Dani Miller of Surfbort talks the new album, suicide, and Twin Peaks

Surfbort are looking on the brighter side of things. While the band's excellent first album found them thrashing abound during the destruction of the world, their new record, Keep On Truckin' is a bit more positive- even if it does have songs about "white claw enema bong hits" and eating yourself to death with junk food. The new LP, which was recorded with Linda Perry, has the band looking through the chaos of the world and finding the spirit to push on through the band times, all while spreading love to humankind. Also, it is frikkin' great.

So, Punknews' John Gentile spoke to singer Dani Miller about the record. Also, the band just released a video for "Killed by food"! You can check out the video and interview below.

Photo credit: Parker Day

Dan Vapid talks his new album

Dan Vapid is certainly no stranger to the world of punk rock. He has served time in many of your favorite bands such as Screeching Weasel and the Queers. On his own, he founded the amazing Sludgeworth, Methadones and the Cheats. Dan is an accomplished musician and songwriter. On November 5th, Dan Vapid and the Cheats will be releasing their 4th proper full length, entitled Escape Velocity. Punknews' Jason Baygood had the opportunity to chat with Dan recently about topics such as his career, today’s music scene and the new album.

Buzz Osborne: Behind the Mumu

Today, The Melvins release their four LP behemoth Five Legged Dog. The album finds the band reworking THREE DOZEN tracks from their discography (along with a few choice covers) in an acoustic style. As with most Melvins projects, it's daring, unexpected, and kind of funny.

But still, as with many Melvins projects, the actual intent of the release isn't immediately clear, particularly considering the extremity of the album. Most bands, when doing an acoustic release, kick out 10 or so quiet numbers. The Melvins cranked out 36 and to boot, they aren't "normal" nice and quiet acoustic takes. These tracks are heavy and creepy sounding.

So, to try to get inside the minds of one of music's most mettlesome maniacs, Punknews' John Gentile sat down with Melvins guitarist Buzz Osborne to talk about the new LP, his background, and being nice.

The Muslims talk their new album and their 401ks

Punknews writer, David Wilkins, just sat down with QADR and Fara7 of The Muslims, to discuss their signing to Epitaph and their general need to see the destruction of everything that was, in an effort to build the world anew. Check it out below.

Check out an excerpt from Architects of Self-Destruction: The Oral History of Leftover Crack!

Tomorrow sees the release of Architects of Self-Destruction: The Oral History of Leftover Crack. The book was written by Leftover Crack guitarist Brad Logan and Punknews' John Gentile. The pair interviewed nearly 100 people, including every member of LoC, and tell the band's entire history.

You can pre-order the book at Rare Bird Lit. FYI, today is the last day to get the zine and t-shirt.

Today, we are psyched to debut a chapter from the book. In this segment, the band gets threatened by a gang in Florida and their van gets smashed… check it out below.

Attila of Mayhem talks his punk roots

Little do people know that Mayhem, perhaps the most heralded band in extreme metal, has something of a punk background! Just recently, the Norwegian black metal titans released Atavistic Black Disorder / Kommando. The A-side of that record served as a companion to 2019's lauded Daemon album… and the flipside had an interesting twist… Mayhem kicked out four punk covers! Discharge, Dead Kennedys, Rudimentary Peni, and the Ramones each get a spin!

To that end, Punknews' John Gentile spoke to vocalist Attila Csihar (who is from Hungary) about his early punk history, his early band Tormentor, and buying records behind the iron curtain. You can check out the interview below.

Brendan Kelly talks his upcoming tour

Brendan Kelly needs no introduction. A prolific rebel-rouser of The Lawrence Arms, Slapstick, Broadways, The Falcon, the Wandering Birds, and on his own, he’s already left an indelible imprint in punk. But when it comes down to it, Kelly is a man convinced of his luck, and that he’s never doing enough. Punknews Contributor Ida Eskamani interviewed Kelly about his upcoming “Here Goes Nothin’ Tour” and his three-decades in music.

A chat with the Lockdowns

Hailing from Houston, Texas, The Lockdowns formed in the spring of 2020. While bars, restaurants and music venues were shuttered, this foursome got to work practicing and writing songs for a new EP. Self-described as “Ramones-core,” the lockdowns are far from a basic three-chord punk group. The new EP, simply titled The Lockdowns was released in January, 2021.

The band has two distinct vocal styles.. Guitarist Jimmy and bass player Alex both take turns fronting songs and singing backup vocals. Combined, the two styles compliment each other giving listeners a fresh new sound reminiscent of The Lillingtons or Screeching Weasel.

Contributor Rob Gorczyca spoke to the band about their new EP. Check it out below.

The Wonderful World of SBAM

Stefan Beham is the punk mastermind behind all things Sbam. He is the artist behind all of the reimagined artworks, show posters, and more. He is the festival promoter and the record label owner of SBAM, a record label that has been churning out new releases throughout this pandemic. Contributing Editor Samantha Barrett sat down with Beham to get to know him and all he does for the punk scene in Austria.

Ellen Foley talks her new album, recording with the Clash, Meatloaf, and Ian Hunter

Ellen Foley has done it all. Early on in her career, the singer cut the iconic reply to Meatloaf on "Paradise by Dashboard Light." After that, she recorded an album with Ian Hunter and Mick Ronson! Then, after that, she recorded with the Clash and contributed vocals to Sandinista! and also recorded her second album, which was backed by Joe, Mick, Paul, Topper, and Tymon! And then, she went over to TV and film, appearing in Night Court, King of Comedy, Tootsie, and even PBS' Ghostwriter!

NOW, she's releasing her new solo album, Fighting Words on August 6. so, Punknews' John Gentile spoke with Foley about her insane resume. You can listen to the interview below.

Gleeful Exhumation: How Death Metal is Progressing by Looking to its Past

Depending on the parts of the musical spectrum that you’re interested in, or even keep an eye on, you may or may not have noticed a significant increase in the amount of new bands, publicity, fans and general visibility surrounding the world of death metal of late. There seems to be a resurgence of sorts, but not in quite the same way as the myriad emo revivals have happened, for example. Monthly listeners to both the new crop of bands and their progenitors are up on and vintage merch has become even more de rigeur than it was before, if you can believe it. But what’s behind this explosion in a scene that has historically been hard to penetrate or market beyond a hardcore contingent of superfans…?

To find out, Sam Houlden dug a bit deeper, speaking to new era death metal bands Undeath and Sanguisugabogg about the state of the scene today, what has influenced it and where it’s headed.