Stream Bloc Party's New Album

There is still one more week until Bloc Party's new album A Weekend in the City is released but you can stream the whole album on their myspace page.
Click the image to head over to their myspace page

Jack's Mannequin Acoustic Set

Jack's Mannequin perform "Holiday From Real", "La La Lie" and "The Mixed Tape" acoustic on VH1.com.
Click the picture to head over to VH1.com and watch the performance.

Live and Learn

The tracklisting for House of Fools new album, Live and Learn, is listed below. The record will be released on March 6th via Drive-Thru Records.

Tracklisting
01. Introduction
02. It Could Be Easy
03. Until It's Over
04. My Life Before Today
05. Kiss The Haze
06. Me and Everyone I Know
07. What Are We Suppose To Do
08. Go Down
09. Better Part of Me
10. Interested
11. Pour Me Out
12. I Heard A Rumor
13. Coke and Smoke
14. Live and Learn

Source: Smartpunk

iPod Shuffle in Color

Apple has released 4 new colors for the iPod shuffle.

The Police Reunite

The Police plan to reunite to play at the 49th annual Grammy Awards.

Hidden In Plain View Break-Up

Hidden In Plain View has decided to to break-up due to professional and creative differences. They recently finished recording a new album that will still be released this Spring on Drive Thru Records.

Staff Picks

Sean Picks
Dustin Kensrue: Please Come Home


Chris Picks
Pedro the Lion: Winners Never Quit

Amber Pacific canceles Tour

Amber Pacific has canceled their upcoming tour with Daphne Loves Derby.

20 Minutes E.P.

Tahiti 80 has made their very first record the 20 MInutes E.P. available to download for free on their website.

Click the link to go download it
http://www.tahiti80.com/shop/index.php?p=20minutes

Calling it Quits

Scarlet has broken up after their second singer Brandon Roundtree dropped out of the band.

Drummer Andreas Magnusson and guitarist/vocalist Randy Vanderbilt have already started another project called Coworker. They have decided to not form another hardcore band but a band that sounds more like what music they listen to. Check out their myspace page to hear their music.

http://www.myspace.com/coworkermusic

Recording Time

Motion City Soundtrack are heading to the studio next week to start recording their new album.
Message frome the band:
Hi all! New York City in January? Yes, that's where we are, and it is where we will remain for the next couple of months... Miami? LA? Nope, we picked the Big Apple to spend our Winter months tanning. Why you ask? Because we're here working on our new album, that's why! That's right, we're wrapping up the writing process this coming weekend, and then we'll hit the studio next week. We're so stoked to be working with people that we've always admired as not only musicans, but as producers as well. Part of the record will be co-produced by the tag team of Adam Schlesinger (of Fountains Of Wayne) and Eli Janney (of Girls Against Boys), and part of the record will be produced by Ric Ocasek (of The Cars). Needless to say, it's going to be a fun adventure over the next couple months.

The Almost

The drummer of Underoath, Aaron Gillespi, has started a side-project called The Almost. Jeremy Enigk and the Start Line's Kenny Vasoli will be helping out on the record.

Aaron recently talked about his new side project:

"I wrote all the songs last year when Underoath was in the studio doing 'Define the Great Line,' I'd do all the drums, then have a three-week to a month lull between doing drums and singing. I got so bored, so I wrote these 11 songs.

I wouldn't try to put something like this on an Underoath record because it doesn't really fit that niche. It's just rock tunes -- pretty structured rock tunes, which doesn't really work for Underoath, because Underoath is an unstructured/moment kind of thing. This is more Foo Fighters-esque."


The album will be titled Southern Weather and is due out April 3rd. The band will also be on this summers Warped Tour.

Leaked in London

Fall Out Boy has announced that they will be including a live EP available for digital download when you purchase their new record Infinity On High . The new record has been leaked well before the release date and this free EP is their way to help combat the leak.

The EP will be recorded this coming Monday in London at the Hammersmith Palais. The EP will be named Leaked in London .

The release date for Infinity On High is Feb. 6 through Island Records.

Internet Radio in trouble

A bill is being proposed that is out to regulate internet radio. Right now college stations and other internet only stations have served niche audiences without any regulation really. If this new bill is passed it will wipe out most college stations and a lot of other internet radio stations because the stations would have to buy high priced equipment they can't afford. Check out the link to the article, this would be bad news if this is passed.

http://www.medialoper.com/columns/mediacratic/washington-tries-its-best-to-kill-internet-radio/

RIP Brent

"Brent Liles, a former bassist for the 1980s punk rock group Social Distortion, was struck and killed by a truck while riding a bicycle, authorities said Wednesday. He was 43."

http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/Music/01/24/obit.liles.ap/index.html

Review - Dustin Kensrue

New review up on our myspace blog on Dustin Kensrue's solo album Please Come Home . Click the link to check it out.


myspace.com/bangtheman

Panic! at Rolling Stone

Panic! at the Disco will be on the cover of Rolling Stone.

