This is the 700th news entry in the three years since sweetdisaster took the internet by storm. Congratulations all around to us!
Nintendo Fusion Tour veterans Relient K are at work on their new album, which they're hoping to have out by the fall - they've already been in the studio for two weeks. The Nintendo tour, also featuring Emery, kicks off in September. As if it's August already! [TVU]
The first few shows on Hatebreed's upcoming Monsters of Mayhem(love these metal names) tour have been posted; also appearing are The Black Dahlia Murder, Napalm Death(still kicking!), Exodus, First Blood and Canada's own Despised Icon. No Canadian shows yet. Stay tuned. [Decoy]
All sorts of controversy has arisen over whether NOFX frontman Fat Mike was responsible for Underoath's leaving this summer's Warped Tour; he's clearly not, as Underoath are grown man and able to take Mike's shots at Christianity just like every Jew, Buddhist, Muslim and Catholic at every show is able to take Mike's shots at those people. Get a grip, people.
A new track from Lamb of God called 'Walk With Me In Hell' has been posted over here. Get to it. It's proving a dead link for me - maybe y'all will have better luck.
Boysetsfire, shortly after coming back to the underground from the major label deathfest, have suddenly split up. "Dear friends, it is not with a heavy heart that we write these words but with a head held high," their statement reads. "We wanted to collectively inform you that Boysetsfire has decided to retire. Thank you all for your support and belief in us over the last 12 years...please know it meant the world to us." Too bad.
Gnarls Barkley have stormed into existence in the last six months; massive single 'Crazy' was numero uno in the UK for nine weeks - online! - until it was removed by the "band", and currently has a US-only audience of almost a hundred million - and now the video has been nominated for three MTV Awards. All you need to do is see the thing - it's a play on Rorschach testing - to appreciate its genius. Great work. Congrats to Danger Mouse(producer/beatmaker) and Gnarls frontman Cee-lo Green.
Needtobreathe are a band from the southeastern US somewhere who get a lot of play at the radio station I work at here in Ottawa, and for good reason. They're pretty catchy. Check out 'Don't Wait For Daylight' over here. Too bad their Myspace has one of those idiot popups that hold up the process for thirty seconds.
I saw Lady In The Water and Miami Vice yesterday in a little last-minute double-bill matinee showing. Lady was by far the better of the two - not that it's a fantastic movie(though it was fairly cohesive and well-acted for what the director himself called a 'fairy tale'), but Vice sucks, kids. Believe that. Nothing of interest happens until the last quarter of the movie, and even that(a gun battle and so on) is trite. Badly written, competently acted, but badly written. So much for the hype machine - even I'd been tricked into thinking it'd be a fun popcorn movie. I'm pissed. Lady In The Water star Paul Giamatti is a terrific actor, by the way, if you weren't already aware. Too bad his role as Pig Vomit in that Howard Stern movie from ten years ago will follow him everywhere.
Veteran(understatement) Orange County band Social Distortion are starting on their next record. Frontman Mike Ness had this to say: "We are working in the studio now, writing and rehearsing. We'd like to be in the studio next year putting out another album. The last one was such a good experience for us, we still feel inspired. We've always taken a long break after an album, but now I realize you just can't assume everyone is going to be waiting there for you five years later." Good plan, homeboy. [soundthesirens]
Michigan metal mavens(alliteration!) Besieged have a new four-minute slab of breakdowns up on their Myspace. I've only seen them once, and that on the grass under their brought-from-home tent at Cornerstone Festival '05, but they're killer dudes, and the riffage is raw. Alliteration!
With festival season in full swing, the kids at Rolling Stone have seen fit to reprint long-serving writer Rob Sheffield's Guide to Rock Show Etiquette, as seen in full over here. Be sure to check out the comments afterwards. Hilarious stuff.
Nice(short) interview with Dashboard Confessional braintrust Chris Carrabba over here; he talks about how he can't hold onto Guns 'N Roses's Appetite record - I'm like that with New Found Glory's self-titled album; for some reason I've bought that CD like half a dozen times now. Ridiculous.
The Roots' new record Game Theory(Def Jam) drops August 29th - see what they had to say about aligning themselves with Jay-Z's empire and their thoughts on the late producer J Dilla over here. And one of the new joints is online over here. Sweeeeeet. And for the love of crap, don't give up on 'Game Theory'(the song); give it a minute and then the beat will level you.
