Category: Punk

Savak, A Brooklyn Post-Punk Quartet, Release “Empathy”

SAVAK have shared their newest track “Empathy” from their upcoming fifth album, Human Error / Human Delight, which releases on April 15, 2022. “Empathy” debuted via New Noise Magazine, who contemplated “SAVAK’s fascination with the balanced, and sometimes polarizing, nature of being alive.”

Human Error / Human Delight

The Brooklyn Post-Punk Quartet have also added to their upcoming run of U.S. 2022 tour dates, visiting places in Boston, Philadelphia, Washington DC and more. In addition, performing with the band Jawbox, see below for the full list of currently announced dates. The band wrote and recorded Human Error / Human Delight completely over Zoom, having crafted an honest album on living in our present moment.

Photo credit: Taylor Sesselman

SAVAK consists of Sohrab Habibion and Michael Jaworski, with Matt Schulz on drums. Additionally, Habibion and Jaworrski both share singing and songwriting duties since the band’s creation in 2015. Though SAVAK’s members have done time in bands like Obits, Edsel, Holy Fuck and more, their current position is the best in which they have been.

Upcoming Tour Dates:

Fri. Mar. 4 – Providence, RI – Union Station Brewery – with Jets Can’t Land & DJ Ted Leo

Sat. Mar. 5 – Northampton, MA – Bishop’s Lounge – with Zwei Null Zwei

Wed. Mar. 16 – SXSW – The Side Bar – 1:55PM (Outdoor Stage)

Thu. Mar. 17 – SXSW – Breakaway Records – 3:15PM

Thu. Mar. 17 – SXSW – Austin Beer Garden Brewing Company – 6PM

Thu. Mar. 17 – SXSW – The Green Jay – 10PM

Fri. Mar. 18 – SXSW – The Side Bar – 2:30PM

Fri. Mar. 18 – SXSW – Soundspace at Captain Quack’s – 9:15PM

Thu. Apr. 7 – Brooklyn, NY – Littlefield – with Chris Brokaw & Upper Wilds

Fri. Apr. 8 – Kingston, NY – Tubby’s – with Chris Brokaw & Cathedral Ceilings

Sat. Apr. 9 (early show) – Lowell, MA – The Town and the City Festival – The Worthen House – with Colleen Green

Sat. Apr. 9 (late show) – Boston, MA – Midway Cafe – with Chris Brokaw & Lupa Citta

Fri. May 13 – Pittsburgh, PA – The Government Center – with Upper Wilds & Gotobeds

Sat. May 14 – Washington, DC – Quarry House Tavern – with Upper Wilds & Bed Maker

Wed. Jul. 20 – New York, NY – Le Poisson Rouge – with Jawbox

Fri. Oct. 21 – New York, NY – Le Poisson Rouge – with June of 44

March 9, 2022
Illuminati Hotties Pool Hop at Bowery Ballroom

Los Angeles based rockers Illuminati Hotties made their way to Manhattan’s Bowery Ballroom on Thursday, February 24th as part of their co-headline tour with Fenne Lily. The band is touring behind their excellent sophomore LP, Let Me Do One More, released last October on Hopeless Records. The show on Thursday was opened by Texas native Katy Kirby, with Illuminati Hotties in the middle spot followed by Fenne Lily. Check out our full photo gallery below.

Photo by Buscar Photo

Illuminati Hotties is the brainchild of singer, producer, and guitarist Sarah Tudzin. Getting her start as a recording and mixing engineer, the music of became an extension of her work into more creative areas. Presenting a fun, upbeat, and incredibly catchy pop-punk, the band has made a huge splash with this latest record. Let Me Do One More highlight “Pool Hopping” is an essential jam for any summer playlist, reminiscing about hot summer days spent floating in the pool.

Sara Tudzin. Photo by Buscar Photo

The co-headline tour with Fenne Lily began at the beginning of February and continues through mid-March with stops to be made in Chicago, Canada, and Portland. After this run of shows, Illuminati Hotties head over to Europe for a lengthy headlining tour into May. Head over to the band’s Bandcamp page for the full tour schedule.

February 28, 2022
Long Island’s Card Reader team up with Interstate Music for new music video “Reminder”

Long Island Pop Punk band Card Reader have released a new music video called Reminder. The music video consists of Card Reader experiencing the city in their most enjoyable way and contains some footage from their first show performed at the Caribou Room back on Sept 23rd, 2021.

