The Witzard

Mike Chick is a guy from New Jersey who enjoys creating music with people he admires. He's played lots of shows and has shook a good amount of hands. He is signed to Mint 400 Records and currently plays in the bands Yawn Mower & Bill, Nick, Bob & Chick (BNBC.) Chick, also, seems to have some sort of involvement with both Modern Animals (@modern_animals) and FUSARO PIZZA Merch, Mike Chick's most recent full-length project was an awesomely-titled maxi-single for Mint 400 Records dubbed "The High Life Let Me Down Again Last Night." Now, just in time for Halloween/Spooky Season, Chick has returned with his latest solo effort, a seasonally-appropriate single he's calling "Ding! Dong! Fill My Plastic Pumpkin." As a press release perfectly explains it: "when you search for "top Halloween songs," you'll probably get results like [Creedence Clearwater Revival's] "Bad Moon Rising," [Van Halen's] "Running w...

DO WHAT YOU WANT Author Jim Ruland (CREDIT: Clair McAllister) "No one has ever confused Bad Religion with The Misfits, but that doesn't mean they don't have some scary songs. The band's predilection for pin-pointing (and predicting) society's worst-case scenarios and constant reminders that we're heading for annihilation mean the landscape for a Bad Religion song can be downright terrifying. Here are 13 songs that showcase the spooky side of Bad Religion that you can listen to alongside the voices in your head in the room inside your room. Of course, with The Pandemic showing no sign of ending due to The Tr*mp Administration's gross mismanagement, you could just play "We're Only Gonna Die (from Our Own Arrogance)" over and over again until there are no humans left," author Jim "Vermin" Ruland told The Witzard, via email. Ruland recently co-wrote Do What You Want: The Story of Bad Religion along with the band themselves. We...

planet pumpkin by Purple Dialect " Purple Dialect answers an ad on Craigslist to raid PLANET PUMPKIN . The orc hives are a little more lit than they appeared [in] the brochure. Zane has to decide if the job is worth it when he finds out it only pays in candy corn and Samba 45's," Zane Rice AKA rapper-producer Purple Dialect wrote within the Bandcamp description for his latest album. PLANET PUMPKIN is sub-titled, "GHOST VOLCANO: SEASON 1; EPISODE 4" and an impassioned Rice asserts, "this is a mixtape. It's raw as f**k. Hopefully, you like it." Purple Dialect 's CAMPFIRE EP follow-up, PLANET PUMPKIN , as you might have already deduced, is a largely Halloween -themed and inspired album from Philly 's own Purple Dialect . PLANET PUMPKIN consists of 13 spook-tacular tracks from Purple Dialect , who said he simply "just tried to make music that [he] liked." He then, called in frequent collaborators Luke "Spook" No...

DARK THOUGHTS HALLOWEEN TAPE by DARK THOUGHTS It really makes complete and total sense for a band entitled "Dark Thoughts" to make a spook-tacular Halloween -themed mixtape just in time for All Hallows' Eve . I'm actually, a bit surprised they haven't done it sooner; considering Dark Thoughts are a self-described Pop-Punk -minded band "dressing up" as their beloved The Ramones nearly each and every day. Dark Thoughts have already opened up for fellow Philly Punks Blank Spell , Pissed Jeans, and SHEER MAG and are currently working on the follow-up to their critically-acclaimed self-titled 2016 debut. HALLOWEEN TAPE showcases four rough demos currently slated to appear within Album #2: "NO GOOD," "DON'T WANNA," "HATE THIS SONG," and "LITTLE THING," all of which collectively clock in right around the 5-minutes mark. Then, the remaining nine or so minutes housed on Dark Thoughts' HALLOWEEN TAPE con...