Two feature interviews coming up in the next couple weeks - The Prayer Chain and Thrice. I had a talk with former Prayer Chain singer Tim Taber about his time in that trailblazing band, as well as his current career as president of Floodgate Records(Forever Changed, Hundred Year Storm et al). And the Thrice piece will blow all y'all's doors off. I guarantee it.
The master of crate-digging, DJ Shadow, has a new album called The Outsider coming in September. Before all your friends, here's your chance to hear some new cuts. Check out 'Enuff' and 'You Made It'. Sick. My best friend and sweetdisaster enforcer DJ Omnifik routinely, and quite randomly, reference 2002's masterpiece The Private Press. Homeboy's Myspace page says of the new album: "From aggressive hardcore rock to left-field alternative dance music, the album is an almost schizophrenic collection from an artist to whom loving music and making music are just two sides of the same coin." This should be interesting. [scenepointblank]
Speaking of new albums coming soon(is it just me or are there more than usual lately?), Connecticut hardcore vets Hatebreed are dropping Supremacy August 29th - check out 'Defeatist' over here.
Just a little reminder about a band headquartered right here in lil' ol' Ottawa: Buried Inside are among the most badass rock bands in history. Want proof? Here you go, fool.
I caught a soul singer named Lewis Taylor on Late Night with Conan O'Brien earlier this week and was absolutely leveled by this cat's slide-guitar attack - I'm having a hard time tracking down a personal website at the moment, but his record label's website is streaming his stuff; head over here and check the top-right corner. Then just keep clicking til you find his songs going. Rad stuff.
Leave it to the Australians to get the jump on me: word from down under is that Horse the Band's new record will be called Pizza. It is thematically, of course, all about pizza. As with so much stuff around here, we have no idea if this is a joke or not. We'll see. The "artwork" can be seen over here. [noisetheory]
WEIRD: former Lifetime bassist Linda Kay was the same Linda Kay arrested last week for possession of human remains(creeeeepy). She's now a stripper in New Jersey, and has thus far failed to tell police exactly how she obtained the body parts. Then her hundred-thousand-dollar bail was forfeited. Nice. This whole thing gives me the willies.
This is no good at all: Underoath have dropped off the rest of this year's Warped Tour for "personal reasons". The September cross-Canada tour is still slated to happen, however. Dang it! [AP]
Our friends(and one-time Underoath tour-mates) in Thrice have either completely lost their minds or are the most amazing thing to happen to music since The Beatles: the band are aiming to release four self-sufficient albums in 2007 - all of them will be stand-alone record, but they'll have a common theme running through them. Singer Dustin Kensrue told me last spring that they were planning on doing something that would "out-prog Coheed and Cambria," and this is apparently it. Nice.
The Nintendo Fusion Tour is back for 2006, featuring Relient K and Emery in supporting slots behind headliners Hawthorne Heights(big surprise there). Opening will be a very deserving band - Long Island's The Sleeping. For the tour dates, check out the website. Nothing in Canada.
September 6th will be awesome, because Dead FM, the newest effort from Strike Anywhere, hits that day. Two songs from said album, 'Prisoner Echoes'(here) and 'The Promise'(here) are online for your listening pleasure. They're also coming to Ottawa this fall; stay tuned for more info.
Former N*Sync member Lance Bass came out of the closet publicly yesterday. I still don't care about N*Sync. Or however it is you spell their name. [MTV]
According to an article also found at mtv.com, this year's Warped Tour attendance is slightly down, but founder Kevin Lyman still thinks the tour will draw in excess of 600,000 people by its end in Montreal, Quebec. Headliners AFI and Joan Jett and the Blackhearts are drawing large crowds, as are(comparatively speaking) lesser-known acts like Emery and Cartel on the side stages. I'm pretty stoked for August 13th in Montreal. If you want some pictures of the Cincinnati stop, look over here.
P2P file-sharing network Kazaa, an ancient predecessor to Soulseek, has settled with the music biz for a cool $100 million to be paid to the world's four major record companies...how screwed up is it that there are four major record companies on the entire planet? FOUR! That's unbelievable. Back in May, 2003, it's interesting to note, Kazaa's ownership declared it the most-used network in the world, at 239 million downloads. UPDATE: The figure is between a hundred and a hundred and fifteen million dollars.
