Hello everybody and welcome to Navel Gazing: your look back at the week in Punknews. I'm Adam White and I'll be your guide through some of the most popular, notable, and otherwise attention getting stories of the past seven days. Each and every Punknews story is built from tips contributed by you fine folks, and here's what got the community talking...

The storm clouds are gathering over Chicago's music scene, with promoters claiming that a proposed law could make DIY shows illegal. One wonders if such a law would have hurt the rise of Chicago's favorite sons the Alkaline Trio. That band detailed their upcoming tour dates this week, adding American Steel, and Bayside to the bill. They also dropped by MTV reality show "The Hills," because that's really the only way for a band to get on MTV these days. Of course one way to get media attention is to commit crimes, just ask Canadian hardcore act Liferuiner. That band surely saw a bump in web traffic following members' arrests in a graffiti sting. Of course not all attention is positive, and this week we saw emo music blamed in the suicide of a 13-year old. The signup list for bands looking to be named as scapegoats starts over here.

The ongoing slate of Police reunion shows look like they're coming to an conclusion, with the new wave act announcing their "Last Show Ever." Punk veterans NOFX are hitting the US east coast later this year. The Hot Water Music rolling reunion revue will get there first, with the influential act hitting Philly and NYC this summer. Summer will also see newly independent ska-punk veterans Less Than Jake and Goldfinger sharing the stage. There'll be a few weeks of shows from indie rockers Spoon as well. Look for the Gaslight Anthem, Be Your Own Pet and Black President on this year's Warped Tour.

On the new music front we heard a full album stream of Elvis Costello and the Imposters' new full length Momofuku. The Offspring also returned with the new track "Hammerhead." Popular act Paramore discussed their new material, claiming influence by H2O and Set Your Goals. My Chemical Romance are planing a live CD / DVD set titled The Black Parade Is Dead. The Cure will soon return with lucky number 13 this year and they're planning a singles series leading up to it. This week Against Me! fans were treated to a video interview and acoustic performance. Gamers can look forward to clicking-out to At the Drive-In's hit "One Armed Scissor" in Guitar Hero IV. This week we spoke with Adam of punk / metal hybrid The Hottness (interview). Our Video of the Week featured footage from Ann Beretta performing "Not Invited" at their recent reunion show. This week's Vinyl File announced contest winners and featured a look at upcoming releases. This week also brought new Streaming Music from the solo projects of two punk rock frontmen, first we helped Kevin Seconds celebrate the release of his new solo album Rise Up, Insomniacs!, then we previewed two new full lengths from former Groovie Ghoulies frontman Kepi Ghoulie. Click Read More to check out our ongoing contests, recent streaming music and more.

So what's coming up this week? Look for releases from Architects, Death Cab For Cutie and Moneen with tours kicking off from the Hives (US / Can), Leatherface (US) and Hatebreed (US).

The Briggs have tiled their upcoming record Come All You Madmen. The full length was produced by the Mighty Mighty Bosstones' Joe Gittleman and will hit the streets on June 17. The cover art and track listing for the 12 song record have been unveiled as well, and you can click below for the details.

The Briggs are planning to perform on the entirety of this year's Warped Tour.

Deathwish Inc. has signed Cohoes, NY's End of a Year.

The band will release their label debut in the form of an EP this coming fall, with a full-length to eventually follow. However, it will be preceded with a multitude of 7"s on various labels that the band has lined up, including splits with Shook Ones, Scream Hello, Red Tape Parade and others. You can check out the details on a MySpace blog posting. Or can you click Read More.

Their last major release was 2006's Revelation-released Sincerely, though the interim has seen them release splits with Fire Team Charlie (God, There's a Lot of Pawn Shops and Check Cashing Places in This Town) and Kids Explode (That Owl Is Staring at Me), as well as the We Understand Europeans Are a Sexual People 7" under the curious Barf Spectrum moniker.

Additionally, the band has announced some tour dates for Europe. Get those with a click of Read More as well.

We're thrilled to announce that Ryan’s Hope have unveiled their free five song demo EP online. You can download the Chaos EP at the band's MySpace page or nicely tagged from DivShare. The Joliet, IL three piece is following up their 2006 full length Apocalypse in Increments, which we had something or other to do with. The songs include "Madness Ensures," "We Will," "Choose Blasphemy," the power-hoedown "Bloodline," and new fan favorite "Bastard Epidemic." Get stoked.

