To the Academy Is …, the name “Santi” means many things, none of which make very much sense. “Adam [Siska], our bass player, had this enemy in high school whose last name was Santiago, but everyone called him Santi, and he had associates called, like, Panti, Canti and Fruscianti or something,” drummer Andy “the Butcher” Mrotek explained. “Adam always hated the name Santi, so to annoy him, we all started saying it instead of ‘thank you’ or ‘cheers’ or anything. So it started out as this incredibly stupid thing, the kind of stupid thing you do in a band on… Read more »
Around the time Brett Gurewitz was launching Epitaph Records in 1981, his father was lecturing him to take guitar lessons. The Bad Religion guitarist and punk-rock entrepreneur never sat down for courses with a guitar instructor, although he did go to school to learn to be a recording engineer. However, no amount of schooling could have prepared Gurewitz for the next 25 years of his life. Epitaph Records brought a new era of punk rock to the masses in 1994 when the Offspring’s “Smash” turned into one of the biggest rock records of the decade. The success of the label’s… Read more »
Following the release of Fall Out Boy’s 2003 full-length debut, Take This to Your Grave, the Chicago quartet was flooded with hyperbolic praise. The group, which was signed by tiny independent label Fueled by Ramen, was declared the “next big thing” by multiple media outlets, and its album sold more than 200,000 copies. So expectations were high for the band’s major-label follow-up, From Under the Cork Tree, which came out on May 3 and will debut at #9 on next week’s Billboard albums chart. Some pundits predicted a groundbreaking pop-punk expedition, and others awaited a heart-rending emo excursion, but Fall… Read more »
The Take Action Tour (www.takeactiontour.com) kicked off in DC with an evening of hard-hitting music from Sugarcult, The Early November, Hawthorne Heights, Hopesfall and Gym Class Heros. The event is the brainchild of Louis Posen, president and founder of punk/hard-core label Hopeless Records. In 1998, five years after forming Hopeless, Posen formed Sub City Records, an offshoot label that donates 5 percent of its prof- its to charity, according to the Web site. In 1999, Sub City took its socially conscious act on the road. The idea of the Take Action Tour is to connect Sub City bands – and… Read more »
The Jonas Brothers kicked off their massive Jonas 20: Greetings From Your Hometown tour this week, and they’re already pulling out all of the stops! Kicking off their tour at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, the Jonas Brothers turned opening night into a star-studded celebration. The trio brought out an impressive roster of guests, including Switchfoot, Jesse McCartney, Marshmello, Dean Lewis, and Big Rob. But the moment that truly lit up the stadium—and set the tone for the entire tour—was the arrival of Demi Lovato. Reuniting for the first time on this scale since their Disney Channel Camp Rock days… Read more »
Supergroup, The Sound Of Animals Fighting, has made their grand return today. The group, who previously released APESHIT in December 2022, has unveiled their six-minute anthem, “Lady Of The Cosmos,” with an official music video. Their latest offering effortlessly weaves in psychedlic sonics and math rock-fueled guitar lines with urgent screams à la Anthony Green. Frankly, each Sound Of Animals Fighting track is in a league of its own. Excitingly, “Lady Of The Cosmos” is just one track off of their forthcoming LP, The Maiden, due out September 12 via Born Losers Records. This marks their first full-length record release… Read more »
Alt-rock act senses is back with a new song that you are going to be “obsessed” with on your summer playlist. The Los Angeles-based duo shared this moody pop-rock track, fueled by dazzling riffs and delightfully chaotic lyrics including, “You could lay me down/Leave me suffocating/I’ll still think you’re heaven sent.” Duo Maddie Taylor and Nick Sampson share, “We are obsessed with this song so much! It’s the ultimate anthem for when a crush goes from casual to can’t stop thinking about you real fast. It’s catchy, flirty and a little unhinged in the best way. It will absolutely make you want… Read more »
Scene Queen is bringing a refreshing new twist to the phrase “Whips & Chains” on her new single. Rather than leaning into her sexually empowering side, the Hopeless Records artist has unleashed a revenge-themed banger that takes aim at men who think they can take advantage of women. “I wrote ‘Whips & Chains’ about the fear of being a woman at a bar,” Scene Queen explains in a press release. “The song is about a group of women coming together and fighting back against a man who spikes drinks. I really wanted to showcase my crazy side lyrically and go… Read more »
The Nashville-based punk rock label, Pure Noise Records has announced the second installment of their Dead Formats compilation albums. Dead Formats Vol. 2 will see many bands from the Pure Noise Records roster covering classic songs across the punk and rock genres. The album will drop on September 15th and holds an impressive fifteen tracks in total. So far, three tracks have dropped. This includes a cover of “Losing A Whole Year” originally by Third Eye Blind and performed by Knuckle Puck, “Come Dancing” originally by The Kinks and performed by Less Than Jake, and “Lithium” originally by Nirvana and… Read more »
Leading up to their tour run with Fall Out Boy and a stint on Sad Summer Fest this summer, Daisy Grenade has unveiled their tenacious new single, “Got It Bad.” “Got It Bad” solidifies Daisy Grenade‘s position as a compelling presence and serves as their debut single on Public Consumption and the iconic DCD2 Records, the label imprint owned by their mentor Pete Wentz. Right off the rip, “Got It Bad” puts you in a death grip with their intoxicating guitar runs and the fusion of Dani Nigro and Keaton Whittaker’s feverish vocals ringing across the cotton candy-colored pop-punk ballad.… Read more »
