The Witzard

The Hanukkah Sessions - CREDIT: Lego Dave Grohl (@LegoDaveGrohl) Last year, Foo Fighters frontman and esteemed writer Dave Grohl and producer, multi-instrumentalist, and song-writer Greg Kurstin teamed up once more for The Hanukkah Sessions : a series of eight performance videos covering the likes of the Beastie Boys, Drake, Mountain, Peaches, Bob Dylan, Elastica, The Knack, and The Velvet Underground. Eight Jewish artists, one for each night of Hanukkah 2020. Sunday night, the first night of Hanukkah, Grohl & Kurstin re-emerged with Night One of The Hanukkah Sessions 2021. "Welcome back to the menorah, y'all. Let's kick it this year's Hanukkah Sessions with one of Dallas, Texas' favorite Jewish daughters. So, put on your coffee shop spectacles and your Betsey Johnson dress and HAVA listen to this... "Stay" by Lisa Loeb," read a video description uploaded along with Night One's festive candle-lit offering. Yes, Dave Grohl & Greg Ku...

Yellowcard, Never-before-seen Band Photo (CREDIT: Amanda Burress) "Beautiful. Imagine your favorite Pop-punk band. Got it? Now, imagine that band with breath-taking harmonies, amazing guitar riffs, and a violin. Yes, a violin. Also, imagine that band is, also, able to play intricate acoustic songs. Sounds pretty damn good, doesn't it? IT SOUNDS GREAT! This album is the pinnacle of Pop-punk music," reads a 5-star PunkNews review of Yellowcard's third album, One for The Kids, from 2001. I, personally, got into Yellowcard a bit later for their massively-popular 2003 album, Ocean Avenue. It's a fantastic album end-to-end and was, essentially, the soundtrack to my later middle school/early high school life. Around the same time, I can recall having both The Underdogs EP (2002) and Beyond Ocean Avenue: Live at The Electric Factory DVD from 2004. Yellowcard were always one of those bands I adored and enjoyed, but I hate to admit, I kinda fell off with their music...

ATOM DRIVER (CREDIT: C.J. Grogan) Nefarious Industries presents Is Anything Alright, the latest EP from New Brunswick, NJ-based ATOM DRIVER, uniting current and former members of Deadguy, Good Clean Fun, and more. ATOM DRIVER formed in the fall of 2016 when guitarist and vocalist Mark Segal (formerly of New Brunswick Indie Rock band Boss Jim Gettys,) bassist Justin Ingstrup (ex-Good Clean Fun,) and drummer Mike Polilli (Buzzkill) set their sights on blending classic and current Noise Rock, Indie Rock, and Post-hardcore influences with a love of Punk & Metal. The trio made their debut with the 2017 EP Slackjaw, produced by Steve Evetts (Hatebreed, Dillinger Escape Plan, Snapcase, Sepultura) and released on local label Powerbunny 4x4. Two more self-released EP's followed: In The West, later that same year, and Here They Come, The Hornets in 2019. After re-assessing their musical vision in 2020, ATOM DRIVER recruited Chris "Crispy" Corvino (Deadguy, Second Arrows) t...

Long-time friends Adam "Atom" Goren & Brian Sokel followed interwoven paths through the Philadelphia Punk scene in the late 90's and early 2000's. While Sokel brought riffs to the Dub & Hardcore-blending ! franklin and was the primary song-writer and multi-instrumentalist for AM/FM , Goren was playing in Punk bands Fracture & Armalite and exploring the use of sequencers in his eccentric solo project Atom & His Package . In their respective projects, the two toured The US & Canada together, released each other's music on self-run labels, and Goren would even pay tribute to Sokel's band on the Atom & His Package track "For Franklin." Sokel briefly appears on Atom & His Package's "Out to Everyone" from Attention! Blah Blah Blah. and "Upside Down from Here" from Hair: Debatable, as well as TV Casualty's self-titled 7-inch of Misfits covers. Despite their closeness, Goren & Sokel had never ...

