Semi-Famous began as a fictional band from the 2001 book Weasels in a Box, which was authored by Screeching Weasel co-founder and guitarist John “Jughead” Pierson. With the book being rereleased on paperback, as well as made available on audiobook for the first time, it was decided to turn Semi-Famous into an actual band. Pierson explained, “Originally, Chris Barrows, the singer from the Pink Lincolns, put out a photo book of all the pictures that he’s taken of bands over the years. That was put out by Rare Bird Lit. Chris referred me to Tyson Cornell, who runs Rare Bird Lit. Tyson and I decided to rerelease Weasels in a Box, which hadn’t had another pressing in something like 20 years. Then he came to me and said, ‘Hey, why don’t we put out a seven-inch of that band Semi-Famous who’s like Screeching Weasel in the book?’ I said, ‘That’s a pretty cool idea. We could put it out on Duck Records, which was Lookout! Records in the book. And we could have Christopher Appelgren do the cover, just like he did for all the Lookout! stuff.’”

Last month, Sludgeworth released their first new music in over 30 years, a two-song EP titled Together Not Together. In 2022, the band reunited after a decades-long hiatus, when Red Scare Industries reissued their classic album, Losers of the Year. To help commemorate the long out-of-print record being available once again, they played a show at Cobra Lounge in April of 2023. It was during rehearsals for this show that new music began to surface.

When detailing how the new songs came about, drummer Brian McQuaid explained “It was really just kind of reconnecting with everybody. Part of the reason that subsequent shows happened is because we discovered that we missed each other. I know it sounds kind of fluffy, but I think everybody felt really good being around each other again.” Singer Dan Schafer continued, “Yeah, it’s funny because they said, ‘Oh, we got a new idea’ and I’m like, ‘Oh hell no.’ Then they sent it over and immediately the words and a melody, the ‘together not together’ popped in my head and I’m like, ‘Oh shit.’ I knew right then and it just changed everything. It was really effortless. It literally just came out of them and it came out of me. We could either move forward with it or set it off to the side, but it didn’t seem right to do that, so here we are.”

This Saturday, Sludgeworth will celebrate the release of their new EP with a sold-out show at the Beat Kitchen. When asked about the event, McQuaid said “Since that first show at Cobra, I think every show we’ve played has gotten better and better. Also, there was a real energy in the room that night at Cobra and I’m hoping to feel that again at Beat Kitchen. It’s a tight room and I think that has something to do with it. You see all these people that you haven’t seen in years or decades. It’s almost like a family affair, so that’s the vibe I’m looking for.”

Regarding next steps, the band shared that they plan to maintain their weekly practice schedule, with hopes of recording a new full-length this fall. While Schafer resides in downstate Illinois, he often collaborates with the rest of the band over email. “They usually record their rehearsals and then they’ll send them to me. I listen to it and I’ve been sending some ideas to them as well. We’ve been doing this kind of back and forth. They get together every week, so they sound pretty tight,” he said. McQuaid concluded the discussion by reflecting on the current state of the band. He said, “We’re all older now, so we’ve got kids and stuff. For a while, we had this life that was just like making sure that your kid stays alive and you pay the bills, and that was pretty much it. And then this came along and it’s a big hit again. So, I’m really grateful for that. I think we’re going to hold on to this for as long as we possibly can.”

This Friday, a compilation titled Godspeed… A Tribute to Pierre Kezdy will be released, with 100% of profits donated directly to the family of the late Naked Raygun bassist. The album features Hot Water Music, Face to Face, J. Robbins, Swingin’ Utters, The Methadones, Josh Caterer of Smoking Popes, and others, all contributing their own renditions of Naked Raygun songs. Kezdy sadly passed away from cancer in October of 2020 and this tribute album consists of cover songs from artists who were influenced and inspired by Naked Raygun.

On Saturday, July 22nd, the 1991 – 1994 lineup of Blue Meanies will play the Concord Music Hall, marking the first time this configuration of the band has been together in 29 years. This particular era of Blue Meanies was led by bassist Jay Vance, who brought together Tony Aimone, Jim Cooley, Jimmy Flame, John Paul Camp III, Dave Smith, Chaz Linde, and Billy Spunke. This lineup was responsible for the Peace Love Group and Kiss Your Ass Goodbye LPs, as well as the Pave the World EP, before ultimately parting ways in ’94.

