The Witzard

Summah Stoop by Call Out Culture (Alaska & Zilla Rocca) feat Curly Castro Late last night, I received a Bandcamp Notification email from Wrecking Crew—Curly Castro, PremRock, Small Professor & Zilla Rocca—about their latest stand-alone single, "Summah Stoop" by Call Out Culture: Alaska x Curly Castro x Zilla Rocca. Essentially, this is the Call Out Culture Podcast Crew consisting of Alaska, Curly Castro & Zilla Rocca... but there's, also, a similarly named Hip-Hop crew consisting of Alaska & Zilla unofficially/FKA ZILLASKA. Those who know, will know this is FAR from Zilla Rocca & Alaska's first time collaborating together, but for those who may be unaware, Alaska & Zilla previously worked together on a number of occasions, including: "Return of The Angst" from Alaska's ALKAST EP/WORDS HURT's ALKAST:REMIXES from 2015, "Debuild" with Defcee from Curly Castro & Fakts One's RESTROY & DEBUILD, WORDS HURT...

Jokes for Feelings are a San Francisco/Bay Area-based Ska/Punk band, who regularly plays at legendary Punk-adjacent West Berkeley club 924 Gilman St. Alternative Music Foundation , often, known simply as "Gilman." Gilman is most commonly associated with being the springboard for the 90's Punk revival led by bands such as Green Day , Operation Ivy, Rancid , and The Offspring; over the years, the infamous music shack has hosted bills featuring AFI , Alkaline Trio, At The Drive-In , Bikini Kill, The Dickies , F*cked Up, Fugazi , Jawbreaker, The Mr. T Experience , Sick of It All, Sleater-Kinney , and SPAZZ. Jokes for Feelings (J.F.F.) are part of a modern day, ever-evolving, world-wide "Fourth Wave" Ska/Punk scene including The Interrupters , Makamoska! The FRIGHTNRS , Kill Your Ego, The Imposters , BANDERAS バンデラス, The Lions , and countless others, as profiled within documentary Pick It Up!: Ska In The 90's . Last year, Jokes for Feelings quietly issued t...

Summer Courses EP by Defcee and knowsthetime Since we first heard about Adam "Defcee" Levin on "Angel Dust (Leak Brothers 2)" from Career Crooks AKA Zilla Rocca & Small Professor's 2017 URBNET debut, Good Luck with That, the Chicago-based emcee has released two phenomenal projects: A Mixtape As God Intended, Vol. 1 on Machine Wash Music and SUNDAY, NO.1 EP as Hip-Hop super-group defprez with CRASHprez & knowsthetime . Now, Defcee has returned with his second proper release of 2019, Summer Courses EP fully recorded, produced, mixed, and mastered by defprez 's knowsthetime , who, also, designed the EP's cover art. Summer Courses consists of five separate "courses," each sporadically sub-titled "Summer... '07-18," which feature a variety of guest emcees including RTystic , Zilla Rocca, CRASHprez , greenSLLIME, Benjamin Earl Turner , Speedy Calhoun (TeamSkighWalkers,) and FrshWaters . Much like most of Defcee 's ...

Hesitation Wounds is a Hardcore/Punk super-group consisting of current and former members of Touché Amoré , True Cross, Trap Them , The Hope Conspiracy, The Suicide File , Gouge Away, and Axis . Initially formed in 2012, Hesitation Wounds' first incarnation featuring Touché Amoré frontman Jeremy Bolm , Neeraj Kane (The Hope Conspiracy,) Stephen LaCour (True Cross,) and Jay Weinberg —yes, Max Weinberg of The E Street Band & The Max Weinberg 7's son!—quickly released a 4-song self-titled EP on Deathwish Inc. 's sister label, Secret Voice Records , founded by Bolm. Weinberg briefly played with Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, as well as Madball & Against Me! and drummed throughout Slipknot's .5: The Gray Chapter (2014) and will be featured on their upcoming album, We Are Not Your Kind; Jay Weinberg played on Hesitation Wounds' 2016 album, Awake for Everything released on 6131 Records , but has, seemingly, left the band as of June 2019. It appe...

Last Friday was quite the busy day for critically-acclaimed drummer/producer Travis Barker : his remix for rising Pop songstress Maggie Lindemann 's "Friends Go" was released, as well as "F9mily (You and Me)" from Country/Rap emcee Lil Nas X 's latest 7 EP, AND his main gig, Blink-182 released a new song, "Generational Divide." As many of you may know by now, long-time co-vocalist and guitarist, Tom DeLonge , was fired/quit Blink back in 2015. Prior to this, the band had been active with Mark Hoppus, Tom DeLonge & Travis Barker from 1998-2005, then, the band broke up for about four years, and reunited in 2009 for numerous world-wide tours. FULL DISCLOSURE: Blink-182 was amongst my first favorite Punk/Hardcore bands, so I'm a bit biased! I've always stated, I was happy when Blink returned—although, Mark & Travis' Electro-Rock/Pop-Punk band (+44) formed in the interim, put out one of my all-time favorite albums!—although...