Best Picture

Babel, The Departed, Letters From Iwo Jima, Little Miss Sunshine and The Queen were all nominated for Best Picture.

Dream Girls was not nominated for best picture.

What was your favorite movie?

TV Staff Pick of the Week

Tonight is the return of Heros on NBC. The season will continue with their intriguing campaign... Are You On the List? If you can stand watching Deal or No Deal, you'll get a sneak peak at a new "Hero"!!

Heros, NBC, 9pm

Your TV/Movie Go-To Gal,
Shanel

Staff Picks

Sean Picks Tahiti 80 – Fosbury

Chris Picks The Dears - Gang of Losers

Grizzle Bears - Yellow House

Rage Against the Machine is BACK!!!

The rumors are true!! Rage Against the Machine will be Headlining Coachella.

Link to the Article

Listen to Piebald's new album without buying it!

You can stream Piebald's new album, Accidental Gentlemen , in its entirety at their myspace page.

http://www.myspace.com/piebald

New Singer for Fully Down

The Fully Down are looking for a new singer and it could be you! Go to their myspace page to and check out the new instrumental track the Fully Down has recorded for all applicants to put vocals over.

Here is the link to check it out
http://www.myspace.com/thefullydown

Dustin Kensrue

Dustin Kensrue (singer of Thrice) has a new solo album coming out and you can listen to the whole album on his myspace page.

http://www.myspace.com/dustinkensrue

Chicago is so Two Years Ago

Fall Out Boy returns to their hometown to perform at the Bears vs Saints NFC Championship game.

Message from FOB:
If you'll be in attendance watching the Bears take on the Saints this Sunday, January 21st, you'll definitely wanna hold off on taking that mid-game bathroom break. FOB is coming to Soldier Field for the NFC Championships in their home town of Chicago and will be performing at the Halftime Show!

Say Anything starts on new album

Say Anything has finally started pre production on their sophomore album, In Defense of the Genre, with producer Brad Wood (mewithoutYou, Sunny Day Real Estate, Foo Fighters). The band isn't done with ...Is a Real Boy just yet as "Wow, I Can Get Sexual, Too" will be released as a single very soon.

Full letter from Max can be found in the comments

Review - The Prize Fighter Inferno

4.5 out of 5
Artist: The Prize Fighter Inferno | Album Title: My Brothers Blood Machine | Release Date: October 31, 2006 | Label: Equal Vision Records | Reviewed By: Sean Salomon

Claudio Sanchez, the frontman of Coheed and Cambria, has created a side project by the name of The Prize Fighter Inferno. This album very well might be the next best-kept secret despite the name The Prize Fighter Inferno, which is relatively hard to remember. The band, according to Sanchez, "is kind of the original idea for Coheed & Cambria." The synth-pop and folk-rock feel of the album is a sort of combination of The Postal Service and Coheed and Cambria.

If the first track "The Going Price For Home" doesn’t suck you right in you should probably take a pass on this one. The song is extremely catchy and, although it’s less complicated musically than the rest of the album, it still somehow manages to be the best track. Claudio has brought a different singing style into this project and it works. Those people who get annoyed with Sanchez’s voice in Coheed will be pleasantly surprised with it in this album. He doesn’t strain his voice as much and it seems that he is comfortably singing instead of forcing it.

At times the album is upbeat and catchy (“The Price of Going Home” and “The Margetville Dance”). It also has really eerie moments (“The Fight of Moses Early & Sire Arthur McCloud” and “Our Darling Daughter You Are, Little Cecillia Marie”), especially once you read some of Sanchez’s lyrics. Even the name of the band, which refers to character named Jesse who died on a previous Coheed and Cambria album, is a little creepy. The album’s lyrics continue on with Coheed’s ongoing and consistently confusing storyline. If you can figure out what exactly is going on with the three-family fued of the Coheed album you are a true fan and this album will be a special treat.

Although there is a lot going on with the lyrics, you don’t have to understand everything to enjoy the album. Sanchez mentioned that "side projects should be very left field. I knew some of the material I was working on for Inferno wasn't fit for Coheed, but I wanted to release it." Although the storylines between the two bands interlink, the music is completely different.

I am personally hooked to this album and can listen to it over and over again and enjoy it every time. That’s not something I can say for Coheed and Cambria. You’ll like this album if you are a die-hard Coheed fan or a diehard synth-pop fan. The release is sure to gain your respect after a good listen. Focus tracks include “The Going Price for Home,” “The Margretville Dance,” and “Run, Gunner Recall, Run! The Town Wants You Dead!”

Kanye West + Fall Out Boy = Remix

Kanye West is set to remix a track from Fall Out Boy's latest album 'Infinity On High'.