We recently spoke with singer Billy Spunke and talked about how this reunion of sorts came about. He explained, “Jump Up Records had messaged me directly, asking to reissue some old material and play a show around it. I forwarded the message to the Meanies group chat, who quickly responded unanimously that a show was long overdue and that it sounded like a great way to see each other again. We all jumped on a Zoom call to chat further. It was the first time all of us had seen each other in 29 years, albeit virtually, and the chemistry was magic.”

Once the show was booked, Spunke and his bandmates went about familiarizing themselves with their old material. When asked about revisiting Blue Meanies’ catalog, Spunke said “There’s been a lot of discussion about what songs we’ll play from the Pave the World EP or the Kiss Your Ass Goodbye era. It’s fair to say that we’ve agreed to play all of the songs from those recordings, so when I began to rehearse the songs, it came as a surprise as to how much the songs had developed and changed between 1994 and 2001. The Full Throttle LP lineup pushed the tempos, volume and anger to its full potential. Listening to those early recordings reminded me that speed wasn’t a priority, but message, melody and musicianship were. We were all learning about ourselves as a group and as individuals, so there are a few moments in those original recordings that I wouldn’t mind turning back the clock and changing. I have surrendered to those tracks, mistakes and all, and can sing them and laugh at myself a little bit.” He continued, “Humility aside, I am somewhat beside myself that tracks like ‘Pave the World,’ ‘Tread,’ ‘Blah Blah Blah,’ and ‘Johnny Mortgage,’ to name a few, are still very relevant thirty years later. That current social relevance will give the show 100% more meaning than simple nostalgia.”

In terms of what he’s looking forward to most about the upcoming show, Spunke said “The band is spread out across the country and more than half of us will be flying in a few days early for some crash course rehearsing. The first place we will all see each other, be in the same room as each other, will be in the very basement where we wrote those old songs some 30 years ago. How cool is that?” He added, “When Blue Meanies and Riot Fest announced the show there was so much chatter from family, friends, and fans about seeing each other again. I realized then that the reunion is a catalyst for not just the members of the band to be together, but for old friends to come together too. The biggest surprise? Who you will run into at the show. There’s going to be a lot of hugging going on!” Blue Meanies will be joined by The Tossers, Weaker Youth Ensemble, and DJ Chuck Wren. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased here.

Triple Fast Action formed in 1993 and disbanded a mere five years later. In that brief period of time, they established a reputation for their engaging live performances and dynamic musicianship. They would eventually sign with Capitol Records, joining other prominent Chicago-area acts who also partnered with major labels around the same time, (Smashing Pumpkins, Smoking Popes, Veruca Salt, Hum, Urge Overkill and others).

On April 21st, they’ll release a self-titled collection of 37 rare and unreleased songs. It will be available from Forge Again Records as a triple LP, double CD and digitally. Twenty of these tracks were recorded by the band in their practice space in 1994 and have now been remixed by John Agnello, (Dinosaur Jr., Redd Kross, Sonic Youth). The remaining songs are from various studio sessions or radio appearances, and the entire album was mastered by Carl Saff.

When asked about the origins of this project, drummer Brian St. Clair said “It was something that came up after Justin from Forge Again Records released the reissue of our album Cattlemen Don’t. We had all these songs sitting around that had never seen the light of day and we all thought, ‘Why not share them as long as there was favorable interest in the band after all these years?’ It honestly surprised us as a band.”

One of the record’s most notable tracks is “Mooner,” which the band recorded themselves back in ’94. When recalling the recording process for this song, bassist Kevin Tihista said “It was one of those songs that I knew was something special from the audience response when we’d play it. I can’t say I remember recording this particular song at the practice space, but as far as recording all of these songs, my memory is that we didn’t sleep for maybe 36 hours because we recorded them all in like a day, and then another half day mixing them. We did it all ourselves and we didn’t really know what we were doing, except for Ronnie, (guitarist Ronnie Schneider) who owned the 16-track reel to reel we used.”