The band is carrying into the new year with some momentum from last year. Card Reader participated in the championship of the Interstate Music Awards in 2021. From there on, Interstate Music made card reader an official brand ambassador.

Tom Petito, Card Reader’s guitarist/vocalist weighed in on the Interstate Music artist experience:

This video is a reflection of Interstate Music’s commitment to helping artists like us. We played our concert right before the shoot. The next day their film crew took us all over MKE. We really enjoyed ourselves in the process. The folks at IM introduced us to an incredible music scene. They fully embraced our band and made us feel at home. Thanks to Interstate Music we are a band with more tools, more confidence and unlimited optimism moving forward. We can proudly say we have two home bases now! Long Island AND Milwaukee.

Interstate Music directed and produced the video in Milwaukee, WI. Along with their new music video, the Pop Punk Band are going a weekend Northeastern Tour next month, and here are the dates:

3/4 – Ram’s American Pub – Holbrook NY

3/5 – The Mosh Pit – Philadelphia PA

3/6 – The Church – Lebanon PA

To catch more of Card Reader, you can find their music on DSP’s such as Apple Music , Spotify, Amazon music, and more.

February 23, 2022
The Pine Boys, A Unique Band From Albany Release “Vacationland”

The Pine Boys are an electric combination of alternative rock, funk and hip-hop from Albany releasing their new album Vacationland today, February 18^th.

These artists provide such a unique musical interpretation with a blend of character-driven storytelling and memorable guitar riffs. The group was founded by multi-instrumentalists, Brett Maney and Andrew Cerone, in 2016. When they started playing live in 2019, they added their longtime friend Sam Lasky on the instrument, the keytar, since they have been together, they have released 6 albums and played all over Upstate NY, anywhere from basements to bars.

The Pine Boys Live

Many of their songs are part of an interconnected universe set in the fictional town of “Vacationland,” this is the groups hometown and place of origin. This is also the mindset that you need to have when you see them live. Seeing a live Pine show should serve as a time to take a vacation from your normal reality and temporarily venture into their world.

The Pine Boys “Vacationland”

Their top song on Spotify, “Electric Minnow,” provide a mixture of funky guitar riffs along with a catchy rhythm throughout the song. By blending a hip hop style of lyrics with indie sounds, the band creates a unique blend of music.

Other songs like “Fat Al” are melancholy but have a funny twist. Throughout listening to the song, the guitar has a shadowy feeling yet satisfying because of how beautiful it is played. “If Walls Could Talk,” “Enter the Sauce,” and “Duneman” have made their top 5 despite being all on different albums. Each provides different genre mash which they include throughout their peruana of “Vacationland.”

For upcoming shows and albums, they are available on Instagram, Facebook, and their website.
<a href="https://thepineboys.bandcamp.com/album/vacationland-2">Vacationland by The Pine Boys</a>

February 18, 2022
The Mommyheads Give 1991 Fan-favorite Bootleg a Proper Release

The Mommyheads’ Swiss Army Knife has never had a proper release. Trapped in obscurity, the long-awaited album will be out February 11th, 2022, for fans to enjoy.

The Mommyheads (Adam Elk, Michael Holt, Dan Fisherman, Jason McNair) are an indie pop band from Brooklyn, who played from around 1987 through 1998. They disbanded for a decade, and then reformed in 2008. After the death of original drummer, Jan Kotik, The Mommyheads re-united for a tribute show in New York City. Shortly after, they decided to reform and record a new album, “You’re Not A Dream.” In 2021, Big Takeover Magazine dubbed Adam Elk and Michael Holt, “two of the best songwriters currently active.”

“Four decades later and the Mommyheads are still undisputed godfathers of Baroque Prog Pop.”
Relix

Swiss Army Knife displays vocals from the wild creativity of Mommyheads songwriter, Adam Elk, who independently recorded these tunes on four-track during his teen years in Brooklyn. The album is striking in it’s eccentricity: schizophrenic wordplay, mind-bending chord structures, acoustic mayhem, and DIY experimentalism all meld together within these colorful song fragments.

Swiss Army Knife, The Mommyheads

When listening to the album, the manic creative energy is infectious throughout. There is an unrelenting playfulness to this set that makes it so enjoyable to listen to. Tracks such as “They Call it Accident,” have a playful, plucking bassline paired with sublime vocals that overall make the track a fun one to listen to.

