In the Fresh - Minus the Bear

who: Minus the Bear

when: October 5th - November 28th

why: Minus the Bear is the second band I care about today to announce they will be playing a short tour before the release of their new album! These guys are one of my all time favorite bands, and I have yet to see them live, so you can bet your ass I will be at the DeKalb, IL show on November 21st. If you don't know who they are, you've been living in a hole - as they were the first band to present math-rock to me in an acceptable form. Check out the tour dates here, listen to some music, and if you like em, buy my favorite release of theirs - 'Highly Refined Pirates'. It's a must have for everyone.

Here's their video for "Knights" off of their latest full-length 'Planet of Ice'

Watch Out - Pencil Beats

who: not quite sure.

why: cuz he crafted a song better than 98% of what you hear on the radio using only pencils, rhymes and pent-up frustration resulting from his boredom in history class.

In the Fresh - Lydia

who: Lydia

what: Final tour dates for songs from 'This Decemeber, It's One More Time and I'm Free' and 'Illuminate'

why: You need to go see these guys play. In the video below, they claim this tour will be your last chance to see them perform music from their first two full-length releases. 'Illiminate' is one of my favorite records to this day, and while I'm super excited they're going to be recording more NEW music for you and I to listen to, I'm definitely going to have to find a way to hear them play their old stuff before it's too late.

Select shows with: Straylight Run, PlayRadioPlay!, Anarbor, All the Day Holiday, Brother George and Camera Can't Lie

TOUR DATES HERE!

By the way, isn't Mindy White gorgeous?... Wow. AND she's wearing a Journey T-shirt...

In the Fresh - Look Mexico

who: Look Mexico

why: They just announced their upcoming full-length album will be titled 'To Bed To Battle' as well as these September Tour Dates in New Mexico, Colorado, Texas, Ohio, Illinois and Tennessee. If you have never heard of these guys you should definitely check them out on their myspace for new(er) music, or give a quick listen to 'You're Not Afraid of the Dark, Are You?' off of their latest EP Gasp Asp.

Boycottage - Rise Against

who: Rise Against announced they will soon begin work on a new album after their Australian tour ends in Febraury of next year.

why: I will admit that I actually liked one of their CDs... but after that every song started sounding the same. Now I don't even remember what that album was called or one memorable song title from it because their rise to "fame" turned them into pertentious douches.

Look at this album cover.

If you didn't laugh uncomfortably from how stupid this is... you're probably kind of a douche too.

Eargasm: As Tall As Lions - You Can't Take It With You

who: As Tall As Lions

when: released 'You Can't Take It With You' on August 18th of this year.

why: On my way back to school this weekend, I was feeling pretty relaxed and really wanted the bus ride not to suck so I listened to a variety of softer, ambient music. I started it off with dredg's 'El Cielo' (my favorite prog rock album) then moved to Explosions In the Sky's 'All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone' (my favorite instumental album) and finally arrived at As Tall As Lions' 2006 self-titled release... and I realized I loved this album, and have been neglecting it for far too long. I listened to it twice before I got back to my apartment, and on the walk to class this morning I felt I needed to give their newest release 'You Can't Take It With You' a full listen. And people, it's good. You definitely need to check it out. They have a way of balacing their albums with some extremely clear, delicate tracks as well as buzzy, chaotic songs that makes it extremely difficult to lose interest. I have it listed at #5 on the year for now, and if you're a fan of their sound, I'd be ridiculously surprised if you're disappointed.

Rating: Yaysh.

For Fans of: The Dear Hunter, Lydia, Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground

New Release Tuesday - September 8th, 2009

who: Polar Bear Club, Saosin, Boys Like Girls

when: Today!

why: Polar Bear Club is a 5-piece mixture of hardcore and indie rock whose sophomore full-length album, 'Chasing Hamburg' drops today. Check out their tunes on their myspace and buy the album here! You can also look at a Punknews.org review of the album here!

---Saosin. You know Saosin. Originally 'Anthony Green's band', they found replacement vocalist Cove Reber on youtube and tried to reinvent themselves with their aptly titled 2006 release, 'Saosin'. Today, we'll see where 'In Search of Solid Ground' takes them. Myspace. Buy it.

---Boys Like Girls new album 'Love Drunk' is released today. I don't really care.

Here's a quick link to "Parked in the Parking Lot of Your Heart" off of Polar Bear Club's 2006 EP, 'The Redder, The Better'.

Q&A - Portugal. The Man

who: Zach Carothers and John Baldwin Gourley of Portugal. The Man

where: Punknews.org

why: John and Zach get asked questions about their music, why and how they can record as much as they do, what should be done about pirated music and leaked music, and other really interesting topics. It's definitely interesting to know how these issues are affecting the musicians who make my life so much more enjoyable than it would be without, so you should definitely check this out.

Full article HERE.

Album art for Portugal's 2009 release, 'The Satanic Satanist'.

WE'LL DO IT LIVE! - Anthony Green

who: Anthony Green on Last Call with Carson Daly

why: It seems only fitting that on the day Saosin releases their new album, I should post a live performance of Anthony Green's... cuz let's face it... It's just what he would want. This isn't particularly new... pretty sure this is from May(ish) of this year, but when I saw it I immediately felt bad that he's been reduced to following a washed-up Jerry Rice on a washed-up Carson Daly's late night TV show... but I don't judge people, so yeah no I didn't think that at all. But serioulsy he's on the verge of washing up. Here's "Baby Girl".

Premature Infatuation - The Boys Are Back

who: 'The Boys Are Back' - The Movie

when: coming soon (Fall 2009)

why: because you need a movie to take your mom or your girlfriend to, not because you might actually enjoy a feel-good movie... right? This looks awesome.