We've Got A Flyer On You will (hopefully!) be a new recurring column here at The Witzard. It's set to feature, examine, and re-visit mixed bill/genre, once-in-a-lifetime, iconic, and otherwise noteworthy Punk/Hardcore show flyers and their corresponding line-ups. As often as possible, we plan to speak directly with the promoters, bookers, flyer artists, soundmen/women, show attendees, and, most importantly, the artists themselves. If all goes well, we're even hoping to, eventually, cover a handful of shows we attended ourselves in years past, as well. For this slightly re-vamped edition of We've Got A Flyer On You, we'll be spotlighting a noteworthy musician, rather than a singular infamous show, for each installment. Steve Choi is a multi-instrumentalist, producer, writer, engineer, and long-time member of Post-punk/Hardcore band Rx Bandits (RXB.) In addition to RXB, Choi has spent time playing with The Bruce Lee Band, The Sound of Animals Fighting, Trust Foun...

Four Elements & Beyond (F.E.B.) is an American Hip-Hop group from New York. They're known for their sample-based beats, intricate lyrics, and live show. Members include Freak Tha Monsta (emcee/producer,) Miggs Son Daddy (emcee/artist,) and WRD Life (emcee.) They've been active since about 2011 as solo artists, various duos, and a three-man certified neck-snapper of a group. F.E.B.'s latest project is a five-track EP from WRD Life & Four Limbs called Apollo. "I go by the artist name WRD Life. Raised in Queens, NY 7-9 Jackson Heights, Elmhurst, to be specific. Been rapping since forever," WRD Life exclusively told The Witzard. WRD said his influences consist of Kool G. Rap, Nas, Big Pun, AZ, Big L, Half A Mill, Ghostface Killah, Wu-Tang Clan, and his Four Elements & Beyond family. Apollo by WRD Life x Four Limbs "As far as this project, man, [I've] been fortunate enough to work with Four Limbs outta The UK. Extremely talented brother,...

Record Kicks presents Origin of Forms, the vibrant debut album by Moscow Funk band The Diasonics , a mix of Cinematic Funk, Instrumental Hip-Hop, and Soviet Psychedelia. Record Kicks is proud to present the mesmerizing psychedelic universe of The Diasonics. Origin of Forms is the startling debut full-length by the Muscovite band, coming out on January 28, 2022 on limited edition LP, CD, and digital. The album is preceded by the Instrumental Soul single, "Gurami," released on limited edition 45 vinyl and digital. Welcome to "Hussar Funk," that's how The Diasonics call their music: a style that blends infectious Deep Funk instrumentals, East European flavours, Hip-Hop rhythms, and Psychedelia. Firmly rooted in the late 60's and early 70's, their debut album, Origin of Forms, was recorded on an 8-channel Japanese tape recorder called an Otari MX-5050 MK III at The Diasonics' headquarters, Magnetone Studio, in Moscow and was mixed by Henry Jenkins (Th...

After 34 years largely unreleased, the Beastie Boys quietly dropped the music video for one of their most raucous offerings Wednesday night. "She's Crafty" originally appeared on The Beasties' 1986 Def Jam debut, Licensed to Ill. It appeared as the B-side to both "No Sleep 'till Brooklyn" and "Girls" on their respective 12-inch singles. "She's Crafty" appeared alongside "Rhymin' & Stealin,'" "Fight for Your Right (to Party,)" "Hold It Now, Hit It," "No Sleep 'till Brooklyn," and "She's On It" as part of a self-titled 1987 Beasties Boys home video release best known amongst collectotrs as the Licensed to Ill VHS. CBS Fox Video Music/Def Jam Recordings, also, released the six-song VHS tape on then-extremely popular formats Laserdisc and Betamax in both The US & Japan. "She's Crafty"'s newly-unveiled music video was filmed on April 1, 1987 ...

"Cover art by extreme avant-garde painter and artist Danny Davies (@dannydaviesartist.) Since the mysterious disappearance of MF DOOM, we may all come to the conclusion that the missing puzzle pieces of his story may never be revealed about what might have really happened to Daniel Dumile. Perhaps, evolving again through a different dimension within another dimension. We celebrate the life of this prodigy genius, the beloved enigmatic wizard phenomenon super-villain lyricist. It's such a special solemn ceremony of commemoration. This DOOM MiXx , hopefully, takes us on an energizing journey of collage celebrating only some of the many gifts left by DOOM. Prepare for surprises and exclusive content, while simultaneously being creatively executed. This kaleidoscopic mix transcends time and space being re-birthed and re-incarnated since some of the early recordings of The Super Villain. There are many selections that will, possibly, get the best of your emotions for the true ...