The People Must Have Something Good To Read

In the past few weeks we've spoken with a number of bands and artists. Don't miss out on these interviews:

• Maxwell Stern of Signals Midwest
• Live Q&A with Bob Nanna of Braid

Tonight We're Going To Give It 35%

Punknews content is syndicated to a handful of your favorite social networks, including Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr. Join our Last.fm group and contribute your listening habits to our weekly charts. All of our high definition video footage can be found at Vimeo.

Here's your question and answer of the week from the Punknews Formspring:

Q: What do you think about teenagers trying to write political songs? (i mean since when does a kid have a clue anyway?)

A: Well, you have to start somewhere. I'm all for it. Basically, the best way to learn anything is to just start doing it (including brains surgery). The political songs of young people might be silly sometimes, but you sort of have to work through that before you can form more complex ideas. There are some artists that start making amazing art right off the bat, but a much greater percentage have to work through the junk first.

Also, in general, younger people have fewer influences simply because they haven't been exposed to as much music. Often, lack of outside influence results in some of the most interesting engaging art.

Every so often, I'm blown away about how articulate some young people are. Jesse Michaels wrote "Knowledge" when he was 17 or 18, and really, that song speaks to fundamental truths.

Ice Cube wrote "Fuck the Police" when he was 18 (or at least his verse and the refrain). Not only did that song express something that hadn't been as directly expressed before, but it's a great song with super clever lyrics.

Ian Mackaye wrote "Straight Edge" when he was about 18. That also gives rise to the interesting point that hundreds of thousands (maybe millions) of people base their life off the words from an 18 year old.

Heck, even though Dog Party isn't strictly a political band, they are making amazing music at 15 and 17.

By contrast, this song was written by a 29-year-old.

So maybe older people have more political knowledge, but I think the effect of age on the skill and profundity of songs is minimal.

-John G

Of course your day wouldn't be complete without knowing every inane detail of your humble editors' lives. Follow @aubinpaul, @adamwhite, @howtobepunk, @johngentile, @ameliaaacline, @kiraface, @mcflynnthm, @andywritesstuff, @wackymondo, @Brittastrophee and @BrittStrummer's every move at Twitter. A few of the new fathers on staff have even started a punk dad blog.

Where else are you online? Share your links below and keep connected with the Punknews community.

October 13, 2013

Hello everyone and welcome to Navel Gazing: your look back in the week in Punknews. I'm Brittany Strummer and I'll be your guide through some of the juiciest, most popular and otherwise noteworthy stories from the last seven days. Remember, every Punknews story is built from tips from our wonderful, good-looking readers, so get to submitting. Here's what got the strange, slow and old community talking this week:

• To get you pumped up for The Fest 12 we hosted a live Q&A with Brendan Kelly of The Lawrence Arms.
• In even more preparation for The Fest we compiled 10 first old timers to watch at the event.
• LA Weekly shared their top 20 emo records of all time.
• Black Flag's Greg Ginn lost in his lawsuit against the members of FLAG and Henry Rollins.
• A number of sources who attended a Guttermouth show in Fort Collins, CO are claiming there was an altercation between the lead singer and a female attendee.
• Off With Their Heads announced an east coast tour with Morning Glory and Direct Hit!.

With that, we hand over this Sunday evening to the Punknews community, where anything is possible, from the next amusing-then-overwrought meme, to the creation of bands and message boards, to alienating sports chatter. So talk amongst yourselves, spin some tracks in the Navel Gazing turntable.fm room and we'll see you Monday morning.

The People Must Have Something Good To Read

In the past few weeks we've spoken with a number of bands and artists. Don't miss out on these interviews:

• Nick Tape of Coke Bust
• Live Q&A with Brendan Kelly of The Lawrence Arms
• Warren Oakes of Sunshine State and ex-Against Me!
• Ryan Patterson of Coliseum
• Live Q&A with Mikey Erg
• Ben Murray of Heartsounds and Creator Destructor Records

Tonight We're Going To Give It 35%

Punknews content is syndicated to a handful of your favorite social networks, including Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr. Join our Last.fm group and contribute your listening habits to our weekly charts. All of our high definition video footage can be found at Vimeo.

Here's your question and answer of the week from the Punknews Formspring:

Q: Negative hardcore or posi core?

A: If I have to pick between those two, I have to go with negative hardcore. Really, I think that any music that defines itself by having to espouse a particular world view in its music all the time is encumbering itself, to begin with. I say just make the music that moves you at the time and don't worry about making a specific message- the message will make itself.

