The Wonder Years To Release New Album

The Wonder Years are releasing their new album, titled No Closer To Heaven, on September the 4th. A new song and video, plus pre-orders will be released at 1am GMT, so keep your eyes peeled. Check out the artwork and tracklisting below:

1. Brothers &

2. Cardinals

3. A Song For Patsy Cline

4. I Don't Like Who I Was Then

5. Cigarettes & Saints

6. The Bluest Things On Earth

7. A Song For Ernest Hemingway

8. Thanks For The Ride

9. Stained Glass Ceilings (Featuring Jason Aalon Butler)

10. I Wanted So Badly To Be Brave

11. You In January

12. Palm Reader

13. No Closer To Heaven

Up & Coming Pop Punk Bands | Coast To Coast

For today's up and coming post we have Coast to Coast who have just released their brand new EP, Lessons Learned. We asked the band a few questions to get to know a bit more about them...

WHERE ARE YOU FROM?

The short answer is that we're from all over, ha. Myself (Chris) and Derek are both from the same small town in the state of Kentucky in the USA. Tomo and Yuichi are both from Aichi Prefecture in Japan. Matty is originally from Brazil, but has grown up in Japan most of his life. Brent was born in the USA, but grew up in Germany and Australia. We usually just say he's Australian haha.

HOW DID YOU FORM?

Coast to Coast originally came together in late 2011, and was a creation of Brent and Tomo's. There was a short hiatus in 2013 after Brent was in an accident that left him hospitalized for a while. During that time some of the original members moved on to other things. The current lineup came together in late 2013. Brent and Matty met and became friends after Brent noticed Matty wearing the shirt of a band that he liked. Tomo and Yuichi had been friends since school. I knew Tomo from my time as an exchange student in Japan years earlier. Derek is a friend of mine from home, and we'd played in bands together before, so he came over shortly after I did.

So basically Tomo and Brent got together and talked about getting CTC rolling again. Tomo enlisted Yuichi on drums; Brent brought in Matty. Tomo asked me about guitar, and I eventually brought Derek over as well and that was that!

DESCRIBE YOUR SOUND IN FIVE WORDS FOR SOMEONE WHO MIGHT NOT HAVE LISTENED TO YOUR MUSIC BEFORE...

(1) Upbeat, (2) Driving, (3) Fun, (4) Intense, (5) Catchy.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR NEW EP, LESSONS LEARNED...

‘Lessons Learned’ is the first fully produced EP for CTC. After we all got together, we set out to define our sound. We all come from different musical and cultural backgrounds, so this EP is a mix of everything we've learned along the way... about ourselves, other people, or the world in general. For this release we chose the 5 songs that best reflected an even mix of our various influences. So there's a range of heavy to poppy, lighthearted to intense throughout.

We recorded the EP ourselves here in Japan, then had Seth Henderson at ABG Studios (Knucklepuck) do mixing and mastering. The EP will be released physically here in Japan via our label, Maxtreme Records, on July 8th. For the rest of the world, it's already available online via iTunes and Bandcamp!

 WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE SONG FROM LESSONS LEARNED AND WHY?

This is a tough question, because I feel like it changes every week almost haha. Overall, my favorite to listen to is probably the opening track, 'Empty'. It started out as my least favorite, but I've really come to like it. It's poppy and fun to listen to, but also I really like the lyrics--both their meaning and how Brent and Matty deliver them.

DO YOU PREFER RECORDING OR PLAYING LIVE?

Another tough one. I really love recording; the technicality and precision required, and being able to hear what you've created as a listener rather than a performer is all awesome... but, I definitely prefer playing live. There's nothing that can compare to putting all of your heart and all of your voice into playing the songs that you've created, and then having your fans do the same with you.

IF YOU COULD PLAY A SHOW WITH ANY BAND, WHO WOULD YOU CHOOSE?

I always want to play shows with bands I'm either (a) really into at the time, or (b) I've never seen live. Recently I've been really jamming Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! I love their style, and the blend of genres they pull off, and as a musician I'd love to watch their show to see how they do it, and what I might be able to pick up from them. We'll actually be playing a date with them and A Loss For Words on their upcoming Japan tour this September, so I'm pretty stoked for that!

WHAT ARE YOUR TOP FIVE FAVOURITE POP PUNK ALBUMS?

I'm going to give you six, if that's OK--one for each member.