Hold the phone, people, big news a-comin': A Tribe Called Quest are reuniting for a dozen(and possibly more) tour dates this fall! Tribe are the headliners of the 2K Sports Bounce Tour(whatever), promoting a video game that I probably will never even see, let alone play. Last year's headliners? The Roots. I like where this is going. The tour touches down in Toronto for its lone Canadian date at the Kool Haus, September 17th.
Big tour for punk rock kids in September: Bad Religion are coming back to Canada, alongside Dropkick Murphys. Here's the skinny:
Sept. 18 - Centre De Foire, Quebec City
Sept. 19 - Stade Uniprix, Montreal
Sept. 20 - Civic Center, Ottawa
Sept. 21 - John Labatt Centre, London Ont.
Sept. 22 - Arrow Hall, Toronto
Sept. 25 - MTS Centre, Winnipeg
Sept. 26 - Praireland Park, Saskatoon
Sept. 27 - Shaw Conference Center, Edmonton
Sept. 28 - Calgary Corral, Calgary
Sept. 30 - PNE Forum, Vancouver
[Aversion]
Congratulations are in order to an acquaintance of mine, Thrice singer Dustin Kensrue, as he and his wife are having a baby daughter; the announcement was made a couple weeks ago on his personal Myspace account. I do miss stuff sometimes. Man, I can't wait to have kids of my own sometime.
Nickelback singer Chad Kroeger has been charged with DUI. The incident happened in Surrey, B.C., and he's expected in court there August 25th. The hitch is that Nickelback are scheduled to play a show in Houston that day. Hmmm. It also happens to be the day before my beloved mother's birthday! Happy birthday, Mom!!!!! [chartattack]
Stolen without remorse from Chartattack.com, in an interview with Anberlin frontman Stephen Christian:
Q: What's the funniest thing you've ever read about Anberlin?
A: They misspell our name all the time. They spell it AmberLynn. Amber Lynn, I guess, was a porn star in the '70s and we had no clue when we came up with the name. A lot of the time, you can tell if the promoter watches porn by the way he spells our name.
Not sure if it's a joke or not, but Saosin's new record, their major-label bow, will be entitled Sound Raptors, which is, in a word, awesome. A new song is also up on their Myspace. [punkhardcore]
Vagrant Records has made their entire video library available at PunkRockVids, featuring the likes of From Autumn to Ashes, Senses Fail and many more.
Like American cycling needs this headache: fresh off winning the Tour de France, Floyd Landis is under investigation for doping, having been discovered to have an "abnormal" amount of testosterone in his system; a second positive test will see his title stripped. This after Lance Armstrong's years-long battle with the worldwide media over this controversial little topic. Nice. [Relevant]
The White Stripes will appear in an episode of The Simpsons on September 17th; Bart becomes a drummer in the show, and keep an eye out for a White Stripes-parodying music video! This to begin the show's eighteenth year on the air. Unreal.
Wow: XM Radio is tanking in a big way, reporting second-quarter financial losses of - steady now - $231 million. That's both completely unexpected and rather believable, if you think enough about it.
Misery Signals have a new record coming soon; here's a couple songs to listen to. From the album. Which is new. And coming out soon. Yes. [noisetheory]
Some news, now, from everyone's friends at Smallman Records. The Reason's new album is "phenomenal", according to the label flacks, and the band appeared on E-Talk Daily on CTV here in Canada recently to promote themselves(hi Adam!) and the hype new record. Go to CTV.ca to find that little piece of tape, as I'm sure it's a scream, as are most things involving the Reason - formerly, of course, Sewing With Nancie. Boy, that brings back memories.
Comeback Kid said farewell to founding vocalist Scott Wade at a crazy hometown show in Winnipeg to over eight hundred people. The band are touring with Gorilla Biscuits this fall, then heading into the studio to work on Album Numero Tres.
New music from Glass Casket(Abacus Recordings) is online! Check out 'Too Scarred To Live' over here. With two dudes from the mighty Between the Buried and Me in their ranks, how could these guys miss?
