The Witzard

DIVIDED HEAVEN & Jared Hart in Hoston, Texas 2019 (photographer unknown / SOURCE: Facebook) DIVIDED HEAVEN has teamed up with their old friend Jared Hart (Mercy Union, The Scandals) for an unconventional cover of "Because You're Young" by C*ck Sparrer . I'm sure most people would not associate ukulele with the highly-influential English Punk group, but Jeff & Jared have put their own twist on this cover that was produced by Tim van Doorn. "I've been fortunate enough to cross paths with Jeff for over a decade now. He was one of the very first people to convince me to get out of my comfort zone and hop in a car with just a couple of acoustic guitars. Ever since that first tour, I've learned to trust and appreciate his instincts." "We both spent a lot of time listening to and covering these songs and I'm glad we could take a stab at this one from our current perspectives. Any time Jeff needs a harmony, I'll be there," Har...

Titus Andronicus (ILLUSTRATION: Nicole Rifkin) Esteemed East Coast Rock titans Titus Andronicus have announced the long-awaited release of their seventh studio album, The Will to Live, out via Merge Records this September. It was produced by Titus Andronicus singer-songwriter Patrick Stickles and award-winning Canadian producer Howard Bilerman (Arcade Fire, Broken Social Scene, Godspeed You! Black Emperor) at the latter's Hotel2Tango Recording Studio in Montreal, The Will to Live is heralded by today's premiere of the stirring first single, "(I'm) Screwed," listen now at all streaming services. An official music video from director Ray Concepcion—which finds the band performing on a flatbed truck during The Independence Day Parade in the band's hometown of Glen Rock, New Jersey. Stickles elaborates, "in "(I'm) Screwed," we are introduced to the narrator of The Will to Live at the moment he realizes the walls are closing in. Be it real or ...

While I love Hip-Hop and almost anything mildly "Punk Rock," I can honestly say that I've never really heard tell of a Hardcore band releasing a mixtape... and the sheer notion of it DOES sound pretty sketchy on paper. But I digress - Let's use the term "mixtape" loosely here and think of Titus Andronicus LLC Mixtape, Vol. 1 as more of a Who Odds & Sods-esque mix CD or hand-dubbed cassette; Rather than an arrogant DJ drop-filled collection of unclear-able sampled Boom-Bap beats and rhythms. Roger that? Titus Andronicus sold 200 copies of a hand-made CD-R rarities collection @ SXSW this past weekend. Due to a wider response than expected, Titus Andronicus LLC Mixtape, Vol. 1 was liberated on the band's Tumblr come Monday morning. It's essentially a 23-track collection of live cuts, covers, demos, out-takes, rehearsal sessions, and miscellaneous "odds & sods" spanning 2005-12. While the quality obviously varies from t...