The list of bands playing “Long Island Fest 2010″ continues to grow, particularly with the announcement of two reunion sets from SKYCAMEFALLING and SCRAPS AND HEART ATTACKS. More reunions are expected to be announced in the coming days/weeks. For the total line-up of bands so far, and Fest date/location information, head over to longislandfest.blogspot.com.
- We’ll have a brief Q&A posted soon with SKYCAMEFALLING frontman Christopher Tzompanakis.
2. Deep Elm celebrates its 150th release with the SHE BEARS full-length I Found Myself Asleep. Reminded me a lot of ARCADE FIRE on the first listen, maybe a little more rockin’ even…
3. Longtime Revelation Records publicist Vique Martin has struck out on her own with Simba Publicity. The company bears the name of a fanzine she ran a long time ago. And if I remember correctly, there was a Simba Records as well affiliated with Revelation as well. Time to start digging through CD binders again…
4. If you haven’t already checked out the ANDREW W.K. double disc release of Close Calls With Brick Walls / Mother of Mankind, you can stream the whole thing below via Lala. While not technically “new”, it is the first time many of these songs have been (legally) made available in the US. Close Calls is an absolutely bizarro full-length and much, much more raw than his over-the-top first two albums. It’s inconsistently zany and absurdly charming. As for the b-sides, rarities, several new tracks compendium Mother of Mankind – let’s just say that it makes one appreciate the ability to purchase songs on a track by track basis…
5. What do you think about a band that breaks-up or at a minimum goes on hiatus right before the release of their new record? I hinted at something like last night on Twitter, and what triggered my thoughts on it was 108′s announcement that vocalist Rob Fish was leaving the band (and basically killing it off…). This leaves Deathwish holding the bag as 108′s new full-length, 18.61 is scheduled for an April 13th release. Deathwish offered no particular comment on the matter except for hoping that the band might perform some last shows. I get it that music is music regardless of off-the-field activities, and that the new record hasn’t changed one bit since the band broke up. And I can certainly appreciate Fish’s struggle with living with the Hare Krishna legacy that is part of 108, despite his personal changes that run to the contrary of that, but it all just sort of leaves a bad smell in the air… What’s the right thing to do – live through a lie, cross those who have invested so much in you?
6. I’m not sure if anyone truly noticed, but (figuratively) when did Vagrant Records morph into Anti? Huge thumbs up to Rich and company for going forward with putting out music they believe in rather than fighting the hollow battle to chase after here-today gone-tomorrow youthful trends (I’m looking at you Fearless).
7. Although I’m not a big fan of JACK’S MANNEQUIN, I really like what Warner Bros. is doing with the deluxe release of their second full-length The Glass Passenger. The digital only deluxe release, available exclusively through iTunes adds two previously released EPs to the track listing plus 10 previously unreleased live songs and a live behind-the-scenes video. The whole thing sells for $17.99, which does seem a bit high for a digital release, but it is the equivalent to a 2xCD set. Give Warner Bros. credit for experimenting in this space.
Suburban Home keeps its 2010 hot streak alive with the release of LOOK MEXICO’s latest full-length To Bed To Battle. I’ve really gotten into this band over the years and they’ve come so, sooooo far from being a quirky indie rock band caught in the shadows of AMERICAN FOOTBALL. Check out a full-length stream of the release at Buzzgrinder.
HEARTSOUNDS, a melodic punk/hardcore band comprised of Laura Nichol and Ben Murray, both formerly of the metal/thrash LIGHT THIS CITY (Prosthetic) have inked a deal with Epitaph Records. The band released their debut, Until We Surrender in August 2009 to widespread critical acclaim.
Just a heads-up for our readers who dislike Twitter but still want to follow our content there – it’s now synced up with the Facebook Pastepunk fan page. I usually use Twitter for brief music thoughts and tips, timely links, or other general stuff that is better in the short format than a blog post. Thanks!
Sacramento metallic hardcore band CREATE AVOID have a brand new full-length out titled Heart Remains. The 10 song release came out in late February on Pure Noise Records. The entire release can be streamed via MySpace. RIYL: MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, FIRST BLOOD, BETRAYAL.
Eulogy Recordings is very proud to announce the signing of Connecticut’s HATE YOUR GUTS. Their new album Bastard’s Disease was recently recorded by Jay Silvestri and Kurt Zikaras at the Elwood Studio in Milford, CT, mixing and mastering was done by Nick Bellmore at Dexter’s Lab (Hatebreed, Kingdom of Sorrow, Toxic Holocaust) in Milford, CT. Bastard’s Disease will be released on Eulogy Recordings this summer. They will be touring full time to support the album.
Guitarist Pat Serpe commented “HATE YOUR GUTS is very excited to be working with such a prestigious record label. We have been working very hard, and are so appreciative of John and everyone at Eulogy Recordings for having us be a part of their label. We are ready to get the word out with the release of our new album this summer. We are going to be touring full time in support of the album to show everyone that we are working hard to fulfill the standards of Eulogy and Hardcore music. Thank you to everyone who has showed us support in the last few years.”
Eulogy owner John Wylie added “HATE YOUR GUTS represents the true hardcore spirit and are ready to take the world by storm. Dedication, hard work and an amazing album will make them a household name in no time.”
- “All Veins,” a new song from the upcoming full-length, is currently streaming on the band’s MySpace page.
