The Witzard

Let's face it, karaoke sucks! Unless it's one of those beer-fueled, full bar sing-a-longs. Titus Andronicus are a "Beer-Punk" band hailing from Glen Rock, NJ who are named after a Shakespeare play. "Still Life with Hot Deuce and Silver Platter" is the second self-leaked track from the band's upcoming LP #3, Local Business (Oct. 22-23rd). " Titus Andronicus the studious recording project and Titus Andronicus the raucous touring machine are no longer two distinct beings; There is only Titus Andronicus , Rock "N" Roll band." ... Frontman Patrick Stickles notes that while Local Business isn't exactly a concept album per say, it was greatly inspired by a car wreck, "food fight" [eating disorder], and electrocution, a descent into insanity, and forgiveness. Loosely translating to "shit on a silver platter," "Still Life with Hot Deuce and Silver Platter" seems to be ragging on Hipsters [re...

Nashville Rock "N" Roll revivalists JEFF The Brotherhood recently inked a record deal with Warner Bros. Hypnotic Nights (July) was co-produced along with Dan Auerbach , who's band The Black Keys also "sold out" semi-recently and have remained quite successful ever since. Jake & Jamin Orrall 's very own family-owned/operated record label, Infinity Cat will co-release the new album and it's companion [digital] EP, Hypnotic Knights . I downloaded a copy of JEFF The Brotherhood 's lead single, "Sixpack" before I skipped town for Maryland on Friday... No, "Sixpack" isn't a Black Flag (Rollins) cover; But honestly, it's damn near just as ferocious! After a quick first listen, I was instantly reminded of Weezer 's guitar-driven Pop melodies backed by CKY 's West Chester -bred Experimental "Skater Rock." JEFF The Brotherhood are currently touring across The USA along with Best Coast up until Ju...

Diarrhea Planet are exactly the kind of dudes I can get down with: hard-partying, guitar-drenched, Southern gentlemen with a Punk Rock edge! I must admit, I regularly talk with 3 of it's 6 Nashville -bred members through email, of course. Casey, Hodan & Evan C. Bird are really great dudes who really haven't let their recent wave of fame get to the heads and definitely appreciate their adoring fans. Since first hearing about their Infinity Cat debut, Loose Jewels over @ Prefix last October... I've worked "hands on" with Diarrhea Planet on a few assorted pieces for "The Witzard." Fresh on the heels of their recent SXSW 2012 appearance(s), Casey & Hodan mentioned a few upcoming happenings through email: Diarrhea Planet are currently in the studio... writing and recording material for a new 7" single, flexidisc, Infinity Cat LP #2, and a Titus Andronicus split! While nothing really has a concrete release date just yet, all 4 ...

While I love Hip-Hop and almost anything mildly "Punk Rock," I can honestly say that I've never really heard tell of a Hardcore band releasing a mixtape... and the sheer notion of it DOES sound pretty sketchy on paper. But I digress - Let's use the term "mixtape" loosely here and think of Titus Andronicus LLC Mixtape, Vol. 1 as more of a Who Odds & Sods-esque mix CD or hand-dubbed cassette; Rather than an arrogant DJ drop-filled collection of unclear-able sampled Boom-Bap beats and rhythms. Roger that? Titus Andronicus sold 200 copies of a hand-made CD-R rarities collection @ SXSW this past weekend. Due to a wider response than expected, Titus Andronicus LLC Mixtape, Vol. 1 was liberated on the band's Tumblr come Monday morning. It's essentially a 23-track collection of live cuts, covers, demos, out-takes, rehearsal sessions, and miscellaneous "odds & sods" spanning 2005-12. While the quality obviously varies from t...

As cliche as it sounds, Punk Rock is NOT just a mere fad; Angst-filled youth rebellion is something that will never go out of style! But let's face it, even today's finest Hardcore bands are way less "threatening" and society-damning than they used to be. Then again, it seems as though we're currently experiencing a "Hardcore Punk Revival," of sorts... with fresh, new bands like Fucked Up, Diarrhea Planet, WEIRD WIVES (Surfer Blood) , Pissed Jeans , Death Grips, PARTY ANIMAL , and Odd Future popping up every so often. But on the other hand, the sum of all these musical parts don't even begin to stack up against the single greatest Hardcore band of all time: Black Flag ! Dope Body are an aggressive young bunch of D.I.Y. musicians, hailing from Baltimore , MD. Andrew Laumann, Zach Utz , and David Jacober have been creating mashed-up Noise Rock together as part of the city's "Wham City" scene since roughly 2008. John Jones was ...

EDITOR'S NOTE: It's July 2018 and to be honest, I'm really not even sure what exactly this is/was supposed to be... but from what I can put together, it's some type of "Top 40 "Hitlist"' AKA a breakdown(?) I asked Diarrhea Planet guitarist Evan C. Bird to put together about 6-7 years ago. If you're reaing this now, in 2018, it saddens me to inform you that Diarrhea Planet have, unfortunately, decided it's time for them to disband; however, DP have also, decided to "SHRED THEE WELL" with 2 final shows to be held September 7-8, 2018 at EXIT/IN in Nashville, Tennessee. It seems like Diarrhea Planet has simply, run it's course, but let me just say this: it was extremely fun while it lasted, fellas! Blue Scholars - Cinematropolis: Seattle Hip-Hop ! These guys have been on the top of my list since The Long March (2005). These guys are from Seattle and they're not exactly new, but Cinematropolis is definitely a departure f...

(1.) What are some of your favourite Punk records - sources of inspiration, if you will? As far as Punk is concerned probably Latterman 's "We are still alive..." and Against Me!'s "The Disco Before the Breakdown." Truth be told though, I don't know if most of us still listen to Punk that much anymore. There is a lot of Punk bands that are really fun to see live but it's hard to relate to a lot of the anger that the bands portray and write about. (2.) Can you briefly discuss Diarrhea Planet 's use-age of Pop & melody? Sure. I know that we all have always been suckers for a good/memorable hook within a song. I feel like most of the scene that we participate in here in Nashville is based more heavily upon hooks and attitude than anywhere else. The "Punk" or probably more appropriately "DIY" scene here is different than any other I have ever been part of in that the bands still portray aggression and attitude in th...

"Diarrhea Planet" may very well be the most memorable, ambiguous juxtaposition of random phrases [band name] since "Foo Fighters" 1994 inception. Diarrhea Planet 's 4 lead guitarists ( Jordan Smith, Brent Toler, Evan Bird , and Emmett Miller ) without a doubt add depth to their already dense, Balls-to-the-Wall Rock "N" Roll sound. Drummer Casey J. Weissbuch and jungle-stompin' bassist, Mike Boyle round out the band's extensive 6-man team. Jordan Smith dually acts as "leadsinger," but all of the guys are able to contribute vocal riffs when needed. Diarrhea Planet was originally formed in 2009 as a 2-piece Noise band and with a few changes/additions, this current line-up was recently solidified on record. After self-releasing 2 EP's-worth of material and "endlessly" touring the Nashville area, Diarrhea Planet were signed to JEFF The Brotherhood's hometown label, Infinity Cat Recordings . Philly label, Evi...