It's Sunday July 16th, 2006. It is far, far too hot to even attempt some sort of witty opening to this week's recap. I'm quite sure that as the internal temperature of my skull rises I become progressively less clever, so I'm not even trying. In fact, I'm going to go lie on the concrete on my balcony with the cat, it seems to know what to do in this sort of situation.
The people must have something good to read on a Sunday
It's a little surreal to find that the biggest story on a punk news site was about a member of Pink Floyd, but like the rest of the music world we bid farewell this week to Syd Barrett. Rivers Cuomo cast further doubts on the future of influential 90s alternative rock act Weezer this week, as the band is continuing their hiatus with no end in sight. Strike Anywhere is headed out on tour this September, whipping fans into a frenzy with the news that they'll be joined by A Global Threat, Ignite and Modern Life Is War on the trip. Thrice has started writing their next record, calling the effort "the most ambitious thing we've undertaken artistically." Punknews favorites Paint It Black lost a drummer with the departure of Dave Wagenschutz. The G7 announced a new album from early Vancouver punk act the Subhumans as well as slew of digital reissues of some rare material. Other stories that had your attention was the upcoming Snakes on a Plane soundtrack, the trailer for the American Hardcore film, Social Distortion's fall tour dates, and the new single from popular Las Vegas act the Killers.
This week we spoke the some of Nitro Records' young guns. Check out interviews with Franky Tsoukalas of Much The Same (interview) as well as the folks from No Trigger (interview).
Radio Free Punknews
Check the Punknews Music page for to check out new music from Dead To Me, Park, Rollo Tomasi, Tragedy, Rise Against and Drag The River among others.
Suntans are for Winners Win a trip to Cleveland for the Warped Tour
With the Warped Tour kicking off this week, it seemed appropriate to debut another big contest for the tour; this one is a biggie; a trip for two to Warped Tour 2006 August 11th at Tower City Amphitheatre in Cleveland, OH - plus accommodations and transportation to and from the show; a pair of tickets for the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame tour, a signed guitar, a video iPod, an annual subscription to Audio Lunchbox and a subscription to Alternative Press magazine.
Cuddle up with Good Riddance & Gama-Go
Nothing says comfort like the impassioned political hardcore of Good Riddance, and to celebrate their new Fat Wreck Chords full length My Republic we're giving away a Good Riddance / Gama-Go prize pack. Along with the band's new full length you can win a pair of PJs and slippers from the hip San Francisco clothier.
Win an XBOX360 and more from Rise Against
Our friends in Rise Against released The Sufferer & The Witness on July 4th via Geffen Records. To commemorate it's release, Rise Against and PunkNews.org have teamed up to bring you a contest where you can win an X-Box 360, autographed copy of The Sufferer & The Witness, and assorted rise Against goodies.
Rx Bandits Contest
In case you hadn't heard, the Rx Bandits' newest album, …And The Battle Begun, is set to be released in just a few months. To celebrate, the band has graciously offered up free tickets to a couple of their upcoming shows to four pairs of Punknews.org readers.
The North Atlantic Contest
San Diego, CA's North Atlantic recently saw the wide release of their full length, Wires in the Walls through WPO Records. To celebrate that release, the band would like to give a lucky Punknews.org reader a special copy of the album with handmade artwork, an autographed poster and package of pins.
Life at Disconnect
We've theorized that you visit other websites out there, and we know it can be tough to leave the calming blue glow of the `Org, so we'll help by infecting the rest of the web with Punknews content. Waste some time on the Punknews.org and Punknews Records MySpace pages or contribute your listening habits to the weekly charts Last.fm group.
The Call Up
Why register on Punknews.org? Registered users can rate bands and reviews, building recommendations and links between artists for the whole community to share and discover. Users get their own profile page showing recent comments, top rated bands and favourite records and more. So go ahead, cast off the cloak of anonymity and create your account today - it's free, easy and private.