friday (4/5) at noon.

Still Corners are one of many new additions to 2013 of NXNE which happens at various Toronto venues from June 10 - 16. All Still Corners dates are listed, along with the updated NXNE lineup, below...

Continue reading "Still Corners playing NYC before NXNE (dates & updated lineup)"

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)"

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

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)"