September 14th is right around the corner and if you are a Weezer fan like I am you know that it is the day that Hurley will be released on Epitaph Records. This will be the band’s first release on an independent label in their 17 years as a band. Focusing on the rock over the pop this round the album has grabbed my attention in a major way. See for yourself – head over to www.myspace.com/weezer and listen to Hurley in its entirety. You can also download their first single entitled “Memories” courtesy of Spinner.com.
The album title, if you have not figured it out yet, comes from one of the more memorable characters from one of the greatest TV series of my time, Lost, and might just be my favorite Weezer cover ever. Have you even seen the cover for Hurley yet?
Yeah, that is great. Jorge Garcia spoke to MTV recently on how he felt about being the inspiration for the latest release. As much as I despise MTV I did get a kick out of reading his reaction on his mug being on an album cover.
Here is a video from Spin.com with what looks like a very happy Rivers Cuomo:
Check out this powerful video from Set Your Goals revolving around the greed that is polluting our future…
SET YOUR GOALS CALLS FANS TO ACTION IN NEW VIDEO
Bay Area Pop-punk band Set Your Goals has partnered up with Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) to release a timely new video for their latest single “Gaia Bleeds” from the band’s Epitaph debut album This Will Be The Death Of Us. Set Your Goals is calling fans to action suggesting they make a donation to SSCS at seashepherd.org to help support their “Operation Gulf Rescue,” which is currently training volunteers for hazmat operations and conducting reconnaissance surveys of the disastrous oil spill.
The video calls out American greed and destructive wastefulness and features an angsty, adrenaline fueled performance by the band with facts on the devastation to planet earth.
Set Your Goals is currently orchestrating the pit on this summer’s Vans Warped Tour. Don’t miss one of the tour’s hottest bands!
Set Your Goals Tour Dates: July 13 – Mansfield, MA – Comcast Center (Warped Tour)
July 14 – Darien Center, NY – Darien Lake P.A.C. (Warped Tour)
July 15 – Scranton, PA – Toyota Pavilion (Warped Tour)
July 16 – Camden, NJ – Susquehanna Bank Center (Warped Tour)
July 17 – Uniondale, NY – Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum (Warped Tour)
July 18 – Oceanport, NJ – Monmouth Park Racetrack (Warped Tour)
July 20 – Columbia, MD – Merriweather Post Pavilion (Warped Tour)
July 21 – Virginia Beach, VA – Virginia Beach Amphitheatre (Warped Tour)
July 22 – Charlotte, NC – Verizon Wireless Amphitheater Charlotte (Warped Tour)
July 23 – St. Petersburg, FL – Vinoy Park (Warped Tour)
July 24 – West Palm Beach, FL – Cruzan Amphitheater (Warped Tour)
July 25 – Orlando, FL – Central Florida Fairgrounds (Warped Tour)
July 26 – Atlanta, GA – Lakewood Amphitheater (Warped Tour)
July 28 – Cincinnati, OH – Riverbend Music Center (Warped Tour)
July 29 – Milwaukee, WI – Marcus Amphitheater (Warped Tour)
July 30 – Detroit, MI – Comerica Park (Warped Tour)
July 31 – Tinley Park, IL – First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre (Warped Tour)
Aug 1 – Shakopee, MI – Canterbury Park (Warped Tour)
Aug 2 – Bonner Springs, KS – Sandstone Amphitheatre (Warped Tour)
Aug 5 – Calgary, AB – Race City Speedway (Warped Tour)
Aug 7 – Salt Lake City, UT – Utah State Fairgrounds (Warped Tour)
Aug 8 – Denver, CO – Invesco Field (Warped Tour)
Aug 11 – Pomona, CA – Pomona Fairplex (Warped Tour)
Aug 12 – Marysville, CA – Sleep Train Amphitheatre (Warped Tour)
Aug 13 – Nampa, ID – Idaho Center Amphitheatre (Warped Tour)
Aug 14 – George, WA – Gorge Amphitheater (Warped Tour)
Aug 15 – Hillsboro, OR – Washington County Fairgrounds (Warped Tour)
Brooklyn drum and bass (no, not techno) duo Hank & Cupcakes just dropped an impressive video for their cover of Joy Division‘s “She’s Lost Control”. The band recently dropped a 4 song self-titled EP showcasing their impressive style. It may sound like a whole lot more but it is only drum, bass, and vocals.
Yeah I know, another male female duo. Don’t be too quick to judge though.
