The Witzard

"It’s been 20 years since Chavez released their second and final studio album Ride The Fader (1996), but in late 2015, Matt Sweeney, Clay Tarver, Scott Marshall & The James Lo resumed operations; once again ensconcing themselves with John Agnello at NJ ’s Water Music , ignoring the label’s demands for a full-length album and instead delivering three knockout punches that prove these Godfathers of Art Metal (for f*ck’s sake, please don’t actually call them that—or tell them we said it) are as idiosyncratic, inventive, and anthemic as THE LAST TIME THEY TOLD US THEY WEREN’T GOING TO TOUR..." Matador Records wrote within a rather tongue-in-cheek Chavez Cockfighters EP press release. Chavez have been neither active nor inactive over the course of the past 20 years, reuniting sporadically—first, on a Stereogum -sponsored concert at B rooklyn venue Warsaw back in 2006 and a TV appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon back in 2011. Matt Sweeney has gone on to for...

"This album is about growing up, and that second coming of age you have when you're already an adult. It's about being a grown-up and having a job and responsibilities and still feeling fragile and uncertain," Fucked Up guitarist and songwriter Mike Haliechuk recently told Consequence of Sound about their upcoming new album, Glass Boys . "It's also about us being in a band for 12-13 years, and what started as this weird hobby has become almost like a job," he continued. Matador Records will unleash the slightly "more chill and less OCD" record in comparison against their concept album, David Comes to Life (2011) on June 3rd; the skull-bashing Canadian Hardcore band secretly recorded Glass Boys between April 2013 and Feb. 2014 with veteran producer Bill Skibbe at his privately-owned Key Club Recording Company . Fucked Up 's righteously poppy pseudo-lead single, "Paper The House" was actually filmed by Scott Cudmore and J...

"Unfortunately we're WAY over budget, uh so we couldn't take out a real commercial; But here's this one," Kurt Vile lamented as he launched into a fairly low-budget "Never Run Away" info-mercial. Airing Wednesday on local Philly area network The CW (channel 57), Vile simply 'drops the needle' on his record player, pops a squat, and lets his 3-year-old daughter dance around their living room. Matador Records will release the proper follow-up to Kurt Vile & The Violators' last album, Smoke for My Halo (2011) this upcoming April 9th; Wakin' on a Pretty Daze is already being toted as a slightly cleaned up, dialed back version of The War on Drugs -affiliated guitarist's scuzzed out lo-fi blend of Indie Rock/Folk -- Kurt Vile himself has dubbed the sound, "Prog-Pop." While it's the single version, which could imply that there's a longer album-length version... previously released album opener, "Waki...

While I think my overall musical tastes are pretty cultured and broad-spanning/sound, I must admit that I'm not too keen on current world music. Honestly, when I hear "World Music," what first comes to mind is African Tribal drums, Middle Eastern Acid Rock, Swedish Pop , Mariachi, and South African jam bands . I'm vaguely familiar with Asian Jazz-Fusion , Grime, bagpipe-led Celtic Punk , and Finnish/Norwegian Death Metal. When I first got my learner's permit [license] back in high school, my buddy Ryan and I were driving all over New Jersey , searching for terribly assembled D.I.Y. Punk shows @ dirty VFW halls and seedy hole-in-the-wall bars/clubs. 1970-80's Hardcore Punk is generally associated with it's formative New York , California , and UK scenes... But I guess we, myself included, tend to forget that there are rebellion-fueled, aggressive, socially awkward teens all over the world! Somehow, throughout my 10-12 year relationship with Punk Roc...

* Steve Keene - "Remixed" Cover Art When it comes down to true feelings about music, strippers , and/or pizza... I feel like I'm a pretty "honest, fair" kind of guy. With that said, I have a soft spot for exotic dancers and SM 's last 2 records: Face the Truth (2005) and Real Emotional Trash (2008) were solid collections! So, if my personal opinion holds any sort of credence ["cred"], then SM & The Jicks' new album will indeed be a true "winner" of a record selection. Although I've only actually heard 2 tracks from Mirror Traffic thusfar -- "Senator" and "No One Is (As Are I Be)" -- I'm positive that the Beck -produced album will most definitely warrant repeat listens. The pair of 90's Alternative/Indie Rock heroes reportedly laid down the majority of the 15-track collection in 2010. Then temporarily shelved due to Pavement 's "Reunion Tour" and Beck 's covers initiati...

Christopher Owens and Chet "JR" White really are a couple of Girls ; No, that's not a sly, back-handed dig... It's the name of their Indie Rock/Pop band. Owens and White are currently on a mini-promotional jaunt for their upcoming sophomore album, Father, Son, Holy Ghost ("Record 3") . Here, they're in fact joined for the first time by new add-on members, Darren Weiss (drums) and John Anderson (guitar). "Vomit" is the debut single from the collection, which will be released in Europe and US on Sept. 12-13th. After being released for free download last week @ the cost of $1 email, Girls liberated the accompanying "promo music video" yesterday to the Inter-web. Essentially, 3/4 of the nearly 7-minute long track pans across the inner and exterior elements of a 1966 [Ford] Mustang . The convertible cherry red gem is aimlessly driven around town by [ Christopher Owens ] with the Elvis Costello/The Cure -reminiscent "Vomi...