The Witzard

Roberto Galdamez pictured with the original Will to Live The Therapy Sessions oil painting (ART: P.J. Svejda / CREDIT: Esperanza Galdamez) Formed in 1997 with the purpose of establishing a united Texas Hardcore scene, Will to Live was at the forefront of a new wave of bands there that would, eventually, carry the flag for the Lone Star State into the future. They helped push their local scene in becoming a hotbed for Internationally-renowned acts, such as POWER TRIP, Frozen Soul, IRON AGE, Bitter End, and many more. Combining insightful, inspiring lyrics with the unmistakable spirit and ethos of Hardcore Punk with the brutality of Death Metal breakdowns, Will to Live has written pummeling anthems that have earned the band a die-hard following in Texas and abroad for over 20 years. Now in 2023, history continues for Will to Live. Helmed by vocalist Roberto "Rob to Live" Galdamez (TRUE INTENTIONS, Outpost 31,) drummer Mike "Fury" Arellano (Spirit Adrift, Method of D...

ILL COMMUNICATION (CREDIT: Matt Welch) ILL COMMUNICATION started as a few friends from the Oxnard & Tehachapi, California Hardcore scenes who had talked about making music together for over 15 years. After playing and touring North America & Europe in bands, such as THE WARRIORS, Diehard Youth, NO MOTIV, Retaliate, and Gravemaker, they named the band, wrote some music, and started playing out. Soon after, they recorded two EP's that where released online, as well as a one-sided 12-inch on Another City Records. All their release have been and will be written, recorded, and engineered by a core group of friends. Musically, pulling from classic Hardcore bands, such as Beyond, Turning Point and Inside Out, as well as well as mix of other music styles. Lyrically, addressing a variety of topics covering the state of the world to chillin' out with friends. With the aim to give back to a scene that has given them so much, ILL COMMUNICATION joined the Safe Inside Record...

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...

Chef Josh Kemble at W.D. Dickinson: Farm, House, Mercantile (CREDIT: Epicurean San Diego) I recently read and thoroughly enjoyed an interview NO ECHO founder Carlos Ramirez conducted with San Diego Punk/Hardcore frontman turned chef, business owner, and podcaster Joshua "Josh" Kemble. I was almost instantly intrigued and gave Josh a Follow on both Twitter ( @thegrexican ) and Instagram ( @joshkemb ,) who soon Followed me back. Before too long, Chef Josh & I connected on Twitter talking about potential food and drink pairings to accompany Praise's then-just released album, All In A Dream , which I was listening to one night whilst cooking dinner for my family. Chef Josh & I quickly started swapping ideas (and recipes) back-and-forth and soon landed on a scrumptious ideas for a collaborative feature for The Witzard. I sent Chef Josh a Punk/Hardcore Spotify playlist I've been compiling in recent months, let him pick a handful of favorites, and, then, did ...

<a href="http://thelazymks.bandcamp.com/track/sabotage">Sabotage by The Lazy MKs featuring The Pile O'Bones Brass Band</a> While it just might have substantially more cultural bearing now than say 3 months ago, The Lazy MK's originally released their "Sabotage" cover on Bandcamp way back in Jan. 2012. It's an interesting Bluegrass/Jazz take on a song that I really know and love; I think "Sabotage" was the first Beastie Boys track that I latched onto @ 10-12, partly due to it's Spike Jonze -directed action-packed , explosion-filled music video! When I was in grade school oh so many years ago (1990's), I first discovered Hip-Hop , Classic Rock , and Hardcore Punk ... a couple of my "cooler" older cousins first introduced me to Beastie Boys' shit and now I own [damn-near] their whole discography. Shouts to my cuz Josh for send...