Anyone remember an absolutely angelic young opera phenom named Charlotte Church? Raised Catholic, and having sung for the previous Pope earlier in her life, Church has been given an eight-episode, eponymous TV show over in England, where she's called the current Pope a Nazi and raised hell, generally speaking. She's been blacklisted by a publisher and no doubt more backlash is on the way. Check out the full story over here [rockrebel]
Cartel and Eighteen Visions are both gonna kill at Warped in Montreal next month(August 13th at Parc Jean Drapeau, if you wanna go). That just has to be said. Don't think 18V are any good anymore? Oh man, kids, they're so much better than you think. Check out three new tunes for proof. Def Leppard + Stone Temple Pilots = Eighteen Visions. Awesome.
Interesting interview with Trustkill Records boss Josh Grabelle right over here. I didn't know he was a Syracuse U alum! Go Orangemen!
Norma Jean, in advance of their third album Redeemer, have posted a new song over here.
Another new song from New Found Glory called 'Hold My Hand'(lousy title, I know) has been put up on Warped Tour's website. You'll have to create an account and log in. Hooray for obstacles. [absolutepunk]
One of the relatively few intriguing bands in the emo-rock scene, As Tall As Lions, have streamed their entire upcoming album on their absolutepunk.net profile. Go listen. Lafcadio, their previous effort, was terrific.
The second annual Gigantour, brainchild of Megadeth's Dave Mustaine, will kick off in early September. 'Deth will return as headliner, as well as newcomers Lamb of God, Arch Enemy, Opeth, Canada's own Into Eternity and The Smashup. I personally saw the Smashup give up on the established routine of selling their merchandise at Taste of Chaos, opting instead to take a cardboard box of stuff out into the concourse at the arena here in Ottawa and sell their stuff directly to the masses. It was awesome.
A cute little project from ex-Thirty Called Arson drummer Luis Dubuc, The Secret Handshake, has signed with Triple Crown Records(Brand New, Hit The Lights).
An awesome e-card from The Hope Conspiracy has been put up over over here. The new album is called Death Knows Your Name. Naturally enough, Deathwish Inc. will put it out. [saveyourscene]
I don't know what it is, but Solid State seems to somehow sign bands without my knowing; back in the day I was all over things. Apparently, I'm slipping. Anyway, Destroy the Runner will put out their debut album Saints through Solid State September 12th. Join me, won't you, in checking out their single solitary demo tune over here?
Hand of Hope Records has a couple of slick new e-cards up including Every New Day and Society's Finest, both of whom are releasing new albums in the very near future. Check out the hot rock action over here.
Some rap news: two members of LA Symphony(Pigeon John's former crew), Cookbook and Uno Mas, have put out a banging new record called While They Slept, as well as an EP called The Robertson Bullies. sphereofhiphop.com has an e-card for these beats over here. Both albums are solid - light on filler, heavy on dopeness.
Leave it to the kids at IVM to inform me: one of the best punk bands in existence, San Diego's Dogwood, are making a comeback this year, as evidenced by another new song they've posted on their Myspace.
Man Alive, who are one-third Canadian and two-thirds Israeli, are hopefully gonna have their second record out soonish; they're recording presently, but what with full-blown war hitting that region of the world, things music may be put on the backburner for now. Pray hard, kids.
One of my absolute favourite bands, Anberlin, are gonna hit the studio in a matter of days, now that touring behind Never Take Friendship Personal is finally wound down. They've got about twenty songs to record, but damn straight not all of them will be on their third full-length album, due early next year. Though that would be awesome.
I did not know that this quickly-rising Denver band The Fray were Christian kids, but apparently they are. Maybe I should listen to 'em. Usually "big radio success" turns me off, but there are exceptions.
Something tells me that Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, quite apart from their rather distinctive name, are gonna be a really big-time band a year from now. I heard 'Face Down' aired on Bell ExpressVu's Galaxie satellite-radio network a couple weeks back and was struck by the tune's contemporary sound and radio-readiness, and after checking out their Purevolume page, I'm convinced: if the musical climate in north America remains in its current state for another year or so, RJA are gonna blow up huge.
August 7th is a red-letter day(I see you, Get Up Kids), for that is the glorious day when Jimmy Eat World will enter their own home studio to begin recording their sixth album, and the follow up to 2004's Futures. I personally expect more greatness. [punknews]
Speaking of Get Up Kids, former GUK frontman Matt Pryor and his New Amsterdams were in Ottawa last weekend as part of Bluesfest, and I am quite impressed; I'd not heard TNA until then, and I dig the vibe. Rootsy. Yes.
