Connections. It’s all about connections. You know Geoff Rickley – great! You know Stephen Pederson – great! You have ties to a huge music magazine – great! Connections totally work in favor of Cleveland’s newest art rockers, THE LOVEKILL. The four-piece started out as a rough idea four years ago but didn’t really start to [...]

Dance-punks !!! (CHK CHK CHK) ended their tour last night at Studio B in Brooklyn, NY with a set full of sexually suggestive dancing and drumming that had everyone, at the least, tapping their feet to the rhythm. The group’s funk-tastic songs had some of the crowd dancing, while the rest drunkenly shoved everyone else for the duration of the band’s set, which resulted in a slightly annoying experience. As I was heading out, vocalist Shannon Funchess urged the crowd to “take some Ecstasy”, so for all I know, maybe they did mellow out after I left. If you haven’t checked out their newest release Myth Takes, out on Warp Records, I highly recommend you do so.

More photos from !!! and opening act MASERATI can be found here.

Bridge 9 “VFW-core” (as dubbed by our fearless leader Jordan Baker) HAVE HEART will be bringing their heavy riffs across the world from Japan to Europe in the coming months. I get the feeling that if any Euros try to mess with them just because they are Americans, front man Patrick Flynn will just use his Hulk-inspired growl to send them running away. Check them out:

05/31/2007 – Tokyo Kichijoji, Japan @ Warp

06/01/2007 – Chiba Kashiwa, Japan @ Red Bomp

06/02/2007 – Sendai, Japan @ Flying Studio (w/)

06/03/2007 – Tokyo Shinjuku, Japan @ ACB

06/08/2007 – San Diego, CA @ Che Cafe (w/Soul Control, Allegiance)

06/09/2007 – Anaheim, CA @ Chain Reaction (w/Soul Control, Allegiance)

06/10/2007 – Berkeley, CA @ Gilman Street (w/Soul Control, Allegiance)

06/12/2007 – Grand Rapids, MI @ Skellatone (w/Terror, Madball, 100 Demons)

06/13/2007 – Chicago, IL @ Logan Square Auditorium (w/Terror, Madball, 100 Demons)

06/14/2007 – Iowa City, IA @ Picador (w/Terror, Madball, 100 Demons)

06/15/2007 – Joplin, MO @ the Foundry (w/Terror, Madball, 100 Demons)

06/16/2007 – St. Louis, MO @ Creepy Crawl (w/Terror, Madball, 100 Demons)

06/17/2007 – Milwaukee, WI @ the Rave (w/Terror, Madball, 100 Demons)

06/18/2007 – St. Paul, MN @ Station 4 (w/Terror, Madball, 100 Demons)

06/20/2007 – Mt. Clemens, MI @ Hayloft Liqour Stand (w/Terror, Madball, 100 Demons)

06/22/2007 – Herne, Germany @ Gysenberg Halle (w/PRESSURE FESTIVAL)

06/23/2007 – Herne, Germany @ Gysenberg Halle (w/PRESSURE FESTIVAL)

06/24/2007 – Herne, Germany @ Gysenberg Halle (w/PRESSURE FESTIVAL)

08/24/2007 – Leipzig, Germany @ Conne Island (w/Bane, Ceremony)

08/25/2007 – Munster, Germany @ Skaters Palace (w/Bane, Ceremony)

08/26/2007 – Ieper, Belgium @ Ieper Fest (w/Bane, Ceremony)

08/27/2007 – London, United Kingdom @ Underworld (w/Bane, Ceremony)

08/28/2007 – Bristol, United Kingdom @ The Croft (w/Bane, Ceremony)

08/30/2007 – Glasgow, United Kingdom @ King Tuts (w/Bane, Ceremony)

09/02/2007 – Brighton, United Kingdom @ Concorde 2 (w/Bane, Ceremony)

09/03/2007 – Nantes, France @ Le Ferailleur (w/Bane, Ceremony)

09/05/2007 – Madrid, Spain @ Barracudas (w/Bane, Ceremony)

09/06/2007 – Barcelona, Spain @ Sala Apolo 2 (w/Bane, Ceremony)

09/08/2007 – Kontich, Belgium @ Lintfabriek (w/Bane, Ceremony)

09/09/2007 – Luzern, Switzerland @ Sedel (w/Bane, Ceremony)

Also, congrats to Bridge 9 for having their latest release Count Me In by DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR place on the Billboard charts. They were #61 on the New Artists debut list and #114 on the independent release list with 1,100 copies sold (according to IndieHQ.com). Bridge 9′s current lineup is one of the best in hardcore and this year is only getting better for the label.

Currently unsigned band DAYS AWAY have unveiled a new track titled “Wish” at their MySpace. The song comes from the group’s yet-to-be-announced follow-up to Mapping An Invisible World (2005, Fueled By Ramen).

-DAYS AWAY remains one of the most underlooked bands out there. This new song sees them furthering in the direction of a band like CIRCA SURVIVE, only less weird and more accessible. They’ve had no shortage of label woes (from Lava to Fueled By Ramen by way of Atlantic, if memory serves me right), so I hope that wherever they may end up, it’s a good fit for both parties.

Ontario’s KOVER (ex-BLUE SKIES AT WAR) have been a band in receipt of a lot of good vibes over the past year or so. With a traditional hard-worn punk rock sound in the vein of LEATHERFACE and early (and perhaps a bit gruffer) SAMIAM, these guys deliver plenty of energy and sharp musicianship. Although Assembly [...]

Poison the Well’s Versions is back in my car stereo after being briefly usurped by a Cursive best-of mix I made. Before the coup d’etat, it had enjoyed 55 consecutive days of my audience, more than any other CD has ever achieved. I’ve been trying to figure out its staying power, and I think it’s because it boldly dives into the jungle that You Come Before You started to chip at with their machete. It’s braver, I feel like its splintering as I listen to it, and it doesn’t debase itself with trite chugga chuggas.

You know what I’m talking about. Chug-chug. Chugga-chug-chug. whee-whee-whee!

Oh, and the new Issue Oriented podcast it comes from (with singer JACK TERRICLOTH [ex-STICKS AND STONES] and Ross from RE-IGNITION Records) ain’t bad either. Catchy. Smart. Etc.

HIGH ON FIRE have provided us with their first video documenting the recording of their new album Death Is This Communion. Take a look at this episode, which focuses on the drum tracking for the album, right here.