The Black Angels have announced a cool tour through the western United States starting June 02nd in Denver and wrapping up twenty-three days later in Las Vegas. Bass fuzz maestro Dion Lunadon is opening for them, and eight of those shows (including the finale in Las Vegas) has The Black Angels and Mr. Lunadon opening for Primus, no less. Tickets are already on sale for these dates, so don’t miss out on them.
After two years of delays, Mosswood Meltdown is finally making its debut at Oakland’s Mosswood Park on Saturday, July 2nd and Sunday, July 3rd, 2022! Today, they announce their stacked lineup, featuring Bikini Kill, Kim Gordon, The Dirtbombs, Bleached, Hunx and His Punx, Shannon Shaw, The Linda Lindas, and more. Of course, you can’t have a Meltdown without our punktastic leader, John Waters, who will be hosting the festivities.
All tickets purchased for the 2020 concert will be honored at this year’s event. A full lineup can be found below and tickets for the festival are on sale now.
Attendees will need to be fully vaccinated or have a negative COVID test within 48 hours prior to the start date of the event (July 2, 2022). Proper Covid vaccination card or negative Covid test will be required upon entry for all attendees, including negative Covid tests for children. These policies are subject to change based on state and city guidelines this June and July, 2022. WATCH LINEUP ANNOUNCEMENT TEASER VIDEO MOSSWOOD MELTDOWN 2022 LINEUP
Day 1 Kim Gordon The Dirtbombs Shannon Shaw Bleached Flipper Twompsax Carbonas SNõõPER Rubinoos
Day 2 Bikini Kill Hunx and His Punx Pansy Division The Linda Lindas The Fevers Podium Brontez Purnell Fatty Cakes and the Puff Pastries
DJ’s BABY DONUT – Allison Wolf (Bratmobile) Jonathan Toubin – NY Nightrain Omar Perez – Pop Scene PURCHASE TICKETS HERE
Ticket Prices Day 1 GA – $99 Day 2 GA – $99 GA Weekend Pass – $149 VIP Weekend Pass – $249 VIP Day 1 – $149 VIP Day 2 – $149
The beloved Pitchfork Music Festival will return to Chicago’s Union Park this summer, Friday, July 15 through Sunday, July 17. Today, the Festival announces the full 2022 lineup, including headliners The National, Mitski, and The Roots.
The Festival kicks off on Friday with The National, who played Pitchfork Music Festival’s first year in 2006, Spiritualized, Parquet Courts, Tierra Whack, Amber Mark, Dawn Richard, Tkay Maidza, Indigo De Souza, SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE, SPELLLING, Camp Cope, Wiki, Ethel Cain, and CupcakKe.
The festivities continue on Saturday with Mitski, Japanese Breakfast, Lucy Dacus, Low, Magdalena Bay, Dry Cleaning, Karate, Iceage, yeule, Arooj Aftab, The Armed, Chubby & the Gang, Hyd, and Jeff Parker & the New Breed.
The Festival closes on Sunday with The Roots, Toro y Moi, Earl Sweatshirt, Noname, BADBADNOTGOOD, Cate Le Bon, Tirzah, Xenia Rubinos, Erika de Casier, Injury Reserve, KAINA, L’Rain, Sofia Kourtesis, and Pink Siifu.
“This year’s lineup is a celebration of the rising indie class, and those who continue to pave the way for innovation,” said Puja Patel, editor in chief of Pitchfork. “Our goal was to highlight a diverse group of artists who are taking their musical genres to new heights, and I’m proud of how it’s come together.”
Since 2006, the Pitchfork Music Festival has consistently proven to be one of the most welcoming, accessible, and rewarding festivals around. Hosting 60,000 attendees of all ages from all 50 states and dozens of countries, the Pitchfork Music Festival showcases the best up-and-coming music from around the world, as well as special performances from touring stalwarts and legends alike. Featuring diverse vendors, including specialty record and craft fairs, the Festival works to support local businesses while promoting the Chicago arts and food communities as a whole.
Currently, three-day passes are $200 and single-day passes are $99. The Pitchfork PLUS upgrade, including a range of exclusive amenities, is $399 for a three-day pass and $199 for a single-day pass. Payment plans are available for all ticket types. More details are available here.
