Merge Records also has a busy year coming up. On the years first real release date, January 24th, the label put out Robert Pollard and East River Pipe. Upcoming releases include Destroyer, The Essex Green, Camera Obscura, Lambchop, Portastatic and more.
You can win an iPod from Trustkill Records. All you have to do is sign up for some instant messaging thing where Trustkill can instantly inform you of mosharific shit that you probably won't want to listen to and will undoubtedly annoy the hell out of you rather quickly. However, iPod's are expensive, so give it a shot. Check the website.
Jonah Matranga, (Onelindrawing, Far, etc.) is doing one-off personal recordings for those who desire such a thing. It's an interesteing idea, to say the least. Check out the details at www.jonahmatranga.com.
March 10th and 11th 2006 may be the worst possible time in history to go to Las Vegas. On these two days, the streets will be full of skinny dudes in Skankin' Pickle t-shirts, and we don't have to tell you it won't be pretty. Yes dear readers, it is the International Ska Circus (apt title) weekend in Vegas. Band include The Skatalites, Reel Big Fish, The Toasters, Fishbone, The Pietasters, Voodoo Glowskulls, The Skeletones, La Banda Skalavera, Westbound Train, Suburban Legends, The Debonaires, Super Pineapples, Goldfish Don't Bounce and more. If you want more info, check www.internationalskacircus.com.
1.6.06
A documentary called "American Hardcore: The History of American Punk Rock 1980-1986" will debut later this month at the Sundance Film Festival. The film, put together by Paul Rachman (who directed Pantera videos) and Steven Blush (who wrote the 2001 book "American Hardcore"), will contain footage of many US punk/hardcore bands including Minor Threat, Bad Brains, Black Flag, and Suicidal Tendencies. Who knows if this can top the "NYHC Documentary". While the new film may or may not include an interview with Rick Healy, chances are he will not be on the cover when the documentary goes to DVD, making it worthless. FE may take a road trip to Utah just to try and start a circle pit in the middle of the premiere. Or not.
Pedro The Lion shall roar (meow) no more. TW Walsh, who held many instrumental duties in the group, has decided to part ways with songwriter David Bazan. Bazan will continue under his own name, and will also be collaborating with Will Johnson, Mark Eitzel, and Vic Chesnutt as the Undertow Orchestra. Check the Pedro The Lion site for tour dates near you.
Put away your sweaters and taped-up glasses, Weezer is on hiatus. The band announced the break along with news about an upcoming live DVD release by Geffen. The hiatus comes as frontman Rivers Cuomo will be going back to Harvard University to finish up his English degree. Lots of undergrad girls will most likely be violated, possibly with the help of Redman and Method Man.
After way longer than necessary, Further Seems Forever has disbanded. This marks the end of a nearly 8 year run. You can read the official statement on the band's website. Such a shame...that this didn't happen sooner.
Rocky Votolato, ex-Waxwing frontman, has posted two new songs on his website. They will appear on his upcoming release Makers, due out January 24, 2006 on Barsuk. Check the Barsuk website for supporting tour dates.
1.3.06
We Are the Fury has some new tracks up on their Purevolume page. The tracks will be featured on their upcoming East West release, Infinite Jest, due out January 24, 2006. The singer for this band often sounds like Daryl Palumbo. Sometimes that is good, others not. Check it out if you have nothing else to do (but only then).
The Flaming Lips shed some light on their next release, entitled At War With the Mystics. The album is set to come out on April 4th, 2006 in the US and a day earlier in the UK. It will feature a single called "The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song", which supposedly takes a few cues from Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody". Maybe Austin Powers 4 will feature a scene of Mike Myers headbanging to this joint in his Limey Mobile.
Coheed and Cambria have cancelled their European dates with Thrice because frontman/guitarist Claudio Sanchez fucked up his hand. Our guess is it was a grisley afro-pick accident.
The New Amsterdams have released Killed Or Cured as a free download on their site. Ex-Get Up Kid Matt Pryor explains that this is the record he wrote when the Get Up Kids were breaking up. Translation: it is extra mopey and pussy. That will go over well with most GUK fans. You can also score
some new live downloads.
The Isles have signed to UK-based Melodic Records. The band's first project with the label will be a 7" entitled Eye Of The Battle, due out January 16, 2006. May 16, 2006 is mentioned as a possible date for the full length.
Capitol Records has signed the Decemberists. Who knows whats going to happen. You can read a statement from Colin Meloy regarding the decision on the Decemeberist's message board. The band's former label, Kill Rock Stars, still plans to release a DVD in 2006.
Travis Morrison and the Hellraisers will be playing a show at the Black Cat in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, January 10th. This marks the first action by the ex-D-plan frontman in a long time. Hopefully it will lead to
some more live spots, as touring since the end of the Plan has been rather thin. This is probably due to the ass-raping Morrison's debut solo album, Travistan, was given by many music journalists, including a particularly scathing review
by Pitchfork. We at FE support Travistan, and advise all of you who hated to take it down a notch and stop taking everything so seriously. Sorry about the tangent...
1.1.06
After 5 years of making some pretty fucking good music, Bear Vs. Shark has decided to call it a day. By the statement on the band's site, it seems like
everyone was just getting a tad annoyed with each other. We wish them all the best of luck in their future endeavors.