Brent: Four Year Strong – Rise or Die Trying

Matty: A Day to Remember – Homesick

Tomo: Hit the Lights – Skip School, Start Fights

Yuichi: As It Is – Never Happy, Ever After

Chris: Senses Fail – Let It Enfold You

Derek: Brand New – Deja Entendu

Lessons Learned is out now! Check it out below:

Coast To Coast's Facebook | Twitter | 

Slime Time: A Punk Rock Bundle

For the next seven days, Groupees is offering a bundle of 10 awesome bands' EPs and albums at different price points to raise money for Soles4Souls. For $2, (£1.32 for us Brits) you can download Slime Time: A Punk Rock Bundle, which includes music from Mean Jeans, Iron Chic, Brutal Youth, Lay It On The Line, Biffers, Surfin' Mutants Pizza Party, Straightline, Not On Tour and Blowfuse all for a great cause. Soles4Souls provides shoes for impoverished communities all over the world and you can help out by visiting the Groupees webiste. Find out more and get your bundle here.

Update: 
Once the bundle raises £1,400, Mean Jeans and Surfin' Mutants Pizza Party will be collaborating on a TV theme song and you can decide what they cover. The options include Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, Toxic Crusader, Teen Wolf, Frankenstein Jr & The Impossibles, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Biker Mice From Mars. Make sure you get your bundle and vote on a song here. 

Up & Coming Bands | Lexington Field

US band, Lexington Field, have just released their brand new album Greenwood. After hundreds of shows and two national tours the band are unleashing the third installment of their lively fiddle rock to the world. We spoke to vocalist, Beau Gray, to get to know a bit more about them...

WHERE ARE YOU FROM?

We are from America's Finest City...San Diego, CA

HOW DID YOU FORM?

We formed in 2009, going from playing Celtic Rock standards in Southern California pubs to writing our own unique style of music. I have been here since the beginning on vocals and guitar. Bryan Hane (guitar) also has been here since day one.  Over the last six years we have gone through some lineup changes to get us to this point - which I think is our most talented group yet. Vincent West (drums) joined the band in 2010.  AJ Belluto (guitar) toured with us in 2012 and then joined full time in 2013.  And, Tom Lazet (bass) and Olivia Buscemi (fiddle) joined the team in 2014.

DESCRIBE LEXINGTON FIELD'S MUSIC IN 5 WORDS FOR SOMEONE WHO MIGHT NOT HAVE HEARD IT BEFORE...

In two words: FIDDLE ROCK.  (That is technically 5 words...nailed it.)

TELL US ABOUT YOUR NEW FULL-LENGTH, GREENWOOD.....

Since our last full length, No Man's War, which we released back in 2013, we have added three new members - AJ, Tom, and Olivia.This rejuvenated our sound.  We started from scratch with nothing holding us back this time.The end result was Greenwood - the heaviest, most rocking album we have ever created.We joined East Grand Records last year and this will be our first release on the label.Very exciting times in the world of Lexington Field!

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE SONG FROM GREENWOOD AND WHY?

My favourite song has to be "The Hitchhiker's Guide Out of Suburbia".It's a personal story of growing up in the suburbs and FINALLY, getting to the city and moving forward in life.With more and more people growing up in that sheltered world, I think the song can be an anthem to someone taking a leap of faith and embracing this crazy, fucked up world head on.

HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH ARTWORK FOR GREENWOOD?

All our album artwork in the past has been done by Jose Pimienta, who is a spectacular artist and friend of ours. But, with this new sound, new members, and I guess you can say, "new band", we wanted to do something different. I took a picture of our rehearsal space, where we wrote the album for over nine months, and added the different colors to it to represent the different influences of all the band members. We wanted something that would catch your eye. In my opinion, mission accomplished.

DO YOU PREFER RECORDING OR PLAYING LIVE?

Recording is stressful. Playing live is awesome. My answer: Playing live.

IF YOU COULD PLAY A SHOW WITH ANY BAND WHO WOULD IT BE?

We have a very eclectic mix of artists that we all would like to share the stage with. Here are the answers from each member:
Beau - MxPx
Bryan - Rise Against
Vincent - Rage Against the Machine
AJ - Black Sabbath
Olivia -  Little Tybee
Tom - Rocket From The Crypt.


