The Witzard

The whole EP was conceived and, then, written/recorded pretty quickly—only over a couple of days with me playing all the instruments. When I feel inspired, I like to work really fast. I had just listened to a podcast with one of the founders of Sarah Records and, then, watched the documentary on Sarah, as well. I am a pretty big music nerd, but the Sarah catalog wasn't, necessarily, something I was well-versed in during the 90's and while I like Field Mice, Heavenly, and Boy Racer, I wasn't super-educated in the entire catalog. That said, I've always been a big fan of Black Tamborine, Velocity Girl, and more stuff that is adjacent to that scene or influenced by it (like, [The] Pains of Being Pure at Heart and Crystal Stilts.) Also, I'm a big Smiths, Byrds, and R.E.M. fan, so jangle-y Rickenbacker-lead Pop songs have always been my jam. And, then, there's other stuff that influenced that scene, everything from The Jesus & Mary Chain and Teenage Fanclu...

Adam "Influence" Black functions as the beloved bassist for Philly's own Hoagie-core pioneers Body Spray. We got a chance to see Body Spray as part of a Pissed Jeans gig at Boot & Saddle a quite few years back now "B.C." (Before COVID-19) and became instant fans. We've been in contact with Black on-and-off ever since. Legend has it, Body Spray's members met in a bowling league. "We rolled together and, then, we rocked together," as they perfectly spin it. At the time of said bowling meet-up, Dan Haddigan & Eric Kenney were in Problems and Adam Black & Ian Kiesel were in Cannon. Body Spray's 2019 full-length debut, Music to Fall Down To , is a phenomenally frantic and extremely fun display of Hoagie-core, Metal, Noise Rock, and Punk/Hardcore. Are You Not Infotained? by Unfluencer Black is, also, a member of Philly-based two and three-man bands Keystone Blight & Salt Farm and until recently, moonlighted as Influencer,...

From South of The Angels online and cassette tape cover - CREDIT: Robert Campos (@thetrevrr) Los Angeles Hardcore crew YŌKAI' are preparing to release their latest 2-track EP, From South of The Angels, tomorrow digitally on No Time Records. However, they've gifted us with an exclusive premiere of both tracks, "Narcissist" & "Out of Sight," today right here at The Witzard. YŌKAI's current line-up consist of vocalist Daniel "Danny" Ortiz, guitarists John "Johnny" Vallejo & Daniel "Dony" Gil, bassist Héctor Rivera, and drummer Jairo Avila. Gil is YŌKAI's newest member and From South of The Angels This marks his first time recording with the band. "I'm super-excited for my first release in YŌKAI'. Being part of the band has been fun and I hope we can keep this going," Daniel "Dony" Gil shares. From South of The Angels was engineered by Taylor Young (DRAIN, God's Hate, Twitching Tongu...

Sean Farlow of Sunstroke - CREDIT: Daniella Heminghaus (@dhphoto9) Sunstroke is a Hardcore Punk band hailing from New Jersey/Philadelphia and surrounding areas drawing a heavy influence from Revolution Summer -era bands, such as Dag Nasty, Embrace, Rain, and Rites of Spring, as well as a larger range of influences from 80's Brit-Pop, Shoegaze, and Minnesota Pop-punk greats Hüsker Dü and The Replacements. While keeping a strong handle on the ethos and social justice elements of Hardcore/Punk, Sunstroke looks to offer a sound and content for audiences to resonate with. Sunstroke have thus far released music on CoinTossRecords & New Mortality 'zine , including multiple increasingly sought-after variants and limited edition vinyl colorways for each corresponding release. Sunstroke's primary line-up consists of Sean Farlow & Ian Strang, as well as an ever-evolving rotating line-up including part-time members Brandon, Mikey, Christian, John K., Justin, Dave, Joey, To...

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard's "Black Hot Soup" (DJ Shadow "My Own Reality" Re-Write) Video Still This past Friday, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard have released a new single and music video for "Black Hot Soup" (DJ Shadow "My Own Reality" Re-Write) from their forthcoming remix album. Following last month's "Neu Butterfly" (Peaches Remix) and "Shanghai" (Dub By The Scientist,) King Gizzard continue their star-studded remix streak with "Black Hot Soup" (DJ Shadow "My Own Reality" Re-Write) and expand on it with an accompanying video directed by John Angus Stewart, starring iconic Australian author, satirist, radio presenter, and documentary-maker John Safran and featuring appearances from Alkiviadis Grapsas & John Dimoulas. "'Black Hot Soup" is an almost perfect way to describe the world as we know it in the present. A bubbling, thick, sticky, confusing angry place th...

Last Friday, on New Year's Eve, while most people were either getting ready to party (or pre-gaming!) Pirates Press Records released the A-side to The Drowns' upcoming yelloe 7-inch single, "Know Who You Are," which is streaming now, as well. Said 7-inch is, also, available now on the Pirates Press Records web-store and officially comes out later this month. The aforementioned track is, of course, a cover of the legendary Slade and the B-side features a new original track called "Guidelines of Control." The Seattle Rock "N" Roll purists have never been shy to readily acknowledge their influences and, since Day One, Slade has been high up on that list. To quote The Drowns' guitarist/co-vocalist Aaron "Rev" Peters, "their energy and Rock "N" Roll sound is nothing short of pure sonic truth." The minute The Drowns started jamming "Know Who You Are" in-studio, they knew it was going to be great and FUN...

William Ryan Key (CREDIT: Acacia Evans) Sometimes, those steps sideways are the most impactful. Former Yellowcard vocalist and rhythm guitarist William Ryan Key continues to challenge, not only his fans, but, also, himself with a slight right turn for his third solo EP, Everything Except Desire. Propelling him further into uncharted musical territory with a more Experimental sound, this EP, also, marks a new beginning for the multi-instrumentalist: he has inked a new record deal with seminal Indie label Equal Vision Records. "Ever since I started making my own music, I think, I've been searching for what became Everything Except Desire," says Key about his new EP. Textured with multi-layered soundscapes incorporating lush pastoral washes of piano, strings, and synths, the music heard across Everything Except Desire evokes emotions through complex song structures that show Key's passion for experimentation. A sonic exploration of emotions and the journey to fin...