andPOP » punk

The Gaslight Anthem – Not Justin Bieber Fans

andPOP Staff — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 04:14:09 +0000

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Yet another example of something cool coming from New Jersey besides The Sopranos and Bruce Springsteen. The Gaslight Anthem has shaken up the punk rock community, so much that even Pitchfork likes them. We spoke with the band about their recent release American Slang, and also about Justin Bieber. Believe it or not, they are not Justin Bieber fans.

Jay Reatard Found Dead – Summary

Blake Dillon — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 22:36:41 +0000

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Garage-punk king Jay Reatard (born Jimmy Lee Lindsey Jr.) was found dead on Wednesday in his Memphis home.

The 29-year-old burst onto the music scene at the young age of 15.

Rumors of his death ran rampant Wednesday morning, but it wasn’t until late afternoon that Goner Records, Reatard’s record label, officially confirmed it. Their message board read, “It is with great sadness that we report the passing of our good friend Jay Reatard. Jay died in his sleep last night.”

Memphis police have opened an investigation into his death.

R.I.P.

Avril Lavigne Debuts New Clothing Line

@jordans_life — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 13:39:33 +0000

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Ever wanted to look like Avril Lavigne? Well now is your chance. Canada’s punk princess has conquered the music world and now is out to conquer the fashion world with her new line Abbey Dawn. Jordan spoke with Avril and her husband Deryck about the newest project during the Toronto launch.

Band’s Sticker Causes Airport Shut-Down

Joelle Tomlinson — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 15:44:45 +0000

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Folk-punk band “This Bike Is A Pipe Bomb” released their first single 12 years ago, and have developed a dedicated group of fans since. One fan in particular tagged his bike with a sticker, and learned his lesson the hard way.

According to chartattack.com, the bicycle was discovered bearing a sticker with the band’s name near the passenger ramps at a terminal in Memphis International Airport on Monday. An airport police officer mistook the sticker for an actual threat. The ticketing and baggage claim desks at the terminal were closed down and people were evacuated while a canine unit sniffed around, to no avail.

Other measures were took to ensure the safety of the airport. Traffic was briefly shut down at a portion of the airport, and the owner of the bike was detained an searched by authorities before being released.

This isn’t the first bike mistook for a pipe bomb because of the band’s stickers. There have been similar incidents in Ohio, Texas and Pennsylvania in the past and have resulted in building closures, arrests and destruction of the bikes.

Chartattack.com also posted the band’s reactions to these incidents:

“I was at work and just kind of freaked out,” lead singer/guitarist Ryan Modee told the Pensacola News Journal on Thursday of his reaction to hearing about the incident. “I was like, ‘Oh God, not again. How could this be happening?”

Along with Modee, TBIAPB contains bassist/vocalist Terry Johnson and drummer Teddy Helmick. Their latest album was released last year, entitled ‘Convertible’.

Fans Plan Last-Ditch Effort to Save Birthplace of Punk

Eva Lam — Tue, 02 Aug 2005 13:12:58 +0000

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“Never surrender” is punk music’s rallying call, and supporters of CBGB’s are taking that message to heart as they plan a last-ditch effort to save the famed New York rock club.

CBGB?s will host a benefit show almost every night during August, the last month of its lease, The Associated Press reports.

The ?Save CBGB?s campaign? will be capped off on the 31st by a public rally and concert at Washington Square Park, said singer/songwriter/”The Sopranos” star Little Steven Van Zandt, who has been involved in the preservation efforts for the last few weeks.

The club is battling its landlord, the Bowery Residents Committee (BRC), over back rent and an increase to the monthly rental cost, which is about $19,000. The committee provides shelter for homeless people in the building that houses the club.

The conflict, which sees the club?s impending closure in September, stems mainly from a series of rent hikes. According to CBGB?s spokesperson Scott Goodstein, the BRC raised the rent on the building several times without properly informing the club and later brought the issue to court to collect interest. The most recent dispute concerns about $80,000 in back rent the BRC claims it is owed.

Van Zandt said a proposal was submitted to the landlord last week which offered to pay more rent and host events to raise money for the cause. He said no response to the proposal has been received.

Van Zandt, who has played with Bruce Springsteen?s E Street Band, spoke of the plans for the month-long campaign during a news conference Monday. He was accompanied by musicians such as Tommy Ramone and punk journalists, as well as Hilly Kristal, the founder and owner of the rock club.

