It's Sunday August 13th, 2006. So it's been a little while since I've been to a large gathering of the yoot' so this year's Warped Tour involved a good deal of people watching. A few years ago all you crazy kids were sporting your choo-choo train hats, this year? I just couldn't figure it out. You're slackin' folks… I mean if the emo kids aren't standing around watching Joan Jett or Helmet… where the hell could they be?
The people must have something good to read on a Sunday
Lawyer fight! The legal fists were flying this week as a number of bands and labels launched lawsuits and pleas for public sympathy. Most prominently Hawthorne Heights moved to cut their ties with powerhouse Victory Records accusing the label of all sorts of bad business. Keeping to the mainstream, the former bassist of Panic! At The Disco filed suit against that band as well. They've been out of the news for a while now but Baltimore's Oxes launched a case against clothier Old Navy for appropriating the band's name for a t-shirt. Finally Whole Wheat Bread bassist Nick Largen looks to be facing several years in prison over charges of larceny. Also this week has been a roller coaster for the Asian Man / Hopeless Records supported 1-800-SUICIDE organization, which received its termination notice and then gained a temporary reprieve over the course of a few days. After all the fighting, it was nice to hear some good news for fans, as rumours of Strung Out's demise were greatly exaggerated.
The Warped Tour's winding down but that's not stopping bands from dropping off. This week mewithoutYou joined that crowd. Members of both Thursday and NOFX offered their theories as to why so many bands this year can't seem to keep up. We learned details on the upcoming efforts from Lifetime and Converge this week, as the former is recording in Brooklyn and the latter is gearing up for the release of No Heroes. On the touring front the big news this week was the upcoming Bouncing Souls, Street Dogs and Whole Wheat Bread dates that kick off this October. Finally we saw a new Anti-Flag video hit this week for "This Is The End."
Click Read More to see this week's streaming music, contests and other highlights.
Radio Free Punknews
Check the Punknews Music page for to check out new music from Toronto's Kover, Spring, TX's O Pioneers!!! and Huntington, NY's Take My Chances among others. Our Video Of The Week featured the sadly departed Hot Water Music.
Suntans are for Winners Fuck Yeah Fest
Next week, Los Angeles will play host to the third annual Fuck Yeah Fest. The event was curated by Keith Morris (Black Flag, Circle Jerks) and will take place in August 19th and 20th. In addition to musical performances, the fest will also feature a stand up comedy show organized by Jonah Ray and an art show with the work of fifty artists and photographers. The lineup runs the gamut from bands like Envy and Darker My Love to Chuck Ragan from Hot Water Music and the Bronx. To celebrate this impressive assembly of bands, Fuck Yeah Fest has, under some duress, agreed to give away some tickets and other miscellaneous Swag (tm) to a few lucky Punknews.org readers.
Win the Lujo Records Discography
Hailing from the nation's capital by way of Louisiana, and now in their fifth official year of genuinely independent existence, Lujo Records has amassed a celebrated and diverse catalogue of releases spanning from bone crushing hardcore to lush, atmospheric pop. Fortunately for you, label owners Erik Aucoin and Jocelyn Towers have decided to give away a copy of everything the label has ever pressed to one lucky winner.
Helmet (Signed Guitar) Helmet recently released their first record for Warcon Enterprises. The record is their first since 2004's Size Matters and the latest in a series of highly influential records. For the record, the band aimed for a return to their classic sound, and worked with Strap It On and Meantime collaborator Wharton Tiers. To celebrate this latest record, the band has decided to give away signed a custom Page Hamilton Signature series ESP guitar.
The Bronx (Ouija Board)
Despite our obvious love of instruments and high tech gizmos, one thing we always love giving away is weird, unique swag. In this case, our friends in The Bronx want to celebrate the release of their Island Records debut, The Bronx by giving two lucky winners the most accursed of prizes. That's right, we're giving away two Ouija Boards! And not just any Ouija Board, but unique Bronx-themed boards that coincide with the artwork of their album.
Life at Disconnect
We've theorized that you visit other websites out there, and we know it can be tough to leave the calming blue glow of the `Org, so we'll help by infecting the rest of the web with Punknews content. Waste some time on the Punknews.org and Punknews Records MySpace pages or contribute your listening habits to the weekly charts Last.fm group.
The Call Up
Why register on Punknews.org? Registered users can rate bands and reviews, building recommendations and links between artists for the whole community to share and discover. Users get their own profile page showing recent comments, top rated bands and favourite records and more. So go ahead, cast off the cloak of anonymity and create your account today - it's free, easy and private.