photo by Whitey McConnaughy

Relapse Records’ Red Fang just announced their third studio album due out this fall plus a slew of new tour dates. This Porland based band is in the studio finishing up the record with producer Chris Funk (Decemberists) and mixer Vance Powell (White Stripes, Raconteurs, Kings of Leon).  The same duo did the band’s last album, Muder the Mountains.

The band commented:

“We’re hyper excited about this new album. The basic tracks are like rabid monkeys we’re wrangling at Type Foundry in our hometown of Portland, OR. Producer Chris Funk has almost been amputated twice. Surprise guests abound! We’re in the final moments before all systems are go on this sucker. Dig people!” 

Check out the 2013 tour dates also just announced!

Official
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Check out my video interview with the singer as we discuss what albums he’s been listening to, where he keeps his old rat tail and which side of the Flag vs. Black Flag battle he’s on.

Check out some of the photos and live footage from the show! All photos by Denise Borders and Chad Elder

Check out all the photos on the PWV Facebook

Besides the photos, PWV also got plenty of live video for your enjoyment, too! Check out tracks like Take the Night Off and Busted below, and then peep the PWV YouTube for more!

Just as I was riding a huge Samiam kick, I get an email with their upcoming album, You Are Freaking Me Out, for review. I felt like a bad fan because I didn’t even know they had something coming out so soon. However, this is a re-master so it’s not technically new material!! WHOO! ONWARD.

Track List
1. “Full On”
2. “She Found You”
3. “Factory”
4. “Ordinary Life”
5. “If You Say So”
6. “Good Enough”
7. “Mr. Walker”
8. “My Convenience”
9. “Charity”
10. “While You Were Waiting”
11. “Nothing New”
12. “Out Of My Mind”
13. “Cry Baby Cry -” (Beatles cover)

I am taking this on with fresh ears because while this is a re-release, I don’t own the original so I’ve never heard the record. When Full On started, first thing was, “Oh, this is no Clumsy…” but then it broke into the chorus and I’m like, GODDAMNIT IT’S SO GOOD ALREADY. The contrast of the calm singing into the screaming chorus is fucking perfect.

She Found You is like a delicious music treat from the start. You can tell it’s gonna break into something amazing and of course, about 35 seconds in, it does! This band is a genius with their choruses. I’m already bummed I haven’t been listening to this record for years, but it also makes me thankful for the re-release. Factory and Ordinary Life are your typical chill Samiam tracks. They don’t need to grow on me at all, from the first second it blares through the speakers, I’m eager to listen to it again.

Clumsy is my favorite record from these dudes, hands down.  I will forever compare everything they do to that album. With that said, this record is no Clumsy but it is quite tasty.  This band always has a way of soothing me whether it’s one of their chill songs or an upbeat one. It’s like someone is petting my head like, “It’ll be okay, dear.” and I buy into it. All the way. I’ll skip to My Convenience because it’s one of my favorite tracks. It just sounds so classic. It’s one of those songs that you can’t pinpoint what year it was recorded, because you’d love it in 1997 and you’d love it in 2012 and it doesn’t sound like it’s from one or the other. I love you, Samiam. Marry me?

Skipping along to the last track (in hopes that people are even still reading it this far….), Cry Baby Cry sounds unlike any other track on the record. It’s almost like the band got really wasted and was like “What would the Toadies sound like if they took over our record?” and then this song was born. It never really breaks into a powerful chorus like their other tracks, but it’s a nice “coming down from an acid trip in 1999″ way to end the record. I don’t hate it.

No Idea Records

Samiam Official

The Sheds Facebook

The Sheds Tumblr

Fresh onto Bridge Nine Records, hardcore act Alpha and Omega have just premiered a new song off their upcoming record, No Rest, No Peace. You can stream the song on Alt Press now. The album is set to drop June 18th on Bridge Nine, and you can catch these dickholes on tour!!! Check out the dates below.

Alpha and Omega Facebook

My favorite human, Joey Cape (best known for being the vocalist of Fat Wreck band, Lagwagon), just announced a slew of tour dates with Jon Snodgrass (Drag the River) and Brian Wahlstrom as Scorpios. The side project used to feature No Use for a Name frontman, Tony Sly, until his passing in July of 2012.  The tour is a tribute to the late Mr. Sly. You can check out the dates on the flyer above, hit Joey’s official website or peep below.

6/27: San Diego, CA @ Bar Pink
6/28: Santa Barbara, CA @ Velvet Jones
6/29: San Francisco, CA @ Thee Parkside
7/02: Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
7/03: Portland, OR @ Dante’s
7/04: Vancouver, BC @ The Media Club
7/05: Whistler, BC @ Dusty’s
7/07: Calgary, AB @ Ship & Anchor
7/08: Edmonton, AB @ The Pawn Shop
7/09: Saskatoon, SK @ Amigo’s
7/10: Regina, SK @ The Exchange
7/11: Winnipeg, MB @ Pyramid
7/12: Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock
7/13: Chicago, IL @ The Abbey Pub
7/14: Toronto, ON @ The Horseshoe
7/15: Montreal, QC @ Café Campus
7/16: Drummondville, QC @ Salle Gaston Mandeville
7/17: Quebec City, QC @ L’Autre Zone
7/18: Boston, MA @ Great Scott
7/19: Asbury Park, NJ @ Asbury Lanes
7/20: Brooklyn, NY @ Union Hall
7/21: Pittsburgh, PA @ Smiling Moose
7/22: St. Louis, MO @ Fubar
7/24: Denver, CO @ Walnut Room

