Nails at Saint Vitus, 5/3/2013 (more by Lukas Hodge)

The monster IO-sponsored bill of hardcore-influenced favorites Nails, Xibalba and Early Graves featuring Nails, Xibalba and Early Graves came to a close in Philadelphia, one day after a showing at Saint Vitus in Brooklyn on May 3. Brooklyn's White Widows opened the evening, and riled up the crowd with a surprise appearance from Incendiary vocalist Brendan Garrone. Check out  video and more photos from the show at InvisibleOranges.

In related news, both Xibalba and Nails will return to the East Coast to play This is Hardcore at The Electric Factory in Philadelphia on August 8 - 12, joining names like Sick of it All, Trapped Under Ice, Kid Dynamite, Modern Life is War, Rival Mob, Ringworm, Absolution and others. Four-day passes are on sale now and full lineup is below.

Continue reading "Nails, Xibalba, Early Graves & White Widows played Saint Vitus; This is Hardcore expands lineup"

by Fred Pessaro // BBG

This is Hardcore have announced their initial 2013 lineup which, for the most part, doesn't have many uber-shocking additions unless you count a headlining set by Gwar (?). It includes names like Kid Dynamite, Tragedy, 7 Seconds, Panic, Trapped Under Ice and more. Full lineup is below. Tickets for the festival pass and the weekend pass go on sale at noon.

The one interesting addition is the reemergence of Modern Life is War, who called it quits in 2008. Though some are viewing the band's reunion as part of an April Fool's joke, the reunion is in fact real according to a valued source. The band issued the following statement regarding their return:

"Modern Life Is War is an active band again. In September of last year, we wrote an album in John's basement in Marshalltown, which will be recorded at God City in May and released on Deathwish in September. The original lineup of Chris Honeck, Matt Hoffman, Jeffrey Eaton, Tyler Oleson and John Eich will be in place. For what it's worth, we are not approaching this as a 'reunion' but rather as a band with a new record that will be working to contribute something worthwhile. Extensive touring is not in the cards for us at this point. Our first show back will be at This Is Hardcore Fest in August, followed by a record release show in Iowa. We will announce an official release date as well as specific show dates and locations as soon as they are confirmed."

Keep your fingers crossed for more dates.

Continue reading "This is Hardcore announces partial lineup, Modern Life is War included! (tickets on sale)"

by BBG

Negative Approach at Fun Fun Fun Fest (more by BBG)

This is Hardcore returns to Philadelphia, PA for four days in August at Union Transfer (on 8/9) and Electric Factory (8/10 - 8/12). Both shows will have no barricades for you headwalkers/divers and in the case of Electric Factory, the venue will actually construct a stage in front of their usual stage (!) to get around the existing barricade. Now thats dedication/brutality.

As for the lineup, as usual the cast of hooligans gracing the stages of TIHC are a cast of notables, including Cro-Mags, Negative Approach, Gorilla Biscuits, Breakdown, Blacklisted, Killing Time, Nails, Ringworm, Gehenna and many many more. Full lineup is below and tickets go on sale on May 17th at noon.

Power Trip is part of said lineup, and reminder, the band will hit Acheron on May 15th as part of a string of East Coast dates. All tour dates are below.

Continue reading "This is Hardcore announces 2012 lineup and new venue"

by BBG

From Ashes Rise (photo by Christine Boarts Larson)

Save the date. After playing This is Hardcore a few days prior, NYC will be blessed with the return of From Ashes Rise (!), their first NYC date since their reunion in 2009! The August 15th show at Public Assembly show will see support from Maine's Full of Hell and NJ's own Night Birds, with one more to be announced in the coming days. $10 will get you in, and ticketing details are forthcoming.

After PA & NYC, From Ashes Rise will head back to their home turf of the Pacific Northwest to play a Seattle date of The Power of The Riff on August 20th at The Highline with Black Breath, Trap Them, Baptists and more to be announced.

