The Witzard

As many of you may have already seen, last month, we published a comprehensive track-by-track breakdown fittingly dubbed Beastie Boys Paul's Boutique 30th Anniversary All-around Breakdown, Parts I-III or simply PB30 , for short. PB30 featured contributions from a talented cast of characters including fellow writers, musicians, artists, and like-minded Beasties die-hards "waxing poetic" on their favorite Paul's Boutique tracks, B-sides, and remixes. PB30 Part I (Side A) showcased Tracks #01-08. Part II (Side B) featured Tracks #09-14. & 15. "B-Boy Bouillabaisse" Suites a-i. and Part III encompassed B-sides and remixes from 1989 EP's An Exciting Evening at Home with Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego & Love American Style. Now, just about a month later, we've put together this PB30 Companion Playlist & Reading List feature showcasing Beastie Boys Paul's Boutique tributes from our PB30 contributors: Steve Baril, Broken Machine Films Prese

Selfiestixamitosis by Mongol Horde Möngöl Hörde is a London, UK-based Hardcore Punk/Noise Rock band consisting of Frank "Renrut" Turner, Ben "Awesome" Dawson & Matt "Nadir" Nasir . Both Turner & Dawson were former members of UK Post-hardcore/Punk band Million Dead , while Nasir is actively part of Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls . Following the 2005 dissolution of Million Dead , Frank Turner kick-started a now-successful solo career as a Folk Punk/Rock singer-songwriter releasing multiple albums through Xtra Mile/Epitaph and Ben Dawson currently plays drums with Palehorse, Mothlite, Queen of Swords, and Armed Response Unit. While Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls' are wildly successful and harken back to the sounds of Flogging Molly, Billy Bragg & Bruce Springsteen, I've always wanted something a bit more Punk/Hardcore-adjacent in the vein of Million Dead ; so, I was extremely stoked to recently discover Möngöl Hörde 

About two weeks ago, ruby yacht makers guild (AKA ruby yacht ) quietly unveiled their group album/label comp. 37 GEMS . It features the rhyming and beat-making talents of R.A.P. Ferreira FKA milo & scallops hotel , SB The Moor, Pink Navel , safari al, Eldon Somers , Kenny Segal, and E L U C I D . Now, ruby yacht have, seemingly, added yet another extremely talented character to their ever-growing roster: Hemlock Ernst ! Ernst is the rapping alias of Future Islands' frontman and life-long Hip-Hop supporter, Samuel "Sam" T. Herring . " Sam was rapping long before he joined a band and it's all he's really ever wanted to do... it's more than "occasional" for him... it's just that his sh*t blew up on a totaaally different tip and he's been riding that out like one of the best to ever do it," safari al (@s_afari_al) Tweeted Wednesday morning. Herring has been featured on Hip-Hop tracks billed as "Hemlock Ernst" alon

Short Fuze is an Uncommon Records affiliate, who I've personally been listening to and conversing with online since, at least, 2016. It was then when Short Fuze released Autonomy Music with Uncommon Nasa AKA NASA . Short Fuze & Nasa previously collaborated together on a 2010 album, Lobotomy Music, and 2011 follow-up/remix EP, Toxicology Music. In fact, earlier this year, Uncommon Nasa & Short Fuze debuted their official/re-branded collaboration as Guillotine Crowns on "Champions" on Last Sons' Nasa-produced album, CHEKHOV'S GUN. It appears as though, this whole time, since about 2009, Short Fuze has been on an indefinite hiatus from his main group, W.A.S.T.E.L.A.N.D.S. , which was initially formed in 2000; in its earliest incarnation, W.A.S.T.E.L.A.N.D.S. consisted of Short Fuze & Augury , while third emcee, Taiyamo Denku joined later in 2001. During their initial 10-year run, W.A.S.T.E.L.A.N.D.S. released four albums, Seasons Change , Rule

