The Witzard

Gabe 'Nandez pictured in the Wikiruta desert of Central Mexico (SOURCE: Jeff Weiss) Last night, I posted an off-the-cuff "Tweet" on X (formerly known as Twitter,) which read, "Man, this new @GabeNandez album is straight Fire Emojis rn fr fr no cap... or whatever it is the youth of today would say these days! But, seriously, great job once more, @Passionweiss!" with a couple hashtags and a Bandcamp link to H.T. III. It was meant partly in jest towards today's youth of which I am extremely, admittedly, out-of-touch, as most 35-year-olds likely are, but not at all in jest towards 'Nandez and/or H.T. III. Oddly enough, I was just telling my friend and co-worker about 'Nandez's music on Spotify earlier this week and today, we have a brand new 'Nandez album treat for our earholes. During a cold sunset in the mountains of Central Mexico, Gabe 'Nandez grabbed some water, candy, and a machete, and wandered into the desert in search of the myst...

Don't Sleep 2023 band photo (CREDIT: unknown) Whoever said "lightning only strikes once" clearly has not met Dave Smalley. From being right in the middle at the birth of US Hardcore Punk with D.Y.S. to creating the blueprint of Melodic Hardcore with Dag Nasty, from helping to invent Pop-punk as we know it with ALL to finding himself in the middle of the West Coast Punk explosion of the 90's with Down By Law: Smalley was always on the forefront every time Hardcore Punk stretched its envelope. While others may use a legacy like that as an excuse to take it a little slower, Dave Smalley has no intention to rest on his laurels and keeps writing new music and releasing records. When he founded Don't Sleep with fellow East Coast Punk Rockers Garrett Rothman, Tony Bavaria, Jim Bedorf, and Tom McGrath in 2017, the world was more than excited about seeing him front a fast yet melodic Hardcore band again. Being motivated by the immense positive feedback, Don't Slee...

Tightwire full-color illustration (CREDIT: David Buist, @david_buist) The best Pop-punk bands come from the Midwest. That thar's a scientific fact. Another proven law of Ramones-core is that the second album is even better. So, you can see why we're fired up about this new record: Head Full of Snakes is destined for greatness! Tightwire came storming outta Minneapolis in 2018 with a catchy/crusty/spooky debut, Six Feet Deep, and toured with Dillinger Four, CHIXDIGGIT!, Off With Their Heads, and more. Since then, they've only gotten stronger with the addition of Noelle Stolp on second guitar and added vocals. She's Iowa Punk royalty! And now that Tightwire 2.0 is armed with 12 new songs about darkness and damnation, they'll be hitting the road on some tasty tours and festivals. It appears as though since Tightwire's 2018 effort, Six Feet Deep, the band has gone through some major changes, re-structuring, revitalization, and is now back better than ever! We g...