Atmosphere, the finest hiphop Minnesota has to offer, are back on the road, including a stop here in the nation's capital September 18th at the Capital Music Hall. Having missed them multiple times in the last few years, I vow to be at this one!
Former Yellowcard guitarist Ben Harper has joined Amber Pacific as a touring guitarist on their upcoming tour. This'll be the first time since Harper's rather acrimonious split from Yellowcard(citing his responsibilities overseeing Takeover Records) that he's toured with anyone.
A rather awesome tour of Canada is being promised by Alexisonfire. Support will be - wow - Every Time I Die, Cancer Bats and Attack In Black. That'll be a fantastic show, particularly since I haven't seen AoF since 2003.
AOL Music has done it again, putting up a bunch of new and upcoming releases for streaming. Check out boss tuneage(that's a reference to a record label, kids) from Jurassic 5, Alien Ant Farm, Umbrellas and All Time Low. Niiiiice.
According to Moneen, who are part of the big cross-Canada tour with Underoath and Silverstein, Boys Night Out will also be here in town at the Civic Centre on September 26th. Fact or fiction? We'll soon find out...one thing I don't get is that Underoath are clearly headlining that particular trek, and yet it says here that it's Moneen's first headlining tour since they dropped The Red Tree earlier this year(solid record, by the way). Hmm.
The grossest thing I've seen in a while: this guy forgot to empty his coffeepot before a long trip, and here are some pictures of the mold that was growing in it when he returned. Scroll down the page a while and you'll see it. Naaasty.
One of the best pop-rock bands emerging from this great nation of ours, Downhere, have had a busy last year or so, having left their longtime record label to join a fledgling company based out of Seattle to putting out their album, Wide-Eyed and Mystified, earlier this year. Three-quarters of the band did an interview with the folks over at phantomtollbooth a few weeks back; check it out over here.
A band whose name I've heard around for a while now, Sleeping At Last, have dropped a new album called Keep No Score. From Wheaton, Illinois, these guys can go from Elliott Smith songs to more Brit-rock material to driving, Sunny Day Real Estate-influenced stuff. Plus their singer sounds like the dude from Starsailor. Check out their new tuneage over here.
Metal mavens The Red Chord are working on a new album called Birdbath. Weird title, I suppose, but after Clients levelled us all, these guys can do anything they want. Check out an interview concerning the new album and their stint on the Ozzfest tour over here. [theprp]
Rise Against are taking Thursday and Billy Talent on the road this fall; no word on Canadian dates - or more specifically Ottawa dates. Here's hoping. Incidentally, I was listening to Billy Talent's new album II today at HMV and the third song, 'This Suffering', has a riff eerily similar to 'River Below'. Derivation aside, the three songs I listened to were catchy stuff.
Isis and Tool are touring together soon. I think it's called the We'll Pummel You To Sleep tour. Just kidding.
'Naked Lunch' is the first song released online from Showbread's upcoming album Age of Reptiles; the record's out August 1st, and the song's over here.
Some background info on yesterday's He Is Legend discussion: the new album is out October 3rd on Solid State, entitled Suck Out the Poison. Nice.
Some brand-new material from Trustkill Records in the form of five upcoming album cuts from various bands is up over here. Great label, Trustkill. And the Terror track is unbelievable.
Observe: the tracklisting(as accurate as possible, anyway) from the impending Norma Jean record Redeemer:
The tentative track listing for Norma Jean's upcoming new album "Redeemer" has been revealed and is as follows:
'The End Of All Things Will Be Televised'
'A Grand Scene For Color Film'
'Blue Prints For Future Homes'
"A Small Spark VS. A Great Forest'
'The Longest Last Statement'
'Amnesty Please'
'A Temperamental Widower'
'Like Swimming Circles'
'Cemetery Like Stage'
'Songs Sound Much Sadder'
'No Passenger, No Parasite'
The album is out September 12th. And it will be awesome.
Hydra Head Records are doing four - count 'em, four - Botch re-releases in the coming months, beginning with Unifying Theme Redux arriving September 26th. Information, you want? Read this.
I remember hanging with these guys at Cornerstone last year when they were just one of dozens of bands bashing out their tunes - and they've since signed with Solid State and put up this tune on their Myspace page, from their debut album Shock Value, arriving in September. Very Every Time I Die-ish.
