Music Video /// Joshua's Song - Straight Talk

Awesome alt rock band from Europe. For those unaware these guys were involved in some pretty cool hardcore bands and have progressed into doing Joshua's Song. You can download their new song here.

Reviews /// Rival Schools, Supertouch, and Fell To Low

I wanted to initially post a bunch of new reviews at once but I have been sitting on these three for to long now and these records have been out for some time already. Either way these are amazing albums from three very amazing bands. I have been anticipating the new Rival Schools album for a long time now and while doing so I stumbled upon a new band (Fell To Low) and the new Supertouch EP which both took me by storm. Anyways enjoy the read and I hope they will motivate you enough to go out buy these records.

                                                                                              - newnoise|zine

Rival Schools - Pedals

March 8, 2011 | Photo Finish Records [9/10]

It's been 10 long years but finally the four piece 'post hardcore' supergroup is back with their second full length titled "Pedals". Following up on their debut album "United By Fate" which was released in 2001, the band is off of their hiatus and back into the swing of things. It would be an understatement to say that this album has been highly anticipated due to the all of the praise and positive responses that this album has been given by their fans.

Although most people would categorize Rival Schools as a 'post hardcore' band due to their previous efforts, I wouldn't categorize this album under that title very strictly. In my opinion this is a straight forward rock album, so there should be no point in trying to sub categorize the music even more to the point were you are just confusing people. This record showcases many different styles and characteristics; from their thick guitar rhythms to multiple layers of effects that displays a perfect sonic landscape for which they're known for. From the first verse in the opening track "Wring It Out" to the drums and bass creating such a tight groove in "Shot After Shot" and "69 Guns"; this album doesn't lose a beat for a minute. This four piece has proven that even after ten years and only one previous album under their belts that they can still grow as musicians and craft their sound.

In comparison to their previous efforts this album has a different vibe to it overall. What really stood out for me when listening to this was how much of an acoustic aspect these songs carried. Obviously they did use an acoustic to fill out some of the sonic void in the mix but even as far as songwriting goes; I feel in a way that many of these songs on this full length were written on acoustic prior to tracking the album. Which would make sense seeing as how Walter put out a solo acoustic album last year, so maybe that influence came into play when recording "Pedals". Either way it gives this album a sort of pop sound, which believe me is not a bad thing. I read recently in an interview with Walter that they have already begun writing for a third full length. It was in that interview he stated that he has never completed a third full length with any of his bands/projects before. As he put it; "if you listen to a bands third album it is usual their best work". I feel that his statement for the most part is very true, and I am curious to see where they take their sound.

All in all this record was well worth the wait. For most of you it was 10 years and for others who have just caught on; it might not have been as long. However, these four musicians proved that no matter how long it takes; a band can still come back and put out amazing music and grow as a band. "Pedals" represents their comeback and will hopefully light the fire for them to continue onward, and push their sound to a new level.

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Supertouch - Lost My Way

January 10, 2011 | Reaper Records [7/10]

Many people over the years have told me to check out Supertouch due to how much I love 90's hardcore. I had never really gave them a full on listen until I saw a teaser video that they did for the new 7inch. I immediately check out 'The Earth Is Flat' and was ashamed of myself for not ever listening to it when I was first introduced. There is a reason why its a classic NYHC album from the 90's and its because of the songwriting and lyrics.

Now after a couple of decades Supertouch is back with four songs of pure energy, and it seems as if they never stop writing music from the sounds of it. I would go on record with saying that this is probably the most musically inclined hardcore record of the year. In todays hardcore its easy to get caught sounding like everyone else, even if the band has been around for 20 years. However, Supertouch stuck with their sound and brought forth originality which seems hard to ask for these days. For this being a four song EP it flows very nicely, the songs are not to long and not too short and after I had my first listen through all I wanted was to hear more. These songs are very guitar oriented, the vocals are primarily underneath the instrumentation but still dominant in the mix. However I feel like a lot of the lead work from the guitar acts as the vocal melody. The production is very overly compressed but still leaves room for air, and that really gives off the vibe off what supertouch is all about. A major aspect that caught swept me off my feet was the vocals. There are parts in a few of these songs were you hear distortion on his voice, which goes side by side with the music.