Pittsburgh-based Post-punk/New Wave band Chantillion aren't exactly a new/"rising" artist, as this column's title might suggest—they've been active since releasing 2017 single "Brassque"—but they are, in fact, new to these digital pages of The Witzard. Chantillion 's line-up consists of Amos Levy on "lead synthesizer," Jackson O'Connell-Barlow on synth/vocals, Justin Pelissero on bass guitar, and Gregg Weber on drums. O'Connell-Barlow is a frequent collaborator and affiliate of Shark Tank's Height Keech & Mickey "Free" Freeland. Jackson O'Connell-Barlow currently has an active solo project dubbed MRS.PAINTBRUSH and was once in a Hip-Hop group called Grand Buffet with Jarrod Weeks AKA Lord Grunge from Shark Tank, as well. During their Grand Buffet heyday, Jackson & Jarrod were commonly refereed to as Mr. Pennsylvania, Nate Kukla & Plaps and Fred Durts, Matt Kukla & Viceroy, respectively. We

Just this past Saturday night, Raymond "Ray" Strife & iLL-Omega premiered their latest collaboration/music video for "Heaven Is Empty" at Trenton, New Jersey venue, Millhill Basement. It appears as though "Heaven Is Empty" was premiered at Millhill around 8:00pm and world-wide on YouTube just a matter of hours later at 11:00pm; Saturday night's festivities, also, included live performances from Ray Strife & iLL-Omega themselves, along with King Spade, Gibby Stites, Wormtooth, and Dre Skuffs. Ray Strife & iLL-Omega are the "Rap & production equivalent of Fonzie & Richie Cunningham," as well as the self-proclaimed "Rap Iron Fist & Luke Cage." "Heaven Is Empty" is the first single to be released from Ray Strife & iLL-Omega 's upcoming fifth collaborative project, God's Plan, expected to drop on vinyl later this Fall. Their previous collaborative efforts include Preface: I Will Neve

This will, likely, be a weekly—or, at least, sporadically—published loosely structured column to help spotlight new or recent Punk/Hardcore 7-inches "on wax." I fully intend for this column to regularly spotlight new. up-and-coming, and largely "underground" artists... but who knows what it ultimately end up being. As often as possible, we'll share pre-order/purchase links or download information for said featured releases. Also, if you're part of or represent such a Punk/Hardcore band, please, feel free to reach out to us directly at sharpcheddar856@gmail.com and we'll send you our mailing address to send us a review copy (or even digital files) for an upcoming installment of Punk/Hardcore On Wax . It's my hope that this very column will expose at least a few angsty young teens to some up-and-coming or ever Old School Punk/Hardcore bands, if nothing else! Sincerely, Matt "The Witzard" Horowitz Punk/Hardcore Correspondant Save Face

It is now widely known that Tuxedo is a Nu-Funk/R&B duo consisting of one-time Stones Throw crooner Mayer Hawthorne and super-producer Jake One ; however, at one point in time, surrounding the release of their 2013 Tuxedo EP , Tuexedo 's members' identities were largely shrouded in mystery. I personally believe, that Tuxedo's nom de plume was, initially, a bit of a lighthearted tongue-in-cheek jab at Justin Timberlake's similarly-titled/sounding "Suit & Tie" single with JAY-Z. Tuxedo have since released three full-length albums: Tuxedo , Tuxedo II, and most recently, III AKA Tuxedo III , as well as a slew of Funk-tastic remixes, stand-alone singles, and Yuletide nuggets. For their latest single from III , "Toast 2 Us," Mayer Hawthorne & Jake One have enlisted frequent Stones Throw collaborator and multi-talented director / photographer / editor / creative / VFX artist Ross Harris . Tuxedo & Ross Harris previously collaborated

Swiss Army are an Alternative/Punk band hailing from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who are currently signed to A-F Records —yes, Swiss Army are signed to Anti-Flag 's independent record label! Swiss Army 's current roster includes frontman Brandon Lehman , guitarist Dave Yarkovsky , drummer Chris Hawthorne , and bassist Jeff Morgan . Last year, they released their critically-acclaimed full-length debut, PARIS MOUNTAIN , on A-F Records , which was preceded by a 2016 self-titled EP. Now, Swiss Army have returned with their first official musical offering of 2019, "On Top of The World" featuring Garrett Dale of Red City Radio . It tackles topics of "both the excitement and pressure of achieving success," as ALTPRESS explains within a recent "On Top of The World" premiere feature. It seems like Swiss Army 's new guitar-heavy single is being told from the perspective of someone who has definitely seen their fair share of great successes and even