Greenwood is out now! Check it out below:



Lexington Field's Facebook | Website | Twitter | Youtube

Transit | Interview

With their new album, Joyride, released last October, Transit had some new material to unleash to fans across the pond on their recent tour across the UK and Europe. We spoke to vocalist Joe Boynton about Transit's hometown of Boston, Slam Dunk and Neil Degrasse Tyson podcasts...  

HOW'S THE TOUR BEEN GOING SO FAR?
The tour's been great. This is show four. Groezrock was incredible. All the other shows have been great. It's just been fun to be on the other side of the planet and playing music and hanging out with your friends 

ARE YOU EXCITED FOR SLAM DUNK?
I'm Unbelievably excited for slam dunk. This will be our fourth time I believe.

YOU GUYS RECENTLY RELEASED JOYRIDE, WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE SONG FROM IT AND WHY?
It's hard to say because it changes every few weeks. It depends what kind of mood I'm in and if we're performing the songs a lot, I'll either stop liking the ones we're not performing as much because I'm not hearing it as many times in a row. I would say my absolute favourite song off of Joyride is probably The Only One because it's the first track off the record. We wanted to put the strongest track first and the one that we all love the most. The whole thing's about giving something for people to take away so we figured if that's our favourite song as band, it should be the first song that everyone else hears. 

DO YOU LIKE TOURING IN THE UK?
It's awesome but America has the best food hands down. America is a funnel for every other country in the world. We have the whole world's display of food inside one city usually. There's a little gallery of food inside every restaurant and it's incredible and there's no where else like it in the world. The UK has excellent chicken and steak because it seems like it's more farm-raised and it doesn't seem like it has that many preservatives and chemicals shoved in like America does, which is unfortunate. So everything here that is good, is good because it's natural and it tastes more natural, but as far as overall restaurants and food, United States all the way. More people go out to eat in the United States, it's a normal thing there and over on this side of the world people eat at home and they spend more time around the table with their families, which is beautiful.

Overall, the UK is beautiful. When you fly over everything is green, you've got these yellow vibrant fields and people are generally nice, which isn't always the case when you go around America. The thing about America is that it looks so crazy on the global stage because it's a giant mass of land with one title. However, Europe is all these tiny little countries next to each other so if something bad happens in France people look at France, if something bad happens in Germany, people look at Germany but the US is like 13 different countries in one land mass with the same name. So, to the rest of the world it looks nuts but it's really not, it's just specific areas. 

WHAT WAS IT LIKE GROWING UP IN BOSTON?
It was tough. There's a lot of societal problems and not enough people get help. It's still a new country, it's still growing, it's still learning, it's still discovering who it is and I think in the process, families, the middle class and lower income families even the upper-class they're all affected in certain ways based on school, work, the internet. Just regular drama, like TV shows and how they influence the way you think. Everything is at play and the houses are close together in certain spots and there is certain tension and drama. From my perspective it was tough but I know a lot of people who have had it harder. Every town that I'm from is like a different country. 

I'm from Saugus Massachusetts which is very middle-class; carpenters, plumbers and electricians. It doesn't care for music as much as I wish, the library has been closed and opened randomly. Then you've got Lynn which is right next to Saugus which is a little bit tougher, right beside the ocean, it's got people from all over the world and a lot more diverse than my town, a lot more beat up as far as appearance when you're driving through, it's a lot more packed in and a lot more people live there. 

Right next to that is Salem, Massachusetts, which looks like a European version of the United States and it's where the witch trials were, filled with tourists, filled with bars, it's generally really happy and upbeat, people generally make more money than in the other towns. Next is Marbelhead which is very closed off, there's not a lot of action going on, people make a lot more money but it's not as fun as Salem and that's just how it is and it keeps going as you move East or West. Every neighboring town is different than the next.

IS IT INTERESTING TO SEE DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE WORLD WHEN YOU'RE TOURING?
I believe there's 96 or 97 countries, I don't know the exact number but we've seen 14 or 15. So we've seen pieces of the world, we've gotten a sample. Most of the world I've seen is through documentaries. In the States my favourite place to visit is Seattle, San Franciso and North Carolina.

WHO'S BEEN YOUR FAVOURITE BAND TO TOUR WITH?
Some tours are better than others. Some bands are funner to hang out with than others, some shows are better than others. My favourite tour was probably with Taking Back Sunday. Adam (Lazzara) had his second kid in the middle of the tour so he left and I got to sing a song in their set for about two weeks and I grew up listening to Taking Back Sunday from when I was about 15. It was a real honour to get to play and perform with a band that you looked up to for so long. Other than that, Saves The Day because they're the reason I'm in a band and to tour with them and have lunch and dinner with them randomly and just hang out and have a few beers is something I never thought I would do. Everything since then has been a plus. 