Both sides have a pattern to them, and thats slow verses fast. Side A starts off with a slow and mid paced song "Lost My Way" followed swiftly by "Just These Days" which is a very fast and upbeat song. On side B you have the same thing sort of only starting off upbeat with "Get On, Get On" followed by "Now That You're Far From Home" which fit easily into the shoes of a Rock Ballad. I've been listening to this record nonstop since it was released, and I have yet to get sick of hearing it. Usually i'll get excited about a record and then it sort of gets played out, but I don't think this will be the case with "Lost My Way" in the least bit. This record will stand its time and if kids don't understand it now then they will down the road.

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Fell To Low - The Frontier Wit

2011 | Dog Family & Fineprint Records [8/10]

This band took me by surprise when I first checked them out. I remember watching a live set online and just being blown away on how awesome and different the music was. So I was very excited to see that they had already put out a record and in the process of putting out a new one (that being this at the time). Fell To Low resembles indie punk rock at its finest by playing very fast and aggressive songs to mid tempo chord progressions that resembles Fugazi and Lungfish to some Sunny Day Real Estate at times.

One of the main things that struck me with this band was their sound. The guitar tones are very unique and stand out so much. They are very loud and have a lot of hi gain output, which may ound clean but very much distorted at the same time. Not to mention it has a very thin and twangy sound given off by the single coils in the guitar (thats just me being a gear nerd, no ordinary listener would pick up on that). Punk rock should be fast, aggressive and very dissonant. Fell To Low definitely fits thats criteria while adding some indie rock thrills into their mix, and it works. The second track on side A "Palmyra" is with out a doubt a Fugazi worship, and when the chorus kicks in all I can imagine is a mid 80's DC punk band. But don't take that the wrong way, they are not a band that just rips off the classic dischord sound. They are a band filled with nothing but originality, uniqueness, and maturity.

This record ends with "Unicorn" which starts out very eerie and slow but then staggers into a more mid tempo indie rock jam. My favorite tracks off of this 10" would have to be "Unicorn" and "Palmyra". Both songs just catch to my ears and never seem to get out of my head. I like that with this record there is no silence between the tracks, it's all a continuation (except for when you switch between sides, obviously). As simple as that sounds you don't hear to much of it and in my opinion it makes you feel like the band is playing live right in front of you, which is how punk rock is meant to be. I would say that this is one of those bands for the hardcore or punk kids who are looking for something new and exciting to listen to, because Fell To Low definetly took me by surprise and with each listen I get into the music more and more. I am really looking forward to see this band progress and keep putting out awesome music.

New Music /// Oak & Bone - Poison Snow (HEX Records)

Another awesome local band thats putting out a new LP on Hex Records, Oak & Bone are not forgetting about the riffs with their new track "Poison Snow". This will be the bands first full length album since their inception having done a 7inch and a split with fellow rochester punk band Like Wolves (who also have a new song up, see below). Expect to hear some powerhouse stoner riffs with dissonance and unique chord progressions. If you are a fan of their previous releases you will definitely enjoy this new track. They still maintain their sound while stepping it up a few notches with the production (credit: moresound studios).

This record drops July 12th on Hex's label, so if you're looking for something new in your rotation this is the album to get! Go pick this up along with the new Like Wolves, expect pre-orders to be up within the coming weeks.

Poison Snow by oakandbone

Featured Release: Foo Fighters - Wasting Light

Foo Fighters - Wasting Light

April 12, 2011 | RCA

It would go without saying that the Foo Fighters are on the top of the list as for being on of the greatest rock bands in the last two decades. After 16 years of ups and downs the now five piece outfit is back with their seventh studio album "Wasting Light". The band started the recording process on this album back in August of last year with producer Butch Vig (Nirvana, Sonic Youth, Smashing Pumpkins etc...). Dave Grohl and the band went in a different direction on this album, rather than it's predecessors this eleven song masterpiece was not recorded in a top notch studio facility, but rather Dave's garage and to a tape machine mind you. Going towards a more honest direction, the band could not rely on the ease and benefits with recording digitally. With that sort of pressure in the studio the band strived for perfection without studio magic. 

