news

The Banner call it quits

Alternative Press - Tim Karan on 1/13/10 @ 10:26 PM - altpress.com

Ferret hardcore band The Banner have decided to call it a day. They issued this statement on their MySpace blog:

"Alright as im sure you may have guessed The Banner is embarking on our Swan song. Theres no drama or nothing its just we pretty much did everything i wished to do and id like to bow out as gracefully as we are capable (yeah, i know, but for us this is as graceful as youre gonna get.) Were gonna play a last show at the end of the year. im not sure of exactly when someone could nail down a start date of this band but it was 1999-2000 so the end of 2010 will be at least ten years and ten years/6 records is something i can move on feeling ok about. ... Gonna be working on final EP of sorts that will ideally be out before the last show, Wondering who is gonna put it out? NOBODY, I begged and pleaded but everybody was "too busy". if i can gather enough funds after paying for recording ill press it myself but lets face it...probably not gonna happen. No, looks like the last album will be coming out on Mediafire Records."

The band last released Frailty in 2008.

Watch Aaron Gillespie, Bryce Avary, Stephen Christian and more perform at TWLOHA event

Alternative Press - Tim Karan on 1/13/10 @ 10:21 PM - altpress.com

This past weekend saw the annual To Write Love On Her Arms Event, "Heavy And Light," at the House Of Blues in Orlando, Florida. Performers included Mat Kearney, Aaron Gillespie of Underoath/the Almost, Bryce Avary of the Rocket Summer, Stephen Christian of Anberlin, Aaron Marsh of Copeland and more.

As an encore at the event, Avary, Gillespie and many more took the stage to play "Stand By Me," the Ben E. King classic.

Check out video below:

HEAVY AND LIGHT 2010 Encore. from To Write Love on Her Arms. on Vimeo.

Four Year Strong, The Bouncing Souls, 26 Others Added to Warped Tour

Alternative Press - Max Weinberg on 1/13/10 @ 7:57 PM - altpress.com

Following the announcement of the first batch of Warped Tour bands a few weeks back, 28 more artists have been added to the 2010 Vans Warped Tour lineup. Check out the newly added artists below and which dates they're on, but expect more to be added by the time the tour kicks off June 24th in San Diego.

Agent Orange (8/11, 8/12, 8/14, 8/15)
Angry Samoans (6/25 - 6/27)
Automatic Loveletter (whole tour)
Cobra Skulls (8/7 - 8/15)
Deas Vail (8/1 - 8/15)
Dickies (6/24 - 6/27)
Die Mannequin (6/27 - 7/8)
Face To Face (whole tour)
Fear (6/24 - 6/27)
Four Year Strong (whole tour)
Green Jello (8/11, 8/12, 8/14, 8/15)
Hope For AM (6/27 - 7/3)
Hot Chelle Rae (7/17 - 8/2)
Ice Nine Kills (7/21 - 8/1)
Left Alone (whole tour)
Longway (8/5 - 8/15)
Mike Posner (whole tour)
Neo Geo (8/7 - 8/15)
Our Last Night (8/7 - 8/15)
The B Foundation (8/11 - 8/15)
The Bouncing Souls (6/26, 6/29 - 7/11)
The Downtown Fiction (7/7 - 7/16)
The Fabulous Rudies (8/7 - 8/15)
The Mighty Regis (6/24 - 7/22)
The Sparring (whole tour)
The Untouchables (8/11, 8/12, 8/14, 8/15)
This Time Next Year (8/2 - 8/15)
Victory In Numbers (7/1 - 7/8)

Jay Reatard found dead

Alternative Press - Scott Heisel on 1/13/10 @ 4:08 PM - altpress.com

Matador Records has confirmed that garage-punk singer Jay Reatard has passed away. He was 29. Reatard's previous label, Goner Records first delivered news of his death, writing, "It is with great sadness that we report the passing of our good friend Jay Reatard. Jay died in his sleep last night. We will pass along information about funeral rrangements when they are made public." No information was given as to the cause of death.

His current label, Matador, commented, "We are devastated by the death of Jimmy Lee Lindsey Jr., aka Jay Reatard. Jay was as full of life as anyone we've ever met, and responsible for so many memorable moments as a person and artist. We're honored to have known and worked with him, and we will miss him terribly."

Reatard had been making music since the age of 15, first in the Reatards, then in the Lost Sounds, and finally as a solo musician from 2006 onward. His most recent album was 2009's Matador-released Watch Me Fall. Reatard spent November opening for the Pixies; more recently, he had been taking to his Twitter account to complain of being sick as recently as Jan. 9.

Our deepest condolences to the family, friends and fans of Jay Reatard.

Chuck Ragan, Ben Nichols, Frank Turner, Tim Barry on Aussie Revival Tour

Alternative Press - Scott Heisel on 1/13/10 @ 12:14 PM - altpress.com

Members of the annual Chuck Ragan-curated Revival Tour will be getting their passports stamped this April as they head to Australia for a week's worth of dates. The lineup for these shows will be Ragan (Hot Water Music), Frank Turner, Tim Barry (Avail) and Ben Nichols (Lucero), with backing musicians Jon Gaunt and Todd Beene. Tickets go on sale Friday, Jan. 22 at 9 a.m. local time. Dates:

Thu April 22 The Zoo, Brisbane
Fri April 23 Annandale Hotel, Sydney
Sun April 25 Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle
Wed April 28 Rosemount, Perth
Thu April 29 Enigma, Adelaide
Fri April 30 Corner, Melbourne
Sat May 1 Brisbane Hotel, Hobart

Dropkick Murphys to release new live album this March

Alternative Press - Scott Heisel on 1/13/10 @ 11:45 AM - altpress.com

Boston punks Dropkick Murphys have announced the impending release of Live On Lansdowne, Boston MA, their new live album scheduled to drop March 16 on the band's own Born & Bred label. This will be the group's second live effort, following up 2002's Live On St. Patrick's Day, and will feature 20 tracks which were recorded over seven Boston shows last March. The release will be available as a CD, CD/DVD and double LP (with CD insert); tracklisting below:

Famous For Nothing
The State Of Massachusetts
Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya
Time To Go
Sunshine Highway
Flannigan's Ball
Bastards On Parade
God Willing
Caught In A Jar
Captain Kelly's Kitchen
Citizen C.I.A.
Fields Of Athenry
Your Spirit's Alive
The Warrior's Code
The Dirty Glass
Tessie
Forever 2009
Worker's Song
Kiss Me, I'm Shitfaced
I'm Shipping Up To Boston (featuring The Mighty Mighty Bosstones)