Zero Boys at Fun Fun Fun Fest 2011 (more by Fred Pessaro)

It came out of nowhere in 1982, this punk rock/hardcore fireball with the bright yellow sleeve. In one sense, The Zero Boys' Vicious Circle was yet another example of how U.S. punk seemed to peak coast to coast that year. But unlike most coastal punk, the Zero Boys were pointing the way to a scene that could accommodate heaping helpings of melody, intelligence, and rock 'n' roll sus, not just turbo-charged ferocity.

From 1979 into '83, the Indianapolis based ZBs were the finest hardcore blitz in the Midwest if not all the lower 48 states. Proof is Vicious Circle and the two decades since of copyists, bootleggers, practitioners and reunion concert pogoers.

Though before and after that LP's 1982 release they recorded the Livin' in the 80's 7", songs for three comps and released the post-mortem History Of... cassette revealing their transformation into a toured band warming to the metaphysical and their demise while still waving torches of rock 'n' roll panache

All currently know tour dates are listed, along with a stream of "Monkey Meat" from the new EP, below.

Continue reading "Zero Boys announce new EP and US dates including Brooklyn"

Cover art for 'Maimed For The Masses'

New Jersey surf-punk favorites Night Birds will release their new 7" Maimed For The Masses via Fat Wreck Chords on May 7. The single is a primer for their forthcoming LP Born To Die In Suburbia due on Grave Mistake in July. We've got the premiere of "Maimed for the Masses" which you can stream below

Meanwhile, the mostly-New Brunswick crew kick off a string of midwest dates with Give and Tenement that culminate in the previously discussed NYC show at Grand Victory on April 11 with Marvin Berry & The New Sound and Dipers (no Give, sorry). Tickets are still available.

All tour dates are listed, along with that song stream, below...

Continue reading "Night Birds releasing new 7", on tour with Give and Tenement (stream, dates)"

by Fred Pessaro // BBG

DC's Damaged City Fest has been announced for middle April, with some overlap of bands scheduled for NYC's punk fiesta New York's Alright. Look for names like Culo, Coke Bust, Double Negative, Dropdead, No Tolerance (who's members play with Rival Mob soon), Negative Approach, Night Birds, Prisoner Abuse, Tenement and many many more. Full lineup for the festival, scheduled to take place at long-time DIY space St. Stephen's Church on April 12 and 13, is below. Tickets are on sale.

Speaking of Wisconsin band Tenement, look for them to hit Grand Victory on April 11 with touring partners Night Birds, Marvin Berry & The New Sound and Dipers. Tickets are on sale. Stream a few Tenement songs, including their split with Culo, below.

In other news, Night Birds are prepping a new split for Fat Wreck Chords. Look for the four-song EP Maimed for the Masses via the label on May 7, with the title track providing a primer for the band's forthcoming LP Born To Die In Suburbia due on Grave Mistake this summer.

In more punk news, for a taste of what' you're in for at New York's Alright 2013, head to 285 Kent tonight (2/1) where Who Killed Spikey Jacket? will team with Sad Boys, Perdition, Goosebumps and Murderer. Four of the five bands scheduled for tonight will perform at the festival which happens in April.

Check out the DCFest lineup, as well as song streams, below.

Continue reading "Damaged City Fest tix on sale (Dropdead, Negative Approach, more), Night Birds ready LP/7" ++ more punk news"

The Damned at Fun Fun Fun Fest 2011 (more by Fred Pessaro // BBG)

Chaos in Tejas has announced yet another round of bands, including  The Damned, Gehenna (who play next weekend in NYC with Catharsis), Tragedy, Rotten Sound, Rival Mob, New Zealand's The Bats, Andy Stott, Power Trip, Hoax (who play NYC this weekend), Iceage (who have a new song/tour coming), Anhedonist, Akitsa, Parquet Courts and many more. Full list of names are below, which join the previously announced names like Bolt Thrower, Infest, Abigail, Integrity, Iron Lung (who play DBA soon), Final Conflict, Manilla Road, Merchandise, Milk Music, Total Control, and many many more.

The announcement comes on the same day that passes for the Austin festival, which happens May 30 - June 2,  go on sale. Passes are on sale.

