Although I’m not sure if PRIDEBOWL are even on Bad Taste anymore (it’s been like seven years since they had a new release – “”Where You Put Your Trust”" was incredible…), the band is back in action, now with an entirely American line-up, and things are looking on the up and up. PRIDEBOWL are set to release a six song EP shortly, and below is a link to an mp3 for “”FTW.”"

mp3: PRIDEBOWL – FTW

For more songs and a very interesting story discussing the history of this great skatepunk band, check out pridebowl.org.

http://www.purevolume.com/pridebowl

Culled from slashdot.org and GreLaw:

“”In this GrepLaw interview, Downhill Battle’s Nicholas Reville describes the success (and takedown) of SP2Torrent.com, alternative ways to buy music, what indie musicians think about filesharing, and real ways to counter threats to creativity and an open culture. Those excited about the possibilities of Bittorrent will especially appreciate Downhill Battle’s Blog Torrent, an easy-to-install program that will dramatically simplify the creation, posting, and seeding of new torrents.”"

link: GrepLaw interview with downhillbattle.org

- I don’t always agree with the Downhill Battle guys and their tactics against the incumbent music labels, but they’re definitely willing to put their necks on the line to make a statement about the positives of digital distribution, and this interview really highlights how active they have been. Definitely worth reading…

Unexpectedly, SILVERSTEIN’s “”When Broken Is Easily Fixed”" has become one of my favorite Victory releases since it was put out more than a year ago. Following the successes of other Victory re-releases (ATREYU, DARKEST HOUR, THURSDAY, etc.), “”When Broken…”" is getting the treatment, in limited edition fashion. The new version will contain two new tracks as well as a bonus DVD and all new artwork with detailed liner notes (I hope the artwork isn’t too different – the original art is amazing). The re-release is expected to hit stores on September 14th.

link: silversteinmusic.com

If it wasn’t for the gravely hideous artwork on this disc, I might have reviewed a bit sooner. But so goes the choices we make, and frankly, up until this point, I couldn’t stand looking at the jewel case for more than a few seconds. Anyway, KUDZU WISH are a pretty cool indie-rock band that [...]

As posted on lambgoat.com:

The latest signing from Prosthetic Records (LAMB OF GOD, HIMSA, ALL THAT REMAINS, CALIBAN…) is a group called INVOCATION OF NEHEK. Not unexpectedly, they’ve got the whole Euro-metal thing down pat. The vocals are a bit growlier (growlier?!?), but the double-bass is absolutely pummelling. Woo!

mp3: INVOCATION OF NEHEK – A Perfect Role

According to the hard working people at Cornerstone Digital Media, LIBERTINES member Carl Barat, swung by the Rolling Stone studios to record live versions of tracks “Can’t Stand Me Now,” “Time for Heroes,” and “France,” from the new Libertines album out on August 31. You can check out video footage of these recordings at the link below.

link: LIBERTINES – live video footage

BANE – Ante Up

From Negative PR:

BLUE MEANIES first shows scheduled in over three years

The Blue Meanies suddenly imploded following a less than productive relationship with MCA Records who released the forward thinking CD “”The Post Wave”" in 2000. The band‚Äôs frustration became public when Chicago Tribune music editor, Greg Kot, reported that the band broke up on stage at The Metro during a national tour with friends Flogging Molly. “”At the time, we thought that the band would carry on with an altered line up, but it became apparent that all members of the band had exhausted themselves both physically and mentally,”" says Spunke. Now, with the band having scattered all across the nation, a consensus to share the stage yet again, has been made.

DECEMBER 2004

22 Chicago/Double Door (21+)

23 Chicago/Metro (all ages)

link: bluemeanies.com

- “”The Post Wave”" is probably my favorite BLUE MEANIES release, although it’s hard to resist the band’s previously manic double-bass laden ska stuff… More than a year ago the band bought the release back from MCA and it’s definitely worth picking up from Thick Records.