<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-25T16:25:45+00:00“>April 25, 2021 | 12:25pm ET Editor’s Note: On April 23, 1976, four twentysomethings from Queens with shades, blue jeans, and leather jackets released their self-titled debut and started the punk rock movement. Our own Lindsay Teske takes a look back on those days as the Ramones’ first record turns 45. The 1970s were destined to undergo a cultural shift. The many effects of the Vietnam War had long been taking their toll, the bizarre circus of the Nixon and Ford presidencies had fatigued many and generated a deep sense of distrust in the government, and the cherry on top of it all was an ongoing recession that absolved the idea of stable employment for countless...
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-16T20:23:37+00:00“>April 16, 2021 | 4:23pm ET Punk-rock veterans The Offspring have released their 10th studio album, Let the Bad Times Roll, out now via Concord Records. The LP marks the band’s first album in roughly nine years, following 2012’s Days Go By. As the album’s title implies, the Southern California rockers are still writing stadium-ready anthems about the problems of the world today. Catchy power chords, upbeat tempos, and sing-a-long choruses are bolstered by The Offspring’s signature brand of irreverent humor. As mentioned in our review, the band long ago mastered the art of infectious punk-rock songwriting, and Let the Bad Times Roll proves that they haven’t lost ...
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-15T15:00:32+00:00“>April 15, 2021 | 11:00am ET Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan‘s early Seattle punk band The Living are set to drop their unearthed collection of 1982 recordings, titled The Living: 1982, on Friday (April 16th). Now they’re premiering the music video for the track “Live by the Gun” exclusively via Heavy Consequence ahead of the release. The song is a classic punk rock anthem, raging against war mongering politicians and the right-wing establishment. A definite UK punk influence can be heard in the driving power chords — played by McKagan on guitar — and defiant attitude of singer John Conte. With lyrics like, “Shoot shoot shoot the gun/ Kill kill kill kill...
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-14T19:03:07+00:00“>April 14, 2021 | 3:03pm ET In another sign that things are opening up on the festival front, a pair of events dubbed Punk in the Park will take place this May and November in Arizona and California, respectively. Each will feature a lineup of notable punk bands. Originally, the two-day California edition, Punk in the Park – Orange County, was set to be the inaugural version of the new fest, but pandemic restrictions led organizers to move the original 2020 dates to April 2021 and then again to November 6th and 7th at Oak Canyon Park. That makes the one-day Punk in the Park – Arizona event, taking place May 29th at Big Surf Water Park in Tempe — the first stagin...
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-14T20:01:42+00:00“>April 14, 2021 | 4:01pm ET Last fall, London punk five-piece Chubby and the Gang signed to Partisan Records and revealed that they were penning a new album. Now, the band returns to the spotlight to share “Lightning Don’t Strike Twice”, a brand new single available as a 7-inch that will also supposedly appear on their next record. Stream it below. “Lightning Don’t Strike Twice” is a riveting dose of pub rock set to the tune of class struggles. Across the song’s three-minute runtime, Chubby and the Gang sprint through punk riffs with enough gang hollers and zippy guitar lines to recall Thin Lizzy. That vibe comes to life in the single’s accompanying music video....
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-08T15:27:39+00:00“>April 8, 2021 | 11:27am ET Alice in Chains singer William DuVall is releasing an archival album by his 1980s hardcore punk band Neon Christ. The compilation, titled 1984, will be out on Record Store Day (June 12th) via Southern Lord and DVL Recordings. A teenage DuVall played guitar in the blistering Atlanta quartet, which was rounded out by drummer Jimmy Demer, bassist Danny Lankford, and vocalist Randy DuTeau. The band would launch DuVall’s impressive career, with the guitarist later joining California punks Bl’ast after Neon Christ’s breakup in 1986. Neon Christ’s brand of aggressive hardcore featured elements of heavy metal guitar from DuVall, leading to th...
Fucked Up have released “Year of the Horse — Act Three”, the third track off the Toronto punk band’s upcoming EP celebrating the Chinese Zodiac. Stream it via Bandcamp below. “Year of the Horse — Act Three” clocks in at a whopping 22 minutes (!) and is structured like a play. It’s theatrical and dramatic — which is par for the course so far with this EP, considering it comes with extensive liner notes — and sees singers Maegan Brooks Mills and Tuka Mohammed sharing their duties with frontman Damian Abraham. Unlike the first and second tracks from Year of the Horse, though, this new act features vocals by a surprise guest: Matt Berninger of The National. Needless to say, it makes for an unexpected listen. As per tradition, Year of the Horse is part of Fucked Up’s ongoing series tied to...
Dropkick Murphys have offered another taste of their new album, Turn Up That Dial, ahead of its April 30th release. The punk-rock veterans have unveiled the new song “Queen of Suffolk County”. The new track follows the single “Middle Finger”, which arrived with the album’s announcement in late February. “Queen of Suffolk County” opens with the voice of a newscaster announcing the arrest of a Suffolk County woman who was arrested for a stabbing outside a bar. The song then proceeds to tell the story of the knife-wielding femme fatale, with lines like, “You best stay out of her way/ She don’t joke, and she don’t play.” The Massachusetts-based Celtic punkers recently performed a St. Patrick’s Day livestream that garnered more than 1 million views, landing at No. 1 on Pollstar’s livestream cha...
Former Misfits singer Michale Graves is a potential witness in a possible Capitol insurrection trial after joining the Proud Boys last year. According to Reuters, Graves (real name Michael Emanuel) was in Washington, D.C. on January 6th — the day of the riot — to play a private concert organized by a group called “Latinos for Trump” on the request of a fellow Proud Boys member. Graves told Reuters that he didn’t think the Proud Boys were capable of participating in the attack that left five people dead, including a D.C. police officer. “These guys have a hard time getting an order together for McDonalds,” Graves said of the Proud Boys in the new interview. One of the defendants charged with the insurrection conspiracy and prominent Proud Boy member Ethan “Rufio” Nordean said in a court fil...
Rob Vitale, the lead singer of New York hardcore band Black Train Jack has tragically died from COVID-19 complications. His death was confirmed by a number of figures in the NYHC scene, including Sick of It All. “Our hearts are heavy tonight,” wrote Sick of It All on Facebook on Sunday night. “We lost our friend to COVID. Thinking of all the shows, the tours all the good times and laughs we shared. Rest In Peace Rob.” Sick of It All drummer Armand Majidi added, “Tonight we honor a truly good man who departed this world far too early. Rest easy Rob. It was a pleasure touring with you and sharing many fond moments. @bobeatsbtj you were loved by many and will be missed dearly.” Black Train Jack got their start in the early ’90s and landed a record deal with Roadrunner Records. They released t...
The Offspring have unveiled a timely music video to accompany their recent single “Let the Bad Times Roll”. The song appears on the veteran punk-rock act’s upcoming album of the same name, due out April 16th. The video shows an exaggerated view of quarantine life, with the subjects experiencing bizarre and frightening situations while stuck at home. One young woman sees her smartphone turn into a scorpion-like creature as it crawls on her face, while another woman is confronted by singing toilet paper and a giant mask-wearing cockroach. Meanwhile, a young man is playing a video game when a cat appears on screen and starts shooting laser beams out of its eyes. Another dude is attacked at home by a bizarre mob, somewhat mimicking the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol building. As a press rele...