Normally I would say that with most full lengths you find a handful of songs worth listening to, and the rest were obviously written as filler songs. However, this is not the case and every song on this album is just as good as the last if not better. Albums were meant to be played and listened all the way through, and If you don't do that while listening to this than you have some serious mental issues. The opening track "Bridge Burning" immediately pulls you in and doesn't give up for a minute. I think if I had to choose one part in a song to listen to as I was faced with death it would be the chorus to this song, at least thats the impression it left on me. Following suite would be the single "Rope", which begins with a great delayed guitar track with rhythm guitar overlaying the off-time tempo. At first it sounds a bit off but as soon as the next beat falls you begin to understand what's really going on and it's awesome. The song "Dear Rosemary" features Bob Mould (Hüsker Dü) singing alongside Dave Grohl. For those of you familiar with Bob's signature vocal style, its no surprise to you that the two make a great collaboration.

The Foo Fighters did it right on this album, covering many of the styles and sounds that they are known for while expanding further into new territory. With such songs as "White Limo" (an obvious Motorhead

influence) to a more straight forward and open ballad "These Days", it's no doubt that this album is all that you would expect if not more. It has an overal feeling of heaviness, and not just in the sense of tempos and meters but with the lyrics, sound and overall mood. Perhaps one of the most powerful songs on this recording; "I Should Have Known" features a dark and gloomy chord progression with multiple layering from violin and vocals to a dirty, grungy and powerful bass line from the legendary Krist Novoselic (Nirvana). The song has a lot of passion and meaning behind it, and you can tell that there was a lot Dave wanted to say with this song, and he executed it perfectly. This by far has my vote for "Best Rock Record of 2011", unless there is someone out there who thinks that they can top what Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, Pat Smear, Nate Mendel and Chris Shiflett  have created here, in which case I highly doubt it.

Check out the Foo Fighters playing "Wasting Light" in its entirety live in their studio.

New Music /// Like Wolves - Her As Earth (HEX Records)

Rochester's Like Wolves recently posted a new song off of their upcoming full length LP wich is set to be released this summer on HEX Records. Expect very fast and aggressive songs but with lots of creativity and dissonance with their sound. This new song is by far a step in the right direction for the band, especially at 1:23 of "Her As Earth". With the bands previous efforts of fast and intense playing they add some new flavors on this track; mid tempo grooves and cleaner guitar melodies remind me of early Young Widows to an extent.

Keep on the look out for Like Wolves this year, I am very confident in saying that the rest of this record wont stray to far from awesome from the sounds of this song.

Interview /// Tigers Jaw (Full Interview)

This interview was conducted towards the beginning of last year so it is a bit outdated at this point. I posted some questions from this interview several months ago and meant to put the others up so I figured I would just post the interview in its entirety. Recently the band just put out a full length entitled "Two Worlds" on Run For Cover Records that is worth checking out, enjoy the read!

What is your name and what do you do in Tigers Jaw?
ben walsh, guitar and vocals

How did the band start up? What were your first goals and aspirations when you guys had the idea to do a band?
adam and i started the band in late 2005 and recorded a few songs in adam's basement with two other members who quit shortly thereafter. we recorded a very minimalistic album called "belongs to the dead" for the summersteps records handmade series. brianna joined the band in summer 2007 and then we went through a few lineup changes before dennis and pat joined, forming the current lineup. our goals starting out were just to write music that was something we liked and that was a departure from bands we'd been in before. we were very motivated by the scranton band okay paddy(rip).

What bands were you all involved in before Tigers Jaw?
tigers jaw was my first serious band. pat and dennis were and still are in a band called three man cannon. adam was in a band called kosmos. i don't believe brianna was in a band but she's been involved with music for a long time. some of us were in other bands during tigers jaw, most notably captain we're sinking. adam and i tend to get kicked out of bands pretty frequently.