DO YOU HAVE TO PINCH YOURSELF SOMETIMES?
No because everyone's just a person. You can meet anyone in the whole world and no matter how famous they are, they go to sleep, they eat, they drink, they breathe the air just like everyone else and when you really believe that and feel that for what is is you're never really nervous or not worthy of someone else's presence. My mother taught me that and I believe that very dearly. 

DO YOU LISTEN TO SIMILAR MUSIC TO TRANSIT?
Completely different. I listen to a lot of hip hop and reggae. I listen to more podcasts than music. I started off with the Joe Rogan experience podcast. From there I went to Star Talk with Neil Degrasse Tyson which is about astronomy. From there I listened to the Infinite Monkey Cage which is a BBC podcast and then I started getting into English podcasts. I started listening to a lot of podcasts about Tolkien's work because I'm really starting to get into the English language. Also, Hardcore history with Dan Carlin who's the best history teacher you will ever have. I hated history when I was in school but now I love it. 

Knuckle Puck Release New Song

Knuckle Puck have released a video for their new song Disdain. The song comes from their upcoming album, Copacetic, which is set to be released July 31st. Check out the new song below:

Such Gold | Interview

At the start of May, Such Gold embarked on another run of the UK and Europe which also included performances at Groezrock and Slam Dunk. We spoke to bassist Jon Markson and also vocalist/ guitarist Ben Kotin about The New Sidewalk, touring and English food...

HOW ARE YOU DOING TODAY?
Jon: I'm doing good.

HOW HAS THE TOUR BEEN GOING SO FAR? 
Jon: In the UK, we've played Kingston, Norwich and Nottingham but we started the tour at this festival called Groezrock in Belgium which was super awesome. It's not everyday that we get to play to 2,000 really excited kids and adults and it was a really good time. We're four days into the tour but we've been overseas for about a week now so we're finally getting over jetlag.

ARE YOU EXCITED TO PLAY SLAM DUNK?
Jon: Yeah, we've got the offer to play Slam Dunk three times but this is the first time we've been able to take the offer. We're looking forward to it. Apart from last night, I don't want to call anyone out, but we were like 'we're going to play Slam Dunk, is that cool?' and a couple of people at the back were like 'meh' but we're really excited. I love festivals, I think festivals are awesome because A) everyone's having a good time B) they treat bands really well and C) fans treat bands really well, better than at club shows generally. 

YOU GUYS RELEASED THE NEW SIDEWALK LAST YEAR, ARE YOU STILL LOVING IT?
Jon: Yeah we love it, it's awesome.

DO YOU LISTEN TO IT?
Jon: Not anymore but we did for a while and we were really excited to have finished it. We were working on it for a long time so I think the honeymoon period is over. We don't really put it on in the van anymore but we're still really excited about the material. I think as far as being in a band and being able to play the songs live, they're definitely the most fun songs to play live. They test us as musicians and now, learning some of those songs from the album live, has been a really good experience for the band because we've really had be able to consistently enact what we recorded on stage and that's a fun exercise. Sometimes I listen to The New Sidewalk on bandcamp on my phone and then bandcamp tells me that I should pay for it. 

WHAT'S YOUR FAVOURITE SONG FROM THE NEW SIDEWALK?
Jon: It changes all the time. Right now it's Frying In The Mix probably just because we don't play it live. It was Food Court Blues for a while.

BEFORE A SHOW DO YOU STILL GET NERVOUS?
Jon: It depends, sometimes. When I get nervous it's not for any particular reason. It's just like once in a while I'll feel a little funny. Sometimes before our set I try and get myslef a little hyped up and feel a little amped and nervous but I don't really get butterflies before playing. I really like performing so I'm always really excited to do it and not so much anxiety about messing up. When we first started to tour, maybe the first couple of time, it's like 'are we going to be able to do it, okay we did it, it's fine'. 