Link to the article:

http://www.nme.com/news/fall-out-boy/25858

Bands on TV

Here are the bands that are playing on TV this week. I'm looking forward to Brand New on Conan I don't know about you guys.

January 15th: My Chemical Romance on Jimmy Kimmel [ABC; R]
January 16th: The All American Rejects on Jay Leno [NBC]
January 16th: Sparta on Conan O'Brien [NBC]
January 17th: Juliette Lewis on Craig Ferguson [CBS]
January 19th: Brand New on Conan O'Brien [NBC]
January 19th: Slayer on Jimmy Kimmel [ABC]

Minus the Bear returns to the studio

Minus the Bear will return to the studio to record their follow-up to Menos el Oso. The band has decided to record with their old synth op man Matt Bayles, who left the band to focus on production. The new album is tentatively called Planet Ice.

"So far, we are working on roughly 14 tracks and are still working on finishing up a few more," says guitarist David Knudson.

"We're substantially done with writing and the music sounds very organic to me," adds frontman Jake Snider. "We've been on this intense musical journey the past few months and this new record is going to be expansive... but catchy. Everything is bigger and seems, at least to me, more dramatic than the last record."

Matt Hensley Leaves Flogging Molly

A message from the band:

We are saddened to announce that Matt Hensley will no longer be touring with Flogging Molly. We fully support Matt and his decision and wish him nothing but the best in all of his future endeavors. Matt has written a letter to you, the fans, as he wanted to share his very personal reasons for his departure and to let you know how grateful he is for your years of support.

- First let me say that it has been an honor to play with Flogging Molly for the last 10 years. I would have never thought that playing the accordion, an instrument that almost got me shot when I first was learning, would have led me down a road to Molly Malone's, Dave King, and an extended family called Flogging Molly. I have been blessed to be so lucky. I am writing this to tell you that I am leaving the band. This decision was not easy for me. I have an eight year old son Oliver who is becoming a little man, and the feeling that he needs his old man around is becoming too strong for me to ignore. The older my son gets the harder it is for me to leave him behind to go out on tour. Flogging Molly, as you know, is a hard working band that tours most of the year; I would never try to change that. I must follow my guts and step down. I'm departing the band but I will never leave what Flogging Molly has meant to the fans and myself. I look forward to playing on some songs when the band is in San Diego.

I would like to thank all the loyal Flogging Molly fans for the support that you have given throughout the years. It has been a privilege to play music for you. I would also like to thank all the service men and women who have supported the band, may you keep out of harms way. I would like to thank all the bands that let Flogging Molly open for them and all the bands that opened for Flogging Molly. I'd like to thank all the friends and families who have lost someone and feel a little closer to them during IF I EVER LEAVE THIS WORLD ALIVE - I know how you feel, my mom would get nearer every time I played it.

Victory Records vs Hawthorne Heights

The fued between Victory Records and Hawthorne Heights has moved to round three.

It all started when Hawthorne Heights wanted out of their contract early so they could move on to major label EMI/Virgin. Victory wasn't going for that since the band still owed them a couple of albums on the contract. Hawthorne Heights filed suit against Victory in August 2006, which was followed by a countersuit against the band in September. In November, Victory went on to sue the band's new label.

Now Victory has a problem with Carbon Copy Media, a label started by JT Woodruff of Hawthorne Heights. The label was originally supposed to work closely with Victory. With all of the problems now Victory is involving Woodruff's Carbon Copy Media in their law suit.

Hawthorne Heights view of Victory Records:

"Although Victory was interested in helping Woodruff [and partner Mark Daily] it had no interest in investing in a vanity project by a couple of dilettantes."

Hawthorne's other concerns regarding how things have been handled:

"By ceasing communication with Victory, Woodruff and Daily effectively abandoned the Ellison and Signal Home releases. This killed any possibility that the releases would be commercially successful. Because these releases were the debuts for these young bands, the Defendants' actions have likely destroyed their careers. [...] On the eve of [Asteria] going into the studio to record their debut Carbon Copy album, the Defendants refused to advance the costs for the studio time leaving [the band] in an impossible position."

Interpretationes del Oso

Minus the Bear will be releasing a remix CD, Interpretaciones del Oso, which will hit stores on February 20th. They have posted the P.O.S. remix of "Drilling" on their Myspace page.

Click the album to go to their myspace page and check it out

bang the man at the starting line

This is the first post on our temporary news feed until the website is up. We are also using our myspace page (myspace.com/bangtheman) to help get the word out that bangtheman.com is coming soon. This site is something that I have thought about doing for awhile now and the wheels are finally starting to move. My two good friends Chris Zietz and Cory Blaine will be helping out with the site as well. If you are interested in helping out with writing reviews, posting news and general marketing please send an e-mail to bangtheman[at]gmail.com.

A lot will be happening with bang the man in the next several months, so make sure you check out this blog and add us on myspace.

Thanks,

Sean