The Witzard

wattmilliams' Matt Williams (CREDIT: Rob Cella) Matt "wattmilliams" Williams a passionate musician, song-writer, bass guitar teacher, audio engineer, and real estate agent active within the thriving music scene of Philadelphia/South Jersey. Primarily playing the bass guitar, Williams has accumulated years of valuable experience through touring, session work, and collaborations with esteemed artists, such as HUXLEY, Good Look, Sigourney, Gold Coyote, Garden State Radio, and The Shimmy Shimmy's. Williams has been fortunate enough to play direct support for a wide range of acts across various genres, including Living Colour, Disturbed, The Pretty Reckless, Royal Blood, Punchline, Lit, and more. These opportunities have allowed Williams to showcase his versatility and adaptability as a musician. While "Drama Queen" exudes raw energy and unapologetic rebellion, it offers much more. Demonstrating his creative audacity, this gritty exploration delves into t...

Roberto Galdamez pictured with the original Will to Live The Therapy Sessions oil painting (ART: P.J. Svejda / CREDIT: Esperanza Galdamez) Formed in 1997 with the purpose of establishing a united Texas Hardcore scene, Will to Live was at the forefront of a new wave of bands there that would, eventually, carry the flag for the Lone Star State into the future. They helped push their local scene in becoming a hotbed for Internationally-renowned acts, such as POWER TRIP, Frozen Soul, IRON AGE, Bitter End, and many more. Combining insightful, inspiring lyrics with the unmistakable spirit and ethos of Hardcore Punk with the brutality of Death Metal breakdowns, Will to Live has written pummeling anthems that have earned the band a die-hard following in Texas and abroad for over 20 years. Now in 2023, history continues for Will to Live. Helmed by vocalist Roberto "Rob to Live" Galdamez (TRUE INTENTIONS, Outpost 31,) drummer Mike "Fury" Arellano (Spirit Adrift, Method of D...

AMORA live at Bonk's Bar - July 31, 2023 (CREDIT: Nicky Fechtmuller) AMORA is made up of five of the sweetest, most gracious guys I've ever encountered in this industry—Billy Zee, Chris Swanson, Tristan Wikler, Bryan Rodriguez, and Nick Magidson—who, just so happen to be actively making some of the most brutal, punishing Punk/Emo/Post-hardcore (or "Lansdale Sad Punk," as they describe it) out there right now. Having shared bills in recent months with everyone from America's Got Talent contestants LILIAC to fellow Philly Punk hyphenate (insert sub-genres) phenoms Kaonashi & Being As An Ocean, I met Billy & Chris in November 2022 after a chance encounter at a The Color Fred show at Philly venue Underground Arts. Martyr: A Recital of Self-Destruction by AM0RA What turned into an impromptu label showcase for Fred Mascherino's (ex-Taking Back Sunday, Say Anything, The Lemonheads) Heading East Records that featured Oceans In The Sky's Liam Frost...

SUNSTROKE's Brandon Wallace and Christian Debuque after band practice (photographer unknown) SUNSTROKE appear to have this uncanny ability to be able to pull parts and pieces from their (and, in turn, your) favorite bands/artists, sub-genres, eras, labels, etc., throw them all into a sonic slicing and dicing belender and to paraphrase Madonna, "make them feel shiny and new..." SUNSTROKE readily draw influence from Dag Nasty, Embrace, Fugazi, Hüsker Dü, Rain, The Replacements, Rites of Spring, and Revolution Summer-era Dischord Records. They've been through, like most Punk/Hardcore bands, their fair share of members, but have seemed to have landed on a semi-permanent line-up, and have released a gaggle of albums, EP's, splits, and one-off singles on a variety of labels, such as Axe to Grind, Coin Toss Records, New Morality Zine, and WAR Records, since initially forming around 2017. Oddly enough, SUNSTROKE recorded two of their latest songs, "Frank" ...

Magnolia Park (CREDIT: Jonathan Weiner) Deeply rooted in Pop-punk sensibilities while staying true to their unique style, Orlando, Florida band Magnolia Park draw from an eclectic mix of influences to experiment with elements of Hip-Hop, Emo, and Alternative Rock. Just yesterday, they announced plans for two new companion EP's dropping next month— SoulEater & MoonEater —which, respectively, represent the lighter and darker sides of their multifaceted sound. Ahead of the releases, the band shares the MoonEater lead single and accompanying music video titled "Breathing" featuring Alt. rapper nothing,nowhere. (Dashboard Confessional, Fall Out Boy, Senses Fail.) In an impassioned performance video depicting Magnolia Park singer, Joshua Roberts, free-falling from the heavens, as he pushes his soaring vocals to the edge for a cathartic release of emotions. "Our music is always about creating empowerment out of negative feelings," the band comments. "In...

Jeremy Bolm's headshot and Balladeers, Redefined mustard with red splatter vinyl (CREDIT: Casey Lee / SOURCE: deathwish, Inc.) Painstakingly orchestrated over a two-and-a-half-year period by Jeremy Bolm (Touché Amoré, Hesitation Wounds, The First Ever Podcast,) Balladeers, Redefined showcases 31 Screamo/Screamo-adjacent bands both new and old hailing from all across the world. It saw a wide release just this past Friday on Bolm's own deathwish, Inc. imprint, Secret Voice Records now available on bone with splatter, mustard with red splatter, and Coke bottle green-colored vinyl, digital, T-shirt, long-sleeved shirt, and zip-up hoodie formats. We recently sent out a five-question fact-finding questionnaire. 14 of these bands/artists graciously got back to us for a partial Balladeers, Redefined track-by-(almost every)-track breakdown. Check it out below and go pick up a copy of Balladeers, Redefined on your preferred format of choice and with that said, "LET'S F***ING ...