Label 56, the Linthicum-based record label that released music by End Apathy -- the band fronted by alleged Sikh temple shooter Wade Michael Page -- released a statement Monday afternoon, responding to Page's relationship with the label. It reads:

Label 56 is very sorry to hear about the tragedy in Wisconsin and our thoughts are with the families and friends of those who are affected. We have worked hard over the years to promote a positive image and have posted many articles encouraging people to take a positive path in life, to abstain from drugs, alcohol, and just general behavior that can affect ones life negatively. Likewise we have never sought attention by using "shock value"/ symbols and ideology that are generally labeled as such. With that being said, all images and products related to End Apathy have been removed from our site. We do not wish to profit from this tragedy financially or with publicity.

In closing please do not take what Wade did as honorable or respectable and please do not think we are all like that.

Thank you, Label 56

The record label is owned by Clemie Richard Haught Jr. and was incorporated on Nov. 30, 2005, according to legal documents. In addition to releasing music from End Apathy, Label 56 distributed albums such as Bully Boys' "White Kids Gonna Fight," Sadus' "Out For Blood" and the White Wash/Brutal Tactics split "Southern Aggression."

Last February, Label 56 released a split seven-inch record featuring two songs each from End Apathy and Definite Hate. In an email describing the releases, End Apathy is described as "aggressive California 80's skate punk sound." Definite Hate is described as "Southern White Boy Music ;) [sic]." [Baltimore Sun]

Wade Michael Page with a rather suspect tattoo, playing in front of what looks like a rather unsavory flag

The man who allegedly murdered six people at a Sikh temple in suburban Milwaukee yesterday, identified in media reports as Wade Michael Page, was a member of two racist skinhead bands -- End Apathy and Definite Hate, a band whose album "Violent Victory" featured a gruesome drawing of a disembodied white arm punching a black man in the face. In the drawing, the fist is tattooed with the letters "HFFH," the acronym for the phrase "Hammerskins Forever, Forever Hammerskins."

The Hammerskins is a nationwide skinhead organization with regional factions and chapters that once dominated the racist skinhead movement in the United States.

Both of Page's bands played with a revolving lineup of musicians, and their music was at one time featured on the Hammerskin Nation record label. In 2010, Page and his band mates -- including Brent Rackley, a member of a Confederate Hammerskins chapter in North Carolina -- played at a racist music festival called Independent Artist Uprise in Baltimore. Other bands featured at the show were Blue Eyed Devils and Max Resist, both influential mainstays on the hate music scene. -[SPLC]

UPDATE: The jerk's idiot record label has issued a "statement"

by BBG

Dropdead at Europa (more by Keith Marlowe)

Chaos in Tejas have announced another round of bands for their 2012 shindig (first round here), including rare appearances from legendary post-hardcore band Moss Icon (a one-time only reunion), as well as Japan's Reality Crisis and Skizophrenia (their only US dates), and repeat offenders/favorites like Dropdead, Municipal Waste, Midnight, Ares Kingdom, Puerto Rico Flowers, Xeno & Oaklander, Thou, the Rival Mob, Boston Strangler, Crazy Spirit, Brain Killer, Power Trip, Wiccans (who just played one of the final shows at Emo's), and many many others. A full list of additions and the new flyer is below.

Since the original announcement, two previously announced bands have dropped off the original lineup: Mexican black metal band Nyogthaeblisz disappeared from the lineup after their anti-Islamic/Semitic/Abrahamic stance and involvement in known NSBM (National Socialist) label Satanic Skinhead was pointed out by a few blogs. That led to Antisect and The Mob even threatening to not play. Word then spread that Disma's Craig Pillard released nazi-glorifying records under the name Sturmfuhrer. Disma then dropped out as well due to "the drama" that ensued. Craig would not comment on the matter, but other members of Disma say he has changed.

In related news, Thou will hit the road for a string of dates with The Body this week on the West Coast. Both bands will also be at the inaugural Gilead Media festival (chaired by the Gilead Media label) in Oshkosh, Wi on 4/28 and 4/29 which will feature appearances from (in alphabetical order) Arms Aloft, Aseethe, Ash Borer, Baby Boy, Darger + Plague Mother, False, Fell Voices, Get Rad, Hell, Loss, Mutilation Rites, Northless, Protestant, A Scanner Darkly, and Sleepwalker. More details are available at the site.

All tour dates, new additions to Chaos in Tejas, and the show flyer is all below.

Continue reading "Chaos in Tejas adds bands & loses some due to controversy; Gilead Media launches festival"

Sex Pistols @ Live at Loch Lomond, Scotland - Aug 3, 2008 (mdj)

Is John Lydon aka Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols on a mission for as much press as possible? If so, it's working. First came the incident with Bloc Party's Kele which also involved the Foals and which Lydon denied has anything to do with racism. Since then:

The Sex Pistols demanded a fence be erected around their toilet at a music festival last weekend. The punk rockers reportedly didn't want to share their private toilet and asked for a high security barrier to keep people out at Scotland's Live at Loch Lomond festival. Frontman John Lydon - also known as Johnny Rotten - was also said to be incensed when he realised electro band Autokratz were being driven around the event in a better car than his band, and demanded the vehicles were switched. Autokratz singer David Cox told Britain's Daily Star newspaper: "The Sex Pistols had two Land Rovers to ferry them around the site but Johnny seemed to prefer our car.