The Seattle show is one of five confirmed 'Power of the Riff' shows on the West Coast, including Los Angeles, two in San Francisco, and another Seattle date with Winter/Pelican/Noothgrush. Other dates include appearances from Eyehategod, Masakari (who have a new split), All Pigs Must Die (who have a new album), Winter (who just played Terminal 5), Pentagram (whose vocalist/mastermind is the subject of a new film and who play LPR on 8/19), Noothgrush (who are back together!), Early Graves (who have a new vocalist in John from The Funeral Pyre), Seven Sisters of Sleep, and many notable others.

All From Ashes Rise tour dates and some videos below.

Continue reading "From Ashes Rise playing NYC after This is Hardcore (dates)"

DOWNLOAD: Mister Heavenly - "Pineapple Girl" (MP3)

Descendents at FFFFest (more by Tim Griffin)

Much like last year, FYF Fest 2011 is poppin' off with some incredible bands, many of whom recently reunited. This year the LA fest will host a coveted Descendents appearance, a Death From Above 1979 show, Guided By Voices, another Kid Dynamite reunion, The Dead Milkmen, Explosions in the Sky, the return of The Weakerthans and many, many notable others. Full lineup is below. The show goes down at 1st and Main in downtown Los Angeles on September 3rd. Tickets are on sale.

Future Islands plays FYF Fest and plays Death By Audio in Brooklyn TONIGHT (6/28).

For Kid Dynamite, which features members of Lifetime, Paint it Black and None More Black, the reunion is their first since re-emerging for This is Hardcore last year with Ink & Dagger. The band called it quits in 2000 and reunited in 2005 at CBGB and some other times too. I hope they schedule another NYC show, but it's just LA for now.

This is Hardcore THIS YEAR features an appearance from Ressurection, which also featured Dan Yemin on guitar. Tickets for This is Hardcore 2011, taking place in Philly's Starlight Ballroom, is mostly sold-out, with tickets for the Sunday show still available.

The Descendents appearance at FYFest is one of several dates scheduled for the reunited band, NYC's Roseland, Chicago Riot Fest, and Philly's Riot Fest included. Tickets are still available for the 9/23 Roseland show.

Mister Heavenly will hit the road for a string of dates on the West Coast leading up to FYF Fest. Check out their full tour schedule below, and look for their new LP Out of Love on 8/16 via Sub Pop. Check out "Pineapple Girl" from that record above.

The Death From Above 1979 appearance is one of several slated for the band in the coming months, including a 7/22 appearance at Williamsburg Waterfront. Tickets are still available OR, you can try your hand by winning a pair at our Facebook. The full set of DFA1979 dates are below.

The Weakerthans have a few other dates slated for Europe and Canada in the coming months. Hopefully they add more US dates too. All dates for now are listed below.

A few bands on the FYFest lineup (namely, Cults, Off!, and No Age) will also appear in NYC at the House of Vans this summer, and for FREE. The FYF-presented House of Vans series of shows starts this Thursday (6/30). You just have to RSVP to get in (and maybe get there early).

All Weakerthans, DFA1979, and Mister Heavenly dates, some video, and the full FYF Fest lineup is below.

Continue reading "FYF Fest in LA, This is Hardcore in Philly, Future Islands in BK, Mister Heavenly on tour, a DFA1979 contest & more"

I& D photos by Nikki Sneakers, MGMT photos by Lanna Apisukh, words by BBG

Geoff Rickly of Ink & Dagger at This is Hardcore in Philly Sunday

Amazing Baby will open the sold out MGMT show at Radio City Music Hall TONIGHT (8/18), part of a two night stay for MGMT who played the venue last night with Francis & The Lights. Tickets for tonight are still available, if you so desire. Last night's crowd was reportedly very young and included at least one enthusiastic fan who rushed the stage. MGMT must drive people nuts, I know it drives me crazy....

MGMT @ Radio City Music Hall Tuesday night

Tonight's show marks the end of a busy week for Don Devore of Amazing Baby, as he also brought his past/current (?) project Ink & Dagger to Party Expo on 8/12, This is Hardcore on Sunday (8/15), and to The Ox in Philly on 8/13 as well:

Most scenesters with a basic hardcore background know that Sean McCabe was Ink & Dagger and initially looked at the shows with some skepticism, but in the end, the whole thing seemed like a pretty fitting tribute. Despite all the baggage/backstory/justifications that go with explaining why this was ok, it felt pretty right as the band ripped through both seven inches a couple songs off of "Fine Art".