"Led by saxophonist Rob Mitchell, Abstract Orchestra have been a consistent presence on the UK music scene, touring constantly in promotion of their debut LP, Dilla, and follow-up 45, "New Day" Feat. Illa J, steadily building a loyal and supportive fanbase. Inspired by the legendary live performances of The Roots with JAY-Z and the 40-piece orchestral arrangements by Miguel-Atwood Ferguson of the work of J Dilla, classic arranging techniques underpin modern loop-based structures, breathing new life into familiar material... The band itself is based on the classic Jazz/Big Band instrumentation of saxes, trumpets, and trombones and features the cream of the North of England's Jazz scene, who, collectively, have played with Jamiroquai, Corinne Bailey Rae, Mark Ronson, Martha Reeves, John Legend & The Roots, Roots Manuva, and Amy Winehouse. MADVILLAIN VOL. 2 was recorded live in its entirety at ATA Records' own vintage analogue studio in Leeds. All tracks were...

Stale Flowers by dreamswell dreamswell are a self-proclaimed "Doomgaze" (Doom Metal + Shoegaze) band hailing from Philly. Formed about four years ago, dreamswell consists of Candice Martello, Jon Martello, Gina Piccari & Madalean Gauze , who initially bonded over a shared admiration for seminal Shoegaze bands, such as True Widow & Slowdive. " dreamswell , stemming from the gritty music scene of Philadelphia, is the collaboration of four familiar Philly music scene faces, who have come together to hit hard, get muddy, and whisper lightly," reads a description on their Facebook page. I also, catch sonic allusions to equally "gloomy" bands like Silversun Pickups, Cults, The Smashing Pumpkins, Baroness, The Cure, Siouxsie & The Banshees, and Echo & The Bunnymen. After having released a 2-act EP series throughout 2017-18, dreamswell have returned with the first single from their debut full-length, SPOILED . "Stale Flowers" defi...

Transportation by Your Old Droog Your Old Droog 's newly-minted Bandcamp page lacks much in lieu of a typical Artist Bio/Release Description and only contains a simple proclamation: " Y.O.D. is the best." Droog has come a long way from his early days as a Ukrainian-American immigrant, whom most people initially thought was an alter-ego of Nas; early on in his career, Your Old Droog received stamps-of-approval from both Sean Price & Prodigy (Mobb Deep,) as well as Sascha Jenkins, Edan, Homeboy Sandman, and countless others. I can recall the mass amounts of hype, mystery, and sheer confusion surrounding 2014's self-released Your Old Droog EP/LP , but my personal favorite Droog release was 2015's KINISON EP with its Rock "N" Roll & Stand Up Comedy-indebted edge. Your Old Droog 's second proper studio full-length, PACKS , was released in early 2017 and boasts collaborations with Heems AKA Himanshu (Swet Shop Boys,) Danny Brown, Chris Crac...

The Lewis Express are a Leeds, UK-based Jazz/Funk/Soul ensemble, whose name is, actually, a homage to beloved American Jazz composer, pianist, and radio personality Ramsay Lewis. The Express currently consists of pianist George Cooper , bassist Neil Innes , drummer Sam Hobbs , and percussionist "Bongo" Pete Williams ; Innes & Williams are the founders of Leeds-based ATA (All Things Analogue) Records , while a number of The Lewis Express' players have previously functioned as part of The Sorcerers, The Magnificent Tape Band, Abstract Orchestra, The Joe Tatton Trio, The Mandatory Eight, and Dread Supreme, as well as releases backing Matthew Bourne, Tony Burkill & Rachel Modest. ATA Records previously released The Lewis Express' self-titled 7-song EP last August to wide-spread fan and critical acclaim. Now, less than a year later, George, Neil, Sam & Bongo Pete have triumphantly returned with their next 7-inch/digital single, "Clap Your Hands...

"Soild Gold #11 - Money Mark! The keys man behind the music of some of the biggest hits for the Beastie Boys (Paul's Boutique, Licensed to Ill, Check Your Head,) Beck (he played the intro to "Where It's At,") and lots of other artists, is slumming it with Soild Gold. changeiscoming is an instrumental record that features a ton of collaborators, including Sean Lennon, Los Lobos, etc. has been out-of-print for years, and is a fan favorite. You will almost definitely recognize some of the tunes, as most of them have been featured on TV shows, commercials, movies, etc.; a really chill dinner party vibe. All in our patented "Soild Gold-style" paste-on covers with hand-stamped labels on Translucent Gold Vinyl and 12x18" cardstock poster. 50 copies of the special "Coins & Bills" Splatter vinyl—Trans. Gold mixed with Silver & Green, which gives it a crazy wavy look!—will be randomly inserted into orders. As always, Soild Gold is ANAL...