Pastor Champion, who left us for the Kingdom of Heaven just as his music was being discovered, was a man of many hats: Pastor, former gang member, touring guitarist, brother, and probably many others we’ll never learn about unless secret diaries or obscure notes are found.
We do know that he preached and played for the 37th Street Baptist Church in Oakland, California. We also know that his one and only album, I Just Want to Be a Good Man, was recorded with musicians who’d never played with him before then, and it was recorded in just two nights at his church. We also know that it’s a stunning record of gospel, blues, and soul that, if there’s any justice in this valley of tears, will win a Grammy for Best Gospel Album.
Champion pleads with people to come back to the church and Christ on “I Know That You’ve Been Wounded (Church Hurt)” – a song for those who have been disappointed, hurt (physically, mentally, and / or spiritually), or crushed by the church, religion, and families and friends practicing their faith in hurtful ways. “Keep on, God will make it work,” Champion sings over simple chords that almost sound like he’s playing a ukulele.
“He’ll Make a Way (Trust in the Lord)” further emphasizes the theme of relying on faith, and the power of Champion’s faith is evident from the first notes he sings in it. The nearly seven-minute “Talk to God” has Champion grooving with these church musicians he’s barely met, and all of them slide right into his groove with the ease that comes so naturally to accomplished gospel musicians.
“Only what you do for Christ will last,” Champion sings on “In the name of Jesus (Everytime)” – a reminder to put the Creator in the lead and trust His guidance. Hearing Champion teach his impromptu band how to play “To Be Used, by You (I Just Want to Be a Good Man)” is fun to hear, and the rest of the track is lovely (and a warm-up for the closing track).
“Who Do Men Say I Am?” has Champion singing a conversation between Christ and His disciples (from the sixteenth chapter of Matthew). “Storm of Life (Stand by Me)” has Champion crying out to God about troubles that plague him at work, at home, at church, and practically everywhere else – including his worry that he might not be ready for death. “In the Service of the Lord” has some of Champion’s most passionate vocals, and that’s saying something when you consider how much he professes his face throughout the record.
The album closes with the title track, expanding on the earlier version of it with, somehow, even more soul and longing. “Tell me, tell me, tell me, Jesus, what do you want me to do?” Champion sings.
He’s doing things we can’t even fathom now, but at least we have this record as a light in gloomy times.
Dälek, the groundbreaking alt-hip hop duo who recently announced the impending arrival of their eighth album, Precipice (April 29, Ipecac Recordings), have shared a second single, and accompanying video, from the set, releasing “Boycott” (https://youtu.be/g7kmJ1Igd40) this morning.
Will Brooks, aka MC Dälek, said of the track:
“BOYCOTT is the amalgamation of all of our elements.
Cooked like they supposed to be.
This song is my chest ripped open.
It is about the pain in our communities.
It is also about our strength and our inherent worth.
I been tried telling you…. Society’s been failing you.”
The band previously released the single and video for “Decimation (Dis Nation)” (https://youtu.be/a80PM1sphrQ), which was directed by founder Will Brooks, aka MC Dälek. Album pre-orders (https://dalek.lnk.to/Precipice) are available now, with the collection available on limited-edition 2LP gold vinyl, as well as a standard 2LP silver vinyl. The album’s cover was created by Paul Romano (Mastodon, Withered) with interior packaging featuring the art of Afrofuturist painter, Mikel Elam.
“Precipice was a completely different record pre-pandemic,” Brooks explains. “We had been working on the sketch of what the album was going to be at the end of 2019. I think me and (Mike) Manteca had narrowed it down to 17 joints out of the 46 or so that we had started with. Me and Joshua Booth had taken the 17 and really fleshed out the joints. The idea was to bounce them back to Mike and then arrange write lyrics. 2020 obviously had different plans for everybody. We basically put everything on hold. I ended up doing the MEDITATIONS series that year on my own. I think the catharsis of that projects, its rawness, the pandemic, all the death, the social upheaval, everything that went down… when I went back and listened to what we had down… it just wasn’t right anymore, it wasn’t strong enough, it wasn’t heavy enough, it wasn’t angry enough. It just didn’t say what I needed it to say.”
“’The Internet Killed Me’ is a euphemism for being killed – by the internet – literally and figuratively. You wouldn’t know it until it actually happens to you. I mean the internet LITERALLY killed me. AND the internet FIGURATIVELY killed me. It’s up to you to know the difference. Be afraid. Be VERY afraid,” said Max Blastic of the :58 second song that was written after P.C. Bullshit was erroneously reported dead via the r/punk Subreddit.