Where do you get a lot of your influences from both lyrical and musically?
we have been blessed with meeting a large number of great people and great bands since we started and we are very influenced by them. additionally, all five members have a varied taste in music. my favorite album of all time is "in reverie" by saves the day, and recently i've been listening to a lot of the sidekicks, osker, and brand new. lyrically, we are influenced by every relationship, every interaction we have, every positive and negative feeling, and just growing up in general.

Care to get a little deeper with that? What sort of frustrations either positive or negative drive you to write the lyrics and music that you do?
i don't know that i'd put it that way, being driven by frustration, exactly. when i write a song, nothing is too deliberate. if i sit down with the intention of writing a song about something specific, i come up with absolutely nothing. it kind of just happens bit by bit when i'm thinking about something else. certain lines are directly influenced by things like failed friendships/relationships, or not feeling competent, or growing up but having no idea what i'm doing. other times i write lyrics and they don't seem to be about anything at all.

Tigers Jaw is a pretty unique band name, where did the name come from and who thought of it?
technically phil elverum thought of it. the name is taken from a microphones lyric. it was adam's call on naming the band tigers jaw though.

Give us a brief rundown on your touring history? What bands have you been on the road with and what was your favorite experience?
summer 2007 we toured with Louch and the Green Chair. The band was comprised of adam, myself, and Louch's handsome drummer thomas filling in for us. The shows were scarcely attended but it was our first experience touring, and was very worthwhile and enjoyable.
summer 2008 we toured with title fight. we toured as a four piece (adam dennis pat and myself). summer 2009 we toured with our soulmates in kite party. it was our first tour with all five of us. this past january we toured with end of a year and aficionado.
we can't pick a favorite band we've toured with. a few of those bands are tied and all for different reasons that are unable to be compared.

You get the opportunity to travel to a lot of amazing places when touring, what have been some of your favorite spots to play the past few years?
personally, i really enjoy playing in boston and new york city. cleveland was very good to us this past january. playing in canada was great but i've never been so cold in my life. i'm not too picky though, i just enjoy traveling in general and just visiting places i've never been to before.

You guys put out a self titled full length in 2008 and on vinyl in 2009, how did that come about and why did you decide to release the vinyl on another label?
the cd was released on the now-defunct scranton label prison jazz records. the label had no intentions of releasing it on vinyl. our friend nick from photobooth offered to press it on vinyl so we did. we didn't have much of a budget so we hand-screened the covers ourselves.

What are some bands out right now that you would like to tour with?
the menzingers, balance and composure, make do and mend, any of our friends' bands. the list goes on and on. we wouldn't say no to touring again with bands we've already been out with either, of course.

When you sit down and write music what do you take in consideration, or do you sort of let the song shape itself and let it come out naturally?
personally, i don't always consider songwriting a deliberate process. it seems when i am least concerned with writing music, i am more inclined to come up with something. ever since we solidified our lineup after many temporary members, songwriting has gradually become more of a group effort, and hopefully that trend continues because everyone in this band has plenty to contribute.

2009 came and went what were some of the highlights for you guys as a band?
touring with kite party was great. they are some of our best friends and write incredible music.
as with every year, we consumed a large quantity of pizza, which is always a highlight in my book. releasing the spirit desire 7'' and designing lots of new merch were successful ventures for us and therefore noteworthy.

Best record of 2009?
the sidekicks-weight of air

2010 is now upon us, what are some of your guy's plans for this year, a new record? Touring? etc…
The plan includes both a new record (and split) and touring as well. no plans are definite as far as touring goes as of right now. the split, which is with friends balance and composure, comes out on may 11th on both run for cover and no sleep records. the full length does not have a release date yet, but look for it by this summer for sure.

How did you guys get hooked up with Run For Cover records for the next two releases that you are doing?
we were introduced to jeff from rfc when we toured with title fight. we were pretty sure he didn't like us. as it turned out we were wrong. jeff is a great guy and he's doing a lot of good things with the bands on his label. we were both interested in working with each other, so that's how it worked out.

Will there be a bigger production on the upcoming full length, and are there any plans yet on where you will be recording?
the upcoming full length is currently being recorded at skylight studios. we are producing it ourselves. expect a more natural and aggressive sound. we are very excited with how this album is coming together and plan to have it out by this summer.