Check out the video for “Mooner” below and don’t forget to pre-order the album here.

Chicago’s big bird. will play their first show ever on Friday, October 14th at the Gman Tavern. The event will also serve as a release party for their Call / Repeat EP, which will be available that evening on lathe cut clear vinyl. The band’s lineup consists of singer/guitarist Jason S. Thompson, (The Sky We Scrape, Little Teeth, Inspector Owl) guitarist Jeff Ulbrich, (From Beyond These Walls) bassist Alex Palermo, (Royal Dog, Typesetter) and drummer Matt Gonzalez, (Royal Dog, Typesetter).

When asked about how they formed, Thompson explained “We got together in January of this year. Alex and I have been friends through previous bands playing together over the past decade, and always tossed around the idea of doing a band or musical project together at some point in the future.” He continued, “I had been living in Munich, Germany for about five years and when I shared that I’d be moving back to Chicago we started talking about making some noise together. We kicked around a few different ideas and decided to lean into some heavier sounds since that’s something we both love, but haven’t really played actively in years. We got together with Matt, who also plays in Typesetter with Alex, and Jeff, who is a long-time friend of Alex. All three of them are super-talented and it all jelled immediately and has been a lot of fun.”

Call / Repeat was recorded at the band’s practice space, with Thompson handling engineering duties for the first time. He received guidance from Chuck Macak, who also mixed the EP, while Alan Douches mastered it. The EP’s final song, “Double Hockey Sticks”, was initially demoed by Thompson while he was still living in Munich. When describing how the song evolved, he said “Once I brought the song to the others in big bird. it took a more nuanced shape and gained a lot more life and texture. The bridge section specifically is something that we worked on for a while to try and make it really special. During the recording process, I think I recorded 15 or 20 different vocal layers that built throughout the section into a weird and creepy choir, but we ended up scaling it back and only have a few voices in there. It’s definitely one of my favorites to play together.”

Take a listen to “Double Hockey Sticks” below and check out the entire EP here. Tickets for the upcoming show at Gman, which also features Still Alive and Intolerable Swill, can be found here.

Less than a year after the release of their previous full-length, Dan Vapid and the Cheats have returned with a brand-new studio album, titled Welcome to Dystopia. It features 16 tracks in total and comes out September 23rd on Eccentric Pop Records. We’re pleased to be premiering the album’s first single below, called “Sour Pauline”. When asked about the inspiration for this song, Dan Vapid said “I was thinking about the toxic people that I’ve encountered over a lifetime when the song ‘Sweet Jane’ by the Velvet Underground was played on shuffle. I’ve probably heard that song a hundred times, but on this occasion the title ‘Sour Pauline’ popped into my head, along with a melody. From there, the remainder of the song quickly followed.”

When discussing the record’s overall theme, Vapid indicated that a common thread is present throughout the album, as it was written entirely in 2020. He said, “Welcome to Dystopia is an unfiltered response to everything I was (and still am) feeling about what faces us as a country and society. It’s mostly angry and dark. There’s not a lot of sunshine, rainbows and lollipops here…most people use social media to convey what they are thinking and feeling. For my own sanity, I try to stay away from social media as much as possible and prefer music to be my outlet.”

Check out the video for “Sour Pauline” below, which was made by Henry Weintraub from Memorable But Not Honorable, (a cassette label based in Eugene, Oregon). Vinyl and CD pre-orders for Welcome to Dystopia will be available starting September 16th from Eccentric Pop. Also, be sure to catch the Cheats when they play Cobra Lounge on November 19th with The Methadones, The Copyrights, and Mikey Erg. Tickets for the show can be purchased here.

This month, The Methadones are releasing their 2007 full-length This Won’t Hurt… for the first time ever on vinyl. The album was remastered earlier this year by Collin Jordan at The Boiler Room and features a bonus track called “Take Me to Japan.” The record is up for pre-order now via Red Scare and will be available at the band’s upcoming shows. Catch The Methadones on Saturday, 6/11 when they play Reggie’s for T1 Fest with Josh Caterer Trio, Dan Vapid & The Cheats, Capgun Heroes, and Hayley and the Crushers. Also be sure to check out the remastered version of “Already Gone” below.

