The Witzard

We just recieved an email blast from our old friend, multi-instrumentalist/rapper/singer, director/editor/engineer/mixer, etc. and modern day Renaissance Man Steve "Sulu" Mallorca. Steve is a de facto one-man band operating, recording, and performing as Sulu & Excelsior (XLCR) since about 2016. Sulu & XLCR have since released two full-length albums, Eddie Romero (2016) and The AntiMatter Suite (2019) both of which we personally enjoyed and covered at length here at The Witzard. Additionally, through COVID-19 restrictions and Pandemic-related Lockdowns Sulu has recorded and released two Bandcamp-exclusive albums, as well, for various Bandcamp Friday festivities: 2020's Refinished (Remix Album) and XLCR Instrumentals (Instrumental Remix Album.) Now, Sulu & Excelsior have returned once more to share their annual NPR Tiny Desk Contest submission. If we're counting correctly, this will be Sulu's FIFTH Tiny Desk Contest submission (come on, guys, aw...

ILL COMMUNICATION (CREDIT: Matt Welch) ILL COMMUNICATION started as a few friends from the Oxnard & Tehachapi Hardcore scenes who had talked about making music together for over 15 years. After playing and touring across North America & Europe in bands such as THE WARRIORS, Diehard Youth, NO MOTIV, Retaliate, and Gravemaker, they named the band (after the Beastie Boys,) wrote some music, and started playing out. Soon after, they recorded two EP's that where released online, as well as a one-sided 12-inch on Another City Records. All their releases have been and will be written, recorded, and engineered by a core group of friends. Musically pulling from classic Hardcore bands such as Beyond, Turning Point, and Inside Out, as well as well as mix of other musical styles. Rhythms & Rhymes for the End Times by ILL COMMUNICATION Lyrically addressing a variety of topics from the state of the world to chillin' out with friends; ILL COMMUNICATION has been known to gi...

SEMANTICS pictured with their touring guitarist (CREDIT: Harley Jones) Cathartic and emotive Australian Post-punk group SEMANTICS has signed to prominent Los Angeles-based Indie label SideOneDummy Records (Flogging Molly, The Gaslight Anthem, KILL YOUR IDOLS) for the release of their debut album, Paint Me Blue, which is due out across the world this May. In addition, the band unveiled their anthemic and infectious lead single, "Get In The Car," as well as the music video. Also, limited edition vinyl is now available for pre-order. Paint Me Blue was produced by GRAMMY-nominated producer Jack Shirley (Gouge Away, Joyce Manor, Tony Molina) and showcases their mastery of Punk & Indie sensibilities with a distinctive Aussie flair. Lyrically, the band delves into mental illness and environmental depression. "Each song is discussing a facet of life as a young Australian in today's world, whether it's juggling work with study, opening a dialogue about mental healt...

Craig Finn (CREDIT: D. James Goodwin) Craig Finn has announced the release of his eagerly-awaited new album. The Hold Steady frontman's fifth solo LP, A Legacy of Rentals, arrives on CD and digital download, via Positive Jams/Thirty Tigers this May. The album will be available in several formats, including CD, standard vinyl, and limited-edition white vinyl (online orders only.) Both physical pre-orders and digital pre-Saves are available now. A Legacy of Rentals was largely written during the heaviness of 2020, in the shadow of The Pandemic and the George Floyd murder that tragically occurred in Finn's hometown of Minneapolis. Recorded in May 2021 with Finn's long-time collaborators, producer Josh Kaufman and engineer D. James Goodwin, A Legacy of Rentals is heralded by the first song, "Messing with The Settings," available today on all digital streaming platforms. An exclusive album trailer, also, titled A Legacy of Rentails, is available now, as well. ...

Neil Rubenstein's "headshots" (CREDIT: Ryan Brook) Neil Rubenstein has worn many hats throughout his career: musician, frontman, talent manager, pick-up baseball player, label co-owner, tour manager, podcaster, reviewer/critic, and stand-up comedian. Rubenstein was once a member of Punk/Hardcore bands Irony of Lightfoot, Sons of Abraham, Tetsuo, These Enzymes, and thisyearsmodel. He acted as tour manager for Motion City Soundtrack, Kittie, and RIVAL SCHOOLS and briefly operated his own artist management agency, Sons Modern. Neil Rubenstein co-owned, operated, and revived Fadeaway Records along with fellow Long Islander, scene photographer, and long-time friend Michael Dubin. Fadeaway issued note-worthy releases from The Movielife, Brand New / Safety In Numbers, a split from Rubenstein's own thisyearsmodel & Hot Rod Circuit, Kevin Devine's The Miracle of '86, and a 2017 compilation EP entitled Between The Bars (The Songs of Elliott Smith.) Neil Ruben...

The Drowns Live - CREDIT: Trude Gilman (@photography.by.trude) Our favorite raucous Rock "N" Rollers from the Pacific Northwest, The Drowns , have announced their new EP, Lunatics, and released a video for the first single, "Live Like Yer Dyin.'" Lunatics is the follow-up to the band's recently-released 7-inch, "Know Who You Are," and their previous full-length, Under Tension. For Lunatics, The Drowns once again got back into the studio with producer Ted Hutt (The Gaslight Anthem, Dropkick Murphys, The Bouncing Souls) to re-capture the magic they created for Under Tension. "'Live Like Yer Dyin'" is my love for Little Richard in one song. It gets up and goes, right from the first beat. Pure and simple Rock "N" Roll, lightning in a bottle," says frontman Rev. Lunatics showcases incredible growth in The Drowns' song-writing—revealing an array of influences the band has not showcased in their prior releases. ...

Beneath every blast of feral Hardcore is a sense of melody—not a three-part harmony or earworm hook, but the right mix of pace, phrasing, and a heap of intangible passion. Formed as a five-piece unit in the Greater D.C. area, Praise's mission statement has been to work within the box of traditional Hardcore while exploring the bounds of melody in every possible sense. This means more than splicing power-chords with catchy accents, but rather, mining the work of the masters inside and outside of the genre and immersing themselves in the roots of those who changed Hardcore's sound and boundaries; but it doesn't just stop there. Along with their love of the rich history of Washington, D.C. Hardcore Punk, Praise's sound darts and dashes through scenes, decades, and genres, united by the core tenets of a catchy song and the impulse to deliver a message. From 80's Minneapolis Power Pop and Dag Nasty to The Cure & Leatherface, along with sprinkles and nods to t...