The Witzard

Chubby & The Gang 2020 Line-up (CREDIT: Ellie Chaplin) Last year, a London-based Hardcore/Power Pop band called Chubby & The Gang quietly released a mysterious 7-inch single called "All Along The Uxbridge Road." It was first released on Static Shock Records Overseas and, later, saw a secondary re-issue on Goner Records here in The States. Somehow, we got a copy of the UK pressing, we believe, after initially reading about said 7-inch across the pages of P*ssed Jeans frontman Matt Korvette's own D.I.Y. 7/12-inch review site, YellowGreenRed . Not long after, Chubby & The Gang unleashed their proper full-length debut, Speed Kills, boasting production work from F*CKED UP's own Jonah Falco with mastering provided by Will Kilingsworth. It remains one of the strongest, fun-to-listen-to albums spewing with infectious Street Punk/Hardcore swagger and sing-along Power Pop-laden hooks; however, quite unfortunately, Speed Kills was released on Static Shock just pri...

I guess, at this point in my life, on the verge of 32, I would deem myself an "aging Punk" (I know, it's an extremely un-Punk thing to do!) but I feel, as though, before labeling someone else an "aging Punk," I should, at least, own up to my own dwindling status in the community/sub-culture. I've been listening to Punk/Hardcore music for about 17 years now; so, that would mean I first discovered the genres around 15-16, which sounds about right. I guess, if my memory serves me correctly, I discovered a bunch of formative 80's punk bands like Black Flag, Fugazi, Minor Threat, The Misfits, Samhain, Bad Religion, etc. through listening to Pop Punk bands, such as blink-182, Sum 41, and Green Day, during the early 2000's. I've always felt a special attachment to the worlds of Punk/Hardcore—attending amany sweaty shows dimly-lit shows long before I was even old enough to drink!—and oddly enough, the older I get, the more of an attachment I feel toward...

Legendary Hardcore Art-Punk band The Dismemberment Plan had their original "reign of terror" across DC from 1993-2003, eventually parted ways, and all got boring blue collar desk jobs. Since initially re-forming in Sept. 2010, D-Plan have played a handful of scattered and wildly successful reunion tours (including a Late Night gig). After years of one-off gigs and claims of not getting back together "except to drink beer," it seems like Travis Morrison , Eric Axelson, Jason Caddell & Joe Easley are finally back together and in full form for the foreseeable future. But The Dismemberment Plan 's comeback single, "Waiting," was released in a pretty unconventional method. It was temporarily play-able when eager fans dialed 252-64-DPLAN , although "Waiting" has since been re-released via Soundcloud . Now, the band have unleashed a second taste of their forthcoming Uncanney Valley album, "Invisible," which Tom Breihan ...