Continue reading "Chaos in Tejas lineup expands again, adds The Damned, Tragedy, The Bats, Gehenna ++ more"

photos by Lukas Hodge

"Wow Warsaw took away the barricade. Gonna piiiit for old skool Fucked Up songs." - @educatingeric

Fucked Up have been on the road for much of 2012, and before ringing in the new year, the Toronto band brought their colossal punk to NYC for a one-off at Warsaw with a great lineup of support from Lemuria, Parquet Courts, and Night Birds. That one-off turned into a surprise two-off, when Fucked Up were announced as the secret headliner for Saturday's (12/22) grand finale of Brooklyn Night Bazaar. Pictures from the Warsaw show are in this post.

Lemuria, who opened for Titus Andronicus (who are touring Europe with Fucked Up soon) earlier in the month, brought out Ted Leo (who recently played with Titus at a Sandy benefit) during their set to cover Elvis Costello's "Waiting on the End of the World." Lemuria will play NYC again at the Don Giovanni showcases in Brooklyn this February.

Parquet Courts, who are reissuing their great debut, Light Up Gold, via What's Your Rupture in January, will be touring again in support of that album. The tour brings them back to Brooklyn on January 11 at Death by Audio. Meanwhile they're in Chicago tonight (12/27).

In related news, Fucked Up's Damian Abraham posted his "fav records that [he] acquired off [his] want list this year" to Matador's Matablog. The list isn't necessarily 2012 releases, but you can read his whole thing and check out more pics from the Warsaw show (unfortunately none of Parquet Courts) below...

Continue reading "Fucked Up, Lemuria (joined by Ted Leo), Night Birds & Parquet Courts played Warsaw (pics)"

Night Birds at House of Vans, August 2012 (more by Fred Pessaro // BBG)

Night Birds join Lemuria & Parquet Courts in supporting Fucked Up at Warsaw on Friday (12/21, tickets), and as such we cornered Brian Gorsegner to ask about his 2012. The Night Birds frontman's journey through music in 2012 in handy list format is below.

Continue reading "Brian of Night Birds recalls favorite shows & releases of 2012; their NYC show at Warsaw w/ Fucked Up is this week"

by Andrew Sacher

DOWNLOAD: Spider Bags - "Friday Night" (MP3)

Spider Bags at Hopscotch Fest 2011 (more by Alex Broadwell)

North Carolina rockers Spider Bags are probably best known for having made a huge fan out of Titus Andronicus' Patrick Stickles and for appearing on their 2010 album, The Monitor, along with a slew of other guests. They've got three of their own albums out, including the most recent release, Shake My Head, which came out this past August on Odessa Records. Literally 2 seconds into album opener, "Keys to the City," it becomes clear why Patrick is a fan (or why they may have been influenced by Titus in return) and that vibe continues through the rest of the fast paced (and slightly country tinged) album. You can download Shake My Head single, "Friday Night," at the top of this post, and stream it along with (almost) the rest of the entire album below.

Spider Bags will be making their way to NYC in 2013 for a show at Cameo Gallery on January 18 with Gross Ghost and Lazy Eyes. Tickets for that show are on sale now. It's their only announced date at the moment, but it wouldn't be surprising if more are revealed soon.

As for Titus Andronicus, they're on tour with Ceremony now and will return to NY/NJ on December 1 at Maxwell's (sold out) and December 2 at Webster Hall, the latter of which Lemuria was added to. Tickets for the Webster Hall show are still available.

Lemuria, along with Night Birds and Parquet Courts, were also added as openers to the upcoming Fucked Up show in NYC happening on December 21 at Warsaw, which makes for a really great lineup. Tickets for that show are still available.

Streams below.

Continue reading "Spider Bags released an LP, playing NYC; Lemuria opening for Fucked Up (w/ Night Birds, Parquet Courts) & Titus Andronicus"

Chaos in Tejas 2013 (5/30 - 6/2) expands yet again with some mammoth additions to their lineup! Among today's announcements are names like Framtid (from Japan, playing their first and only US show!), Infest (who are also playing MDF), Total Control, the Men, Iron Lung, the Marked Men, Effluxus, Absu, Mammoth Grinder, Mitochondrion, Screaming Females, Step Forward, UV Race, Wiccans and Wrathprayer.

Full lineup so far is below, with 100+ bands still TBA. The announcement comes on the heels of last month's batch of bands that included Bolt Thrower, Final Conflict, Abigail, Manilla Road, and more. Ticketing info for the  weekend are forthcoming.