“If you wanna do music, you have to have a really thick skin. You have to really wanna take the abuse of not making money for years and years.”
says Adam Elk

That most unique aspects of this album are its use of unusual use of instruments and vocals that make the album feel so raw featured in songs like “Freak Out Jam,” “I Won’t Eat Anymore,” and “They’ve Finally Landed.” Other tracks like “Lemon Merengue People” have fun melodies of guitar and vocals that pair with each other.

Another song, “We Are Intertwined,” can be described as having a waltz, up-beat and psychedelic sound. “Canoe Driver” is also another gorgeous piece of baroque pop with glorious melody. The Mommyheads Swiss Army Knife is a masterpiece of 90s-sounding baroque progressive pop.

Swiss Army Knife is available to listen to on Soundcloud.

February 8, 2022
Post-Punk Band Catcher release single ‘Behind a Bleeding Heart’

Brooklyn-based post-punk band Catcher have released their newest single ‘Behind A Bleeding Heart’ off their upcoming debut album, The Fat Of A Broken Heart, set to release on February 18th.

Diving into a successful career in their first year as a band in 2021, Catcher released five singles ‘Yesterday’s Favorite,’ ‘The Skin,’ ‘Only Advice,’ ‘Fallen Stones,’ and ‘Comparing Saviors and Friends.’ The band had their first headline tour with Been Stellar across the U.S. and sold-out numerous shows across the city.

The band is still early in their career but some have been childhood friends like bassist and drummer Cameron McRae and Wilson Chestney. The vocalist of the band, Austin Eichler draws the fans in with his lyrical performance of emotion, powerful screams, chaotic presence, and the ability to create a world of their own.

Catcher’s newest single is a wailing and anticipative treat, fit to soundtrack a dramatic scene on your favourite crime drama. The NYC five-piece have delivered a moody, grungy track that will make your hair stand on end. The track ends in a cacophony of percussion, planned to perfection.
Safe and Sound

Catcher’s newest single is the first song the band has written that sinks into the root of the band. Wanting to shake things up with their sound the band went in the direction of listening to music that was distinct from theres. The directions went from noisy chaos of Due Mary and T.P. Orchestra Poly-Rhythm, free jazz, and back to the bands southern roots with Johnny Cash.

February 2, 2022
Interpol Announce Tour With Two Dates At Kings Theatre

Interpol has just finished working on their seventh album, and in addition to teasing new music, has announced a new spring tour, with two dates at Kings Theatre in NYC.

Interpol

The band began playing in 1997 in New York, when guitarist Daniel Kessler recruited the bassist Carlos Dengler and the singer Paul Banks. The band signed to Matador Records in 2002 and released Turn On The Bright Lights which made it to the 10th position on NME’s list of 2002’s top releases.

Over the years, they have acquired multiple high charting records on the Billboard Top 200, earned reviews in Rolling Stone and Time Magazines, performed on many late-night TV specials, and played festivals like Coachella and Glastonbury.

Interpol will be heading on tour in the spring and will make two tour stops at Kings Theatre in NYC, and tickets for those shows can be found here.

Interpol Tour Dates

04-25 Dallas, TX – The Factory in Deep Ellum *!
04-26 Austin, TX – ACL Live at the Moody Theater *!
04-28 Tempe, AZ – Marquee Theatre *!
04-29 San Diego, CA – Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre *!
04-30 Berkeley, CA – Greek Theatre *!
05-02 Salt Lake City, UT – The Union *!
05-03 Denver, CO – Mission Ballroom !
05-05 St. Paul, MN – Palace Theatre *!
05-06 Chicago, IL – Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom *!
05-07 Detroit, MI – The Fillmore Detroit *!
05-08 Cleveland, OH – Agora Theatre *!
05-10 Washington, D.C. – The Anthem *!
05-11 Boston, MA – Roadrunner *!
05-13 Philadelphia, PA – The Met Philadelphia *!
05-14 Brooklyn, NY – Kings Theatre *!
05-15 Brooklyn, NY – Kings Theatre *!
05-21 Los Angeles, CA – Rose Bowl, Pasadena (Just Like Heaven)
05-28 Mexico City, Mexico – Palacio De Los Deportes &
06-08 Barcelona, Spain – Sala Apolo
06-09 Barcelona, Spain – Primavera Sound
06-11 Porto, Portugal – NOS Primavera Sound
06-12 Berlin, Germany – Templehof Sounds Festival
06-14 London, England – The Roundhouse
06-15 London, England – The Roundhouse
06-16 Brussels, Belgium – Ancienne Belgique
06-18 Paris, France – Salle Pleyel
06-19 Landgraaf, Netherlands – Pinkpop Festival