Personally where do you see the band going in a few years from now, do you have a vision of what you guys will sound like or do you just want to see what happened and where you guys end up?
i don't know where we'll be in a few years. it's kind of a goal to be able to tour in europe so maybe we can make that happen. as long as we're enjoying playing music i don't care where we are. hopefully we can keep touring and releasing music, and hopefully people will continue to treat us as nicely as they have been. we are eternally grateful to any and all fans that we have. being in this band and being able to travel and meet so many awesome people has been such a humbling and great experience. 
as far as what we will sound like, we will just keep writing music that we enjoy playing. we wouldn't change the way we write music to keep up with any trend or to cater to any specific audience. we make the music that we want to make and we are grateful for anyone who enjoys it.

Any last words or closing remarks?
listen to our friends: kite party, title fight, three man cannon, the sidekicks, make do and mend, the menzingers, balance and composure, gypsy, and transit, keep an eye on run for cover records, tigers jaw loves vince ratti, buy us a van please, skateboarding in '10, and i think that's it for now.

Interview /// Paint It Black (with Dan Yemin)

This interview was conducted in the beginning of last year. It was suppose to be printed on Issue #2 of New Noise and it still is, but for those who have been waiting for the read here it is. Paint It Black have been active for some time now creating quite the stir in the punk and hardcore community. For those who have been living under a rock I suggest reading this, Enjoy!

I figured I would change it up on this interview and work backwards, so here it goes...Recently PIB put out two 7" EP's on two different labels (Fat Wreck Chords, Bridge 9) what made you decide to do that?
We just thought it was time to start switching up the way we do things. When you’ve been making music for a long time its easy to get stuck in habits and patterns, which can totally undercut your creativity in a lot of ways. This can easily become a huge blind spot, so its pretty easy to get predictable and boring without realizing it. After 3 full-length LP’s we realized that no hardcore/punk band has put out more than 3 great albums, and we weren’t arrogant enough to think we’d be the band to beat that, although to be fair, we are pretty arrogant. The 7” EP has always been an ideal format for the type of music we play, and it radically changes the way we write music too, so for now that’s the format we will be using.

I feel like i can listen to both of those records back to back, why did you decide to record both of the EP's at the same time?
Those decisions are usually practical rather than artistic. Getting 5 (4 members of PIB plus Kurt Ballou) insanely busy people together at the same time is really difficult, so it made sense to do all the recording at once if we wanted to get both of these EP’s out in 2009.

You guys have had the opportunity to work with many different labels over the coarse of your career, from Jade Tree, to Fat Wreck Chords, Bridge 9, reflections, and Rivalry. Why such versatility?
Collaboration is a great thing and the more people that we have the opportunity to collaborate with the better, and the more we learn. I learned my lesson the hard way in Kid Dynamite, when I tried to exert control over everything and minimize input from other people. It’s a fucking disaster, and it blew up in my face.

You recently did a small tour with Naked Raygun, and i know you are a big fan of the legendary punk outfit, what was that experience like for you to be able to tour with one of your favorite bands?
It was amazing. First of all, having Jeff sing with us in New Lexicon was just about the most exciting thing ever. Those “whoa oh” anthems that Raygun mastered in the 80’s were such an important part of my musical upbringing, and when I wrote that song I obviously had Naked Raygun in mind. That he agreed to sing it, we had a relationship grow out of that, which resulted in them asking us to go on tour, was one of the coolest things that have come out of making music. That band was ridiculous, they combined these inspiring, uplifting Brit-punk style choruses with what were often pretty dark, misanthropic, weird segments that really challenged the typical notion of punk songwriting.

Due to your profession, PIB very rarely gets out on the road, and when you do its only for a few weeks at a time. Do you find it rewarding to be able to get out and enjoy some free time playing music after months of working?
The fact that we tour so infrequently makes it that much more exciting when we actually do get out of Philly and tour. I literally spend months looking forward to it. Also, we set goals for ourselves and then bust our asses to accomplish them. Our goals our probably pretty modest compared to a lot of younger bands that tour all year, but its been really exciting to say, at the end of 2008, “hey this was a great year, we put out an album (New Lexicon) that was really challenging and felt really successful to us, we organized and hosted a record release Fest in our home city, toured more then we ever have, that was awesome. Next year we went to record two 7” EP’s with Kurt up in Boston, release them on different labels, and do a UK tour with our buddies Ceremony,” and then accomplish everything we set out to do.

