Where did MAPS AND ATLASES come from? Seriously! Apparently I missed every bit of press coverage their debut EP Tree, Swallows, Houses received last year; thus, I’m incredibly late to this progressive-jazz-math-rock party. Although the seven songs on Tree could be considered “old material,” I find them to be overwhelmingly refreshing. While this Chicago-based group [...]

I’m almost embarrassed by how often I have to compare a band to POISON THE WELL when writing music reviews. It’s not so much that so many metalcore bands truly sound like the aforementioned, but that POISON THE WELL’s sound is so deeply entrenched into the unconscious of hardcore kids all around the country and [...]

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Via Grave Mistake Records: That’s right! The vinyl version of the CLOAK/DAGGER full length We Are is now available! We Are officially came out on CD last fall on JADE TREE RECORDS, and we know that a lot of you have been waiting VERY patiently for the vinyl release so here it is. The record was remastered by Dan Randall at MAMMOTH SOUND and sounds better than ever! This is actually the first LP that GRAVE MISTAKE has done since the label started, and we couldn’t be happier with how everything came out. If you have yet to check out this record, then now would be the perfect time to do so.

We tried to get some colored vinyl pressed up for this LP, since everyone loves the limited stuff … unfortunately as the record went to press, there was a color vinyl shortage and a handful of pressing plants (including the one we used) had nothing available. Since we couldn’t do this record without having some type of fun little version, we went to plan B. What this plan entailed was to somehow con Matt, the new C/D bassist, into screening up a bunch of special covers. Lucky for us, Matt has his own little silkscreening company (www.creativepanic.com), so not only was he thrilled to do these but they came out looking brilliant! Turns out, not only is he a pro at screening LP covers, but a one color screen to him was a walk in the park … check out his site for some other awesome show posters he’s done.

Anyways, enough nerd talk … the 12″ is now available in the GRAVE MISTAKE WEBSTORE (www.gravemistakerecords.com/catalog) and the Silkscreened versions are all ready to go! The screened versions are limited to one per person, but you can order as many regular versions as you’d like! So head on over and order this thing … because honestly they are taking up a lot of room in my apartment. Or you can pick up the LP from your favorite distro in the next several weeks. The Daggers will also have a fair share of the screened version too so check them out as they are playing a handful of east coast shows this summer.

link: gravemistakerecords.com

NorCal hardcore/punk band, THE FORCE, is reuniting for the first time in 10 years. Singer Matt Wedgley (Viva Hate), bassist Hunter Burgan (AFI), guitarist Mark Roustabout (The Roustabouts) and the inimitable drummer Chad Cox went their separate ways after the band’s final show in 1998, each following his own path to personal and professional success.

This reunion will give fans as well as those who missed The Force the first time around a chance to witness California hardcore/punk at its truest and finest.

The Force will only be playing three shows, the first of which will be in their hometown of Grass Valley, CA (a small town in the Sierra Nevada foothills, between Sacramento and Reno) followed by a Bay Area concert and finally a Southern California stop. The dates are as follows:

August 29, 2008 – Miner’s Foundry in Nevada City (Grass Valley), CA

August 30, 2008 – 924 Gilman St. in Berkeley, CA

August 31, 2008 – Chain Reaction in Anaheim, CA

Formed in May of 1995, the band recorded and toured for three years. The Force released several recordings, including a 7″, a 10″ and a split 7″ as well as a number of songs on compilations.

This reunion will coincide with the release of a complete discography, containing every song The Force ever recorded. A limited edition, 21-song double-LP will be sold at the shows as well as online while supplies last.

link: myspace.com/theforcerip

- Memmmmmmmories… these guys were the essence of snotty California punk in the mid-90s. The band had a song on the crankin’ compilation “One Big Happy Slam Pit,” that was one of the releases standout jams. I’m going through the band’s songs on MySpace as a type this and it’s interesting to note that while their style seems awfully dated for what passes for punk rock these days, the melodies still hold strong.

Apparently, they weren’t bluffing.

If you can remember the awesomeness of DROWNINGMAN in the late 90s and into the early part of the present decade (before they left us with a flaming bag of poop on Thorp Records), then BLUES is going to trigger a lot of happy memories. With their physical brand of spastic metalcore, BLUES channels an [...]

Every so often a band comes along that reminds me why I cherish punk and hardcore music and makes me appreciate all that I’ve taken from the genres. Many people often reach back into time to grab their inspiration, whether it’s MINOR THREAT, BAD RELIGION, or GORILLA BISCUITS, and discredit the current face of music. [...]

- Urge to listen to Streetcore overwhelming…