Check out the current Chaos lineup, as well as releated video, below.

Continue reading "Chaos in Tejas 2013 announces more bands (Framtid, Infest, Total Control, UV Race, Screaming Females + more)"

Night Birds at House of Vans, August 2012 (more by Fred Pessaro // BBG)

Night Birds posted this on their Facebook yesterday:

By the end of tonight we should have 10 songs out of our 15 song goal done for our 2nd album. All killer, no filler. Making progress...

In addition to tonight's appearance at Cake Shop, look for the band to play October 6 at Brighton Bar in Long Branch, NJ with Angry Samoans (who play NYC next week) and Chronic Sick, as well as shows at Acheron with Toys That Kill and Chaos in Tejas next year.

Bolt Thrower!

Chaos in Tejas have announced their first round of artists for 2013 and guess what, its a doozy. Bolt Thrower will return to the states and join the Ashes to Ashes-lineup of Final Conflict (Renfrow, Harp, Martinez, for the first time since 1988), Terveet Kadet (Finland), Integrity, Manilla Road, Abigail (Japan), Merchandise, Kromosom (Australia), Lower, Cruciamentum and many many others. The initial announcement is but twenty of 150 artists that will be announced for the festival, which happens May 30 - June 2 in Austin, TX, so hold on to your hats, kids. Passes go on sale on Oct 8.

In addition, Bolt Thrower will join Sleep, Carpathian Forest, Revenge, Abigail, Anhedonist and many more as part of another batch of Maryland Deathfest artists announced today. Current MDF lineup is below.

Lineups and Chaos in Tejas flyer is below.

Continue reading "Chaos in Tejas announces initial 2013 lineup w/ Final Conflict and Bolt Thrower, who will also play Maryland Deathfest"

photos by Fred Pessaro // BBG

Turbonegro / the crowd, House of Vans 8/30/2012

Jean jackets, lipstick, eye make-up and their forebearers, Turbonegro helped close out House of Vans' last night (8/29) with the help of Doomriders and Night Birds. The show was the final HoV event of the season, yet was a rather sparse affair in attendance. Of course this could not deter the ravenous Turbojugends from bouncing along to favorites like "I Got Erection" and "The Age of Pamparious".

Though the show was a light and fun in temperament, there was a bit of a shadow cast over the event due to the cancellation by Baroness due to the horrific accident in the UK. Get well soon guys.

More pictures and video from House of Vans last night are below, including the Turbonegro setlist.

Continue reading "Turbonegro played House of Vans with Doomriders and Night Birds (pics, video, setlist) "

photos by Alyssa Tanchajja

Screaming Females at Warehouse Motor Club - 6/29/12

Screaming Females, who were supposed to play NYC last month for Northside Festival, but had to cancel much of their tour due to illness, played their first NYC area show since then this past weekend. They played Warehouse Motor Club in their home state of New Jersey on Friday (6/29) with Night Birds (who played NYC last week), Terrible Feelings (who played NYC on Saturday), Smart Cops, and Artificial Limbs. Pictures from that show are in this post.

Screaming Females have other upcoming shows in NYC and NJ, including C.L.I.T. Fest (7/13-15) in Highland Park, NJ and Riot Fest Brooklyn (9/8) in Williamsburg Park.

More pics from the Warehouse Motor Club show are below.

Continue reading "Screaming Females played Warehouse Motor Club in NJ with Night Birds, Terrible Feelings, and more (pics)"

photos by Keith Marlowe

Mean Jeans @ Cake Shop - 6/20/2012

The recently released The Thing That Ate Larry Livermore compilation release will be celebrated tonight (6/25) and tomorrow (6/26) at Knitting Factory in Brooklyn. The comp, out via Adeline Records (aka Billie Joe of Green Day's label), features sixteen bands in total. Larry Livermore, who co-founded Lookout! Records, compiled the album. Larry says:

When Billie Joe asked me to put together this compilation, my First reaction was to say, 'Absolutely not.' I was too busy with other projects, and besides, I'd been saying for years that I was done with the music business, that people should take me out and shoot me if I ever showed any sign of wanting to get back into it," said Livermore. "But then I realized that this was an opportunity to do for a whole new crop of bands what we'd been able to accomplish at Lookout back in the 80s and 90s, which was to bring exciting and passionate music to the attention of a public that might otherwise never get to hear it. Once I thought about it in that light, it was impossible to say no...