Their take on the Joy Division track is worth checking out. I especially got a kick when the bassist Hank took the song into his own hands and added his own funk bass lines while Cupcakes mimicked Ian Curtis in a positive way. Good stuff. I’ll be looking into this rock act a little more…
There is nothing like a good ol’ fun punk rock song that keeps me going. Sometimes I like a simple, to the point, quick song that’s perfect for singing along to. I don’t need anything fancy or over produced all the time to keep me entertained and in fact it’s those short humorous tracks I find myself returning to over and over.
Teenage Bottlerocket (TBR) is one of those bands out there that keeps the fun and the punk flowing at a great level. Hailing from all the way up in Wyoming the foursome has started to make their name in the punk community with their Ramones infused power punk jams. Recently signing to Fat Wreck Chords the band dropped their fourth release on the independent punk label. I had a chance to talk with Ray one of the guitarist / vocalists of the band just before they headed out on tour in support of the release.
Shall we begin???
BHP – Thanks for taking a moment to chat. How are you doing today?
Ray – Doing ok, I drank to much last night and had to work for 12 hours today. Life rules though.
Ha ha, before I even continue can you just take a moment and introduce yourself to everyone?
I’m Ray and I sing and play guitar in TBR.
Does the band name Teenage Bottlerocket have anything to do with a certain Wes Anderson movie?
No it doesn’t, but after we came up with the name we watched the movie and really enjoyed it. Fantastic Mr. Fox was cool too.
You boys are from the mean streets of Wisconsin right?
We are not from Wisconsin but don’t feel bad, we get that all the time. We are from Wyoming.
Oops, I knew that. So anyways how was it growing up in Wyoming?
It’s really cold there, the weather and the people.
How was the punk scene in Laramie, the city you grew up in? Is it any different from cities you have toured in?
It’s a lot different. We have a bit of a home town following but the venue situation is a little weird. We use our practice PA for the shows and it just doesn’t really pack the punch that a regular PA would at a venue in a big city. The kids go off though, and we always have fun playing in Laramie.
What else did you do for fun growing up other than music?
Brandon, TBR drummer and my twin brother, and I have older brothers that got us into skateboarding at a young age. We grew up skating and always looked up to Matt Hensley and other skaters on the H Street Team.
I kind of figured you skated back in the day after hearing a couple of your songs. So who is the skateboarder in the “Skate or Die” video and where was that shot at?
The skater’s name is Otto Phlanz. He is from Denver, Colorado and skates for Conspiracy. The video was shot at the Laramie skate park.
Rumor has it that not only does the band consist of you and your twin brother but also 2 engineers. Is this true?
This is true. The 2 engineers are Brandon and I. We are in Bakersfield, California right now doing work on an oil well. Technically we are chemical engineers, because of the work we perform, but I graduated with my business degree and Brandon graduated with his Geology degree. We both went to the University of Wyoming. Miguel, our bass player, just graduated from UW with his business degree.
Dumb question, but what do you prefer more, working the oil wells or rocking out the clubs?
Playing music is my real passion. If we were all able to do nothing but play in the band, that would rule. Punk rock saved my life, but my job pays my bills.
I could not agree more. So how hard is it to split up the two career paths?
It’s difficult, but we’ve managed to do alright so far.
Teenage Bottlerocket material clearly shows love for classic punkers like The Ramones, Screeching Weasel, and even the Queers. Who are some of your other influences?
We listen to a lot of crust stuff. We really like Conflict as of lately. I wouldn’t say they are one of our influences but we’ve been listening to them a lot. We really like Cobra Skulls and Randy.
When I think of fun and punk rock in the same sentence I think of Teenage Bottlerocket. You guys are an energetic punk rock act with quick and to the point songs. Was this how Teenage Bottlerocket always was from the get go?
Well shucks dude, that’s cool. We just write tunes that we like and it seems to work.
Do people even use “get go” in sentences anymore?
Yes, they do.
How does it feel to be a part of the Fat Wreck Chords family?
It feels great. It’s exciting. We were always happy on Red Scare and it stokes us that Toby has been so cool with our decision to move to another label.
Who is your favorite band so far that you toured with?
Cobra Skulls.
Is there a certain band you wish you could tour with?
NOFX.
Wait, aren’t you going to tour with NOFX soon? How stoked are you?
We are really excited. We’ve been working on the set list and rehearsing as much as possible. We cant wait to play the Aggie in Ft. Collins. The whole tour is going to be a lot of fun.
“Bigger Than Kiss” was one of my favorite tracks off the new album as well as has a hilarious video for it. Any song that praises Slayer over Kiss is ok with me. Where did the song come from? Would you really “beat the piss out of Peter Criss”?