It would have been great to catch all 3 sets, but out of the trio of shows they played this weekend, a warehouse show on Friday the 13th with very little advertising, felt like the best fit to me. While I'm sure the set at TIHC was equally impressive, I was more concerned about the collection of boners, meatheads and doofuses that wouldn't "get" what was going on and put a damper on things. The dust hasn't had a chance to settle on the weekend, but all of the Ink & Dagger comments I've heard in 2010, remind me of the same comments that would follow them back in the late 90s. You either get it, or don't understand it. Whatever. That's the way it was in the beginning and the way it will continue to be. -[deathtens]

Pics of MGMT at RCMH, and pics and video of Ink & Dagger from their (corpsepainted) This is Hardcore appearance are below...

Continue reading "Ink & Dagger played Philly (pics & video), Amazing Baby play Radio City tonight w/ MGMT (who played last night too)"

by BBG

Ink and Dagger with the late Sean McCabe, RIP

Ink & Dagger was a Vampire-themed punk band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that was active in the 1990s. The two permanent members throughout the band's career were guitarist Don Devore and vocalist Sean Patrick McCabe. Other members included Ashli State, Terry Yerves, Ryan McLaughlin, Joshua Brown, Jennifer Park, Graham "The Tank" Williams and Eric Wareheim, co-creator and star of Cartoon Network's Adult Swim shows Tom Goes to the Mayor and Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!. Band members frequently incorporated references to vampires in their music, painted their faces, and played with fake blood. Some members were previously in Crud is a Cult, The Mandela Strike Force and Frail. -[Wiki]

One of the bands that people are drooling over on the sold-out This is Hardcore 2010 lineup is the returning Ink & Dagger with Thursday's Geoff Rickly will filling the hole left by the late Sean McCabe (they play the Philly Fest on August 15th). Now comes word that the Philly band will play Party Expo in Brooklyn on August 12th alongside another band TBA. Get ready to get nuts.

Other bands who are playing This is Hardcore like Nails, Ceremony, Judas, The Love Below, Starkweather, and Ringworm all have NYC shows in the near future too. Nails is set to play Europa with Venomous Concept (tickets). Judas and The Love Below are scheduled to play Acheron on 8/13 with Pollution and Megasus. Ceremony will play ABC No Rio and Death By Audio this weekend. Ringworm takes the stage at Santos the same day as Ink & Dagger (tickets) and with Seraphim.

Videos below...

Continue reading "Ink & Dagger playing NYC before This is Hardcore ++ Ringworm, Nails & other upcoming shows"

by BBG

Starkweather at ABC No Rio

This Is Hardcore Fest 2010 details are officially in the open, and the three day Philly festival will feature appearances from Sheer Terror, Ink & Dagger (with Geoff Rickly of Thursday filling in on vocals), Kid Dynamite, Cro-Mags, Nails, Ringworm, Starkweather, Trapped Under Ice, Seraphim, and many others. The full list is below. Tickets are on sale for the full weekend, or each individual day (Fri, Sat) though Sunday (with Kid Dynamite and Ink & Dagger) is sold out.

One of the This is Hardcore bands, Starkweather, played ABC No Rio on Saturday (May 29) with Rosetta and Shell Shock, one of TWO Rosetta shows for the weekend (the second was the BV/1000 Knives production with Ken Mode). I ducked out before the headliner Shell Shock, and missed a good portion of Rosetta's set due to beverage consumption across the street, but Starkweather were as good (better?) than I had remembered, playing a mix of metal and hardcore all anchored by vocalist weighty and powerful Rennie Resmini's voice. The band's material from their new LP This Sheltering Night sounded fantastic live as well (cop that). More pictures from their appearance are below.

Another This is Hardcore band, Seraphim, is also on board to play SATURDAY at Cake Shop alongside Altered State, Voyager, and Monolith as part of a BV/1000 Knives/Science of Silence production. The show kicks off at 5PM!

Some pics and video of Starkweather at ABC No Rio, and the full This is Hardcore fest lineup are below...

Continue reading "Starkweather played ABC No Rio (pics), playing 3-day This is Hardcore Fest in Philly w/ Kid Dynamite & many others"