Hey, Toronto and area rock and rollers, listen up: the Purevolume Silver Bullet Tour rolls through your area in September, featuring Haste the Day, August Burns Red and more:
September 18th London, ON - Salt Lounge
September 19th Montreal, QC - L'Acceuil L'Inconditonnel
September 20th Toronto, ON - The Kathedral
I haven't listened to my copy yet, but The Sleeping's new record Questions And Answers is apparently a step up from their debut album Believe What We Tell You. At least, so say the kids at pastepunk(hi Jordan).
Presumably until they yank it down, the entirety of Helmet's new record Monochrome is up for streaming over here.
Radiohead are releasing a DVD documentary on the making of OK Computer called A Classic Album Under Review. The doc features rare performances including live and studio versions of the songs from OK Computer as well as 'Creep' from Pablo Honey. [Paste]
The National Youth Hip-Hop Summit goes down August 12th down in Naples, Florida; the event will be televised and aimed at education youth on what hiphop is and was. Featured events include a battle competition where the kids are encouraged to freestyle rhymes devoid of cursing, slurring and the like, auditions and educational discussions. Spokesman Steven Jennings, producer of The Cipher Show, a hiphop TV program, had this to say: "Most kids imitate the artists, and they begin to rap about the things the artists rap about - they imitate these artists in every single way, so what would make a person think that they wouldn't imitate the behavior that is discussed in this music?" For more info, either to register, attend or just hear about something positive being done in mainstream hiphop, check out their website.
Influential rock band Sleater-Kinney, hailing from Portland, have called it quits.
One of the most truly talented bands in existence, Copeland, have their third record ready to rock us; Eat, Sleep, Repeat will be out on Halloween, produced again by Smalltown Poets' Matt Goldman. Touring, as always, will follow, though nothing in Canada as of yet.
Neil Young currently has three of his albums in the Top 200 on Billboard's charts. Nice work by the Canadian-born rock legend, I'd say.
Lyric o' the Day: "There's too much business in this, I'm going back to my garage" - Set Your Goals
The video Every Time I Die made for 'The New Black'(off their latest, Gutter Phenomenon) is back online over here. Thanks to Lambgoat for the heads-up.
Straight outta the mean 'burbs of Oakville, Ontario, Rosesdead are touring the east coast with Anterrabae and My Bitter End in September. The routing so far is as follows, and if you wanna book a show along the way, send an email to Loveasarsonbooking@hotmail.com.
9/1 Long Island, NY
9/2 New Jersey
9/3 Philadelphia, PA
9/4 Baltimore, MD
9/5 Richmond, VA
9/6 North Carolina
9/7 Myrtle Beach, SC
9/9 Orlando, FL
9/10 Lakeland, FL
9/11 Pembroke Pines, FL
9/12 Daytona Beach, FL
9/13 Panama City, FL
9/14 Atlanta, GA
9/15 Nashville, TN
9/16 Cincinnati, OH
9/17 Pittsburgh, PA
Looks like Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden is more useful in rescuing his fellow countrymen than the Canadian government is proving to be. The Maiden singer, a licensed commercial pilot(who knew?) evacuated some fellot British citizens from Cyprus due to the fighting in the region. "He was only too keen to get involved and help," said a friend of Dickinson's. "He has a strong interest in the welfare of people caught up in international conflicts and cares about what is going on." Good on him. At least this doesn't reek of a publicity stunt like some of the Hurricane Katrina celebs piling into the American Deep South last year. [buzzgrinder]
The mightly Stretch Arm Strong's video for 'Faces'(from last year's Free At Last) is up on their website. This whole album is awesome.
A noted buddy of mine has said the album sucks, but I love Helmet nonetheless, am very stoked to see them on Warped next month, and think that all y'all should check out their new songs over here! Yeah!!
Listen up, Myspace kids: Fall Out Boy, though bassist/spokesman Pete Wentz has stressed that they're pushing for it, will not have a new album out by the end of 2006. I can hear the soft weeping already.
Whoa, hold everything: MxPx, following the success of last year's Panic!, have posted a clip of a new song over here called 'The Setting Sun'. Excellent.