* with Tycho
! with Matthew Dear
& with Dry Cleaning

January 29, 2022
Brooklynite Nathan Leigh’s Life Experiences Shape Genre Blending Album “All Myths Are Remixes”

An album full of alternative, rock, punk, indie and jazz vibes are what constitute Brooklyn musician, Nathan Leigh’s latest work of art. As of today, Leigh’s All Myths Are Remixes, is added to his never ending music portfolio. He released his lead single No Poetry (feat. Noie) [Timelapse Mix] [Timelapse Mix] – Single — Nathan Leigh, this past January 14th, providing listeners an idea of what to expect from his latest album.

Nathan Leigh portrays powerful messages throughout the duration of All Myths Are Remixes. It relays a creative vision on how to overcome the anxieties of our deepest thoughts, whereas other songs provide a more easy going and relaxing tone that listeners can vibe to.

“Pirkei Avot,” shares a message of perseverance, especially when all hope is lost. Meanwhile, “Thx::Spkr” opens with a woman discussing the protests taking place in today’s society, as well as the impact of revolutions that are necessary to establish change. Subsequently, “For When You Feel Like Giving Up” eases the mind with a slow jam without words, but is full of jazz melodies featuring saxophonist Anthony Cekay.

I started working on the album in the first days of the pandemic as a project to keep my mind off the existential dread. I thought of each song as a miniature world I could construct to escape into. The recording sessions for ‘Myths, Conspiracy Theories & Other Stuff I Made Up To Sound Interesting’ yielded so much great material that landed on the cutting room floor, and part of my goal with it was to highlight the contributions of my collaborators that didn’t make the album. So each song is constructed around showcasing one collaborator’s work. Working with their tracks has been my way of playing with them and existing in a room together at a time when it’s still not safe to gather such a large group to rehearse.
Nathan Leigh

As a composer, writer, animator, and activist , Leigh is well versed in the artistry of America’s society as we know it. His previous EP dropped on November 19, 2021, House On Stilts, which was accompanied by a stop-motion film.

Additionally, he has worked in the theater industry, sharing his talents for over 300 plays across the U.S. Specifically, he has designed sound and composed music for plays located at the American Repertory Theatre, Huntington Theatre Company, New York Theatre Workshop and more. Leigh was presented with his most recent award “Broadway World Berkshires” in 2020 for Sound Design of the Decade for Godspell. Therefore, there is no doubt that All Myths Are Remixes will significantly impact his music career.

To discover more of Leigh’s work visit nathanleigh.net.

January 28, 2022
Laurel Canyon release debut EP “Victim”

Laurel Canyon released their debut EP, Victim, on January 14, featuring two brand new singles “Shove” and “Sade.” The album was produced by Bryce Goggin (Pavement, Hello Mary) at Trout Recording in Brooklyn. Along with this, the artist Savage Pencil, who has worked with Big Black and Sonic Youth, created the artwork for the EP.

Cover artwork by Savage Pencil (Big Black, Sonic Youth).

Laurel Canyon is a grunge band originally from Pennsylvania, however, they record their music and perform in Brooklyn. Nicholas Gillespie and Serg Cereja are the creators of this iconic band. To sum up, they met two years ago through a mutual friend in their hometown of Allentown. After that, through shared interests and collaboration, the two began writing and recording songs. Above all, creating the punk-rock band known today as Laurel Canyon.

Photo by @pielmelosa on Instagram

Victim embodies the sounds of original 90s grunge/pun music. Likewise, along with its melodic vocals, the album creates a unique tone. In songs like “Daddy’s Honey,” the two yell repeatedly “off her broken plates” together. Similarly, the song’s lyrics are said to be inspired by the band’s “real-life experiences in a troubled home” (Thomas Gallo).

