INTERVIEW: Mark Scondotto of Shutdown Talks About Their New “By Your Side” EP



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I’ll never forget hearing Shutdown for the first time many years ago and being blown away by the high energy and sense of purpose in the then-young upstart band’s fiery brand of driven NYHC. In very exciting news, the band continue their hot streak with Equal Vision Records and a new EP By Your Side! Learning from the ups and downs in life and building community is what this band has always been about. It was a lot of fun to catch up with singer Mark Scondotto about Shutdown these days.Continue reading


ALBUM REVIEW: ALT BLK ERA – Rave Immortal


It’s a cliche, but this album blew me away. Blew me away like the guy in the old Maxell ads. But that’s not right because you cannot listen to ALT BLK ERA’s Rave Immortal (Earache Records) without legit dancing. Finds like this are why I love doing these reviews. Let me do a reset to where I first hit “play”.Continue reading


ALBUM REVIEW: Miracle Blood – Hello Hell


Miracle Blood’s latest album Hello Hell would serve as a standout piece within any punk music lover’s record collection. Their new album Hello Hell, released by Nefarious Industries, is a cacophonous concoction of noise-punk, sludge, and heavy metal. The band’s sophomore LP is strange and unusual, and may be found to be the next underground favorite of those who themselves are strange and unusual.Continue reading


ALBUM REVIEW: Fightmilk – No Souvenirs


The sign of a good album is when it reinvigorates your appreciation for a musical genre or style.

Take Fightmilk. No Souvenirs (Fika Recordings/INH Records) is the latest full-length from the Indie/Pop Punk outfit. The songwriting is enticing and clever; satirical at times but not haphazard or misguided.Continue reading


ALBUM REVIEW: Moskitos – Mirage


Regarding psych rock, I have heard some of the best bands ever.  They seem to come primarily from every place except for America. I have seen amazing bands from Sweden, Finland, Germany, and Spain.  For the first time, I’m hearing a band from Cape Cod, South Africa. Moskitos have put Cape Town on the map as a new, untapped hub for psychedelic rock with their stellar debut album Mirage (The Good Times Co.)   Continue reading


FESTIVAL REVIEW: Louder Than Life – Live at Highlands Festival Fair Grounds


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Photo Credit – KORN_LTL24-03@FogAgain-67

Danny Wimmer Presents is an acclaimed music festival production company that hosts some of the top entertainment experiences in the country. The pride and joy of their collection is Kentucky’s Louder Than Life Festival. The first one was presented in Louisville ten years ago and has flourished since then. With over 170,000 attendees at last year’s event and even more this year, it has grown to be one of the biggest rock festivals in the United States. To celebrate their 10th anniversary, they pulled out all the stops for this monumental milestone. With nearly one hundred acts performing over the course of the four-day event was a mammoth undertaking and well worth it.Continue reading


ALBUM REVIEW: Touché Amoré – Spiral In A Straight Line


Spiral In A Straight Line (Rise Records) is Touché Amoré’s sixth album. They are not only more confident in who they are as a band, but continuing the journey fussy they are not capable of explosive emotional outbursts as heard in the song. This is handled in a more Punk way, with less overt emoting. The more polished production compliments the progression of their creative path, with the guitars being where growth is most evident. On a song like “Hal Ashby” they embrace the late nineties all over again thanks to the jangle of the guitars. This feels the most like what we once called Emo with a punk drive that thankfully owes more to Hot Water Music than Blink-182.Continue reading