Riot Fest 2010: Pennywise, Snapcase, Anti-Flag 10/9/10
Now that the weekend started, it was time to expand Riot Fest to start early in the day. There was a full array of bands taking turns entertaining the large crowd a the Congress Theater on Saturday First up, The Swellers. These Flint, MI natives played a short set of melodic pop-punk. They had a [...]
Street Dogs – Self Titled
A solid album of sing-along upbeat street punk from these Boston veterans. Rating: Street Dogs – CD Hellcat Records Boston’s Street Dogs return after a two-year gap with this new self-titled album. In the past two years the band wasn’t just sitting around though as they went on a bunch of tours and of course [...]
Slimy Cunt and the Fist Fucks – Bastards EP
Slimy Cunt and the Fist Fucks – Bastards 7″ Patac Records With a band name like this you pretty much guarantee that you want to be noticed and that your options are fairly limited as to where you can sell your records and even advertise. In a way, the band is more punk rock than [...]
Tutu and the Pirates – Sub-urban Insult Rock for the Anti/lectual
Tutu and the Pirates – Sub-urban Insult Rock for the Anti/lectual LP Factory 25/Regressive Films Tutu and the Pirates have the distinction of being Chicago’s first punk rock band or at least that it how they are acknowledged in the history books. The band played tons of shows and were part of what became the [...]
Panther Piss – Consumer Report 7″
Panther Piss – Consumer Report 7″ Fat Sandwich Records Panther Piss are a band from Memphis, TN and I believe this is their first vinyl output. The band plays super loud and heavy punk rock with a hint of lo-fi to their thick sound. The songs are really meaty sounding and aggressive and the singer [...]
Pezz – The Wicked Leading the Blind EP
Pezz – The Wicked Leading the Blind – 7″ EP Fat Sandwich Records Pezz was one of the better punk rock bands of the 1990s and also perhaps one of the most under-rated. How the band didn’t become as big as any of the acts that ended up signing to Fat Wreck Chords is a [...]
R.I.P. Derf Scratch
Derf Scratch, original bassist of the punk band Fear, passed away last week due to an unknown illness. Derf, born Fred Milner III, was one of the founding members of the band and played on their first two 7″s and first LP, The Record, which is one of the finest punk rock albums of its [...]
D.O.A. – Talk-Action=0
D.O.A. – Talk – Action = 0 Sudden Death Records D.O.A. has been around in one form or another for over thirty years now. They are easily Canada’s most famous punk rock band and an all-around punk rock institution. Talk – Action = 0 is the band’s 17th studio album in the 32 years they [...]
Bad Religion celebrates 30th anniversary with new LP and tour
It’s pretty amazing when you think about the fact that this year marks the 30th birthday of punk rock legends, Bad Religion. I got into them in the early 1980s when I was in high school and it scares me to think of how long ago that was now! The band has had a really [...]
Tesco Vee’s Hate Police invade Chicago this Saturday
Midwestern punk rock legend Tesco Vee is bringing his Hate Police back to town this Saturday. Tesco is out on the road in celebration of the newly released book compiling every issue of his legendary Touch and Go fanzine (that he did along with partner in crime Dave Stimson). Tesco Vee’s Hate Police will be [...]
Psycho – Vertigo 7″
Psycho – Vertigo 7″ Patac Records Psycho is a hardcore band from the Boston area that dates way back to the early 1980s and in fact until this arrived in my mailbox I had no idea they were still around! You old-timers may remember that this band features Charlie Infection on drums who also did [...]
GBH 7/9/2010 at Reggie’s
Reggie’s has been batting 1000 lately in terms of killer shows, especially of the old punk variety, and Friday night was no exception. GBH, perhaps the longest running UK punk band (without a break up) returned to the South Loop in support of their new album and headlined a four-band all ages show. Long-time Chicago [...]
Riot Fest 2010 lineup announced
Riot Fest is always the highlight of my concert attending year and has been ever since the first one. Every year they seem to out-do themselves in terms of diversity and enormity and I honestly thought the marathon that was last year’s fest couldn’t be topped. I should have known better because this year’s lineup [...]
Social Distortion announce fall tour
After their small string of shows this summer including playing this year’s Lollapalooza, Social Distortion have announced they will be headlining a fall tour to support the release of their forthcoming album for Epitaph Records. The album, which has yet to be titled, will be the first new Social Distortion album in six years. Currently [...]
Why Be Something That You’re Not
Why Be Something that You’re Not: Detroit Hardcore 1979 – 1985 – Book by Tony Rettman Revelation Records It would seem in the past decade or so that there has been a lot of interest in the history of punk rock and early hardcore. A small handful of books were written on the subject and [...]
Youth Brigade, Murphy’s Law, D.I., Agent Orange 6/25 at Reggie’s
Last night Reggie’s hosted a big “old man punk” show with four legendary punk rock bands from the old days playing together at the same show (just like they did it back in the day!) along with some local acts. It was a seven band marathon that lasted longer than a full work day. First [...]
The Bollweevils DVD
The Bollweevils – Weevilive In Color DVD Go Deaf Records Back in the 1990s, The Bollweevils were the best of all the active Chicago punk rock bands at the time. Every time they played a show it was a really fun time, the guys in the band were all super nice, and they wrote a [...]
MDC 5/26 at Reggie’s
Last night a legendary hardcore band returned to Reggie’s for a night of punk rock. That band happened to be MDC and they are once again touring in honor of releasing some new material. It’s hard to believe the band has been around about 30 years now. Talk about something making you feel old! Chicago [...]
Rhino Handmade to release live Germs CD
Rhino Handmade, a division of Rhino Records responsible for doing some really cool things with CDs is about to release a limited edition one of my favorite punk band in the world. That band is The Germs and the release is the Live at the Starwood 12/3/80 CD which was the very last performance of [...]
Wendy O. Williams throbblehead
The latest in the line of throbblehead toys will be coming out this summer. The latest is of the “metal priestess” and punk rock icon, Wendy O. Williams. Wendy was most famous for being the frontwoman of The Plasmatics, plus she was the main heel in the B-Movie, Reform School Girls, which believe it or [...]
The Offs First Record limited reissue
A label that has been dormant for a very long time now, nearly two decades in fact, has been resurrected and is back in action. The label in question is CD Presents who was home to the Avengers, D.O.A., the Subhumans, Tales of Terror, the legendary Rat Music for Rat People compilations, and of course, [...]
R.I.P. Maclom McLaren
Malcom McLaren, most infamous for being the manager and ringleader of punk rock icons the Sex Pistols passed away today at the age of 64. Malcom lost his long bout with cancer. Aside from his well known stint as the Sex Pistols manager, Malcom also managed a store, Sex, in England that was among the [...]
Naked Raygun new 7″ announced
According to the fine folks over at Riot Fest, the second 7″ in the Naked Raygun 7″ series will be released on June 15th. The band also plan to film their first music video in over 20 years and tour Europe for the first time in just about as many! Looks like it is going [...]
Pennywise name new singer
South Bay punk pioneers Pennywise have announced that Zoli Teglas of Orange County’s Ignite, is the band’s new and permanent lead singer. After months of searching, the members of Pennywise announced that Ignite vocalist Zoli Teglas is now officially the new front man. Teglas, a longtime friend and tour mate, recently played a handful of [...]