I've read in previous interviews that you have a doctorate degree in psychology is that right?
Yes.

I'm sure there are many things that you could do with a degree like that, what is it you currently do in the field?
I have a private practice as a psychotherapist. I work with mostly adolescents and young adults, and some younger kids as well.

How is that working out?
It’s really fulfilling, and flexible enough so that I can spend a lot of time with my family and continue to be pretty active as a “musician.” My feeling is that whether you’re intellectually inclined or more inclined toward physical labor, being self-employed is a good thing for any punk to aspire to. The only stupidity I have to deal with on a day-to-day basis is my own. Whether you’re a carpenter, a doctor, a tattoo artist, a show promoter, or a graphic designer, many of the happiest people I know have their own businesses.

Much like your previous bands you've had a key impact on the writing process, do you still do a lot of that with PIB?
Yes. I come to the band with pretty much all the parts written for each song, and then Andy, Jared, and Josh work with me to hammer out all the arrangements, which is equally important, otherwise 90% of my songs would just go: A, B, A, B, C with not much variation. I write the lyrics in this band for the first time in my life.

When you sit down and write songs, what is your strategy, do you tell yourself that you need to write a song that sounds a certain way or do you tend not to think to much about it?
I just try to play a little bit each day, and whatever comes out is what we use. I try to have a pretty heavy filter, so that the boring stuff never leaves my practice room. The goal of Paint It Black has been to have a hardcore punk band that has room for a pretty wide range of influences, so that if I come up with something that sounds more like Soulside and Interpol than Poison Idea or Gorilla Biscuits, we can still run with it.

Do you find it harder each time you sit down to record a new record? To me it seems impossible to make a better record than New Lexicon, but surely you guys have done it.
We try not to invite that kind of pressure, always having to compete with ourselves like that. We just try to keep it honest and interesting, and to allow ourselves room for re-invention and experimentation, while still always keeping in mind that what we do is firmly rooted in the musical traditions of punk in the early 80’s. But we’re really careful not to cut corners and to spend a lot time and energy making sure we’re really happy with everything before we record.

Lets talk a little about the song "Salem" of the new record. The lyrics in that song stand out a lot to me and especially the line "So remember the next time you're kneeling for communion, They want us locked down and mute." To me it seems like its directed towards religion, what's the meaning behind the song?
It’s directed specifically towards fundamentalist elements in organized religion. If people want or need a group experience of spirituality that’s cool with me, but the minute you start telling other people how to live, you’ve crossed a line. This song is even more specifically about the attempts to legitimize creationism as something legitimate to teach in public school along side evolution/natural selection. There’s always a lot of sexism and homophobia built in to fundamentalist expressions of religion, which is obviously fucked. In my opinion, the far-right evangelicals in this country are every bit as dangerous as the extremists that the U.S. is at war with in the middle east.

You've had a very successful musical career to date, what are some of your favorite highlights from all of the bands you've done in the past and with PIB?
Too many to mention really. Regardless of the band, I love the feeling that comes right when a new record gets released. I always feel really proud and elated, like we’ve actually accomplished something important.

Lets flash back now to the beginning and talk a little about how Paint it Black came to form, who started the band and what were the intentions starting off?
I had taken a break from playing music after Kid Dynamite broke up. I had been working about 60 hours a week as a psychologist, and had very little time for anything else. I’d thrown myself into working that much partly because I was frustrated and disappointed after Kid Dynamite broke up. I felt really helpless, and part of my reaction to that helplessness was to pursue a type of work that didn’t put me in a position of relying on other people. Of course that also has the result of isolating you. In April of 2001 I suffered a stroke and spent a chunk of time in the hospital. Being forced to grapple with mortality at that young an age left me to consider what things were really important to me and whether the way I spent my time reflected that. I decided that I was really much less happy when I wasn’t actively creating music. Started the band with David and Michael, both of whom had played in Kid Dynamite, Dave Hause, who had traveled with us a lot, and Matt, who I believe had played in Catharsis, and was a recent transplant to Philly. The lineup has changed a lot over the years. Originally I wanted it to be straight up thrash like Los Crudos or something like that, but I found that the melody kept creeping back into it….

