The Witzard

Titus Andronicus, L-R: R.J. Gordon, Patrick "Paddy Stacks" Stickles, Chris "Big Steve" Wilson & Liam "The Younger" Betson (SOURCE: Big Hassle) Not entirely unlike Bob Dylan and/or Bing Crosby & David Bowie long before them, New Jersey's own Heartland Rock stalwarts Titus Andronicus are cranking up the festive mood yet another notch with the release of their first-ever stand-alone holiday single, "Drummer Boy." Having released one of the year's most celebrated Rock albums with The Will to Live and dazzled ecstatic fans across America, Titus Andronicus have much to celebrate. Plus, they're sharing plans to ring in The New Year with additional tour dates across The United States, Canada, The United Kingdom, and Ireland. "Drummer Boy" lifts the musical components from Billy Joel's timeless 1973 anthem, "Piano Man," and retrofits it to tell The Nativity Story from the perspective of "The Little Dru...

2Minute Minor (2MM) is a old school-style American Hardcore Punk band heavily influenced by 80's Hardcore and the working class Oi! sound. They typically mix in a message of positivity and unity into their music. 2Minute Minor's members are advocates for human rights and formed the band in Chicago, Illinois. 2MM have released a number of albums, EP's, and singles since their initial formation around 2017. Their most recent release being 8-bit Remixes, which was remixed and orchestrated by now-departed drummer Zach Bridier. Bridier has moved on from 2Minute Minor to create his own music and explore other opportunities, as explained within our comprehensive emailed interview conducted earlier this year. 2Minute Minor has now recruited Larry Passenier as their drummer, who, also, drums in 2MM side-project XRedlineX. Snoopy's Christmas by 2Minute Minor Although, while 8-bit Remixes marked his official send-off/parting gift to the band upon his exit, Bridier has appe...

dj BC is a notorious Atlanta -based/ Boston -bred mash-up artist, DJ, and producer known "on the streets" as Bob Cronin . He's the resident DJ for fellow Bostonians Big D & The Kids Table and is likely, best-known for his three Beastles (The Beatles & Beastie Boys) mash-up albums: 2004's The Beastles , 2006's Let It Beast , and most recently, 2013's ILL SUBMARINE . In fact, the latter was most recently re-issued for the very first time on super-limited edition tape for Cassette Store Day 2018 . Sunday evening, for the first night of Hanukkah , " dj BC 's super-group" TheBeastles @letitbeast 's Instagram page posted a seasonally appropriate Yellow Submarine menorah with the tantalizing caption: "#HappyHanukkah from The Beastles ! @mcaday #beatles #beastieboys @realdjbc check out dj BC 's Chanukah album - link in bio!" Soon after, dj BC himself messaged me with a link to his 2015 compilation, MENORAH MIXES: crazy...

"I think a lot about genre-blending, so the relative novelty of mixing (MF) DOOM & Doom made a lot of sense to me. I've been a fan of mash-ups like Jay-Z at Studio One, WUGAZI, Leftöver Kanye , and Yeezer, but nothing that really touched Hardcore/Punk Rock," Justin Mayer AKA Old City wrote within a series of Facebook Messages. Just a matter of days ago, I got a cold-sent email, which started off by saying, "Old City, stage name of Philly-based musician/producer Justin Mayer, announces Black Bastards, a mash-up EP between rapper MF DOOM and Birmingham Crust Punk band Doom ." Old City is currently prepping the release of his villainous Black Bastards EP—presumably named after KMD's 1993 pre-MF DOOM album, Bl_ck B_st_rds—to be unleashed this Halloween and has been preceded by "the first and only" DOOM & Doom-melding single, "Air Crimes;" a frenzied mash-up consisting of DOOM's oft-remixed verse from Dabrye's 2006 Ghostly In...

" Californian keyboardist and beat-maker Kiefer (birth name Kiefer Shackelford ) drops his debut LP with enough Jazz piano chops to transform LA 's Low End Theory into a smokey speakeasy. Catch Kiefer crushing the stage NOW in the touring Mndsgn LIVE trio ( Ringgo, Swarvy & Kiefer ). Kickinit Alone is available now exclusively through our partners at Stones Throw Records . World-wide digital and cassette release March 3rd, 2017," reads an album-announcing statement uploaded to LEAVING RECORDS' on-site blog Wednesday. Kiefer 's only prior studio appearances were on LEAVING label mate Swarvy 's "Spam Grease" from his Electronic/Soul-Funk album Elderberry and "Akasha (Piano)" from Mndsgn & Nanna B 's collaborative Akasha 7-inch from Stones Throw & LEAVING RECORDS sister label, Akashik Records & Tapes . Along with the album release announcement, Kiefer unleashed title track, "Kickinit Alone," ...