The Crust Brothers cover The Cars by The Crust Brothers Richard "Ric" Ocasek passed away this past Sunday, September 15, 2019. 75-year-old Ocasek was found dead Sunday at his New York City townhouse by his estranged wife, Paulina Porizkova, where he had been recovering from a recent surgery. The Chief Medical Examiner's office later reported Ric Ocasek died from natural causes; although, he suffered from both hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases. Ocasek was best-known as being one of the founding members of The Cars, as well as the band's long-time lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and songwriter. The Cars emerged from the 1970's New Wave scene and were early originators of what is now commonly known as Power Pop with sonic allusions to Rock "N" Roll, Art Rock, and Rockabilly throughout. The Cars always appeared to be (to me, at least) a Punk-adjacent band, which makes complete sense because during The Cars' career, as well as a

NOOB SAIBOT 1-4 is an upcoming series of releases from Joshua Rogers at Illuminated Paths/Broken Machine Films Presents... (or BMFP...) which I've, personally, been hearing rumblings about for quite a while now. I believe, I've been hearing about NOOB SAIBOT 1-4 from Mr. Rogers just about as long as VIPER & Broken Machine Films Presents... BOUT THA MONEY , both of which were fairly recently re-mixed/mastered by Dan "Height" Keech at Cold Rhymes Records. Joshua Rogers/BMFP... has a very unique cut-and-paste style of creating Hip-Hop, Vaporwave, and largely genre-eschewing music culled from a nearly 20-year vault of original production work curated/created by Mr. Rogers himself; using "strictly cassette-to-cassette and VHS/record-to-cassette manipulation and layering, utilizing only vintage tape decks and medium," much like BOUT THA MONEY . NOOB SAIBOT 1 was quietly released by Illuminated Paths on Friday, August 30, 2019 with NOOB SAIBOT 2-4 , r

dj BC is the recording alias of musical producer and Ghostbusters enthusiast, Bob Cronin . BC has hand-crafted critically-acclaimed mash-up albums attributed to The Beastles , Ziggy Stardust Remixed, Wu Orleans, The Santastic Christmas Collections, and most recently, Ghost Cave . He's produced four records for Big D & The Kids Table, as well as remixes for other signed artists. Ghost Cave is best described as an album full of varying styles, including, but not limited to, Alternative Hip-Hop, Reggae, Electro-Punk, and Hip-House. For the album, dj BC has recruited a who's-who of musical friends and collaborators dubbed "The Ghost Cave All-Stars" featuring Edo. G/Ed O.G. Big D & The Kids Table frontman David McWane, Z.Dimention , Grandpamini, The Doped Up Dollies , Keenon Rush , Tribe One, ATOM , Pimpdaddysupreme, Supercrunk , and more. Very recently, dj BC approached us with the unique opportunity to premeire the Evan O'Television -directed music vi

Forrest St. was "recorded over five days in Jersey City, NJ. Forrest St. shows the diverse music pallete of Brazilian-born, Sydney-based singer-songwriter, Fernando Aragones [Animal Ventura] . Produced by drummer/composer, Pat Van Dyke with the help of amazing NYC-based musicians. Animal Ventura 's Forrest St. EP, additionally, features contributions from aforementioned "amazing NYC-based musicians," such as bassist Jordan Scannella , keyboardist David Stolarz, pedal steel player Jonny Lam , vocalist Laura Stiit, melodica player Shannon Stitt , trumpet player Richard Polatchek, tenor sax player Jeff Hackworth , trombonist Peter Lin, and other talented players. As long-time supporters of fellow New Jersian, Pat Van Dyke AKA PVD , it's no secret, we were, also, big fans of Animal Ventura 's 2017 effort, Forrest St. Now, a little more than two years later, Animal Ventura & PVD have returned with a remix of Forrest St. opener "No Gravity."