It was a few months ago, but Dillinger Escape Plan frontman Greg Puciato has never been one to mince words, and it's no less funny now. Observe - his commentary on Avenged Sevenfold: "Horrible. Absolutely horrible. I saw them the other day on TV, with their aviators and their $200 jeans made to look beat up and old, and then I heard their music, and I'm like 'How do kids like this stuff? This stuff is absolutely horrible.' I hate how they pretend to try and be like some throwback band to the hair metal of the '80s or something like that. It feels like a persona to me, something that is far from genuine. It's an image. They opened for us on the Take Action! Tour, and they were drinking our drinks and eating food from our table. I mean, none of us really drink, but venues or promoters or something will give us alcohol. None of us really touched it, but then like these kids come in and start drinking our stuff, and that's just disrespectful."
Nice.
Billionaire Richard Branson of Virgin Airlines is having his own music festival. Check out some of the acts playing: Gnarls Barkley(who, by the way, did an outstanding job with St. Elsewhere), The Flaming Lips, The Killers and Keane, among others. Sounds outstanding; if you're in the area, check this here out for ticket info and location. [Relevant]
You had to know it was all just too much: Toronto's Broken Social Scene have said they're taking a break during this interview, but some reputable sources say the end might be near for the massive collective. Following the group's next tour in November, the members will all focus on their multitude of side projects.
Those of you hot on the trail of new music from Walls of Jericho, check a new song out over here. [lambgoat]
All That Remains and Bury Your Dead both had their latest albums debut in the Top 200 on Billboard. Encouraging for those of us who despise the "music" of Hilary Duff.
So Bleeding Through weren't the only metal band featured on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno's Ozzfest coverage last night - not by a long shot. Leno's comedian buddy Mitch Feitel(isn't he formerly of Late Night with Conan O'Brien? Looks mighty familiar..) also did comedy sketches with Unearth frontman Trevor Phipps, Zakk Wylde, Full Blown Chaos, Lacuna Coil and Hatebreed. Zakk Wylde playing Candyland on his tour bus was, in a word, hysterical, particularly when he got all "enraged" and spewed profanities about how "no one takes me down at Candyland! Get off my **** bus!!" Awesome.
Facedown Records' Inked In Blood(a terrific band, in our humble opinion) will be on Headbangers' Ball this weekend on MTV2; their video for 'Lest I Sleep the Sleep of Death' will air and there'll be hijinks aplenty, we're sure. As well, IIB hit the road with Nodes of Ranvier and The Warriors tonight for three weeks. Check your local listings, as they say. [hxc]
He Is Legend, who I was excited about seeing in Montreal next month at Warped Tour, have dropped off said Warped Tour. "In our personal and professional opinions we feel as though, for the good of the band, it would be in our best interest to stay off of the road for a little while longer," the band said yesterday. "We feel that with the upcoming tours and our new record coming out in the fall, that this is the best way for us to continue to be the best band ever and to continue to be that throughout the years to come." Well, that upcoming record better be huge to make up for this latest crushing disappointment in my personal concert-going life. Hmph. Ah well, there's still Helmet! Montreal's Warped stop is August 13th, if you're curious.
No Heroes is the new album from Boston masters Converge, due out sometime in October, according to truthexplosion in Toronto.
Big Canadian tour with some very big-with-the-kiddies bands: Underoath, Silverstein, Moneen and the aforementioned He Is Legend will tour this great nation of ours in September. Here's the itinerary as it stands now:
Thu 9/14 Vancouver, B.C. Croatian Cultural Center
Sat 9/16 Edmonton, Alberta Reds Entertainment Complex
Sun 9/17 Calgary, Alberta MacEwen Hall
Mon 9/18 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Prairieland Exhibition Trade
Tue 9/19 Winnipeg, Manitoba Ramada Theatre
Mon 9/25 London, Ontario Centennial Hall
Tue 9/26 Ottawa, Ontario Civic Center
Thu 9/28 Quebec City, Quebec L’Imperial Theater
Thankfully, my contract here at the radio station stipulates that Monday through Thursday I can opt to re-record a ninety-minute show, ergo, I can hit up the Ottawa stop. Woohoo!
A new single from Unearth's upcoming album, 'Sanctity of Brothers', is online over here.
Park have posted the last of the new songs from Building A Better _____ on their Myspace page.
Hey, remember the Deftones talking about a new album? Well, it does exist. It'll be called Saturday Night Wrist, due out in October.
Abacus Recordings' Ignite have a video up for their single 'Bleeding'(great tune). Go watch it over here.