Photo by Alex Hall

There’s no denying that this album has gained popularity online for its 90s-sound, with “Eczema” and “Daddy’s Honey” are featured in the Spotify playlists “All New Rock” and “Smells Like Stream Spirit.”

In October of 2020, Nick and Serg shared the song, “Two Times Emptiness,” released on May 1st, 2021. Both artists said they contributed equally to the music and the lyrics, thus creating a song neither could have written alone.

Photo by Nikola Burnett

The band quickly found themselves with a lot of material to work with and established a relationship with producer, Bryce Goggin (Pavement, Hello Mary). With the help of bassist Dylan Loccarini and Chip Williams, in July and November of 2021 the group recorded the 5-track EP Victim.

Victim can be found on Spotify and Bandcamp.

https://open.spotify.com/track/6ciEiH4RBAUYDRQkPS4GBR?si=f0048ac2d65f4345 https://linktr.ee/Laurel_Canyon

January 27, 2022
Buffalo Native Willie Nile Heads To The Linda in February, 4 more stops in NYS this summer and Fall

Buffalo native Willie Nile will be coming to Albany to play at The Linda on February 18 and will be performing his new album The Day The Earth Stood Still.

The Day The Earth Stood Still album cover.

Nile used lockdown as a basis for his album. After seeing the boarded-up streets of Manhattan, he grew inspired. Speaking of the inspiration Nile said this:

I have a storage space near the Holland Tunnel, and normally on a Friday night at rush hour, it can take an hour to move five blocks. But one Friday night last June…I realized that there wasn’t a car in sight, and that I could have laid down in the middle of the street without anyone noticing. The title The Day the Earth Stood Still hit me, and I carried it around in my head for awhile, and eventually it sparked this set of songs.

Nile grew up in Buffalo, and in the early ‘70s, he moved down to NYC, where his music career started to take off. He earned national status with a series of albums, and his independent indie work added to his fame.

Willie Nile, photo by Cristina Arrigoni.

Nile has racked up many famous fans, including Bruce Springsteen and Pete Townshend, both of whom he has toured with on different occasions.

After all these years I’m still feeling the passion and the power and the pull of rock ’n’ roll as a way out, as a vehicle that can offer salvation and redemption and joy in this crazy-ass world. Here’s to more music and magic on the road ahead!
Willie Nile

The Day The Earth Stood Still combines all the elements of rock and punk, mixed with the passion of going through a pandemic. Produced by Stewart Lerman, who worked with Elvis Costello and Mumford and Sons, the album is described as “magical.”

Willie Nile and Steve Earle, photo by Cristina Arrigoni.

Willie Nile will be coming to The Linda in Albany on February 18 to play his new album live, as well as other fan favorites with some rarities mixed in. Tickets can be found here.

Willie Nile 2022 Tour Dates

Fri., June 25  STANHOPE, NJ Stanhope House.

Fri., July 2  BOSTON, MA City Winery

Sat., July 10  RED BANK, NJ  The Vogel at Count Basie Theater for the Arts. Two shows: 4 & 8 p.m. 4 p.m.—40th Anniversary Show for Willie’s second album, Golden Down, featuring the whole album played top to bottom plus several fan favorites. 8 p.m.—Willie’s eponymous first release played in its entirety (41st Anniversary) followed by different fan favorites.

Sat., July 17  PIERMONT, NY  Turning Point (solo; two shows)

Thurs., July 22   RIDGEFIELD, MA  (outdoor show)

Sat., July 24  AVIS, PA  WQBR Radio gig; outdoor show

Fri., Aug. 13  EGREMONT, MA  The Barn. (duo show)

Sat., Aug. 21 TARRYTOWN, NY  Tarrytown Theater,

Sun., Aug. 22  NEW YORK, NY  City Winery (new album release show)

Sat., Aug. 28  WASHINGTON DC The Hamilton

Wed., Sept. 1  WOODBRIDGE, NJ   Woodbridge HS Fields. 1 Samuel Lupo Place. Free show

Sat., Oct. 2  BEACON, NY  Towne Crier

Sat., Oct. 16  THREE OAKS, MI Acorn Theater.

Sun., Oct. 17  EVANSTON / CHICAGO, IL  SPACE

Mon., Oct. 18  ANN ARBOR, MI  The Ark

Fri., Nov. 19  HOLYOKE, MA  Gateway Theater

January 25, 2022

Built in Breakdance