The Witzard

"I've always been a huge fan of Bracket. I love their unique sound and their catchy melodies. It all started with the idea to have them play my festival in Austria, SBÄM Fest. Every year I tried to fly them in just for the show. Without any luck so far—I still bother them and I won't give up until they play 😉 And since I'm a big fan of their music, I asked Angelo [Celli] if they have any unreleased stuff they wanna put out. The Rare Cuts songs are killer and they needed a proper release. So, Best of Würst (BOW) was born. [By the way,] Angelo came up with the title—I really love it. And here's a little spoiler... it doesn't end with BOW; we have some other plans for 2021. More news soon!" - SBÄM (@sbamrocks) Best Of Würst (2020) by Bracket 01. "[Do You Remember] Rock "N" Roll Radio" "We did this for an all-Ramones covers comp. album called Ramones Maniacs released in 2001 and played it pretty much in-line with the original,...

Nate Patrin Author Photo (CREDIT: Craig VanDerSchaegen) "So, I put together a [playlist] that comprises my favorite moments of Hip-Hop & Punk intersecting, intentionally or otherwise, from the old school to the current moment. It ranges from Downtown NYC Crossover efforts to sample flips to all-out collabos, and spans a broad range of both genres—so, it's more of a historical overview, than a cohesive snapshot of a particular sound. That said, I f**k with each and every one of these songs, 100%." With The Quickness #7: Nate Patrin's Adidas In The Pit/Punk Meets Hip-Hop Playlist 01. The Clash - "This Is Radio Clash" Samples: J. Bodewalt Lampe - "Mysterioso Pizzicato" 02. ESG - "UFO" Sampled By: The Notorious B.I.G. J Dilla, Big Daddy Kane, MF DOOM, Q-Tip, Public Enemy, Nine Inch Nails, and more 03. Liquid Liquid - "Cavern" Sampled By: Grand Master Melle Mel, Guru, Doug E. Fresh, The Notorious B.I.G. 2 Live Cr...

Los Angeles super-group/production team, Night Owls have returned with yet another pipin' hot slice of Reggae-infused Soul/Funk on wax, "Gossip" B/W "What'cha See Is What'cha Get." Just a quick refresher: Night Owls' core line-up consists of Dan Ubick (The Lions, Connie Price & The Keystones) on guitar, Blake Colie (Seu Jorge, The Lions) on drum kit, Dave "Wilder Style" Wilder (The Lions) on bass, and Roger Rivas (The Aggrolites, Jason Mraz) on organ and piano. Frequent The Witzard readers and vinyl enthusiasts alike may recall Night Owls from their previous two 7-inches, "There's A Break In The Road" B/W "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)" with Afrodyete and Terin Ector, respectively, or Durand Jones-assisted "This Christmas," both issued last year on LA-based F-Spot Records. Now, Dan Ubick, Blake Colie Dave Wilder & Roger Rivas have returned, again, joining forces with F-Spot Records for th...

Los Angeles Punk/Hardcore stalwarts Bad Religion have returned, as they always do, in our world's time of need with an updated version of one of their old favorites, "Faith Alone." Now, fittingly re-titled "Faith Alone 2020," this is Bad Religion's first sonic offering since their 2019 full-length, Age of Unreason. "Faith Alone" originally appeared within Bad Religion's 1990 full-length, Against The Grain , as well as re-appearing on '92 Epitaph comp. More Songs About Anger, Fear, Sex & Death, along with then-labelmates NOFX, Pennywise, Coffin Break, Dag Nasty, L7, Down By Law, Little Fingers, and Insted. Bad Religion have morphed their once raucous Punk/Melodic Hardcore track into one now complimented by acoustic piano and lush orchestral strings. Bad Religion singer and co-songwriter Greg Graffin explains, "I have always written songs on piano. Some of our earliest songs were written on my mom's piano." "I'...

Jesse Michaels is most widely known as the frontman of seminal "East Bay" Ska Punk band, Operation Ivy, which featured both Tim "Lint" Armstrong & Matt "McCall" Freeman, who would later go on to form Rancid. Operation Ivy (or Op Ivy) were only active from about 1987-89, but their '89 debut, Energy—later, re-packaged as Operation Ivy in 1991 and 2007 with additional EP and compilation tracks—helped shape the 90's Ska Punk genre and is often cited as one of the most influential releases across the genre. Michaels would go on to expand his creative talents across art, painting, and literature, as well, and went on to form a number of bands, including Big Rig, Common Rider, and Classics of Love. Jesse Michaels, additionally, guested on a wide array of albums, EP's, and releases by other artists in recent years, including Screeching Weasel, The Bruce Lee Band, Leftöver Crack, One Time Angels, Rise Against, and one-time bandmate Tim Armstrong...

Mr. Bungle 2020 Line-up (CREDIT: Eric Livingston) Mr. Bungle was Mike Patton's pre-Faith No More band, originally active from 1985-2004 and covered a gamut of styles ranging from Experimental Rock to Alternative Metal, Avant-garde Metal to Ska Punk, Thrash Metal to Jazz Fusion, and more. Mr. Bungle's core members from 1985-2000 (when they played their last live show) included Patton, along with guitarist Trey Spruance and bassist Trevor Dunn with additional members including Theo Lengyel, Jed Watts, Luke Miller, Scott Fritz, Hans Wagner, Danny Heifetz, and Clinton "Bär" McKinnon. In the 20 years since their initial dissolution, Mr. Bungle's members went on to form and play with Tomahawk, Fantômas, Dead Cross, Lovage, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Peeping Tom, Secret Chiefs 3, Faith No More, Weird Little Boy, Trevor Dunn's Trio-Convulsant, The Melvins (Lite,) Melt-Banana, Link Wray, UMLAUT, and many more. The Raging Wrath Of The Easter Bunny Demo by Mr. Bungle...

It's been 27 years since the world first heard Beck Hansen's Slacker Rap anthem, "Loser." Although, I would have been six at the time, I can vaguely recall hearing it just a few short years later. To be completely honest, Beck was the first White/Jewish rapper I had ever heard, aside from Beastie Boys Adam "MCA" Yauch, Michael "Mike D" Diamond, and Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz, of course. Beck would eventually recruit The Beasties' Paul's Boutique producers, The Dust Brothers, to helm his own cult classic, Odelay (1996) and a couple albums later, 1999's Midnite Vultures. Beck has always managed to effortlessly teeter the lines between Hip-Hop, Indie Rock, Folk, Alt. Country, Dance-Rock/Pop, etc. and even won Album of The Year GRAMMY for his 2014 effort, Morning Phase. Strangely, in stark contrast to Folk-leaning Morning Phase, Beck's two albums released since, Colors & Hyperspace, have been a bit more Mainstream Dance Roc...