The Witzard

Fishbone 2023 press shot (CREDIT: Pablo Mathiason) We told you yesterday afternoon that Fat Wreck Chords' new imprint Bottles to The Ground released a label compilation called Bottle Music for Broken People featuring songs from Codefendants, Fishbone, The Meffs, Melvinator, The Skints, and more. We wrote about Fat Mike's contribution with his new project, Fat Mike Gets Strung Out, featuring frequent collaborator Baz The Frenchman on comp. closer "Total Bummer." Bottle Music for Broken People is now available digitally, as well as on limited edition 12-inch vinyl . The majority of the tracks featured are previously unreleased and many will, eventually, appear on upcoming Bottles to The Ground physical releases on either 10-inch or 12-inch vinyl. Bottle Music for Broken People gives fans the first cross-sectional look at what they can expect from the new label moving forward. Speaking on Bottles to The Ground's first compilation release, Fat Mike shares, ...

Fat Mike Gets Strung Out and signed show flyer (SOURCE: FatMikeGetsStrungOut.com & Facebook) Let's just start this off by saying that we really aren't fans of Michael "Fat Mike" Burkett, his long-standing band, NOFX, or his opinions. It may be that he's always kinda just rubbed us the wrong way and, although, we've heard plenty enough of NOFX's music over the years, it just never really clicked with us. However, we will admit we've always dug Fat Mike's label imprint and pseudo-namesake, Fat Wereck Chords, and a handful of the bands they've signed and albums they've dropped; a couple mildly enjoyable points that stand out are the Rock Against Bush, Vol. 1-2 compilations (with Less Than Jake & Billy Bragg's version of "The Brightest Bulb Has Burned Out," ) NOFX's "Eat The Meek (Dub Mix) from Floyd's 2002 Squawk Among Us promo CD sampler, which I either picked up at the X Games or Tony Hawk's Boom Bo...

ILL COMMUNICATION (CREDIT: Matt Welch) ILL COMMUNICATION formed in 2017, named after the classic Beastie Boys album and featuring members of THE WARRIORS, NO MOTIV, Retaliate, Diehard Youth, and Gravemaker. Now, they're set to release their first full-length album, Doomsday Brigade, later this year on March 17 Safe Inside Records . It was engineered by the band's own Roger Camero, and co-produced by The Movielife, I Am The Avalanche, Constant Elevation, and Peace'd Out's Vinnie Caruana (who's, also, in Peace'd Out with Camero) and one-time ILL COMMUNICATION member/THE WARRIORS' Donny Phillips. Caruana, also, sings on new single, "Flip The Switch," which premiered last week exclusively at BrooklynVegan . "We, living in this age of quarrel where technology and social media have become a major component of our daily lives," says vocalist Andy Franchere of the new song. "We are aware tech and social media can be used to enrich our day...

Earlier this week, just in time for Valentine's Day, UK Pop-punk/Rock band Neck Deep shared their latest non-album single and msuic video, "Heartbreak of The Century." The track is described as "a classic-sounding Neck Deep song, catchy, angsty, pacey, powerful, and a little bit pathetic" by vocalist Ben Barlow, complete with an Academy Award-deserving music video. It's definitely akin to Neck Deep's earlier more hard-edged Pop-punk material that can be heard across 2012-13 EP's Rain In July & A History of Bad Decisions . Barlow continues, "we took the idea of "The Heartbreak of The Century" and imagined if you could, actually, win an award for that. So, there we had it—a sh*tty Oscar's, where we won The Heartbreak of The Century award. We wanted the video to feel classic/nostalgic, something that was entertaining to watch, rather than your usual. It features some of our "best" (worst) acting to date and is one of o...

Punk/Metal maniacs Chesty Malone & The Slice 'em Ups are from the bowels of New York City, USA and they've been playing their twisted brand of Rock "N" Roll up and down The East Coast & The Midwest for over 13 years. They were weened on 1980's Punk, Hardcore, and Metal, long-forgotten Rockabilly bands, and an unhealthy dose of Zombie & Slasher flicks, trashy novels, late night Sci-Fi TV. Formed in 2006 in Astoria, Queens, New York by singer Jaqueline Blownaparte and guitar mangler Anthony Allen Van Hoek, Chesty Malone & The Slice 'em Ups unleashed their debut album, Now We're Gonna See What Disaster Really Means, in 2008 on Wrecked Records. It was soon ollowed in 2011 by sophomore effort, Torture Rock. Chesty, then, released their third LP, We're Still Dead!, in 2017. They had two acclaimed 7-inch EP's drop throughout 2019 on 1332 Records, Satantic Brooklyn Scum and Destroy All Humans. My War (Black Flag cover) by Chesty Malone...