But, as to posi-core, I hear that stuff and it sounds like brainwashing. If you constantly have to tell yourself that you should be positive no matter what, or that you have to force yourself to think positive, you're actually probably a negative person. When I hear music that describes itself as "posi-core" it doesn't sound like art to me. Rather, it sounds like someone reading pre-written doctrine . That's not very punk to me.

By contrast, negative hardcore might have similar faults, but it sounds more genuine to me. The fact is, sometimes life sucks and sometimes you feel bad. Only by acknowledging that can you actually feel positive later.

For whatever reason, so-called negative hardcore seems to subject to more independent thought than "posi-core" or at least, more artistic or genuine.

-John G

Of course your day wouldn't be complete without knowing every inane detail of your humble editors' lives. Follow @aubinpaul, @adamwhite, @howtobepunk, @johngentile, @ameliaaacline, @kiraface, @mcflynnthm, @andywritesstuff, @wackymondo, @Brittastrophee and @BrittStrummer's every move at Twitter. A few of the new fathers on staff have even started a punk dad blog.

Where else are you online? Share your links below and keep connected with the Punknews community.

October 6, 2013

Hello everyone and welcome to Navel Gazing: your look back in the week in Punknews. I'm Brittany Strummer and I'll be your guide through some of the juiciest, most popular and otherwise noteworthy stories from the last seven days. Remember, every Punknews story is built from tips from our wonderful, good-looking readers, so get to submitting. Here's what got the strange, slow and old community talking this week:

• To get you pumped up for The Fest 12 we hosted a Live Q&A with the one and only Mikey Erg.
• Fall Out Boy revealed a new punk/hardcore inspired song and the track list for their upcoming release Pax AM Days. They also shared some details about the record.
• The Lawrence Arms finally finished recording their much anticipated new album.
• We tallied your favorite records from September with The Flatliners leading the pack.
• A Wilhelm Scrream revealed the details for their new album Partycrasher.
• Jade Puget of AFI discussed what can be expected of the band's new album, Burials.

With that, we hand over this Sunday evening to the Punknews community, where anything is possible, from the next amusing-then-overwrought meme, to the creation of bands and message boards, to alienating sports chatter. So talk amongst yourselves, spin some tracks in the Navel Gazing turntable.fm room and we'll see you Monday morning.

The People Must Have Something Good To Read

In the past few weeks we've spoken with a number of bands and artists. Don't miss out on these interviews:

• Ryan Patterson of Coliseum
• Live Q&A with Mikey Erg
• Ben Murray of Heartsounds and Creator Destructor Records
• Joe Keithley of D.O.A.
• Garrett Dale of Red City Radio
• Lora Norton as part of our Rad Women Who Make Rad Art series

Tonight We're Going To Give It 35%

Punknews content is syndicated to a handful of your favorite social networks, including Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr. Join our Last.fm group and contribute your listening habits to our weekly charts. All of our high definition video footage can be found at Vimeo.

Here's your question and answer of the week from the Punknews Formspring:

Q: Do you and the punknews staff play any instruments?

A: Staff writer Greg Simpson is in Outdoor Velour with his wife, which is so cute that it makes me want to puke.

Soundguy Nariman plays the bouzoki in a traditional style and it is a pretty neat thing to see.

Editor Joe Pelone plays drum. He was in 3 or 4 bands. this is one of them.

I am in an avant garde EDM/Electro-clash collective that I am not sure if it is a joke or for serious.

Armando Olivas plays with women's emotions like he's playing the fiddle.

-John G

Of course your day wouldn't be complete without knowing every inane detail of your humble editors' lives. Follow @aubinpaul, @adamwhite, @howtobepunk, @johngentile, @ameliaaacline, @kiraface, @mcflynnthm, @andywritesstuff, @wackymondo, @Brittastrophee and @BrittStrummer's every move at Twitter. A few of the new fathers on staff have even started a punk dad blog.

Where else are you online? Share your links below and keep connected with the Punknews community.

Radio Free Punknews

Check out the Punknews Music page to stream all sorts of new music from recent or upcoming releases. Our latest additions include:

• The new full-length from Orlando, FL's Teen Agers
• The new release from Louisville, KY's Black God
• The new release from Glasgow's The Murderburgers
• A new song from San Francisco, CA's Heartsounds

Also, don't forget to check out the latest release from Greensboro, NC's Totally Slow, the latest release from Chicago, IL's Devon Kay and the Solutions, and the new EP from NYC's Blk Galaga.