...I chose the bands using the same standards I used when I was at Lookout: I looked for those bands with a certain heart and soul that sets them apart from the literally thousands of run of the mill bands out there, the heart and soul that makes them capable of giving voice not just to their own ideals and visions, but to those of a generation.

Mean Jeans is currently on tour supporting their recent Mean Jeans on Mars LP. The band swung through Cake Shop on June 20 alongside Hollywood, Liquor Store and Foster Care. Pictures of three of the four (we missed Hollywood) from that Manhattan show are below.

Continue reading "Mean Jeans played Cake Shop (pics), playing 1st night of 'Larry Livermore' release party (at the Knit tonight)"

Check out what West Village record store Generation Records has going on Saturday, below...

Continue reading "Record Store Day @ Generation Records"

Dam-Funk at Union Pool (more by Erez Avissar)

It's that very special time again...

WBAR Barnard College Radio is pleased to announce WBAR-B-Q XIX happening Saturday, April 28th from 2-10 PM at Barnard College in New York City

2 stages, 9 acts, 8 hours of music, free BBQ, ALL FREE, ALL AGES, ALL OPEN TO THE PUBLIC...

Come early for the free food and BBQ starting at 1:30 PM, stay for the jams

TELL ALL YER FRIENDS

The show is one of four NYC-area shows scheduled for Widowspeak, who also play Maxwell's on 4/13 with Crystal Stilts and two NYC shows on their tour with 2:54. Their full tour schedule is below alongside some video.

Continue reading "WBAR-B-Q 2012 lineup (free show w/ Bush Tetras, Dam-Funk, Widowspeak, Forma & many more)"

photos by Keith Marlowe & Harriet Roberts

The Spits @ Knitting Factory

Photographers Harriet Roberts and Keith Marlowe spent their weekend with The Spits/TV Ghost, taking in not only the Cake Shop show on 3/1 (which we previously posted other pictures from) but also Knitting Factory (on 3/2) AND Sonar in Baltimore on 3/3 (with Livids and Murder). Pictures from all three shows, along with video from Knit courtesy of UN:ART:IG, below....

Continue reading "A weekend with The Spits & TV Ghost (more pics from Cake Shop, pics & video from Knitting Factory and Sonar too)"

photos by Sarah Coulter

The Spits @ Cake Shop

The Spits left a sweaty mess for Cake Shop last night (3/1), one of a pair of NYC dates for the band with their tour-mates TV Ghost. Last night also featured appearances from Night Birds and Livids, neither of which will be at Knitting Factory tonight (3/2); look for a DJ set from Tony Lo-Fi in their stead. Tickets are still available.

Pictures from Cake Shop are below.

Continue reading "The Spits played Cake Shop w/ TV Ghost, Night Birds & Livids (pics), play Knitting Factory TONIGHT"

DOWNLOAD: The Spits - "My Life Sucks" (MP3)

The Spits at Chaos in Tejas (more by Harriet Roberts)

The Spits begin their two night reign of punk goodness TONIGHT at Cake Shop (3/1) with tourmates TV Ghost and NYC punk MVPs Night Birds. The party continues tomorrow night at Knitting Factory (3/2, tickets) when The Spits/TV Ghost hit the Brooklyn venue with DJ Tony Lo-Fi. The tour continues on and eventually terminates with a show at Emo's East on 3/16 during SXSW with The Gories and more "special guests TBA". RSVP to get into that In the Red showcase for free.

In related news, Night Birds spent last night on The Chris Gethard Show with Julie Klausner. Did you catch it? if you missed it, watch the video below. Also down there is the previous episode with special guests Grizz Chapman (from 30 Rock), Tina Fey, Ted Leo and more.

Chris Gethard will be in Austin for SXSW too. Pick up a copy of his new book.

All Spits tour dates and tons of other stuff, below...