"Previously unheard vintage Thom Yorke remix of DOOM's "Gazzillion Ear." Thom sent us this nasty re-working back in 2009. It was marked "Man On Fire Remix," but no one heard it until last night when he dropped it on an epic [installment] of Benji B's BBC Radio 1 show," LexRecords wrote within a brief statement attached to their Thursday, September 8th Soundcloud upload of DOOM's mysterious "Gazzillion Ear (Thom Yorke Gazilli Remix)." It seems as though DOOM and long-time Radiohead frontman have maintained a mutual admiration for each other's work and wildly different aesthetics since around 2008-09—Yorke has included not only DOOM , but countless J Dilla , Madlib, Flying Lotus , Quasimoto, and MADVILLAIN tracks within numerous BBC Radio 1 DJ sets. Thom Yorke 's latest nearly 3-hour Benji B BBC Radio 1 DJ set included everything from Frank Ocean and Sampha to James Blake & Vince Staples' "Timeless...

" Edan had the ill beat and was like, 'Yo, this sounds kinda like when people talk mad sh*t, you should speak on that.' I was like word. The onslaught of people talking mad copious amounts of sh*t is the ongoing barrage. That's what the video is about," Queens -bred emcee Homeboy Sandman recently revealed to The FADER , who premiered said video, "Talking (Bleep)." Sandman 's Edan -produced sh*t-talker lamenting creation stems from his upcoming Stones Throw album, Kindness for Weakness and is instantly evocative, to me at least, of The Peanuts' often used droning "WOOT WOOT WOOT" adult talking voice. Its companion Jay Brown -directed visual treatment is vaguely reminiscent of The Avengers: Age of Ultron meets let's say, Pierce Brosnan -helmed 1990's James Bond flick GoldenEye , but instead of your friendly neighborhood chiseled caped crusaders, starring sharp-tongued emcee Homeboy Sand-Man !!! For whatever reasons, it...

It appears as though reclusive early 2000's rapper, producer, and cold-cuttin' DJ Edan has finally decided to re-emerge from his self-imposed sabbatical and unleash his first batch of new material since 2009's "Echo Party" mixtape; Edan recently contributed production work to old sharp-tongued friend Mr. Lif 's long-awaited comeback single of sorts, "Whizdom," as well as Homeboy Sandman 's newly unveiled Kindness for Weakness album teaser, "Talking (Bleep)." Sandman 's latest Stones Throw Drip can likely best be described as a Hip-Hop -laden amalgamation of pop culture's beloved, often over-used "BLAH, BLAH, BLAH" filler phrasing for drab, long-winded, unnecessary, etc. conversation we're often subjected to throughout our every day lives – be it Ke$ha 's chart-topping No.1 single, Charlie Brown & The Peanuts' "WAH, WAH, WAH" diction substituted for adults talking, or Seinfeld prota...

" Happy Holidays , everyone. All the best Christmas songs were written by Jews , and Chanukah songs suck. This is my favorite Christmas tune, sung over the Vincent Guaraldi instrumental," New-Wop crooner Andrew Mayer "Hawthorne" Cohen wrote in a particularly tongue-in-cheek gentile-slamming 2010 mini- Stones Throw press release accompanying his sparse "Christmas Time Is Here" Peanuts -assisted cover. Just a few mere years later, Hawthorne and his Disco-Funkateer partner-in-crime, Jake-One quietly unveiled their first slice of post- Tuxedo Funk EP era material; a jittery groove-soaked rendition of Paul McCartney & Wings' 1979 Synth-Rock yuletide favorite, "Wonderful Christmastime." Now, just days ahead of the soon forthcoming 2015-16 holiday season, Tuxedo have unwrapped a completely original, retro-futuristic holiday standard titled "Holiday Love." It appears exclusively within Amazon Music 's recent holi...

Simply Having by Black Milk & Melanie Rutherford " Black Milk chops up one of his favorite Christmas songs and links up with Melanie Rutherford for the re-make. Check the artwork, I guess Charlie Brown & company's fighting skills are on point as they each have a pair of [Jordan] Concords . *shrugs... I never understood this shoe fetish people have. Dah well? [Here's a Merry Christmas to all you 2dopeboyz & girls out there!!"] - Shake