Why did you decide to go with the name Paint It Black? Are you a big rolling stones fan or is there something else with the name that people don't know?
Definitely not a big Rolling Stones fan. But I am a big Ink & Dagger fan. Definitely the best band to ever come out of our city. There’s a line at the end of Full Circle, where Sean yells “Paint it black, I want it back!” It sounded so badass.

Over the course of PIB's existence you guys have done multiple records, eps and a demo, looking back on that when do you think you had the most fun writing/recording and playing shows with this band?
The current lineup (from New Lexicon onward) is the most fun, hands down. It’s so easy to get things done, and creatively I’m the happiest with our output that I’ve ever been. I feel really challenged and I trust everyone in a way that feels new to me.

I'm sure i don't need to say this but you have been around in the hardcore/punk scene for a long time now, what got you into the music and what made you decide to get involved and starting writing songs?
The whole punk thing that emphasizes enthusiasm over professionalism really had a huge impact on me, and helped empower me to feel like I could do it. I’m definitely not a particularly good guitar player. Everyone in all my bands is better than me in terms of physical skill. But I’ve always had a lot of ideas…

First Show?
Reagan Youth and Cause For Alarm, New York City, 1984. Other life-changing shows were Circle Jerks in ’86, Sonic Youth in ’86, Dag Nasty/Verbal Assault/Government Issue in ’87, Dinosaur Jr. in ’87, Poison Idea in ’88.

I find that musical taste changes over the coarse of ones life, what were you listening to at age 15, 21, and what do you find yourself listening to now?
At 15 it was mostly the Clash, Sex Pistols, The Jam, Generation X, Buzzcocks, Minor Threat, The Cure, The Smiths, New Order, Elvis Costello & the Attractions, Echo & The Bunnymen. At 21 it was Youth of Today, Side By Side, Dag Nasty, Verbal Assault, Gorilla Biscuits, Bad Brains, Agnostic Front, All, Descendents, Swans, Live Skull, Sonic Youth, Embrace, Fugazi, Rites of Spring, Deep Wound, De La Soul, Dinosaur Jr., Public Enemy, Boogie Down Productions, N.W.A. Now its Superchunk, Talk Is Poison, MF Doom, Aesop Rock, Ceremony, Converge, Bikini Kill, Botch, Career Suicide, Huggy Bear, Limpwrist, Deerhunter, Dillinger Four, Disfear, Doomtree, Team Dresch, Chavez, Company Flow, Sean Price, Econochrist, plus everything I listened to when I was 15 and 21.

The phrase "Underground" in reference to music has became sort of a popular name in todays culture. Some bands are referred to as such but manage to play in front of thousands of fans and be on the top billboard charts. How do you feel about this and what do you consider truly underground if there even is such a term anymore?
I feel like there are different layers of “underground” at this point in history. There is what I think of as “fake underground” which consists of bands that aren’t on the top 40 radio radar but can grace the cover of Alternative Press or play on one of the big stages at Warped Tour. Then there’s the “legitimate underground” that you would actually have to do some digging to know about, or hang out with actual weirdos to understand. I think it takes intense curiosity and/or alienation to connect to what I think of as the legit underground. I’m not trying to make value judgments about either type of music, but this is sort of an over-simplification of the way I see things.

