It's Sunday July 8th, 2007. We return to the long standing tradition of launching Navel Gazing with an image of some under sea horror. So please join myself, the sasquatch lobster, the laser squid and Scooter Libby in welcoming the Octosquid to the party.
The people must have something good to read on a Sunday
Months of hype came to an end this week as the new full lengths from both Against Me! and Bad Religion were officially unveiled. We had streams of New Wave and New Maps of Hell , both of which hit stores next Tuesday. Speaking of the Gainesville act, they announced more dates for their tour with Gaslight Anthem and Two Gallants. A number of high profile tours were announced this week, as Richmond acts Avail and Smoke Or Fire will share the stage later this year. Strung Out announced the first leg of a US tour, this one to feature A Wilhelm Scream and I Am Ghost. Ignite is set to hit the road in the US and Europe as well. One band that won't be touring is O Pioneers!!!, as they're regrouping to deal with the departure of Jeff Johnson.
Dave Walsh and Chris Gonzalez of the Explosion have officially joined up with the Loved Ones. The Explosion will bow out later this summer, playing farewell shows with Modern Life Is War and the Ergs. You can add a few more names to the list of defunct bands, as both Hot Cross and Reggie and the Full Effect are calling it quits. On the new music front we previewed Reel Big Fish's "Party Down," MXPX's "Secret Weapon" and Every Time I Die's "Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Battery." Victory returned to the headlines with the signing of Across Five Aprils. Finally this week ended with the unfortunate news that Tinkture's drummer was injured in a fireworks prank.
Remember that Punknews.org and Fat Wreck Chords have teamed up for the San Francisco AIDS Walk. It's a great cause and you can show your support by making a donation or even joining us at the walk.
Our Video Of The Week featured the first segment of an interview and live performance by current Org-coverage kings Against Me!. We also posted an interview with acclaimed Toronto hardcore act Fucked Up (interview). Our Editors' Picks for the week featured Dirty Money, Bob Burns and the Breakups and Resonance.
Click Read More to see this week's contests, streaming music and more.
Radio Free Punknews
Check the Punknews Music page to stream all sorts of anticipated new music including songs from Ben Weasel's new solo record, a new song from legendary hardcore pioneers Bad Brains, a full album from Philadelphia melodic hardcore band Giving Chase, songs from the The Story Changes' upcoming full length, a full album stream from the Gaslight Anthem, new music from the new Clorox Girls' album J' aime Les Filles, Trophy Scars' EP Hospital Music for the Aesthetics of Language, the split between Fox Trotsky and Die Benny, and four songs from recent A-F signing Incommunicado.
Suntans are for Winners Far From Finished July 17, 2007 finally marks the official release date for the upcoming full length effort from Boston punk rocker's, Far From Finished. To celebrate the release of "Living In The Fallout", Far From Finished, Think Fast! Records, Lucky 13 Apparel, and PunkNews.org have teamed up for a contest giveaway that runs from now until the street date. A grand prize winner will receive a prize package valued at $128 including the brand new disc, a poster, a skate deck, and clothing items from the band, Think Fast! and Lucky 13. One runner up will receive the new disc, a poster, some t-shirts, and goodie bags.
L'il Bush
Even though we don't do contests for TV shows very often, between the obvious love of Comedy Central's animated programming I see on our boards, to the lineup of musicians involved, it seems like a pretty easy decision to give this one a go. Comedy Central's new program, L'il Bush features Iggy Pop, Jeff Tweedy, Frank Black, Colin Meloy, Dave Grohl, The Red Hot Chili Peppers and more. It is a series of cartoons created by Donick Cary, a writer of The Simpsons. The show previously appeared on recently defunct mobile carrier Amp'd Mobile, and has been picked up a six episode run beginning this month. Pop will be playing Lil Rummy, and other characters include Lil' Condi, Lil' Cheney, Lil' Jeb and of course, Lil Bush. To celebrate, Comedy Central has provided a neat little prize pack of DVDs from South Park, Drawn Together.
Against Me! signed guitar Against Me! will release their new album, New Wave, on July 10th. The follow-up to 2005's Searching For A Former Clarity was produced by Butch Vig (Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins). New Wave will be available on CD, a Special Edition CD/DVD, 180 gram yellow vinyl and digital download. To celebrate the release, PunkNews.org is giving one lucky winner an Against Me! autographed Gibson guitar. 5 runners-up will score an autographed copy of the vinyl 7" for "White People For Peace."
Win an XBOX360 from Sound The Alarm
On July 17, 2007, Sound the Alarm will be releasing their full length and major label debut. The record is titled Stay Inside and is due out July 17, 2007. To celebrate, Sound the Alarm and PunkNews.org have assembled a contest in which you can win an XBOX360, Autographed Poster and a copy of the album. There are also prizes for two runner ups who will walk away with a Sound the Alarm Poster and a copy of Stay Inside.
Staff Blogs
When not writing about music on the internet, many members of the Punknews staff find time to write about music on the internet. You can check out the depraved musings of Adam White at 2:59, Justin August has some Kinder Words for you, while Chris Moran's all over the place with content rocking both MySpace and Flickr. Reviewer Jesse Raub posts short fiction and web comics to Things That Go Bump In My Head and his zine Bitter Press.
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, the Punknews.org Facebook Group, and contribute your listening habits to the weekly charts Last.fm group.
Come Join Us
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.