Yes, last night was in fact, the pinnacle of Halloween Weekend(s) ; In honor of the closing events séance, "Conan" 's newest episode was flavored with a moderate amount of extra [special] tricks and treats. Following an approximately 55-minute dosage of the regular hi-jinx, Jimmy Fallon -assisted laughs, and slightly awkward moments... Reggie Watts & House Band proceeded to take the Beacon Theater main stage. The musical comedian took the stage, decked out in his signature 'fro and a Prince -esque blood red velvet suit jacket/puffy shirt. In an earnest, heart-felt effort to give long-time friend Conan a proper "Welcome Home Celebration," Reggie Watts performed a re-arranged version of Thin Lizzy's "The Boys Are Back In Town" (1976). Honoring Conan 's week-long stay @ Beacon Theater -- his first lengthy New York holiday since roughly 2009 -- Watts performed a truly unique version of the band's staple hit: Shifting back and ...

Initially formed for nothing more than shits, giggles, and friends' sheer enjoyment, Summer Camp has morphed into quite a prosperous passion project band. Active on the Indie Rock scene since Fall 2009, Summer Camp was erroneously mistaken for "a group of seven Swedish friends, who made timeless, doe-eyed Lo-Fi Pop ." [Music Journalist] Elizabeth Sankey & Jeremy Warmsley 's debut long-player as "Summer Camp," Welcome to Condale , will see a Nov. 8th release; Like the majority of the group's compositions, the album's central story is set in the fictitious quaint, little suburb of Condale, LA . Welcome to Condale is the eventual follow-up to Summer Camp 's 2010 release, Young EP . Thusfar, a string of sample tracks have been release from the record: "I Want You," "Better Off Without You," and now... "Down." The Chris Boyle -directed music video accompaniment for the latter was released just the other day....

In an effort to spread the often-forgotten warm, creative spirit of Halloween ... Gouls & gals, it's my pleasure to present to you: Lil B & SALEM - "Slangin' Yayo." Essentially, an expanded version/sequel of Red Flame (mixtape), Evil Red Flame was quietly liberated to DatPiff on Thanksgiving Day 2010 along with this cryptic message: "This Is The Closing To The RED FLAME GENRE AND CLASSIC COLLECTORS ITEMS, EVIL RED FLAME IS THE KEY PIECE TO COMPLETE YOUR RED FLAME LISTEN... YOU MUST PEACEFULLY DOWNLOAD BLUE FLAME TO UNDERSTAND RED FLAME AND EVIL RED FLAME MIXTAPE!! COLLECT THEM ALL!" SALEM is in fact, a Michigan -based band made up of 3 creative 20-somethings: Jack Donoghue, Heather Marlatt , and John Holland . While originally jokingly conceived by Travis Edgy as a pseudo-genre, the members of SALEM have fully embraced and embodied the signifying "qualities" of Witch-House ... hence, fortifying it as a legitimate reality; Co...

"It's provocative, new, Surf-Hop , edgy & not safe. But yet oh so sexy for the women," says Yonas Michael of the ideology behind his newly-crafted Surf-Hop sound. The artist formerly known as "Y-O" of U-N-I is putting the finishing touches on his debut solo project, Lost In Hollywood . So far, eager fans have heard a handful of assorted album tracks: "House Full of Women," "Scorpio Lover" (Preview), "Open the Door" [below], and "PUNKS." The latter will be the last official album advance until it's quickly-approaching Halloween (Oct. 31st) release date. While actively creating Lost In Hollywood , Michael acquired beats from Ro Blvd. Mainframe, Faahz, Tony (Crimekillz) , AJ Subat, Polyester, Tae Beast, Alejandro Chal, and Klutch. In a recent emailed exchange, Yonas Michael stated that the primary focus throughout was to make a classic, great album... and that the signature "Surf-Hop" sound was...

"EXCLUSIVE HORROR-THEMED MIX FROM THE CONNECTICUT PSYCH-FUNK MARVELS: Connecticut 's suave Psych practitioners The Stepkids have gifted The Stool Pigeon with a ghoulishy weird mixtape of horror-themed tracks... ahead of the release of their self-titled debut for Stones Throw on September 26-27th. The hour-long mix comprises a truly mind-messing array of artists; From kindred freak-funk souls in Screamin' Jay Hawkins and Funkadelic right [on] through to cosmic creepiness from Frank Zappa and Thelonius Monk . Watch out, this one'll blend your brains into a pink protein shake and not leave you a tip!" - The Stool Pigeon