Continue reading "The Spits are on tour, in NYC, playing SXSW with the Gories; Night Birds played the Chris Gethard show (video)"

by BBG

Pissed Jeans at House of Vans (more by Chris La Putt)

Pissed Jeans, who haven't been very busy lately due to having kids, scheduled some shows this month including one in Brooklyn at Music Hall of Williamsburg last night (1/22), joined by Protect-U and Pop.1280. The show was another one-off for the punk band, but one of a few dates for Pop.1280, who are welcoming their new LP The Horror (stream the LP in full at SPIN). Did you go last night? How was it? blogTo was at the Toronto show:

"Beyond the onstage antics, the band played an incredible set. The crowd's favourite seemed to be the official last song of the night, "False Jesii Part 2." As soon as the band started playing it the intensity in the room skyrocketed and the structural soundness of the floor was tested to the max as the crowd bounced to the high paced rhythm. As the last song came to an end, fans were left wanting for more.

Pissed Jeans were happy to oblige, on one condition: "a rousing clap" was needed, at the request of Korvette. The crowd complied and the band played on. Ending their encore, the drummer, Sean McGuinness, leapt over his kit and into the crowd."

Kim Phuc will ALSO play an after-party with the new-look Night Birds & Nuclear Spring (ex-Nomos) later that night.

A short video from a recent Pissed Jeans show in Philly, below...

Continue reading "Pissed Jeans played MHOW, added to Ceremony show!"

photos by Keith Marlowe, Livids photos by Harriet Roberts

Headlined by Foster Care, Night Birds played their final show with Mikey Hunchback on guitar on January 12th at Lulu's, joined by Livids (ex-New Bomb Turks), Pampers, and Nuclear Santa Claust. Pictures from the FREE show adorn this post.

Reminder, Night Birds have a few other NYC shows in the near future (all with their new guitarist), including at Music Hall of Williamsburg on 2/18 with World Inferno Friendship Society (tickets). The band also announced another NYC show at Acheron on Feb 4th with Kim Phuc and Nuclear Spring (ex-Nomos), an after-party of sorts for the Ceremony/Rival Mob/Kim Phuc/Hoax/Gods & Queens show at LPR earlier that day. Tickets for LPR are still available.

In other news, cartoonist Mitch Clem recently revealed his favorite LPS of 2011 which included Night Birds' new LP The Other Side of Darkness. Check out his accompanying comic along with pictures from Lulu's below (unfortunately none of Nuclear Santa Claust).

Continue reading "Night Birds wave goodbye to Mikey Hunchback @ Lulu's (pics), add show at Acheron with Kim Phuc"

by BBG

Mike of Night Birds gets a bug's eye view at ABC No Rio (more by Keith Marlowe)

Let's get down to it... Mike's last live show with Night Birds will be January 12th in Brooklyn, NY. The band has become a fairly time-consuming commitment, and with the other three of us really pushing and wanting to do even more, Mike just wasn't able to divert enough time from his new record store and his more recent writing projects. With the best intentions of both the band and himself in mind, he has made the decision to part ways with Night Birds. After three years, we are obviously bummed to see him go, but we are all still on perfectly good terms and there is no bad blood. In fact, Mike will remain in the band, along side our new guitar player, to write our second full length LP this Winter, with hopes of recording in early Spring.

Mike was a huge part of Night Birds. If we didn't have the perfect replacement and it just didn't feel right, we would call it a day. We're very critical of ourselves, always have been, and would not do this band half-assed. We are very excited to welcome PJ Russo to the Night Birds lineup on guitar. He plays in a great band called PHIBES, and the second we started playing together, it really just clicked. He's a brilliant guitar player, and honestly fits the band perfectly. He will begin playing with us in February and you can come see for yourself.

If you can't make it to Lulu's to see off Mike, then make sure and head to see Night Birds with PJ on guitar supporting World Inferno Friendship Society on February 18th at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Tickets are still available.

All tour dates (including a 2/29 Chris Gethard show?), as well as some streams and video are below.

Continue reading "Night Birds will wave goodbye to guitarist with a FREE show this week (tour dates)"

photos by Keith Marlowe, words by BBG

Omegas @ ABC No Rio - 12/17/11

Even without Citizens Arrest, Omegas/Mind Eraser/Night Birds/Death First at a space as small as ABC No Rio is an exciting prospect. So even though cXa cancelled their appearance at ABC No Rio on Saturday due to illness, it was still quite a formidable bill at the sunsetting-and-reopening venue, a benefit for the space. Here are some pictures from the show (though we unfortunately missed Inflatable Children and Death First - mem Grudges/Ruin Lust)

Omegas, who earned a spot on my favorite LPs of 2011 list, also played 538 Johnson (like they did earlier this year) with Boston Strangler later that night.

