Since its inception in 2008, Pure Noise Records has grown to become one of the strongest independent labels in our scene. As the label celebrates its fifth anniversary this year, we checked in with owner/founder Jake Round on the three most important lessons the past five years have taught him.
For nearly a decade now, Tom Gabel has made a career of pissing people off. He played shows in Laundromats as a one-man acoustic act known as Against Me! before forming a full band (adding electric guitars = selling out!). He leapt from indie No Idea Records to equally indie Fat Wreck Chords (changing labels = selling out!), tinkered with Against Me!’s sound on 2003’s As the Eternal Cowboy (production = selling out!) and finally decided to sign with a major label in late 2005 (major label = selling out!). Whatever the situation, it seems he’s always derived some sort… Read more »
It’s beyond obvious that the guys in My Chemical Romance have come a long way since the days when they were compared to the likes of Thursday and other bands in New Jersey’s emo/post-hardcore scene, if their concert at the Anaheim Convention Center on Sunday night was any indicator. Lead singer/songwriter/MCR mastermind Gerard Way and company entertained a sold-out crowd with an energetic and polished show that made clear their desire to be arena rock gods. However, the band members’ decision to not only play their latest album “The Black Parade” in its entirety but also perform the set in… Read more »
In what can only be seen as an effort to bring punk rock back to the dingy clubs and sweaty halls, Fat Wreck Chords has been releasing a string of live albums amusingly entitled Live In A Dive. The latest band to receive this honour, pop-punk heroes Lagwagon, who beam proudly as theirs – quite possibly the strongest so far aside from Sick Of It All ‘s – garners rave reviews. “I like the Swingin’ Utters ‘ Live In A Dive,” counters guitarist Chris Rest. “I think theirs – well, live albums in general – are cool because you can… Read more »
Few things are sadder than aging punk rockers attempting to cash in on their misspent youth, especially their desperate act of trying to recapture the glory days of fickle preadolescents with disposable incomes. Such is the lot of Good Charlotte and Simple Plan, purveyors of a Splenda version of pop-punk so lightweight that only Top 40 radio will touch it. Not that the bands resemble glossy pop stars, per se: GC’s members look like thugged-out suburbanites who overdosed at the tattoo parlor, and the Plansters are the mischievous skater kids hellbent on crashing keggers thrown by the football jocks. Good… Read more »
Drummer Derrick Plourde – a founding member of Southern California punk band Lagwagon – and Hideaki Sekiguchi – who slapped the bass for Tokyo garage-punk band Guitar Wolf – both died Wednesday, news that sent shockwaves throughout the underground punk rock world. Plourde was 33, and Sekiguchi was 38. Fat Wreck Chords, which released Lagwagon’s earliest material, confirmed Plourde’s death in a statement posted to the indie label’s Web site, which read, in part, “March 30th was a sad day for the Fat Wreck Chords family, as we learned about the passing of Derrick Plourde. We consider him one of… Read more »
Los Angeles – Before they made the jump to Atlantic Records in 2004, the members of Death Cab for Cutie thought long and hard about leaving Seattle’s Barsuk Records. But after six years of deliberation, and the ultimate satisfaction the band took in its decision, manager Jordan Kurland grants that there has been a twinge of remorse. “I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that after I saw Bright Eyes debut in the top 10, I didn’t think, ‘Ah, we should have done that…’ But we’re having a great time.” Indeed, the band Bright Eyes bolted to No. 10 on… Read more »
A week after the compilation Rock Against Bush Vol. 1 was released, a sequel to the politically minded compilation is taking shape. The Foo Fighters will contribute their cover of “Gas Chamber,” a song originally recorded by L.A. punks the Angry Samoans, which appeared as a B-side to the Foos’ 1996 CD single “Big Me.” The original tune appeared on the Angry Samoans’ second album, 1982’s Back From Samoa. The inclusion of Bad Religion’s “Let Them Eat War,” from June 8’s The Empire Strikes First, is also confirmed for Rock Against Bush Vol. 2, which is expected to drop in… Read more »
Good Charlotte is slated to appear on a compilation album titled Rock Against Bush, which is being assembled by Fat Wreck Chords president and NOFX frontman Fat Mike. Good Charlotte, Green Day, Sum 41, and a number of other punk acts will contribute songs to the record as part of a campaign to vote George Bush out of office next year. Good Charlotte guitarist Billy Martin revealed that the band isn’t afraid of the same kind of backlash that hit the Dixie Chicks. “I mean, we considered that at the same time, you know, but I think that the Dixie… Read more »
Good Charlotte, Pennywise and Sum 41 have always been known more for their practical jokes than their practical advice. That may soon change. Next year these bands, Green Day, NOFX, Alkaline Trio and others will unite to raise political awareness and encourage pop-punk fans to vote in the next presidential election – against George Bush. The groups will each contribute a track to the compilation Rock Against Bush and take part in at least one show on a tour organized and funded by NOFX singer/bassist Fat Mike, who also owns the label Fat Wreck Chords. “About a year ago I… Read more »