Bullshit and Blastic previously shared the “Burn It Down” video (https://youtu.be/EyDaVp3ReL0), which came on the heels of an outpouring of accolades and testimonials from fans and friends upon news of the influential band’s implosion. “I feel we’ve made the record we meant to have made back in the day. If the topics seem familiar, well, WE WROTE THEM FIRST,” Blastic said as the joyous reunion and album news arrived. “I don’t actually REMEMBER what the songs are about but I KNOW we were the first and the best. We were and are ALWAYS the first and best.”
Blastic is the featured guest on this week’s episode of The Punk News Podcast (listen here), discussing the infamous $262 gas bill that led to the untimely break-up, Nein, and the duo’s forthcoming tour.
Nein pre-orders are available now (https://linktr.ee/maxcreeps) with several, limited-edition vinyl variants available via U.S. and international retailers, Maxcreeps.com and Project M (Revolver, Brooklyn Vegan, The Hard Times).
The “Nobody Cares About You – Part One!” tour dates:
Flasher – the duo of guitarist Taylor Mulitz and drummer Emma Baker – present the title track and accompanying video for their forthcoming album, Love Is Yours, out June 17th on Domino. “‘Love Is Yours’ is about the roller-coaster highs and lows of a long-term relationship—the kind where a conversation can feel like a tripwire, with subtextual clues that offer the promise of reward if correctly decoded,” the band explains. The accompanying video, directed by Camilla Smura (who also created the video for lead single “Sideways”), “is an homage to National Treasure, because much like a treasure room hidden beneath Trinity Church, love that endures is ‘the greatest adventure history has ever revealed.’”
Following their acclaimed 2018 debut, Constant Image, Love is Yours steps up the ambition and reaches for the horizon. It was recorded in Washington, D.C. with long-time friend Owen Wuerker, who also helped flesh out the instrumentation by contributing additional bass, percussion, synths, and guitar. Rather than binding the duo to its past – to geography, old habits, or trusted sounds – the familiar environment proved liberating. Baker and Mulitz shared vocal duties, tweaked tempos, structures, and dynamics accordingly. They toyed with genre, melody, and texture. The resulting record is ablaze with mood, melody, and carefully threaded hooks, finding the band foregrounding the pop sensibilities that had always been present in their previous releases. It retains the attitude that was fundamental to the band’s DIY roots, but cuts loose a touch of the angst. Though the songs process disillusionment and loss, the music evokes warmth and optimism. It is their best record and also their most generous. Kicking off in June, Flasher will bring their live show across North America. Tickets for all dates are on sale now and a full list can be found below.
FLASHER TOUR DATES Fri. June 17 – Washington, DC @ Comet Ping Pong Sat. June 18 – Brooklyn, NY @ Baby’s All Right Mon. June 20 – Richmond, VA @ The Camel Tue. June 21 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle (Backroom) Wed. June 22 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl Thu. June 23 – Nashville, TN @ Third Man Records Fri. June 24 – Cincinnati, OH @ MOTR Pub Sat. June 25 – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle Mon. June 27 – Detroit, MI @ Magic Bag Tue. June 28 – Toronto, ON @ The Baby G Wed. June 29 – Montreal, QC @ L’Esco Thu. June 30 – Providence, RI @ AS220 Fri. July 1 – Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie
Keep your mind open.
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Guitarist, composer and producer Nick Zinner (Yeah Yeah Yeahs, 13 million year old ghost) and Chaikin Records proudly present 41 Strings, a song cycle for string orchestra, electric guitars and expanded rhythm section. Originally commissioned for a large-scale Earth Day event, 41 Strings draws inspiration from and pays tribute to the four seasons, each movement corresponding to a respective season. This world-premier concert was held on the 41st anniversary of Earth Day which encouraged the idea for an ensemble consisting of 41 string instruments. Following the latest performance of the piece at NYC’s Rockefeller Plaza in 2019, the inclination arose to formally release 41 Strings as an LP and digital download, resulting in this Chaikin Records album. The music’s core environmentally-centric theme couldn’t be more timely in regards to current issues of climate change.