Scorpios Facebook

Joey Cape Official

Bridge Nine Records will be dropping Massachusetts band, Defeater’s new record, Letters Home, July 16th. Recorded at (guitarist) Maas’s own Getaway Recording Studio, the band just wrapped recording and vocalist Derek Archambault commented:

“Inspiration for this record came from a few places. Much like with Lost Ground, these stories are based around my two grandfathers’ service in WWII .” He continued, “Musically the record hearkens back to Travels and Lost Ground. EDSN was a bit of a departure for us, and I think we took some good chances on that record but Letters Home brings it back to why we started this band in the first place five years ago.”

This marks the band’s third full-length record and they claim it’s their best to date. The 10-track album is “heavy and haunting” with lyrics that revolve around the fathers of two brothers that were introduced in Defeater’s previous two records.

There’s no denying this is the band’s heaviest so far. Guitarist Jay Maas commented:

“Letters Home is more focused on sounding dirty and mean, but at the same time we have improved as songwriters so some of these ten tracks are our most accessible.”

July 16th marked the drop-date for the ten tracks and in support of Letters Home, the band will hit the road July 11 through August 4 on the second half of Warped Tour. Despite that tour being 95% pieces of shit, this is a band that will make it almost worth going. Check out the track list below for the new record and their tour dates below.

TRACK LIST

1. Bastards
2. No Shame
3. Hopeless Again
4. Blood In My Veins
5. No Relief
6. No Faith
7. Dead Set
8. No Savior
9. Rabbit Foot
10. Bled Out

TOUR DATES

July

11 Mansfield, MA @ Comcast Center – Warped Tour

12 Camden, NJ @ Susquehanna Bank Center – Warped Tour

13 Uniondale, NY @ Nassau Coliseum – Warped Tour

14 Hartford, CT @ Comcast Theater – Warped Tour

16 Scranton, PA @ Toyota Pavilion – Warped Tour

17 Burgettstown, PA @ First Niagara Pavilion – Warped Tour

18 Cuyahoga Falls, OH @ Blossom Music Center – Warped Tour

19 Auburn HIlls, MI @ Palace – Warped Tour

20 Tinley Park, IL @ First Midwest Bank Amphitheater – Warped Tour

21 Shakopee, MN @ Canterbury Park – Warped Tour

23 Kansas City, KS @ Cricket Wireless Amphitheater – Warped Tour

24 Maryland Heights, MO @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater – Warped Tour

25 Atlanta, GA @ Aaron’s Amphitheater at Lakewood – Warped Tour

26 St. Petersburg, FL @ Vinoy Park – Warped Tour

27 W. Palm Beach, FL @ Cruzan Amphitheater – Warped Tour

28 Orlando, FL @ Central FL Fairgrounds – Warped Tour

29 Charlotte, NC @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater – Warped Tour

30 Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center – Warped Tour

31 Milwaukee, WI @ Marcus Amphitheater – Warped Tour

August

2 Dallas, TX @ Gexa Energy Pavilion – Warped Tour

3 San Antonio, TX @ AT&T Center – Warped Tour

4 Houston, TX @ Reliant Center Parking Lot – Warped Tour

Defeater Facebook

Bridge Nine

Check out my photos, video and interview below with vocalist Nat Rufus and drummer (and twin brother), Rob Rufus and don’t miss my photos and video from the Glasshouse of all three bands!

interview filmed by David Farkas

all photos by Denise Borders

live @ the Glasshouse, Pomona, CA

live @ the House of Blues, Anaheim, CA

Be sure to keep up with the PWV Facebook and Twitter to check out all the photos

BLR Facebook

BLR Twitter

BLR Official

All photos and video by Denise Borders

Check out the entire photo set on the PWV Facebook page

If you’ve changed your profession to moss, you may not have heard about the Tim Lambesis drama, but the singer was recently arrested in San Diego, CA under accusations that he hired a hit man to kill his estranged wife.

New information has surfaced via Radio.com revealing divorce papers and this quote taken from the band’s official website:

“As we post this, the legal process is taking its course and we have no more information than you do. There are many unanswered questions, and the situation will become clearer in the coming days and weeks. We’ll keep you informed as best we can.

Our thoughts right now are with Tim, his family, and with everyone else affected by this terrible situation – and with our fans, whom we love and draw strength from.

Thank you for your understanding, and as always, for your support of As I Lay Dying.”

- Jordan, Nick, Phil and Josh

The divorce papers filed by the singer’s wife, Meggan, claimed that Lambesis fell asleep while supervising the kids near the pool and at the beach and had become obsessed with body building, causing him to be unavailable to the children.  (via UT San Diego)

Irreconcilable differences was the reason listed for the split of the 8-year marriage. Meggan also cited that he had a mistress in Florida and she had quit her job as a private school teacher to be a stay-at-home parent. In the documents, it also noted the couple claimed $233,000 in gross income for 2010 but spousal support was not listed.

Head to Radio.com for the full story and stay posted for more updates.