photos by Harriet Roberts

The Dwarves

The Dwarves played the misanthropic and high-octane punk shows in NYC onver the weekend, part of a larger 25th anniversary tour for the miscreants. The first was on Friday (7/15) at Knitting Factory with The Stalkers and Lugosi. Dwarves then packed up their snotty attitudes and fun riffs to play The Studio at Webster Hall the next night (7/16) with The Stalkers, The Threads, and Cvlt War. Pictures from Knitting Factory are in this post.

The Dwarves kick off a round of dates with Nashville Pussy in early August that will hit the Southwest before heading to California and the remainder of the West Coast. Dates and more pictures from Knitting Factory (sorry, none of Lugosi) are below...

Continue reading "The Dwarves & Stalkers played Knitting Factory (pics)"

by BBG

A former member of the rock band Queens of the Stone Age got into an intense standoff with a S.W.A.T. team at his L.A. home last night ... where cops found a high-powered LOADED rifle.

...Cops were called to the home of 39-year-old Nick Oliveri after a neighbor called 911 to report a "disturbance" between the rocker and his girlfriend.

Sources close to the couple tell us Nick's GF told police the rocker struck her during an argument the day before and she had come back to the home to collect her stuff so she could move out. That's when the two got into another heated argument and Nick locked themselves inside the duplex.

When cops arrived, Oliveri -- who played bass with the Queens for years before parting ways with the group -- refused to allow cops inside the residence and would not let his girlfriend leave.

A S.W.A.T. team was called to the scene -- and a standoff ensued. After two hours, Nick finally agreed to let his GF exit the duplex and two hours after that, he gave himself up without further incident.

When cops searched the home, we're told they found one high powered rifle -- which was FULLY LOADED.

Oliveri was booked on felony domestic violence. He has since been released after posting $100,000 bail. -[TMZ]

What is it with bass players going off the deep end this week... first from Coheed & Cambria and now Olivieri. No word on if/how the arrest may affect Olivieri's involvement in the forthcoming Kyuss Lives reunion shows (they are scheduled to play overseas this week), but we'll keep you informed. Kyuss Lives is scheduled to play Terminal 5 on 9/23 with The Sword (tickets). Updated tour dates are below.

Oliveri also did time (rimshot!) in The Dwarves who are celebrating 25 years with a dates that include two NYC stops this week: 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 are still available.

Continue reading "Nick Oliveri arrested after standoff with S.W.A.T team"

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]

The Dwarves are celebrating 25 years of mischief with a new collection with songs titles like "The Dwarves Are Still The Best Band Ever", "We Only Came To Get High", and "Happy Birthday Suicide"...

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.

Stream it below, or with a large amount of their output at their bandcamp. As you may/may not know Dwarves member Rex Everything currently goes by his government name Nick Oliveri (ex-Queens of The Stone Age, Mondo Generator).

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"

by BBG

Digital Retribution: When I last interviewed you, you said of the Dead Kennedys reunion, "I thought it was fucking pathetic, though, when The Dead Kennedys went out without Jello as their singer." What I meant to say instead of whatever monosyllabic witticism I spouted is: What's the difference between DK and the reformed Misfits, who GWAR toured with?

Dave Brockie (aka Oderus): I think there is a big difference, but don't expect the original product in either. I like Jerry and I would rather have him out touring and having fun than have him working in his machine shop. You can't blame him for wanting to cash in on how great The Misfits were, and enjoy himself in the process, plus give all of his pals jobs in his crew, and show his kids the time of their lives! So in that aspect, I think Jerry and what's left of The Misfits is cool, as long as you don't go in there expecting to see Glenn Danzig! I feel Jerry has earned the right to do whatever the fuck he wants through 30+ years of dedication to this music. Jerry never lets up, he is always gigging. Whereas the Dead Kennedys thing was just a one-shot money grab. They knew they could get away with it, do a year or two, cash in, and bail...and also, The Misfits actually got away with replacing their singer, with Mike Graves, and did a couple of great records! That was when we toured with them, and that was great! American Psycho is a great fucking album!

With 46 acts spanning multiple genres, all worth at least checking out, and most worth more than that, playing on four stages in a 10 hour period along with side attractions like a bungee jumping thing and a mechanical bull, and with three of us at Fun Fun Fun Fest, it shouldn't be surprising that it took us ONE, TWO, THREE, and now FOUR posts to cover just the pictures from Saturday. They continue below...

Continue reading "Fun Fun Fun Fest 2010 - Day Two in pics (part 4) - Gwar, Jeff the Brotherhood, Municipal Waste, Dam-Funk & more"

photos by Tim Griffin

The Dwarves

Appreciative crowds turned up at all four [Fun Fun Fun Fest] stages [this past weekend], and the festival's vaunted circus atmosphere was out in force -- with plenty of traffic at the mechanical bull, the Eurobungy, the skate ramps and the arcade games set to free play. After a few weeks with unexpected, last-minute cancellations and other problems, Moody said the organizers were able to breathe a sigh of relief.

"All the snafus [like Devo cancelling] happened before the fest. We don't have a record of great luck, you know? Whether it be weather or bands or whatever," said Moody. "So when that kind of thing starts happening you start to wonder, 'Oh (expletive), is this gonna be another year with some weird curveball?' We were just hoping it wasn't a run of bad luck and it wasn't. We got a little bad luck before the festival but all kinds of good luck at the festival."

Even the dust cloud had a silver lining.