A distinctive component of the 41 Strings composition is its fusion of ‘classical’ music with rock band, a quality which is reflected in the piece’s instrumentation: violins, violas, cellos, double basses, eight electric guitars, two synthesizers, two electric bassists and three drummers. This dual identity of ‘rock band’ and ‘string ensemble’ is directly linked to Zinner’s multifaceted musical practice as heard in his guitar playing with Yeah Yeah Yeahs and his soundtrack composing for film and television. The music of 41 Strings beautifully leans on these dichotomous ensemble characteristics throughout its depiction of the four seasons – hot and cold, impassioned and calm, joyful and melancholy…
41 Strings performances have had the distinctive honor of including very notable special guests, particularly calling upon the indie rock music scene. The guitar section has featured Lenny Kaye (Patti Smith), Sarah Lipstate (Noveller, Iggy Pop), Paul Banks (Interpol), Gemma Thompson (Savages), Aku Orraca-Tetteh (Florence & the Machine), David Pajo (Slint, Gang of Four), Andrew Wyatt (Miike Snow), among many more; the rhythm section has maintained a consistent line-up with such accomplished players as Jaleel Bunton (TV on the Radio), Andy Macleod (Royal Trux), Hisham Bharoocha (Boredoms), Brian Chase (Yeah Yeah Yeahs), Ryan Sawyer (Gang Gang Dance) and Ben Vida. All of these musicians impart a sense of independent-art ethos with an exalted reach-for-the-stars morale. Such voices excel at tapping into the sensitivity of the music and bringing its beauty to the surface. Violinist Gillian Rivers, in addition to performing, worked as arranger in adapting Zinner’s compositions for string orchestra; additionally, she coached the string section during rehearsals and conducted them during performance.
Counting the debut performance in NYC in 2011, 41 Strings has only been performed four times. This low number is due to the project being such a massive undertaking. Because of the rarity of performance, each one has been deeply significant. The second performance took place at the Sydney Opera House for the Sydney Festival in 2012; the third took place at London’s Royal Festival Hall for Meltdown Festival in 2014; the fourth took place at Rockefeller Plaza in NYC in the summer of 2019.
The music of 41 Strings is purposefully simple, lyrical and minimal; melodic motifs gradually unfold over time and convey a steady pacing as sections move one from the next. A subtle subjectivity infuses the ‘experience’ of each season as opposed to striving for a more objective ‘picture’: the movements of “Fall” and “Winter” naturally express a temperate majesty and solemn introspection; “Spring” brings the most raucous intensity, aligning itself with the season’s energy of rebirth and adolescent-like freedom; “Summer” expresses an idyllic potential, as if one is planted in the midst of a field surrounded by green grass, trees and flowers, awash in the warmth and light of the sun.
For nearly a decade, Death Valley Girls have made it their mission to remind the punks, psych rockers, garage aficionados, and desert mystics of the communal, transcendental, and triumphant power of music, as evidenced most recently in the riotous affirmations of their 2022 track “When I’m Free.”
The song fuses Bonnie Bloomgarden’s passionate vocals, Larry Schemel’s anthemic guitar chords, rousing sing-along choruses, and feverish organ lines into a perfect three-minute shot of adrenaline and dopamine. Despite the old-school nature of their instrumentation, Death Valley Girls are well aware of the revolutionary power of the dance floor, so they approached one of their heroes — Peaches — to help re-envision “When I’m Free” for the club crowd.
What better way to reinforce the liberating spirit of the song than to give it to Peaches, an artist who continues to push boundaries in a career that spans over two decades, and who has helped so many people navigate sexuality, gender, identity, and being comfortable in one’s body in the new millennium.
Under Peaches’ meticulous care, “When I’m Free” transforms from a scrappy rock song to a throbbing, minimalist club banger. The musical key switches from major to minor, taking the song from celebratory mode into a leaner and meaner message of empowerment. Bloomgarden’s impassioned vocals remain in place along with a few organ glissandos, though the rest of the original is excised in favor of stark four-on-the-floor beats and pulsing synth bass. The sound may prompt a different type of gyration than the original, but the spirit of freedom and revelry remains and takes on a whole new angle under Peaches’ masterful manipulations.