Additional Upcoming Shows
7.02.22 – Red Flag – St. Louis, MO
7.15.22 – Punk Rock Raduno – Bergamo, Italy
10.29.22 – THE FEST – Gainesville, FL

Naked Raygun recently announced a Kickstarter campaign for a vinyl single and accompanying comic book. The 7-inch record will feature the song “Broken Things,” which comes from Naked Raygun’s 2021 album Over the Overlords, their first studio album since 1990. The record’s B-side will contain etched artwork by Eisner-nominated artist James Romberger and Ignatz-nominated artist Josh Bayer. Romberger and Bayer are also creating a 14-page comic inspired by the song, with the artists teaming up to work on separate sections of the same page.

The idea for this collaboration came about after Jason Mojica, (Xylophone Media) interviewed Naked Raygun singer Jeff Pezzati for his podcast The Modernist Society. During their conversation, the topic of comic books came up and the idea was born shortly thereafter. Mojica explained, “I interviewed Jeff in January of last year and that’s when he mentioned that Over the Overlords was coming out. Given that we talked a bunch about comics and that I’ve always seen comics in the band’s DNA, especially the covers for Throb Throb, Jettison, and Understand?, I pitched him on my crazy idea and to my surprise and delight, he said ‘yes’.”

The records will be available on black vinyl, limited edition pink vinyl, (500 copies) and limited edition blue vinyl, (1000 copies). Rewards for backers of the Kickstarter project also include original artwork by Romberger and Bayer, artist-designed Naked Raygun t-shirts and more. The Kickstarter campaign is live now through June 8th.

In July of last year, The Reaganomics singer/guitarist Terry Morrow began writing a musical as he found himself in need of an artistic outlet during the pandemic. After revisiting a short story called “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, Morrow started pairing various musical concepts with themes from the story. In regards to his motivations for doing so, Morrow explained “The current state of ‘things’ in our country got me thinking about rituals, and how we as a society do a lot of swallowing of ritual, rarely questioning or considering why we do the things we do. We do a lot of things because ‘that’s just the way it is.’ Ritual is engrained in all of us and I’m fascinated by it. People are born and grow up in a culture that is capable of harvesting growth and beauty, but also ignorance and evil. The 2020 election, George Floyd, quarantine…it all left me feeling a lot of anxiety and unrest, and I wanted to channel it into something creative and expressive.”

After outlining the project and making several demos on his computer, Morrow’s next step was to collaborate with other musicians. It was at this point that the musical really began to take shape. “In the beginning, it felt like a typical demo that very well could never see the light of day. Then Erica Marfo was kind enough to sing ‘Nowheretown.’ She emailed her track to me since we were both in quarantine and stuck at home,” Morrow said. He continued, “Hearing a talent like Erica take my song and elevate it the way she did really gave it life and inspired me to keep pushing. It also felt validating to hear a melody I wrote being performed by someone else. I actually felt like I was listening to a musical, which was previously uncharted territory for me as a songwriter.”

Upon completion of the musical, Morrow selected “Nowheretown” as the first song to be released. In terms of his reasoning for choosing it, he said “From the first hits of the song, you feel the anticipation and the energy, and by the time the choir welcomes Erica’s lead vocal, you’re on the train and it doesn’t stop. It’s definitely one of the happier and rocking songs in a show that otherwise gets very deep and very dark. Also, it lets the listener know that the main character, Tessie, as played by Erica, has a hankering to get out of town and pursue a more fulfilling life.”

Check out “Nowheretown” below and be sure to grab tickets for the debut of Ritual in early 2022. It’s scheduled to take place on February 18th and 19th at Reggie’s Bananna’s Comedy Shack and tickets can be purchased here and here.

This Friday, Mike Lust will release his debut solo album, Demented Wings. Lust is both the frontman for Tight Phantomz and an accomplished producer, having produced or engineered albums by Urge Overkill, William Elliott Whitmore, Joan of Arc, Russian Circles and others. While Lust had been contemplating the idea of making a solo record for years, it wasn’t until the onset of the pandemic last spring that he discovered a newfound motivation. He explained, “I started what became the songs on this record maybe four years ago. I was making some good strides with them until my brother passed away. That just kind of took the wind out of my sails for a little while, as it would with anyone who loses someone close to them. When the pandemic hit last March, I thought it was as good a time as any to pick it back up. I started to quarantine at my studio, basically going up there all day, every day, and going home only to sleep. Before long, I could start to see what the arc of the record was going to be and just took it from there.”