Kody has a friend named Charlie in Newcastle that said to him, “you know, Gene Simmons is pretty cool, but Paul Stanley is a total d-bag”. I’m not sure if that is exactly what went down, but it was something along those lines. Kody cracked up and got inspired to write the tune. It is my favorite lyrics Kody has ever written. I don’t think I would beat the piss out of Peter Criss, I heard he was in a wheelchair.
What seems to be the favorite foods throughout the band?
I like sushi, Brandon likes this pizza place in Ft. Collins called La Collina, Kody likes everything but seafood, and Miguel likes anything that is hotter than hell.
Best city you have played so far?
That’s a tough one. There’s a bunch: Chicago, Toronto, St. Louis, Orlando, San Diego, and Sheridan Wyoming.
How about the worst?
I’d have to say Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Why?
Probably because it was a Tuesday night and no one in the city of Las Cruces, with the exception of 20 people, knows who we are.
One of my best friend’s kid’s who is 6 adores you guys and listens to you every night before he goes to sleep. Care to say anything to him or give him some advice?
Tell him to play soccer.
I hope Brennan takes Ray’s advice…
Here are some TBR videos for you to all enjoy!
Teenage Bottlerocket will be touring soon. Don’t be a fool – check them out when they hit your town…
03/20/10 Austin, TX – SXSW Music Festival
04/21/10 Eugene, OR – McDonald Theatre
04/22/10 Spokane, WA – Knitting Factory
04/23/10 Billings, MT – Shrine Auditorium
04/25/10 Saskatoon, SK Canada – Odeon Events Center
04/26/10 Winnipeg, MB Canada – Burton Cummings Theater
04/27/10 Fargo, ND – The Venue
04/28/10 Minneapolis, MN – Triple Rock Social Club
04/29/10 Milwaukee, WI – The Riverside Theater
04/30/10 Covington, KY – Madison Theater
05/01/10 Sauget, IL – Pop’s
05/02/10 Kansas City, MO – The Beaumont
05/04/10 Fort Collins, CO – The Aggie
05/05/10 Albuquerque, NM – The Sunshine Theater
05/06/10 Tucson, AZ – Rialto Theatre
05/07/10 Las Vegas, NV – Sunset Station Amphitheatre
Genre slamming rock spazz stars Foxy Shazam are getting ready to riot out of Cincinnati, OH and take it to the streets. The shock rock act will be dropping their major label debut entitled Unstoppable on April 13th thanks to Sire Records. The band takes inspiration from legendary musicians Elton John, Marvin Gaye, Bruce Springsteen (the Born To Run years) and adds their punk attitude and ruthless energy making for one hell of a sound.
Love them or hate them, this band will be heard one way or another. Just check out the video below.
Foxy Shazam headlining tour dates (sadly no Cleveland show…) are as follows:
3/15 – Exit/In – Nashville, TN
3/17 – Las Palmas Racetrack – Las Palmas, TX
3/18 – House of Blues – Houston, TX
3/19 – SXSW – Austin, TX
3/20 – SXSW – Austin, TX
3/21 – White Rabbit – San Antonio, TX
3/22 – Higher Ground – Metarie, LA
3/23 – Juanitas – Little Rock, AR
3/24 – Masquerade – Atlanta, GA
3/26 – Orpheum – St. Petersburg, FL
3/27 – Jack Rabbits – Jacksonville, FL
3/28 – Canal Club Downstairs – Richmond, VA
3/29 – Studio @ Webster Hall – New York, NY
3/30 – Great Scotts – Boston, MA
3/31 – Knitting Factory – Brooklyn, NY
4/01 – Webster Underground – Hartford, CT
4/03 – Petit Camps – Montreal, QC
4/05 – Sneeky Dees – Toronto, ON
4/06 – Mohawk Place – Buffalo, NY
4/07 – The Basement – Columbus, OH
4/08 – Eagle Theater – Detroit, MI
4/09 – Mad Hatter – Cincinnati, OH
4/10 – Beat Kitchen – Chicago, IL
4/11 – The Vault – Minneapolis, MN
4/13 – Marquis Theater – Denver. CO
4/15 – El Corazon Lounge – Seattle, WA
4/16 – The Venue – Vancouver, BC
4/17 – Satyricon – Portland, OR
4/18 – Bottom of the Hill – San Francisco, CA
4/19 – Boardwalk – Sacramento, CA
4/21 – Troubadour – Los Angeles, CA
4/23 – Martini Ranch – Phoenix, AZ
4/24 – Launch Pad – Albuquerque, NM
4/26 – Jackpot – Lawrence, KS
4/27 – Off Broadway – St. Louis, MO
