Hawthorne Heights recently spoke to Rolling Stone on the eve of their first show since the passing of guitarist Casey Calvert last November:

There is one song that we’re playing especially for Casey. It’s a new song, Once we’re out there, we’ll announce it and let people know what it is. It’s going to be on our next album, but the song is still a work in progress and we’re changing it day by day.

The band also discussed the legal problems that have kept them out of the studio for the past while:

We want to be able to release a record however we want. We had sort of been misguided a little bit at the beginning of that whole process. I think if we knew then what we know now, we may not have even filed a lawsuit to begin with. Our legal system is set up for justice, but that doesn’t really matter in terms of the record industry because artists’ careers are so short, you can’t just be tangled up in lawsuit for two or three years. It’s impractical.

We could go into the studio next week if we’re able to and make this new record.

The band’s last studio album, If Only You Were Lonely, was released in 2006.
Source Continue reading Hawthorne Heights talk lawsuit, recording, first shows without Casey →

This week we are handing the Video of the Week reigns over to our friends over at National Underground. They started out in 2005 as a group of music enthusiasts who wanted to archive shows. They ended up with hundreds of sets recorded at The Fest (4-6) in Gainesville, and at shows all over Florida, recording studio quality audio and multi-camera video. The idea had been to start a label with the material, but eventually they decided to release it all online…For FREE! No gimmicks, just signup at NationalUnderground.org and you can download everything at absolutely no cost. They plan to release additional material soon from Fest 6, including sets from Dead To Me, Smoke Or Fire and American Steel

This week’s video comes from Fest 5, and features the recently defunct Colorado post-hardcore-semi-metal outfit Planes Mistaken For Stars.
Source Continue reading Video of the Week: Planes Mistaken For Stars →

Foundation, the acoustic project from Rob Huddleston (Ann Beretta, Inquisition), have announced plans to release a new record. The album will be released via Paper & Plastick Records later this year. Rob had the following to say about the release:

The plan is to record close to 20 songs to be used for a full length and possibly an EP to be released later in the year, it will be recorded in April/May…with artwork from Horsebites.

The release will be the band’s first since 2001’s Foundation via Paper & Plastick founder Vinnie Fiorello’s (Less Than Jake) former little record label.

Punknews.org will be in the studio with the band, capturing the process for a series of video recording journals, which will be posted here and the band’s MySpace page in the coming weeks. We’ll keep you updated as they are posted.
Source Continue reading Foundation announce new album on Paper & Plastick →

Exclaim! TV’s latest interview is with The Vandals. During a recent stop in Toronto, the Exclaim! crew sat down to do a couple of interviews with the long-running California band, one serious, one not so much.

Source Continue reading The Vandals on Exclaim! TV →

Former Black Panther Mumia Abu-Jamal has had his death sentence repealed by a US Federal Appeals Court. According to the BBC the jury’s instructions for considering mitigating circumstances were found to be flawed by the Third US Circuit Court of Appeals.

Abu-Jamal has long been in the spotlight in the punk/activist music scene, drawing support from disparate bands like Anti-Flag, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Indigo Girls, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, and more.

Apparently Abu-Jamal’s supporters are not pleased with the verdict calling it a “devastating decision” and protests are expected tomorrow in San Francisco and elsewhere in April. The organization called The Mobilization to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal is aiming for a complete retrial of the case, instead of the new sentencing hearing granted by a 2001 federal judge.

The court has upheld Abu-Jamal’s conviction for killing a Philadelphia police officer. More information can be found at Wikipedia.
Source Continue reading Mumia Abu-Jamal’s death sentence overturned, new sentencing granted →

The Phenomenauts have announced a headlining tour supported by The A.K.A.s. The latter band just released Everybody Make Some Noise! while The Phenomenauts are gearing up for their new album, For All Mankind, on April 08, 2008.

Source Continue reading Tours: The Phenomenauts / The AKAs →

Punknews contributor Frank J. Corva III took in a Loved Ones show during their recently wrapped up tour in support of their second album Build & Burn. While at the show Frank had a chance to spend some time talking to The Loved Ones’ Dave Hause.

Source Continue reading Interviews: The Loved Ones →

Underoath has a live feed up of their recording of the followup to 2006’s Define the Great Line.

You can check it out on their stickam.com page.
Source Continue reading Underoath post live studio feed →

Underoath have posted some studio videos as they work on the follow up to 2006’s Define the Great Line.

You can check out the videos on their stickam.com page.
Source Continue reading Underoath post studio videos →

The Offspring have announced a number of Festival dates in Europe as they gear up for the release of their next full length, and follow up to 2003’s Splinter. The band hasn’t revealed too much about the record, only saying: “ think all our albums are relevant to punk when they were created, and this one will be no different..”

The current lineup of shows includes festivals in Portugal, Germany, Switzerland, England, Hungary and France.

Source Continue reading Tours: The Offspring (Europe) →

Details are sparse, but Black N Blue Productions has confirmed via their official MySpace page that Gorilla Biscuits and CIV will be playing the annual Black N Blue Bowl (formerly the Superbowl of Hardcore) along with Agnostic Front, Madball, Terror, Breakdown, Fahrenheit 451 and a plethora of other twee-pop acts on April 5th at Studio B in Brooklyn, NY.

Gorilla Biscuits has reunited in recent times for a U.S. tour in 2006 and last year for a European tour. However, CIV has reportedly not played since their disbanding in 2000.

The former is often heralded as one of the most important New York hardcore bands of all time, notably for their sole full-length, 1989’s landmark Start Today (Revelation). CIV was comprised of Anthony Civarelli and Arthur Smilios of GB, though GB/Quicksand guitarist Walter Schriefels received production and songwriting credits for 1995’s hit debut Set Your Goals (Lava). The less celebrated Thirteen Day Getaway (Atlantic) was released in 1998.

Update: Sources close to the band are saying that only CIV will appear; the Gorilla Biscuits appearance does not look to be happening.
Source Continue reading CIV to play New York’s Black N Blue Bowl →

Details are sparse, but Black N Blue Productions has confirmed via their official MySpace page that Gorilla Biscuits and CIV will be playing the annual Black N Blue Bowl (formerly the Superbowl of Hardcore) along with Agnostic Front, Madball, Terror, Breakdown, Fahrenheit 451 and a plethora of other twee-pop acts on April 5th at Studio B in Brooklyn, NY.

Gorilla Biscuits has reunited in recent times for a U.S. tour in 2006 and last year for a European tour. However, CIV has reportedly not played since their disbanding in 2000.

The former is often heralded as one of the most important New York hardcore bands of all time, notably for their sole full-length, 1989’s landmark Start Today (Revelation). CIV was comprised of Anthony Civarelli and Arthur Smilios of GB, though GB/Quicksand guitarist Walter Schriefels received production and songwriting credits for 1995’s hit debut Set Your Goals (Lava). The less celebrated Thirteen Day Getaway (Atlantic) was released in 1998.
Source Continue reading Gorilla Biscuits / CIV to play New York’s Black N Blue Bowl →