Large tour news: Ottawa is included(Babylon nightclub, 317 Bank Street downtown) on the Throwdown/Zao/Evergreen Terrace tour, September 3rd. Finally, God willing, I'll see Zao live.
FINALLY! Twice I've tried over the last six years! Finally. Hooray.
Some hockey news, off the top - since we are Canadians here(well, one half-of the power base is Canadian): recently-retired goaltender Garth Snow is now the general manager of your New York Islanders, replacing Neil Smith, who held the post for barely five weeks. Surprising, to say the least, since Snow isn't even three months removed from active playing, and has zero management experience at any level. This should prove interesting.
You have got to be kidding me: Bleeding Through will appear on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno tonight, July 18th, via a taped performance from the opening date of the OzzFest tour in Seattle. I know I will be watching this. That's insanity. [hxc]
After deciding in March that come end of August, As Cities Burn would cease to exist, a statement from the band has, conversely, pointed the way to a bright future for the band: "Thank you all so much for the emails, and conversations you have shared with us throughout the past month. It is because of the overwhelmingly positive response we have received from each of you, that As Cities Burn has decided to stay together, and record another record. None of us are joining any other projects, TJ will remain in the band, and we’ll be writing a new record this fall." Their debut on Tooth & Nail kinda slipped under everyone's radar, overshadowed by the Underoaths and He Is Legends of the world, but it's a solid listen.
Upstart metal kids War of Ages have a new track called 'Strength Within' up on their Myspace page. Nothing revolutionary, but man, these guys can shred.
Also with new blasts on their Myspace are a band we reported on a few months back: North Carolina's Advent have risen from the ashes of Beloved, peddling a much harder breed of corrosive metal. I dig it. Check it out!
Speaking of Underoath, 'You're Ever So Inviting' from Define the Great Line will be featured on the upcoming Madden NFL '07 game. Quite addictive, I hear. [JFH]
In case anyone cares, Avril Lavigne married fellow Canadian(and Sum 41 ringleader) Deryck Whibley in California over the weekend. [buzzgrinder]
Cartoons are awesome; we assume you all are nodding your fuzzy little heads in complete agreement - well, get a load of Aqua Teen Hunger Force. Aside from being the inspiration(and between-song skit material) for last year's hot Danger Mouse/MF Doom collaboration Danger Doom, it's one of the funniest, most nonsensical cartoons I've ever seen. Pure awesomeness. Not for the kids, mind you, but hilarious.
From all reports, the new Dead Poetic is gonna be completely out of control amazing - check out 'Narcotic', from the upcoming album Vices. What a song. Listen over here.
Starflyer 59 are coming to Canada, playing the Nidus Festival near Kitchener, Ontario August 5th. I'd kill to go, because playing as well are Hello Kelly, Ill Seer, The Billions and hiphop up-and-comer Shad, who recently rocked NXNE in Toronto. For festival information, hit up their homepage.
It's about dang time: New Found Glory's newest single is online over at their Myspace page; it's called 'It's Not Your Fault', from the upcoming album Coming Home, due in stores in September. Not the greatest song I've ever heard from them, but I'm sure the record will be full of kickass songs that aren't made into videos to flog the kiddies with.
Pictures of Anberlin's recent stop in Ottawa(along with Halifax, Story of the Year and Hawthorne Heights) will soon be up over here(my day job in radio). Killer set.
Some large news for New Jersey's Life In Your Way: they've just gotten done a mini-tour with the never-dead Shai Hulud, played a tremendous set at Cornerstone Festival last week, and will head into the studio in September to record their debut effort for Solid State Records. Welcome to the big leagues, kids! This news furnised by the wonderful Myspace.com.
We're back from the dead!
Many many many many thanks have to be extended to one Galen 'Brody' Broaddus in Illinois; he's been my right-hand man(ie web guru) for the last year and a half or so, and this new design(still being worked on) is his entirely. No credit can be given to me, as I did nothing. I just write about rock and roll.
So here we are - Version 2.0 of sweetdiaster.com. More reviews, interviews, news and opinion to come in the future. Thanks to you, the loyal reader, for sticking with us. We can be reached at itacs@hotmail.com or mike@chri.ca if you have ideas about how we can make this space better.
Peace!
Mike Postma - editor/founder
Galen Broaddus - web