HOW OLD WERE YOU WHEN YOU STARTED TO LEARN BASS?
Jon: Like 11 or 12. I started playing guitar in bands and recording music around 11. I started playing guitar, I got a little eight track so I could record myself fucking up on guitar, and then I wanted to add bass parts to it and I didn't know anyone who could play bass. I didn't start playing bass seriously in bands until Such Gold but I love the bass more than I love guitar now. A lot of people who end up playing bass in punk rock bands, sometimes they end up playing the bass like a guitar. But I just really love the bass, I love being in that register, being all the way down underneath everything and it's really cool. I think it's a really cool instrument. 

HOW DO YOU FIND BEING ON TOUR? 
Jon: I love it. 
PPUK: We're jealous we want to go on tour.
Jon: Do merch or be a tour manager. Just as important to the band on tour are the people who are working for the bands on tour, like literally equally important. Especially for American bands in the UK or in Europe because it's like 'I am not going to drive a car on the opposite side of the road, no way, I hate it'. I hate the idea of it so if we didn't have drivers and people working for us it would be impossible. I love the UK, I love England. The cities are beautiful. I love how all the cities have really open town areas. I live in New York City and everything's really blocky. I like New York City a lot but it's cool to go abroad and see like these really old cities that have had to modernise a little bit. 

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF ENGLISH FOOD?
Jon: I like the food but it's kind of heavy. Breakfast is heavy but I kind of like it.
(Ben walks in)
Jon: What do you think of the food here?
Ben: It's good.
Jon: Do you like English breakfast?
Ben: I love English breakfast. I like pretty much everything, I don't like Indian food which is big here but I can deal. There's plenty of stuff I can eat here. 
Jon: I like Wagamama.
Ben: Wagamama is cool. I like Sunday carveries. 
Jon: I approve of English breakfast. We had kind of an English breakfast this morning that was served by this guy, he didn't want to give it to me though.
Ben: He didn't like Jon.
Jon: I asked for beans on my sandwich and he was like '(laughs) beans?' 
Ben: He was literally like 'you're asking a lot of me'. 

DO YOU FIND ENGLISH PEOPLE RUDE?
Ben: Sometimes. But it's just like anywhere. Not in general though. 
Jon: We live in one of the rudest places in the world. People are rude to each other all the time.
Ben: We're used to it. 
Jon: French Canada is the rudest place on the planet. 
Ben: That's not where we're from.
Jon: I know but I'm just saying. As an example, French Canada is the rudest place. Agree or Disagree?
Ben: I don't know. It's pretty fucking rude. It's like 'hey, can I borrow your lighter?' turn around and smoke crack.
Jon: That actually happened one time.

WHERE IS YOUR FAVOURITE PLACE TO TOUR?
Ben: Anywhere warm that we can skate 
Jon: Japan, the UK and Germany and also the East Coast and the West Coast. Also Belgium and also Australia. So pretty much the world. We don't like touring on the moon. We did a show on the moon.
Ben: A simulation moon. Sim moon 9.

WHO HAS BEEN YOUR FAVOURITE BAND TO TOUR WITH?
Jon: We have a great time with Transit. We are most inspired by A Wilhelm Scream, we our most educated by Strung Out. The Story So Far showed us incredible amounts of kindness.
Ben: Possibly the best shows.
Jon: Comeback Kid are the coolest dudes ever and they make us feel cooler than we are. That's a good five. Transit we drink a lot, A Wilhelm Scream we drink a lot and they kick our asses in music. The Story So Far are the most hospitable.

HOW DO YOU BOTH KEEP YOUR VOICES INTACT ON TOUR?
Jon: We haven't.
Katrin (Such Gold's tour manager): That's a good joke.
Jon: We fellate each other and that's how we keep our voices intact (laughs). We 69 all day.
Ben: It helps clear the throat. 
Jon: Especially if you deep throat it. We're probably not the best people to ask.

DO YOU GUYS LISTEN TO THE TYPE OF MUSIC YOU PLAY?
Jon: Definitely. I think the bands we all like together tend to be in our field. We do listen to different music a little bit but the bands that we all enjoy together are like Propagandhi and A Wilhelm Scream, technical punk bands. Ben listens to grindcore in his spare time, Nate listens to stoner metal, Matt listens to Reggae, I listen to mathrock. We all listen to shit together but the stuff we really listen to together is aggressive technical punk rock. 
Ben: And smooth jazz. 
Jon: We also love Frank Sinatra together. We actually just bought a Frank Sinatra Christmas album.
Ben: On one of our tours of England someone actually asked who our influences are and I said The Rat Pack and they asked my to leave the interview. They were not pleased.