Hayley Williams, Hayley Williams(2), and Paramore - "All I Wanted" (CREDIT: Dan Schenker) Art Inhuman is a collaborative effort between Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) artist Dan Schenker and writer Matt Horowitz. Dan takes band names, lyrics, and song names and with the help of an A.I. manipulates them into what he feels best represents them visually. If you have a suggestion for an upcoming addition to this series, Tweet Matt at @SharpChedder856 and/or Dan at @heydanschenker and Tag the band or artist you'd like us to feature next. This project spawned from Dan's decades-long love of music. Dan had been a fan of the band FOLLY since early high school—for the blend of Punk, Ska, and Hardcore they seamlessly wove, for the energy their music made him feel, and for the almost disproportionately poetic lyrics and topics they covered. So, when Dan thought to input some of his favorite lyrics, song titles, and album titles into Midjourney, the results were staggering. ...

SAMIAM 2023 press shot (CREDIT: Austin Rhodes) SAMIAM just wouldn't be the same without a little bit of chaos. Over their three decades together, the Oakland, California-based band have specialized in energetic hard luck songs that are as hooky as they are relatable. So, perhaps, it's fitting that the creation of Stowaway, the band's first new album in 12 years and their ninth full-length, wasn't the easiest. There are very few bands better at capturing the feeling of stumbling only to get up again and on Stowaway, SAMIAM prove exactly why they remain one of the most endearing and enduring Punk bands of their generation. Initially formed in 1988, SAMIAM—whose current line-up includes long-time members Jason Beebout (vocals,) Sean Kennerly (guitar,) and Sergie Loobkoff (guitar,) as well as newer additions Colin Brooks (drums) and Chad Darby (bass)—grew out of the D.I.Y. Punk scene centered around 924 Gilman Street. After the release of 2011's Trips , the band didn...

If necessity is the mother of invention, then, it's no surprise that [TITLE HOLDER]'s creation was born at the height of The COVID Pandemic. Formed in 2020 by then-Queens-based singer/song-writer Matt Sullivan, his unique take on Ska & Pop-punk is an honest and earnest take on two genres that have seen their fair share of silly fads and trends. The result is [TITLE HOLDER]'s undeniable energy and Pop sensability that quickly gained the attention of Chris DeMakes (Less Than Jake, The Bruce Lee Band,) who produced and helped arrange several of the tracks from Sullivan's debut recorded effort, the six-song EP, The Story of My Life . Ready and eager to bring their energetic live show on the road, the band followed the release of The Story of My Life by sharing the stage and supporting the likes of CATBITE, J. Navarro & The Traitors (The Suicide Machines,) Mustard Plug, The Pietasters, Spring Heeled Jack, and more. Milwaukee-based Interstate Music even selected [TI...

Blood Runs Cold at their first performance together, FYA Fest 2023 (CREDIT: Steve Levy) Hailing from The Island of Long (ya'know, Long Island,) New York, Blood Runs Cold is creating Metallic Hardcore fueled by sheer frustration. Just last week, the band made their debut with double-single, "Residuals" B/W "Kill Yourself," out on DAZE . Formed by brothers, guitarist Evan Perino (Separated, Missing Link) and drummer Dillon Perino (Sanction, The Fight,) the two set out with vocalist Joey Chiarmonte (KOYO, Soul Provider, TYPECASTE) to produce a sound that was heavier than what was currently happening in the local scene. Rounded out by guitarist Mike Marino (Sanction) and first-time bassist Kyle Mulligan, the band took their time in the studio crafting out what you hear today. The two songs fall into a similar vein of recent DAZE releases, like Simulakra & Foreign Hands, while pulling influence from bands, like Buried Alive, Madball & Poison The Well. ...