In the coming weeks and months the band will play shows with bands like Strung Out, Project:Threeville and others. You can click Read More for the dates.

Ajax, Ontario ska-punk act The Johnstones have posted seven songs from their upcoming record Sex online for your previewing pleasure. You can check them out over at MySpace. The new full length hits stores on June 3rd via Stomp Records.

The band will support with a tour of Ontario and Quebec with the New Cities, followed by a stint supporting Hedley and appearances on this summer's Warped Tour.

Schlong, which features Operation Ivy's Dave Mello alongside his brother Pat and Gavin MacArthur, will be releasing their new record Singles 1989-1995 soon. The album is already available for digital purchase via their MySpace page.

This is the band's first release since 1996's Fish Booty.

Trever Keith (Face To Face, The Legion of Doom, Viva Death) recently joined the Radio 104.5 studio to perform an acoustic session of songs from his debut solo record Melancholics Anonymous. Keith whipped out "Everyone Hates A Know-It-All" from the Face to Face record Ignorance In Bliss.

You can check out the videos of the session here. You can stream the entire record at his website.

Time Again have cancelled their European Tour, scheduled to start three days ago. The band is saying that "serious health issues" have caused the cancellation and are hoping for a rescheduling in the future.

We are so sorry to everybody that helped us in any way with this tour. Normally we would push through it and go on with the shows, but we’re all in very bad condition. We will reschedule a tour, but it may not be for a few months. Again we’re really sorry and hope you all can understand.

The band released Darker Days earlier this year.

Uprising Records hardcore act I Am The Ocean have recruited a new vocalist. The band explained:

Dreu Damian Hudson of Her Candane will be taking over as vocalist! We'll have a brand new track with Dreu up in the coming week. Her Candane have been hard at work writing their follow up to 2006's "No Battle" so no worries HerC fans, just come see what yer boy can do with us.

Forest Life Records, a young label from the midwest specializing in vinyl, has issued it's first release: a 7 inch vinyl of recent No Sleep Records signees La Dispute. This is the band's final independent release before their upcoming full length, "Somewhere at the Bottom of the River Between Vega and Altair," out on No Sleep Records November 11, 2008.

Also slated for summer release are a 12 inch vinyl from Valparaiso, Indiana indie band Native and a 7 inch vinyl from Grand Rapids, Michigan's Victor! Fix the Sun (Friction Records). The two bands will be touring the midwest and east coast in support of their respective records in July.

More updates, including a current release schedule, are available at the label's myspace.

Russ Rankin, vocalist for Only Crime and formerly Good Riddance, has announced a solo project. His first post song is a cover of Johnny Cash's "Walk The Line." According to the MySpace page, Rankin "is currently working on a brand new collection of his own songs which will be released as a solo project sometime in the near future."

You can find the track at his MySpace page.

Update: It looks like Russ has taken the track down. We'll let you know when it comes back.

Against Me! recently visited The Interface to record an acoustic set and interview for the Spinner program. Along with the performance of "New Wave," "Thrash Unreal," and "The Ocean," the band talks about reinventing Axl Rose and touring with the Foo Fighters.

You can click Read More for the video.

Star Fucking Hipsters, the new project from Sturgeon of Leftover Crack have posted an update on progress towards their next full length. The band also includes Slackers drummer Ara Babajian and Frank Piegaro of New Jersey's Degenerics.

All tracking (aka music, vocals, subliminal messages demanding your undying obedience) have been recorded and will be mixed at Motor studio with Mr. James Mcmann in S.F. in the early half of June. These electronically "shamed" replicated discs will end up being shoved into containers with similarly abused art, lyrics and song titles and in one final vile humiliation they will bare the stamp of their unhuman sociopathic oppresors: FAT WRECK CHORDS.

And yes, this was basically a blog to announce that we have signed our debut record over to FAT and it should be out by October if all goes smoothly.

The band has also booked two shows at the end of this month. The first at The Silent Barn in Brooklyn on May 29th and the second at the Meatlocker in Montclair, New Jersey on the 30th.

Dead To Fall have posthumously posted the new video from their 2008 album, Are You Serious?.

You can click Read More for the video.

Even though we claimed this was the final list of Warped Tour bands, the Kevin Lyman-run machine continues to confirm acts and have added a number of new acts to the list. Among them are Gaslight Anthem, Be Your Own Pet and Black President as well as several others.

You can click Read More for the new list.