I wanted to say congratulations on recently becoming a father, how does it feel and how has fatherhood been treating you so far?
It’s amazing. I’m constantly falling in love with my daughter all over again, every day, and parenthood finds me falling in love with my wife all over again everyday too, just as a result of sharing this experience with her. A lot of punks are skeptical about breeding, about bringing new life into such a fucked up world, but I think raising smart kids with strong values is a great way of ensuring that there are people to work for the future of our species, assuming we have a future…I’m doing a blog about parenting and music at soundonsound.tumblr.com

There certainly is a lot of bad parenting going on in our world today, and it seems like a lot of parents are exposing their kids to the wrong things or letting them grow up on their own. Lets say in a perfect world how would you want your kid to grow up?
I’m not in any place to make sweeping judgments about what constitutes “bad parenting,” or “the wrong things,” as we’re just figuring this out for ourselves day by day, making tons of mistakes I’m sure. “In a perfect world” is a weird idea for me because we’re so far from that, and I’m not even sure what a perfect world would look like. But I would like to raise a child with the courage to think for herself and speak her mind, and to try to live her life in accordance with her ideals and ethics. That’s also what I’m constantly working on for myself as well.

Any closing comments/remarks?
Thanks for the interest and support. Can't wait to see the finished zine, don't forget to send me one!

Year In Review: 2010... (Just Another Long List To Read)

So 2010 was kind of a weird year for me. I graduated college, band broke up, got a real job and started to become a very boring person. SO let me just go on record and say that I am very happy that 2010 is fucking over. Now there is a clean slate and a reason to get up and to start doing the things I love to do. Also another reason why last year sucked was because of the fact that issue #2 of New Noise was never printed due to laziness and I sort of just lost interest and forgot why I started this zine in the first place. So im not going to go down that road again and Im going to be printing out the interviews and reviews that I worked on over a year ago ASAP! They will be sold for very cheap due to the fact that its outdated to some extent (but not too bad). The zines will be printed from my house and put together by hand, and if I am capable I might even get a little creative with them but we will see what happens when I get there.

Anyways enough blabbering about what should have been done over a year ago and more onto the topic at hand. Like every music website and blog I will partake in the end of the year tradition and put together my list of what I think was awesome in 2010 (although im over a week late, but who cares). There were a lot of cool records and bands that came out last year and a lot of bands I just started to recognize and really get into. I've found myself crossing many musical boundaries and getting into a lot of great bands/artist that I have been missing out on the last few years, but needless to say Im happy that i've finally gotten to this point.

So here is the list of everything cool that came out in 2010 (and this is in no particular order because I really have no way of judging which is better than the other, I simply enjoyed it all).

1. THE BLACK KEYS "Brothers"
2. TIGERS JAW "Two Worlds"
3. BLACK MOUNTAIN "Wilderness Heart"
4. WALTER SCHREIFELS "An Open Letter To The Scene"
5. BLACK BREATH "Heavy Breathing"
6. DEFTONES "Diamond Eyes"
7. COLISEUM "House With A Curse"
8. BITTER END "Guilty As Charged"
9. BLACK THROAT WIND "Demo"
10. TERROR "Keepers Of The Faith"
11. NAILS "Unsilent Death"
12. THE SMASHING PUMPKINS "Volume 2: The Solstice Bar"
13. JIMMY EAT WORLD "Invented"
14. GIVE "Boots Of Faith"
15. THE SWORD "Warp Riders"
16. DIAMOND "Demo"
17. SUMMER PEOPLE "Good Problems"
18. SOUNDGARDEN "Telaphantasm" (rare and unreleased material)
19. TIGERS JAW/BALANCE & COMPOSURE "Split 7inch"
20. BURNING LOVE "Songs For Burning Lovers"

Records that people should have listened to in 2010:
MANDATE OF HEAVEN "Hun In The Sun"
SWERVEDRIVER "Mezcal Head"
TOM WAITS "Alice"
KYUSS "And The Circus Leaves Town"

Im sure that I left out a bunch of great records that I probably listened to a hundred times already but my memory is shot so sorry if I left any bands out I guess.

Now for some things that I am looking forward to this year:
1. The new CROWBAR album coming out in February
2. RIVAL SCHOOLS "Pedals"
3. Mogwai "Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will"
4. SUPERTOUCH "Lost My Way"
5. LEMURIA "Pebble
6. Finishing up writing/recording the new Born To Expire and Current Records! (Both bands will be on tour hopefully by the summer time)
7. The new DOWN record
8. New music, New faces and also seeing some older/familiar ones as well.

Expect new things for newnoisezine in 2011, I know I always say that and nothing ever gets done but im sticking to my word on this one!