I’m not sure which is the more surprising feat – the relative secrecy that cocooned the origin of ONE DAY AS A LION, considering its prominent members, or the universal genre-bending approach to the band’s music. When you are a luminary figure like former INSIDE OUT and RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE vocalist Zach de la [...]

I’m enjoying THE LOVED ONES song “Distracted” on their MySpace. It sounds like its about an abusive husband with an inhumanly catchy chorus and will be released on their new EP, Distractions, February 3rd. – I still miss THE EXPLOSION, but this eases the pain…

I had the great pleasure of speaking with California’s THE DEVIL MAKES THREE a few weeks ago. It’s funny. Often times interviewing random bands feels forced or uncomfortable. But I wasn’t anxious with these two guys and one gal for a moment. It was almost like hanging out and joking with old friends, more than an interview with people I just met. The article is now live and ready for viewing. You can check that out here.

Punknews.com is streaming a Johnny Cash tribute album featuring the likes of CHUCK RAGEN, THE BOUNCING SOULS and BEN NICHOLS (LUCERO). Unfortunately the Punknews streamer doesn’t list what bands play what tracks, so you’ll have to cycle through yourself to look for the bands you want to hear. Maybe the fluke is some kind of marketing technique to get people to listen to the whole album… What makes me wish I was 10 bucks richer is all proceeds go to Syrentha Savio Endowment. The breast cancer fund-raising organization has been linked to the hardcore and punk rock community since my highschool days. You can check out that album here.

Long Island hardcore act INCENDIARY are currently in the studio working on the recording of their debut full-length release. You can check out their blog on the progress of the recording here. The group is doing their thing at Full Force Studios in New York City, which has recently seen the likes of This Is Hell, Soldiers, Stray From The Path, and Suffocation.

From the inbox: Los Angeles, CA – Twin brothers Jake and Jeff Turner of SAY ANYTHING prepare to release the debut EP from their latest project XO. The EP, titled Some Day, will be released by the newly developed label Jackie Darling created by former Fiddler Records owner Amy Fleisher. After months of endless touring as the members of Say Anything, Jeff Turner sat at his home in Atlanta, GA by his lonesome self, picked-up a guitar and started singing. While experimenting with writing a few tunes, Jeffʼs twin brother Jake joined-in by layering additional vocals and guitars. Just like that, XO was born. The formerly self-released Some Day EP is the debut release from XO, taking you on a six song journey from one audio extreme to the other, delivering a dynamic sound ranging somewhere between minimal electronic blips within a pop song as heard in the track “My Beautiful Girl”, to wall of noise ear-bleeds as heard in the track “Love”. Their single “Blizzard”, has already seen success as an iTunes single, generating over 100 downloads a week. In preparation for the release date, and while staying true to their name, XO will begin a special Valentines Day campaign. Beginning January 26th, Jake and Jeff will send personal signed Valentines to all who preorder the EP at the online retailer Smartpunk.com. Following the EP release, look for XO as they begin a nationwide tour this Spring. – myspace.com/xotheband – myspace.com/jackiedarlingmusic

A note from the LAST OF THE BELIEVERS camp shed light on a new project going on involving members of the band. Here’s the word from their MySpace page: “NATIONS AFIRE, recently formed in 2009, features Chris Chasse (ex-RISE AGAINST, ex-REACH THE SKY), Brett Rasmussen (IGNITE), Todd Hennig (ex-DEATH BY STEREO), Nik Hill (IGNITE), and frontman Steve Ludwig. Music will be posted soon. The band is currently in the rehearsal and recording studio during January and February working on material. CDs will also be for sale at all upcoming shows. Nations Afire are very happy to announce that their first confirmed show is the Groezrock Festival in Meerhout , Belgium on April 18, 2009, with great bands like NOFX, Rise Against, The Get Up Kids, H2O and many many more.” – Not a bad place for a first show…

– This was one of the first One Day Savior recordings to really put the Long Island label on the map. I remember hearing IN DYING DAYS for the first time and just being blown away by the band’s seismic emotional metalcore. It was as if the band heard some early POISON THE WELL and decided they could easily one-up the influence.