The resulting full-length features a total of ten songs, which include an array of eclectic influences that ultimately come together to form a singular vision. Such characteristics are plainly evident in the album’s first single, “Danceteria.” When asked about the accompanying video for this song and where its concept came from, Lust said “The idea for the video came little by little until it was finally shot. I was watching a lot of Twilight Zone. It actually started with the idea of what happens in the dark when no one’s watching. In the small hours. Do the mannequins come to life? Do the animals take over the museum? That sort of thing. The idea evolved into what we finally have when we decided to shoot it at the Empty Bottle, which was the idea of the video’s director, Brendan Leonard. That feeling of the world being in suspended animation. All it took was a song to bring it back. That sounds kinda corny, so it needed to have a little eeriness to it. Some sadness. I’m actually quite proud of it, even if I don’t actually know what it’s supposed to mean.”

In regards to what he has planned to support Demented Wings, Lust detailed several of his goals. He said, “I do know that I want this record to reach as many people as it can. I guess putting together a band to perform this music is the first step. Playing live. I definitely enjoy the process of making videos and I do believe they are effective in getting the music across with some imagery, so more of that. I really just hope that this record affords me the chance to keep making music and that there’s an audience and an outlet for what I do. To help me build the momentum to keep doing this with some frequency, because there are so many more songs in the can.” Check out the video for “Danceteria” below and pre-order the album via Forge Again Records here.

Next month, Milwaukee’s Devils Teeth will release their second full-length, called La leggenda di Chong Li. The album was self-recorded, primarily in a barn that was converted into an art space, resulting in a unique sonic signature. On this record, the band continues to advance their distinctive brand of rock ‘n’ roll, which incorporates elements of punk, surf, garage and more. Devils Teeth’s lineup consists of guitarist/vocalist Jon Hanusa, bassist/vocalist Eric Arsnow, percussionist/drummer Chuck Engel, and saxophonist Caleb Westphal. Check out the video for the album’s first single below and pre-order the record via Triple Eye Industries here.

Earlier this month, The Addisons released a cover of one of Naked Raygun’s most beloved songs, “Vanilla Blue.” When Naked Raygun bassist Pierre Kezdy sadly passed away last month, The Addisons chose to put out this song, which Kezdy wrote, as a tribute to him. In terms of how they went about interpreting the song, bassist Rick Uncapher said “We really didn’t think about it too much. We just learned it, played it and recorded it pretty quick. Daisun DeRik, our old drummer, recorded it at his house in Brookfield. Tom, (singer/guitarist Tom Counihan) mixed it at his house in Aurora and Justin Perkins did the mastering at Mystery Room in Milwaukee.” He continued, “We’ve all been huge Raygun fans dating way back. Dave, (singer/guitarist Dave Lysien) and Tom’s old band, Not Rebecca, got to open for Raygun at the Riv in the early ‘90s, so we just wanted to pay tribute the best we could.” When asked about Pierre’s legacy, Uncapher added “Pierre was a really sweet guy. Super friendly, funny and humble. As a musician, we’ll remember his bass tone and his bold stage presence. And of course, we’ll remember his songs.” Check out The Addisons’ rendition of “Vanilla Blue” below and for those interested in helping out, there’s a GoFundMe campaign that was launched by Kezdy’s family.

Laura Jane Grace released her debut solo album yesterday, called Stay Alive. Comprised of 14 songs, the record is primarily acoustic guitar and vocals, which helps to emphasize the subtleties of her songwriting. Stay Alive was recorded by Steve Albini at Electrical Audio and skillfully captures the raw emotions that Grace was experiencing during the early months of the pandemic. Take a listen to the album below and be sure to check out Grace’s livestream from Lincoln Hall on Saturday, October 17th. The show starts at 8:00 PM Central and tickets can be purchased here.