Australian punks The Chats unleash “Struck By Lightning,” their first new tune and video of 2022. It follows their 2020 debut album, High Risk Behaviour, “an album you can blast on the highway while going 90 or one that you can watch live and get drunk and crowd-surf to” (Consequence). “Struck By Lightning” is a fast, furious, 100-second blitz from punk heaven. It shows the Queensland trio revitalized post-pandemic and toting a ripping new guitarist, Josh Hardy. Following a Chats jam session, singer/bassist Eamon Sandwith went home and wrote a song about getting struck by lightning, like how you would feel, and what would happen. “People can’t grow their hair back and shit,” he says. “It’s weird – especially the whole no-eyebrows thing. That would be really scary! I’m really hoping that this doesn’t happen to me, now I’ve written a song about it.”
Eamon got a taste of the storm gods’ revenge in the accompanying video, directed by NAME.. It shows the band, including drummer Matt Boggis, playing in a shed, before being hit by unexpected bolts of lightning. “It’s a silly video, and I reckon I did like seven or eight takes of this stunt, where I was hoisted in the air at a fast speed, straight off my feet,” says Eamon. “That night, we were doing a show, and I had this headache. I guess the stunt work had fucked with my head, and I started throwing up while I was playing. The thing is, the crowd loved it, and they went off about me throwing up even more than they did for any song we played.”
The Chats took lockdown as a chance to plan their next move, which is when they enlisted Hardy after the departure of their last guitarist. “He’s been a good friend of ours for years. After our old guitarist Pricey left, me and Matt had a conversation, like, ‘If we can’t get Josh, we might just not carry on.’ Luckily, he was willing to join, and we got right into it, writing songs and stuff. We were like, this is unreal – so good!” The freshly-minted line-up broke in their new recruit via a bunch of shows in Oz between lockdowns, and duly cut “Struck By Lightning.”
Next week, The Chats will kick off their UK tour. Following, they’ll bring their live show across North America, where they will play some cities for the first time ever. Then, they’ll continue their tour in Europe. A full list of dates can be found below.
THE CHATS TOUR DATES
Mon. Apr. 25 – El Paso, TX @ Lowbrow Palace Tue. Apr. 26 – Houston, TX @ The Bronze Peacock at House of Blues Wed. Apr. 27 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s Austin Thu. Apr. 28 – Dallas, TX @ House of Blues – Cambridge Room Sat. Apr. 30 – Nashville, TN @ Basement East Sun. May 1 – Atlanta, GA @ Buckhead Theatre Tue. May 3 – Columbia, SC @ The Senate Wed. May 4 – Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Soundstage Thu. May 5 – Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club Fri. May 6 – Warrendale, PA @ Jergel’s Rhythm Grille Sat. May 7 – Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw Sun. May 8 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Foundry @ The Fillmore – SOLD OUT Tue. May 10 – Montreal, QC @ Foufounes Électriques Wed. May 11 – Toronto, ON @ Velvet Underground – SOLD OUT Thu. May 12 – Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop – SOLD OUT Fri. May 13 – Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar Sat. May 14 – Chicago, IL @ House of Blues Sun. May 15 – St. Paul, MN @ Amsterdam Bar & Hall – SOLD OUT Tue. May 17 – Lawrence, KS @ The Bottleneck Wed. May 18 – Omaha, NE @ Slowdown Fri. May 20 – Denver, CO @ Marquis Theatre – SOLD OUT Sun. May 22 – Daytona Beach, FL @ Welcome to Rockville 2022 Wed. May 25 – Seattle, WA @ El Corazon – SOLD OUT Thu. May 26 – Portland, OR @ McMenamins Crystal Ballroom Fri. May 27 – Vancouver, BC @ Hollywood Theatre – SOLD OUT Mon. Jun. 27 – Paris, FR @ La Maroquinerie Tue. Jun. 28 – Brussels, BE @ La Botanique Fri. Jul. 1 – Werchter, BE @ Rock Werchter 2022 Mon. Jul. 4 – Amsterdam, NL @ Melkweg Tue. Jul. 5 – Berlin, DE @ SO36 Wed. Jul. 6 – Hamburg, DE @ Moltow Backyard Thu. Jul. 7 – Cologne, DE @ Gebäude Fri. Jul. 22 – Adelaide, AU @ Adelaide Showground Fri. Jul. 29 – Luxembourg, LU @ Rotondes Sat. Oct. 8 – Sacramento, CA @ Aftershock Festival