"We love the dust this year, because at least it's not raining," Moody said. "We hated the dust when it first happened a few years ago, but after it rained last year we were like 'Bring on the dust!'" [Austin 360]

The 2010 edition of Fun Fun Fun Fest, complete with constant dust in the air (a few smart people wore masks or bandanas over their face), is now over (and it's true, the dust is a bit uncomfortable, but the mud and rain last year was worse).

You saw pictures from Friday night, and the first half of Tim's shots from Saturday (11/6). Here are the rest of that day (with more coming soon). They continue below...

Continue reading "Fun Fun Fun Fest 2010 - Day Two in pics (part 2) - Cap'n Jazz, Dwarves, MGMT, Dirty Projectors, GWAR, Delorean & more"

by BBG

Off! (photo by Lindsey Byrnes)

Whether or not the band name Off! is a not-so-subtle reference to another band that featured the great Keith Morris and dealt destruction to the insect populi, one thing is certain, they rule. Besides the incredible vocalist for Circle Jerks/Black Flag, punk supergroup Off! also features a killer lineup including Dimitri Coats (Burning Brides), Mario Rubalcaba (Earthless/Hot Snakes/Rocket From the Crypt) and Steven McDonald (Redd Kross) and the foursome have announced their debut material to be released with Vice Records!

Off!, who you may have caught at SXSW this year, will release the accurately titled First EP via limited edition 7" inch on October 12th. Featuring art and an exclusive poster courtesy of Raymond Pettibon, aka the evil genius behind Black Flag's iconic album covers, the release is the first of four 7"s to be compiled on the First Four EPs (another Black Flag nod) due on November 23rd - a collection of 16 songs which will each feature its own Pettibon sleeve art.

As the tour dates indicate below, Off!, in addition to playing FYFFest and Riot Fest this year, has announced their involvement in Austin's Fun Fun Fun Fest (happening November 6th and 7th). For those of you counting at home, that brings the list of confirmed FFFFest bands to Woven Bones, Suicidal Tendencies, Slick Rick, Best Coast, Dirty Projectors, Cap'n Jazz, The Gories, Yelle, Snapcase, The Dwarves, High On Fire, and The Hold Steady! Stay tuned for more lineup announcements for the great Texas festival.

Meanwhile, Mario Rubalcaba was NOT part of the recent (and impromptu) Hot Snakes reunion that took place on July 29th at an Obits/Night Marchers show in San Diego, CA (the bands were on tour together).

You can view video of the three Hot Snakes songs from that set, as well as all Off! tour dates & a video from their first show in LA, below...

Continue reading "Off! signs to Vice, Fun Fun Fun Fest announces part of the lineup, Hot Snakes reunited (sort of) "

by BBG

Dwarves bobbleheads (available here)

Trouble-making punks the Dwarves are hitting the road this summer, having scheduled a string of east coast dates that kick off on Thursday (June 17th) which will lead the band to NYC at Bowery Electric on June 20th with the Turbo AC's. Two days later (June 22nd), Blag will play a pair of solo acoustic shows at Generation Records (early) and The Local 269. In early July the band sets off for a string of west coast dates and prep for an August tour in the UK leading up to an appearance at the Kanalrock Festival in Norway.

The Dwarves don't have a new LP to show off, but guitarist HeWhoCanNotBeNamed does. The guitarist's new LP, Sunday School Massacre, hit store shelves last Monday and features appearances from many current and former Dwarves including Blag Dahlia, Nick Oliveri (Kyuss, Queens of The Stone Age), Andy Selway (KMFDM & The Spittin' Cobras, The Dwarves) and many more.

Some videos and full tour dates are below...

Continue reading "the Dwarves are touring & Blag playing solo - 2010 tour dates"

by BBG

Battlemaster at Heart of Winter Fest (more by Diana Lee Zadlo)

Call it the "heart of early spring" fest. Two stellar bands that roughed up the crowds at Heart of Winter fest, Battlemaster and Bastard Sapling will re-emerge from their coffins and team up with Inter Arma for The Charleston TONIGHT (Easter, 4/4) with Mutant Supremacy (who replaced Castevet on the bill). Later this year Bastard Sapling and Inter Arma will hit the road for a (much more) extensive US tour. Full tour dates below... lots of TBA's. Contact the band to help out.

Inter Arma have a new LP entitled Sundown due on Forcefield Records this spring. More on that soon.

40% of Inter Arma, 20% of Battlemaster and one Elway (of Celebrity Murders, CR, and Murdock fame) make up the great Bastard Sapling whose unholy rituals I managed to witness when they played Lit with Lightning Swords of Death.

Battlemaster are also on board for the third year of an absolutely insane free festival on Governor's Island. Punk Island returns this year on June 20th. The massive lineup features Negative Approach (!), Midnight, Nunslaughter, Star Fucking Hipsters, Infernal Stronghold, No Redeeming Social Value, and many other notables. The current and currently expanding lineup with some videos and those dates, below...

Continue reading "Punk Island's initial 2010 lineup (Negative Approach & MANY more), Battlemaster & Bastard Sapling tour dates "

by Black Bubblegum

From the Dwarves:

The Dirty South, the Demented Mid-West, the Decadent East Coast. Everyone gets a piece of the DWARVES in October and November.

We are the best band ever and now you're gonna come see us before our country is sold to North Korea for scrap!

The "Decadent East Coast" includes a night of Blag Dahlia-led raucous confrontation at Europa on 11/7 with tourmates The Uprising and locals Sister Anne. Tickets are on sale. No word if bassist Rex Everything (aka ousted ex-Queens Of The Stone Age bassist Nick Oliveri) will tour with the perverts. Check out their NSFW video for "FEFU" and their full tour schedule below...

Continue reading "The Dwarves - 2008 Tour Dates (Europa)"