"The sounds of Shuggie Otis & Michael McDonald inspired a man to write a song. A couple of Mondays later, that song inspired an identity. The name is Otis McDonald . The mission? Good music;" that man was "producer, engineer, drummer, singer, bassist, guitarist, and keyboardist extraordinaire" Joe Bagale , now, better known as Otis McDonald . I was fortunate enough to grow up with parents who always had a phenomenal record collection: Billy Joel, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, James Taylor, New Jersey "staple" Bruce Springsteen, Simon & Garfunkel, Lionel Richie, and, of course, The Doobie Brothers & Michael McDonald . So, I feel as though I "get" it... The Funk, that is! While I very much enjoy all of the aforementioned artists from my parents' record collection, I'll readily admit, Michael McDonald has the voice of a silky smooth angel. Nu-Funk sensation Otis McDonald self-released a whopping 30 tracks for free on YouTu

KID ACNE is a UK-based artist, illustrator, print-maker, and emcee. Many of you may recognize KID ACNE's name from Part II our recent Beastie Boys Paul's Boutique 30th Anniversary All-around Breakdown , AKA #PB30 . KID ACNE submitted a blurb on Track 12. "What Comes Around" and supplied original artwork from Beck's Music Inspired Art series. "CREST OF A WAVE" is KID ACNE 's first release, under his own name, since 2007's Romance Ain't Dead (LP) & Romance Ain't Beats (EP.) He has, of course, issued a number of releases since Romance Ain't Dead/Beats as MONGRELS with beat-maker Benjamin "Benjamin" Hatton , including 2016's critically-acclaimed Attack The Monolith . "CREST OF A WAVE" features New Kingdom emcee NOSAJ , as well as Westside Gunn, Vic Spencer & Conway producer Spectacular Diagnostics "behind the boards." It's the first official offering from KID ACNE 's upcoming

Supergrass were a Britpop/Alternative Rock band originally active from 1993-2010, who achieved moderate State-side success with sugary early 2000's Pop-leaning singles, such as "Alright," "Caught By The Fuzz," and "In It for The Money." During their nearly 20-year career, Supergrass , also, dually functioned as a number of side-bands, including The Jennifers , Theodore Supergrass, The Diamond Hoo Ha Men , and The Hotrats; the latter even released a Nigel Godrich -produced cover of the Beastie Boys' 1989 Frat Rap single, "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party!)" Late last week, the mysterious hashtag "#Supergrass2020" started circulating across band members' Gareth "Gaz" Coombes, Danny Goffey, Mick Quinn & Rob Coombes' various social media pages and then, Friday morning, it was announced Supergrass would be reuniting... and then, before day's end, Supergrass played their first gig together

August Heat by Ialive John "Jumbled" Bachman was one of the many talented artists, writers, and Beastie Boys super-fans who contributed to our recent 3-part PB30 All-around Breakdown feature and now, he's returned with his second self-released full-length of 2019, AUGUST HEAT . Jumbled 's first long-form project since January 2019's Padre , AUGUST HEAT is just as it sounds: 17 tracks-worth of sweltering instrumental beats and emcee-assisted vocal tracks. "In early June, Jumbled compiled a list of his heat: heavy Boom-Bap beats that meshed together to create an album," explains a press release. John Bachman goes on to define "heat (noun)" as "1. hot beats / raps, 2. oppressively hot or humid weather, 3. pressure" and then, somehow, manages to reference a JAY-Z rhyme from "Light Up" alongside Drake: "Triple entendre, don't even ask me how." Although, originally conceived as a single-emcee affair, AUGUST

First and foremost: I would like to take this opportunity to extend a very special "THANK YOU!" to Jesse Dangerously, John "Jumbled" Bachman, Pat "Pecue" Quinn, Dan LeRoy, Paolo Gilli, Nate LeBlanc, Height Keech, Joshua Rogers, Sahan Jayasuriya, Danny Cheap Date, Emceein' Eye, KID ACNE, Jeremy Shatan, clint. AKA salk. Myrrow's Outlet, Awkward, Jim Mahfood AKA FOODONE, Steve Baril, DJ Bacon, David "unheard78" Taylor, bigfatlove at Beastiemania.com, BRZOWSKI, Harvey Cliff MC, and Jay "Hawk" Myers at Beastie Family for their parts in helping create and put together this comprehensive track-by-track breakdown in honor of the recent 30th anniversary of the Beastie Boys' July 1989 sophomore album, Paul's Boutique. Make sure to Follow @JesseDangrsly, @NapalmDef, @Pecuedesign, @danleroy, @natejleblanc, @Heightkeech, @pathilluminated, @sahanicyouth, @dontpanicrecs, @emceeineye, @AnEarful, @myrrowsoutlet, @AwkwardUK, @JimMahfoo