Check out Brian from Night Birds' favorite LPs of 2011 HERE. Check out more pictures from ABC No Rio and some videos, below...

Continue reading "Omegas played ABC No Rio w/ Mind Eraser, Night Birds (pics)"

by BBG

Omegas at 538 Johnson (more by Keith Marlowe)

‎*** We regret to announce that Citizens Arrest will not be performing at ABC NO RIO this Saturday (12/17). Daryl has contracted a serious case of pneumonia and obviously, can not perform. We have been replaced by the OMEGAS. We apologize to any of you who have made extensive plans to see us. The show will still go on and the lineup is still stellar and worth your time. Remember it is a benefit for ABC NO RIO!***

No word on how Daryl's sickness will affect Funebrarum's appearance at the Acheron/Gorephobia/Mutant Supremacy show at Saint Vitus later that night, but we'll keep you posted.

UPDATE: Funebrarum cancels their Acheron appearance as well.

Get well soon Daryl!

by BBG

Night Birds at Cake Shop (more by Keith Marlowe)

Brian of Night Birds has given us his ten coolest things in 2011, which includes shouts to Omegas, Career Suicide (mems of Fucked Up), Weird Al, and much more. Check that out below.

Night Birds play Tommy's Tavern TONIGHT (12/9) with Manipulation, Sickoids and Crazy Spirit, one of TWO NYC dates scheduled before the end of the year (the other with Citizens Arrest). The party kicks off at 8PM.

Brian Night Birds' year-end list is below.

Continue reading "Night Birds list Ten Cool Things in 2011, play a show tonight"

Screaming Females at MHoW (more by Devan Council)

NJ record label Don Giovanni have scheduled their annual pair of Brooklyn showcases (and a NJ movie screening) for middle February, returning to Music Hall of Williamsburg and Death By Audio too.

Kicking off with a screening of Dirty Work at the Forum Theatre in Metuchen, NJ on 2/9 (yes, the Norm MacDonald/Artie Lange film), the party will move to Death By Audio on 2/10 for a show with Mikey Erg, House Boat, Nuclear Santa Claust, Secret Police and Plastic Cross. The next night Don Giovanni moves eight blocks up to Music Hall of Williamsburg where Screaming Females, Laura Stevenson and The Cans, For Science, Shellshag, and Black Wine will team up to play the venue. Tickets for the bigger show go on sale Friday, 12/9. The flyer for both is below.

Latterman

In somewhat related news, Latterman, who called it quits in 2007, and who share a member with Laura Stevenson & the Cans, is back from the grave, at least for a few shows.

Latterman was a four-piece punk rock band from Huntington, New York. They played a style of melodic punk rock with shouted dual-vocals by Phil Douglas and Matt Canino, and their songs often contain political and/or socially conscious lyrics. The band has been compared to the likes of Against Me!, The Lawrence Arms, Hot Water Music and Fifth Hour Hero. Members have since gone on to play in bands including Shorebirds, Mutoid Men, Iron Chic, Bridge and Tunnel, RVIVR, Laura Stevenson and The Cans, Daytrader and The Brass.

Although recent Don Giovanni signing Waxahatchee is NOT playing the Don Giovanni showcases, Katie Crutchfield (aka Waxahatchee) can be found opening one of the Latterman shows. She is playing one of her last shows ever as part of the sunsetting PS Eliot at the Bell House.

Members of Night Birds served in The Ergs with Mikey Erg (who plays the DG show at DBA), and they have a few shows scheduled before year-end too, including a show with Citizens Arrest and another at Tommy's Tavern on 12/9 with Manipulation and Crazy Spirit (who play with Double Negative soon).

During CMJ, Laura Stevenson and Shellshag, like Polica, stopped in to perform songs exclusively for us backstage and on the Williamsburg Waterfront. Check out those videos, part of our slowly-debuting Sony Bloggie CMJ video series ("Green Room Sessions"), along with tour dates, the DG flyer, and some Latterman videos below...

Continue reading "Don Giovanni schedule 2012 showcases, Latterman reunited, Laura Stevenson & Shellshag played us songs (videos & dates)"