Dan Ubick has either played with, recorded with, backed up, or been sampled by everyone from Lily Allen to DJ Z-Trip. His own note-worthiest/most critically-acclaimed projects include Breakestra, Connie Price & The Keystones, The Lions, Rhythm Roots All-Stars, and most recently, The Mad Geezers & Night Owls. We've previously spoken with Dan Ubick AKA Constantine "Connie" Price on a number of occasions, over the years: once, in 2013 coinciding with the release of The Lions' This Generation on Stones Throw, again, in 2015 right around the time of The Lions' SOUL RIOT release, and just a year later, for Now-Again Records' 2016 re-issue of Connie Price & The Keystones' Wildflowers: The Expanded Edition. We were, also, fortunate enough to run an exclusive premiere for The Lions' music video for their cover of The Clash's "The Magnificent Dance" from their 1980 genre-eschewing 3-LP magnum opus, SANDINISTA! as well as various covera...

Chubby & The Gang are the latest signees to London, UK-based Static Shock Records, along with Barcelona's own Minima. "Chubby" is, of course, Straight Edge Punk/Hardcore player Chubby Charles AKA Charlie Fresh AKA Charlie Manning-Walker , who's previously played with Abolition , Arms Race, Crown Court , Guidance, and Violent Reaction over the years. According to Static Shock, Chubby & The Gang , also, consists of "three members of Gutter Knife ," although, it doesn't specify which members exactly. Gutter Knife are a Brighton, UK-based Hardcore/Punk band consisting of Ethan Stahl on guitar, Ted Faux behind the drums, Sam Rack on bass, Luke Austin providing vox, and Luca Selvaggio on guitar. Chubby & The Gang are preparing to unleash their debut 7-inch/digital single on July 5, 2019 and Static Shock Records has released "All Along The Uxbridge Road" as a single online. All Along The Uxbridge Road by Chubby and The Gang...

I've still been trying to get back on track following our 2-week honeymoon/vacation to Italy back in March, but, at this point, I'm probably not gonna get fully "back on track" until next year. However, with that said, one of my favorite releases since returning home was and still is SCARF TISSUE EP , the first collaborative release from Alex Ludovico & Jason Griff —sometimes, simply, referred to as "Griff" or "Jason/Griff." It's a quick 5-track burst, less than half the length of your standard Extended Play (EP) although, it's an extremely strong offering! While travelling across Italy, I was luck enough to get in touch with both Griff & Alex Ludovico and we were able to set up an track-by-track EP breakdown exclusively for The Witzard . I've very recently been hearing rumblings about a music video for Jimmie "J.J." Walker-referencing "Dy-No-Mite!" as well as a rumored 3-way collaboration between Griff ...

La Donna Che Toccò Il Diavolo by I Griz "The Devil Smiles Back [Il Diavolo Ricambia Il Sorriso] (1969) follows Father Ezra, a Catholic priest in 1920's Milan, who is haunted by the re-appearance of his long-thought-dead first love, Francesca. Upon her re-appearance, Francesca seeks to rekindle her relationship with Ezra and sway him from his vows, but the priest is preoccupied by a series of mysterious and grisly killings, which have plagued the diocese. Taking it upon himself to investigate, after the local authorities have all but abandoned the case, Ezra stumbles upon evidence that the murders are at the work of a den of vampires living within the cathedral's sunken catacombs. As he digs deeper, he discovers that The Bishop and his deacons are in league with the unholy night-dwellers, leaving him with no choice but to exterminate the vampire epidemic single-handely with fists, stakes, and silver bullets. After the bloody and brutal rampage, the final pieces fit toge...

"Ever since our fortiutious connecting at Comic-Con in 2008, we have been teaming up to drop fresh rhymes and play concerts for our fans and friends. It's been a wild ride and it feels like we are just getting started. For the last three years, we have been working on an album and are glad to say that it is 90% finished! In other words, this will be in your hands this year! We know some Kickstarters have taken longer than expected, but this project is super-close to being complete... Simply put, this album will contain Rap songs about some of our favorite literary works (works of Fiction, short stories, poems, and even graphic novels) transforming them into bangin' and joyful Hip-Hop jams with help from some of the hottest beat-makers and guest rappers in the game. We rap about Shelley's Ozymandias, Moore's Watchmen, Swift's Gulliver's Travels, Poe's Masque of The Red Death, and so much more. This album features guest appearances by MC Frontalot,...