We've also expanded our podcast empire to something that will eventually resemble a network. Be sure to check out the original Punknews Podcast (subscribe via RSS or iTunes), Adam's Ontario showcase Some Party (subscribe via RSS or iTunes), and Greg Simpson and Greg Moore's Two Gregs One Podcast.

September 29, 2013

Hello everyone and welcome to Navel Gazing: your look back in the week in Punknews. I'm Brittany Strummer and I'll be your guide through some of the juiciest, most popular and otherwise noteworthy stories from the last seven days. Remember, every Punknews story is built from tips from our wonderful, good-looking readers, so get to submitting. Here's what got the strange, slow and old community talking this week:

• The Bouncing Souls told their fans that they would reveal their new drummer at their recent show at Asbury Lanes. It turned out to be none other than the talented George Rebelo of Hot Water Music.
• We, like many of you, are getting prepared for The Fest 12 and we compiled a list of 12 under the radar bands to check out this year.
• Devout believers in partying will now have a sacred text to guide their lives thanks to the party god, Andrew W.K., who announced plans to publish his book, The Party Bible .
• We brought you the exclusive video premiere of Red City Radio's Two Notes Shy of an Octave".
• Jailed Pussy Riot member, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, revealed she was going on a hunger strike in protest to the living and working conditions her and the other incarcerated women are experiencing.
• Lagwagon revealed they are working on a new album.

With that, we hand over this Sunday evening to the Punknews community, where anything is possible, from the next amusing-then-overwrought meme, to the creation of bands and message boards, to alienating sports chatter. So talk amongst yourselves, spin some tracks in the Navel Gazing turntable.fm room and we'll see you Monday morning.

The People Must Have Something Good To Read

In the past few weeks we've spoken with a number of bands and artists. Don't miss out on these interviews:

• Joe Keithley of D.O.A.
• Garrett Dale of Red City Radio
• Lora Norton as part of our Rad Women Who Make Rad Art series
• Bill Orender of Captain, We're Sinking
• Arish Khan of King Khan and the Shrines
• Chris McCaughan of Sundowner and The Lawrence Arms

Tonight We're Going To Give It 35%

Punknews content is syndicated to a handful of your favorite social networks, including Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr. Join our Last.fm group and contribute your listening habits to our weekly charts. All of our high definition video footage can be found at Vimeo.

Here's your question and answer of the week from the Punknews Formspring:

Q: In what way(s) can pornogrind and goregrind be considered art forms?

A: Well, I go by the old George Carlan adage, that I am going to butcher because I don't know how to google: "Anything, if done well, can be funny."

I'm not entirely sure I agree with that statement, but I'm not sure that I disagree with it either. The point is, I think anything that is legal, that if done well, can be art.

So, if an artist truly is trying to make art, the simple act of saying it is art makes it art (as long as the artist is genuine and isn't being snarky, or something like that). But, not all art is good art.

I didn't even know that there was such a thing as "pornogrind" until you mentioned it. Apparently, pornogrind is grindcore music with only sexual themes. I'm going to lose a few punx points here, but all grindcore basically sounds the same to me. A band smashes along for 40 seconds, making a discordant racquet, some guy shrieks, and the song is over.

I feel as though grindcore has potential, but few bands really capitalize on it. Really, I think Napalm Death is one of the few bands to really explore what grindcore is, and they aren't even strictly a grindcore band.

As for porno-grindcore, I suppose grindcore about sexual stuff, could be good art, I just haven't seen it. Maybe, a good way to make pornogrind interesting is to write about sex from an unusual perspective. Perhaps the view of the condom? The view of the disapproving father? The view of the lady that works at the abortion clinic? The view of the porno director that is bored of sex?

I challenge you porno-grindcore bands- push your music to its absolute limits!

Or just listen to 2 Live Crew.

-John G

Of course your day wouldn't be complete without knowing every inane detail of your humble editors' lives. Follow @aubinpaul, @adamwhite, @howtobepunk, @johngentile, @ameliaaacline, @kiraface, @mcflynnthm, @andywritesstuff, @wackymondo, @Brittastrophee and @BrittStrummer's every move at Twitter. A few of the new fathers on staff have even started a punk dad blog.

Where else are you online? Share your links below and keep connected with the Punknews community.