"So he made us take all our equipment out so he could travel 40 metres in it."

Once the switch had been completed, John allegedly shouted: "Autokratz, as we have taken your Auto you are now just Kratz."... [New Zealand City]

[Lydon] addressed the racist row that he was caught up in over the last 10 days when he sang a song about Allah and Jesus. He sang: "Allah be praised, George Bush be erased. Hello, Allah. Hello, Jesus too." He then told the crowd: "That is a little challenging to some of you. "So just in case you missed it the f****** papers had the f****** liberty to call me a racist. "I say hello, Allah. I'd like to buy Allah a f****** good pint of larger." Rolling up his sleeve, he berated fans saying: "Are you our friends? Well then, drink your beer instead of throwing it, you f****** idiot." Johnny also had a dig at Coldplay, saying: "This is audience participation 100 per cent. We're the Sex Pistols, not f****** Coldplay." And Rotten had a pop at Happy Mondays. They were head lining the Good Vibrations stage while the Pistols were on the main stage. The godfather of punk said: "Is there anybody there? Is there anybody over at Happy Mondays? That's a shame.".. [The Daily Record]

Continue reading "John Lydon - Amy Winehouse 'imitates black music', slams Doherty, Duffy & the Happy Mondays, acts like a diva"

Speaking to the BBC's One Show about racial attitudes, Lydon said: "My grandchildren are Jamaican right."

"This is an absolute offence to them and me when I read stories like that, that are allowed to go to print absolutely unfounded and have the liberty to take liberties with a man like me and call me a racist when my entire life has proved exactly the opposite." When asked if he was a racist, Lydon replied: "Absolutely not. And any bugger that dares say so is going to have their day in court with me - you understand this?"

During his interview, Lydon also reaffirmed comments made in his initial response to Okereke's allegations that stressed the Sex Pistols' multi-racial appeal.

"It's the most wonderful thing ever, playing to our multi-racial audiences, which they always have been," he said. "And not only that, multi-gender, multi-everything-you-like, we are open to all. Our whole message in life has been to eliminate the barriers that separate us."

He added that the Sex Pistols "only true enemy in life is governments". "And politicians, and, low and behold, the British press," he added. [GigWise]

Neon Neon have backed up Kele from Bloc Party's statement on John Lydon's alleged racist attack, after witnessing the event.

Speaking exclusively to MTV News Gruff Rhys from the group said: "It was horrific. Kele is a very brave man and what he said is exactly what happened."

The band were backstage at the Summercase Festival in Barcelona with other British groups when the alleged assault took place and confirmed they saw everything.

Neon Neon and Super Furry Animals singer Gruff added: "The statements Kele has said are absolutely true. It did happen."

Neon Neon are up for this year's Mercury Prize, a prize that Gruff (Super Furry Animals 'Rings Around the World;') lost to PJ Harvey in 2001.

Sex Pistols @ Summercase, Barcelona - July 19, 2008 (lalitaporfavor)

John Lydon has responded to allegations of his involvement in a racist assault by saying his accuser is a liar and in need of the publicity. In a carefully worded statement, Lydon said: "I feel very sorry for a man that needs to lie about what was a perfect evening." In Lydon's version of events, the Sex Pistols singer claims that, "trouble was brought us, resulting in those causing the trouble being physically removed by festival security". He added: "If they need publicity so badly this is the allegation universe they run into." [Guardian]

Bloc Party singer Kele Okereke claims he was left with severe facial bruising and a split lip following what he alleges was a racist attack by Sex Pistols singer John Lydon [aka Johnny Rotten]. The incident occurred on Saturday evening at the Summercase festival in Barcelona while the bands were socialising backstage.

In an official statement released by Okereke, who is of Nigerian descent, the singer says he approached Lydon and asked him about the possibility of a reunion for Public Image Ltd, the band Lydon formed following the Sex Pistols demise in 1978. In Okereke's words, Lydon became "intimidating and aggressive while his entourage responded with a racist tirade, including the statement, 'your problem is your black attitude'." An assault allegedly ensued in which three people attacked Okereke.

Several other bands witnessed the incident, with members of the band Foals and Kaiser Chiefs singer Ricky Wilson intervening on the Bloc Party singer's behalf. Both have confirmed to the Guardian that the incident occurred but could not confirm or deny reports that the assault was racially motivated. Following his involvement, Foals singer Yannis Philippakis was arrested. He is expected to make a statement shortly.... [The Guardian] (thx J M)

I'm running a little behind again today...

Bigmouth has struck again and, heaven knows, he’s miserable now.

Morrissey is suing the NME and its editor for defamation after the music magazine quoted him on its cover this week as saying: “The Gates of England are flooded. The country’s been thrown away.”

The magazine lambasts the former Smiths frontman for taking a “naive and inflammatory” stance on immigration by employing language that “dangerously echoes” the British National Party’s current manifesto.

Morrissey’s reported comments come 15 years after the NME accused him of experimenting with racist imagery in some of his solo songs and by draping himself in a Union Jack at a gig in Finsbury Park, North London. The singer, 48, says that his words have been taken out of context and now, after one of the most intense relationships in British music, Morrissey and the NME could be heading for the High Court. [TimesOnline]