?CBGB is the last real rock ?n? roll club,? said Van Zandt, according to New York Daily News. ?There?s nothing like it left in the world.

?It?s a club that embodies the spirit of New York ? people with nothing, rising to something successful.?

Ramone, whose band The Ramones used to play at the club, said CBGB?s is a part of history. ?This is one of the last vestiges of old New York ? what it was and what it could be in the future.?

After the news conference, Blondie?s Deborah Harry took the stage for an impromptu jam session.

Dozens of punk and indie acts are slated to play the upcoming benefit shows, including Chevelle, Living Colour, Kid Dynamite, The Exit, Dead Boys, Against Me and The Vandals.

Beyond the shows, artists such as The Bangles, Elvis Costello and Sting have donated memorabilia for a fundraising auction.

More details about the campaign will be posted online (savecbgb.org), where supporters can also offer donations and add their names to a petition.

Kristal founded CBGB?s in December 1973, with its initials standing for ?country bluegrass blues? ? the type of music Kristal originally meant for the venue to host. Although he also gave it the surname Omfug (signifying ?other music for uplifting gormandizers ? the latter words described by Kristal as ?a voracious eater of, in this case, music?), the club became known as simply CBGB?s.

The club, located in the city?s Lower East Side, is considered to be the birthplace of punk and has acquired legendary status in New York?s music history. It was there that previously little-known acts such as The Ramones, Talking Heads, and Blondie kick-started the U.S. punk and New Wave scene in the 1980s. In those days, the small crowds would pay a $1 cover charge.

Music Column: Why Only a Summer Punk Tour?

Adam Gonshor — Tue, 28 Jun 2005 13:57:08 +0000

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The Rolling Stones, U2, Madonna and Paul McCartney have had some of the highest-grossing tours in recent memory. But if you see one of them one summer, chances are they won’t hit your city again for another few years.

There is one tour that returns year after year?this is its eleventh year?and that’s the Warped Tour.

The Warped Tour is unique because it brings together almost every punk band for a summer long outing. Established bands (The Offspring), hot bands of the moment (My Chemical Romance) and up and coming acts (Fall Out Boy) all co-exist in an informal setting with no preferential service. It doesn’t matter if you’ve gone triple-platinum or are looking for a record deal; lunch is served at noon.

And they go all summer without controversy. There’s the very odd band scuffle, but it’s like a summer camp, and every band is thrilled to be a part of it; even Good Charlotte, who were booed last year because they put too much pop into pop-punk. “Warped Tour’s kind of like a community,” Joel Madden told andPOP last summer. “It’s not about the money, it’s about being part of the Warped Tour. I’ll play Warped Tour for free if I had to. When you play it, you become a part of it.” Turns out they aren’t back this year, but the fans probably aren’t complaining.

So why aren’t more genres trying this? Here’s why:

-Hip-hop- 50 Cent has a beef with everyone. Even if he’s not on the tour, one of his G-Unit members will be, or Emimen, or Dr. Dre, or someone associated with him. There are far too many beefs in the rap world that a hip-hop tour with 50 artists going from city to city all summer will never happen. That’s a certainty. If 50′s on the tour, Ja Rule, Fat Joe, and The Game won’t be. If Jay-Z signs up, Nas and R. Kelly drop out. No R&B singers will dare to commit, out of fear that the audience will jeer them off the stage for not being tough enough. It’s a shame because few hip-hop artists tour extensively, and it would be a great chance for people to see artists that don’t normally visit their city.

-Country- First, it would be hard to secure big artists like Faith Hill and Shania Twain because they’re making 6-figures for every concert on their own tours. Second, country music is trash, nobody would go (ok that’s my bias, and fine, lots of people will go, but wouldn’t it be great if nobody showed up and country music just, well, stopped?). Third, all the artists will break the audience’s achy hearts with their tear-jerking music, there wouldn’t be enough Kleenex in each city to go around (Editor’s note: country fans can send their complaints to Adam on the contact page).

-Pop- Who’s going to perform, the Backstreet Boys? There are no pop acts left, and if there are, they say they’re rock or hip-hop. Try telling Ashlee Simpson she’s pop and she’ll hit you with her never-working microphone. Her sister Jessica is too busy making movies in scantily-clad shorts. Leave her to be. And heaven forbid a pop tour.

-Jazz- what a great tour that would be, except the average age of a jazz artist is 82.

Somehow those punk kids know what they’re doing.